03-06-2025
Exclusive Books' recommended June reads
If you haven't done so, pick up Waterstones' Book of the Year for 2024, Butter by Asako Yuzuki, a culinary thriller inspired by true events.
Manako Kajii was once a celebrated gourmet cook now in Tokyo Detention Centre, convicted of murder. Rika Machida, the only female journalist in her news office, works late every night and rarely cooks anything beyond noodles. When Rika writes to Manako requesting her recipe for beef stew, hoping to soften her up and get her to finally speak to the media, the two women develop an unlikely bond.
In the latest addition to the Elements series, Air from John Boyne offers a contemplative exploration of a man's journey towards becoming a better father. Aaron is at a crossroads in life. The trauma of his childhood has shaped the man he is today, but it's also what's keeping him from his son. Stuck on a plane together on a long-haul flight halfway across the world, this trip may bring them closer together or drive them further apart.
If you're in the mood for romance, don't miss Swept Away by Beth O'Leary. Zeke is in town for the weekend to buy back his father's houseboat. Lexi is desperately looking for help caring for her best friend's daughter. After meeting in a local bar, Zeke and Lexi spend what they assume will be one night together. But they wake up the next morning surrounded by the ocean because no one remembered to tie the houseboat to the dock the night before. As they navigate their way back, they'll have to figure out how to get back on land without falling for each other.
The non-fiction selection this month is sure to pique your interest, with major tech titles, moving memoirs and an eye-opening probe into building a safer SA.
In Behind Prison Walls, retired judge and chancellor of Stellenbosch University Edwin Cameron offers a powerful look at the failing prison system, along with insights and reflections on how it might be reformed for the better.
In Apple in China, Patrick McGee delves into the complex relationship between one of the world's most valuable companies and its biggest political rival. After struggling to build its products across three continents, Apple was drawn to China's seemingly vast, low-cost labour force. By 2014, China had produced up to 200-million phones for Apple. McGee tells the gripping story of how a company once celebrated for its rebellious spirit became a compliant player in a tightly controlled regime.
What happened to Elon Musk? In Hubris Maximus, Faiz Siddiqui traces the rise of the richest man on earth, and the cracks beginning to show in his empire. From transforming Tesla into the most valuable automaker to Twitter's rebrand to X, Musk is no stranger to controversy. Siddiqui provides a portrait of the billionaire's rapid ascent and his spectacular public implosion.
On the other end of the spectrum, I am a Girl from Africa is the powerful memoir from Elizabeth Nyamayaro as she reflects on how her near-death experience sparked a dream that changed the world. The book charts Nyamayaro's life from nearly starving to death in Zimbabwe to becoming a senior adviser at the UN. Follow the journey of a young girl who dreamed of change for herself, and for the people who need it most.
