JHB West - April 22

Book club
A handful of great reads for the long weekend
We’ve had an enjoyable overdose of Marian Keyes lately, what with rereading
Rachel’s Holiday and then her latest Again, Rachel. This time, the
book’s not by her at all ... but she’s the star character (and by the way, she
loved the book ... saying it was warm, funny and moving!). Written by four
local authors and friends (Amy Heydendrych, Qarnita Loxton, Pamela
Power and Gail Schimmel)), Chasing Marian is the story of four strangers
who meet by chance online. There’s a yummy mummy of two whose life
is slowly unravelling and who has recently separated from her husband;
a happily widowed granny with a salty tongue and a wicked sense of
humour; a gorgeous and sensitive almost-qualified psychologist who still
lives with his parents; and a librarian who has an absent boyfriend and
a secret writing habit. And the only thing these four have in common
is that they’re die-hard Marian Keyes fans. And when they hear that
Marian is due to visit South Africa to attend a literary festival, they are all
desperate to meet her. Together they come up with a mad-cap plan. Will
they succeed – or will life intervene? And will you guess which author
wrote which character? MacMillan, available at Exclusive Books
06 Get It Magazine April 2022
Such, such fun. In Christine Simon’s
The Patron Saint of Second Chances, the 212
inhabitants of an old, crumbling Italian village need
to pay for some expensive repairs to the water
pipes, or they’ll be cut off and forced to leave. In a
desperate bid to save the town, the self-appointed
mayor starts a rumour that Italian heart-throb Dante
Rinaldi is coming to town to film his next movie.
Soon, the place is teeming with fans and everyone
wants to be involved ... from the butcher who’ll
invest if roles can be found for each of his 15 sons
to the local priest! It seems the only way to give
their beloved town a second chance is to actually
make a movie. What could possibly go wrong?
Little Brown, available at Exclusive Books
Capturing the spirit of ubuntu, SAAM means ‘together’ in Afrikaans, defining the
qualities that create this beautiful new Fairtrade range from Perdeberg Cellar. The aim
from this cellar is to make a positive impact on people’s lives, and 72 workers and 20
families who work at the grape producing vineyards are currently supported through
the Fairtrade social premiums generated. So every time you buy a bottle of this SAAM,
the workers and their families benefit from community projects and the producers
remain sustainable. Try the SAAM Pinotage 2020 - all prunes, cherries and ripe berry
notes with hints of vanilla oak, which pairs well with tuna steak, roasted pork shoulder,
barbeque lamb ribs or matured cheese; or the SAAM Cabernet 2020 – a velvety wine
with a rich, lingering finish, that goes well with robust meat dishes like kudu fillet, duck
breast or lamb chops. R75 each, from Pick ‘n Pay Liquor.
GIWR0408_006_1033577979.indd 6 2022/03/17 13:59:28