Reading
Books on air.
Every book South African radio talked about this month: the authors interviewed, the titles recommended, and what was said about each, with the audio.
127 titles · 250 airings · 5 stations · last 30 days
35 books
Newest airing first. Clear the chips above for the whole month.
Book · memoir · South African
Love and Lobola
Neewa Nons Omabena
A cookbook-style memoir in which the author tells her love story through food, presented as a great coffee table book that is also worth reading even for people who do not cook. The host plans to discuss the book and her story with her on air.
Book · memoir · South African
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Named as a companion text to read alongside other books by people involved in South Africa's transition, described as documenting that period. The speaker calls it an important book that must be read alongside those works.
Book · non-fiction · South African
Checkmate: How Shoprite Checkers Rewrote the Rules and Won
Stephen Bookey Siddeley
A book on Shoprite Checkers' rise as an iconic success story, covering its data-driven strategy, market power, labour and privacy criticisms. The author says the company's executives were pleased with the account despite some criticisms left unaddressed.
21 airings · Cape Talk, 702
Book · historical · South African
The Ghost of Sam Webster
Craig Higginson
A novel about a British-South African historical setting and a character who changes over the story, exploring why people return to national touchstones. The host strongly recommends it as spectacular writing with interesting history.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · memoir · South African
The Smallest Ones
Popina Kumanda
A memoir by Popina Kumanda about her harrowing but inspiring survival story, recently published by Penguin Random House. The host urges listeners to get a copy.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction
The Colour of Law
Richard Rothstein
A guest is reading this history of US housing and law, covering redlining and Jim Crow laws. The guest calls it a fascinating read that shows how bias in law also appears in South Africa.
Book · non-fiction
The Power of a Praying Woman
Stormy Omartian
A guest describes The Power of a Praying Woman as a book she returns to whenever she is confused, especially its chapter on forgiveness. She says it helps her with prayer, parenting and centering herself.
5 airings · Cape Talk, 702
Book · historical fiction
Land
Maggie O'Farrell
A novel set in Ireland beginning in 1865, following a family of surveyors working for the British and a magical wood with a spring. The host praises the crisp, poetic writing and the recurring themes of the author's earlier books, and recommends it.
Book · non-fiction · South African
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland
Ashley Khan
An author interview about a book on the making of Paul Simon's Graceland album, marking its 40th anniversary. The host urges listeners to get the book, which is out now in bookstores.
4 airings · Cape Talk
Book · memoir · South African
Held
Lulama Marley
A slim memoir subtitled Portrait of the Black Family, following three generations of a family in Guguletu's Native Yards. It describes township life unblinkingly, with music as a recurring theme, and its lyrical prose is praised as readable and beautiful.
5 airings · Cape Talk
Book · dark comedy
The Trees
Percival Everett · 2021
A listener-chosen book by Percival Everett, described as an unlikely dark comedy zombie story about lynchings in the American South and across the United States. The speaker says they love its interesting ideas, though they admit it is a weird pick.
Book · non-fiction · South African
Sexponential
Nikki Brive
A book by Nikki Brive on desire and the factors driving it in couples, including medical and trauma-related causes of sexual difficulties and the role of talking openly. The host urges listeners to find it in bookstores.
2 airings · 702
Book · memoir · South African
Swift: a memoir
Melinda Ferguson
A memoir by Melinda Ferguson about her grief after her husband Matt died, centred on a moment of release involving a baby bird. Guests describe it as moving and hopeful, though hard to read, and advise listeners to have tissues ready.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction · South African
CEO Nights
Nyimbini Mabunda
A leadership book built on conversations with 15 senior CEOs, organised around 15 themes such as authenticity, purpose and courage. The author says it is written in his own voice and offers a way to think through current leadership problems, including for people who are not CEOs.
3 airings · SAfm
Book · non-fiction · South African
Dr. Abdullah Abdurahman
Martin Plaut · 2020
An author discusses his biography of Dr. Abdullah Abdurahman, a South African politician and community leader, drawing on archive research. He argues the book's subject deserves rediscovery and offers copies as giveaway prizes.
