Nothing quite like books from home, bru
Words matter. Whether they are spoken, written or signed, words are powerful enough to shape society, inspire fresh thought, connect people and even change someone’s life.
Homebru 2024 is a celebration of unique and quintessentially South African words – the words we use to express ourselves, to capture our feelings and thoughts and to share who we are and where we are right now. There is a flavour your home tongue has that can’t be matched. That warm feeling that washes over you when you hear an Afrikaans rrrrolll or a Xhosa click.
These sounds bring us closer to home, and are best captured through the unique ‘africanisms’ that make our languages, and the books written in them, so undeniably good.
The selection of Exclusive Books Homebru books 2024 capture how there is nothing quite like books from home, bru. Get your copy of the content-rich catalogue in-store, for a good chuckle, check out the Homebru Word of the Day on the counter, grab your free Homebru badges – always a hit with the bookish crowd, and of course, as a Fanatic, earn double points on all Homebru books purchased in May.
The Homebru books are rich and varied, with something for everyone:
For words that sing and dance off the page – two important Homebru poetry books are Koleka Patuma’s We Have Everything We Need to Start Again and a tribute to icon Bra Willie in Keorapetse Kgotsotsile and the Black Arts Movement.
Is Durban the new Black? With three Homebru books featuring Durban and KZN as the backdrop – Shubnum Kahn’s The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil, Shafinaaz Hassim’s Darlings of Durban and Ashwin Desai’s Durban Casbah – it seems like the spotlight is shining its literary light on the province as a rich cultural melting pot.
Place – where we live, breathe, work and play, is much more than simply a backdrop to a story. In some ways, the setting is so central to our narratives that it becomes a character in itself. Think the dusty, charming Karoo of Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria captured in Recipes to Die Live For, the colourful, quirky Durban of Shubnum Kahn, the gritty edginess in Joburg from Ivan Vladislavic or Niq Mhlongo or the Draaie, swaaie en afdwaalpaaie of Corlia Fourie and Annelize van Rooyen.
Around half the list includes female writers – across the full spectrum of writing styles and genres – from Gail Schimmel’s page turner The Finish Line and Irma Venter’s Al wat tel, light romance like I Do, I Don’t from Zibu Sithole and unputdownable fiction like Chanette’s Paul’s Anoniem.
Every person has a story to tell – for an insider-look into the lives of some very different personalities – there’s Margie Orford’s memoir Love and Fury, ex-MK Marion Sparg’s Guilty and Proud, Dr Alastair McAlpine’s Prescription Ice Cream and Ebbe Dommisse’s Anton Rupert in English and Afrikaans.
Servings of Self Mastery, by Alistair Makoena and Small Changes for Big Results mirror the explosion and dominance of self development and psychology titles featuring on bestseller lists, both here and abroad.
Current affairs covers everything from the Hawks to business/leadership wisdom, dogs protecting wildlife to a doctor’s journey on what really matters.
The Homebru selection features very little politics – South Africans have fatigue reading about the challenges we face, but there’s a touch of cheeky humour from Jonathan Ancer’s Bullshit, which lightens the mood.
Homebru Laaities
The children’s Homebru list is particularly special this year. We have chosen 11 books that are absolute current must-haves for your child’s local library. The list features authors your young person’s library must feature – Fanie Viljoen, Jaco Jacobs, Zandile Ndlovu and Chris van Wyk. Unforgettable characters include both real – Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and Shudu Musida – and imagined, but just as memorable – Zoya, Naru and Gogo. USE HOW TO STOP A TRAIN COVER PLEASE
Buy them all to jumpstart your laaitie’s home library!
They will also be hosting Homebru Laaities kids parties in numerous Exclusive Books stores – with Homebru Laaities treats, bingo, words searches and prizes on offer. (See the Homebru Festival programme in-store and online).
Homebru festival of events
Aside from the brand-new addition of Homebru Laaities parties, the Homebru events line up has gone back to a festival-feel, with over 70 events across the country, including innovative happenings like Homebru cocktail hour evenings and coffee mornings, murder mystery events, Instagram readalongs, and an in-depth panel discussion in collaboration with Sunday Times. We will also have two pop-up Exclusive Books shops, leading with the Homebru range, at the country’s most important book festivals in May – Franschhoek Literary Festival and Kingsmead Book Festival.
South Africans are gifted at finding the positive spin in almost anything, and the Homebru books on the shelves attest to this indomitable spirit of focusing on joy, entertainment, optimism and hope. Because no matter what, There’s Nothing Like Homebru!
For more on the latest reads, visit Get It Magazine.