Book · non-fiction
Who Moved My Cheese
Spencer Johnson
A short book, described as a metaphor for life lessons on adaptability, about people who complain when their cheese is moved versus those who find new ways to find more. The speaker calls it a great read worth giving time to.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · literary fiction
May We Feed the King
Rebecca Perry
A reviewer calls May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, a poet's debut novel, their favourite of the Booker shortlist. The book follows a contemporary curator and an unnamed historic king, written in poetic, hard-to-classify prose.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · cookbook · South African
Bella's Kitchen: a South African Food Odyssey
Isabella Niehaus
The author discusses her cookbook of food stories and recipes, from a savoury smoked snoek cheesecake to a pork and pistachio terrine, and a final chapter of recipes sent in by friends. The host calls it an extraordinary book for its stories as well as its recipes and urges listeners to look for it in bookstores.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · memoir · South African
Tracks in the Dust
Mario Cesare
A nature book about the bush and its unique creatures, published by Jonathan Ball. Listeners are urged to look for it in bookstores.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction
The Death of Trotsky
Josh Ireland
A caller recommends this book about the plot to kill Stalin's rival Leon Trotsky, covering his exile in Mexico, his life with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and the assassination by Ramón Mercader. The caller finds the assassination story fascinating.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · satire
Look What You Made Me Do
John Lanchester
A reviewer discusses John Lanchester's latest novel about a wealthy London couple, where a widow discovers her late husband's secret life through a satirical TV show. The reviewer praises its black humour and its sharp skewering of contemporary concerns.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · memoir · South African
My Father Died for This
Abigail Palata and Lukhanyo Calata
A book written by Abigail Palata and Lukhanyo Calata. The speaker recommends it and describes a vivid, emotional scene from it about a three-year-old boy watching people gather at his father's funeral.
Book · non-fiction · South African
101 Remarkable South African Women
Lizette Rabe
A non-fiction collection of stories about remarkable South African women, including an enslaved woman who became an entrepreneur and owned farms. Published by Tafelberg, it is praised as an inspiring collection and is recommended for the weekend, available in good bookstores.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction · South African
101 Remarkable South African Women from Prehistory to the Present
Lizette Rabe
A compilation of short biographies of South African women, from prehistory to the present, covering figures in politics, the arts, media and sport. The author urges men as well as women to read it to understand the struggle women have faced, and it is presented as a book to read a story from each night.
Book · non-fiction
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
A geologist guest says Outliers was hard to get into at first but has become his favourite book. He preaches it, and it introduced him to the 10,000-hour rule and to tracking what he is good at.
Book · thriller
Miracle Creek
Angie Kim · 2020
A courtroom drama about a mother raising a child on the extreme edge of the autism spectrum, praised for its insight into parenting. The speaker says it is well worth seeking out.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction
Tuesdays with Morrie
A guest calls this small book one of their favourites and a moving read that shaped how they got into reading. They recommend it as a warm, quick read and a perfect gift for a teenager.
Book · memoir
Open
Andre Agassi
A sports autobiography by Andre Agassi, praised for its brutal honesty and its candid account of his relationship with tennis and his father. The host recommends it to listeners, and a guest says they would read it again.
Book · non-fiction · South African
Where To From Here: Populism and Coalition Politics in South Africa
Tara Russ
The author discusses coalition politics in South Africa and how parties will negotiate power nationally and locally. She urges young South Africans to research parties and vote responsibly. The host calls it a recommended read.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · thriller
The Bookseller
Tim Sullivan
A DS George Cross thriller set in Bristol, where a man is found dead in his bookshop. The reviewer finds the series sweet, charming and old-fashioned, and suggests starting with the earlier books.
Book · non-fiction · South African
The End of Normal: Witness to the Unraveling of White Power in South Africa
Max du Preez
A new book by Max du Preez reflects on growing up in a conservative Afrikaner household and on the unravelling of white power in South Africa. The interview covers white and Afrikaner nationalism, investigative journalism, and mental health among journalists. The host says it is well worth reading.
2 airings · Cape Talk
Book · fiction · South African
The Dogs of Vivo
Sven Axelrod
The host has read this quirky novel and found it absolutely fantastic, while warning that it will not suit everyone. It is one of the two books the host recommends right now.
Book · non-fiction · South African
Lillian Ngoyi: A Life
Martha Evans
A new biography of anti-apartheid activist Lillian Ngoyi, written by a professor who examines the rumours about her relationship with Nelson Mandela and her political legacy. The host calls it an important contribution and says it should be added to any collection of struggle icons.
Book · memoir · South African
Hot Tea and Apricots: A Memoir of Loss and Hope
Kim Ballantyne
A memoir of loss and hope by Kim Ballantine, published by Nerd and Cross, that the host calls utterly compelling. It is available in print and as an e-book from bookshops and online retailers.
3 airings · Cape Talk
Book · non-fiction · South African
Love and Violence: The Revolt Against Permanent Juniority
Muiseni Lozi
The book is described as an uncompromising account of the author's own story that also shines a light on societal issues. The host calls it a powerful book and a great selection for summer reading.
How this page is made
locl transcribes six South African radio stations as they air. Every hour a model reads the stretches that name a book, film or series and records each titled work that was discussed, reviewed or recommended, with the verdict and who gave it. Quiz clues, name-drops and the stations’ own programmes are left out. Titles and names are as the transcript heard them, so a spelling can be off. Opinions belong to the speakers. Press play to hear the opening window of the conversation; the transcript link has the rest. Only conversations whose audio is still held are listed, so a title leaves the page with its audio.
Updated Wednesday, 28 October at 12:51 SAST. Showing 30 days.