WIN | Six of the best isn't always a punishment

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley (two, signed)

To the outside world, Electra D’Aplièse seems to be the woman with everything: as one of the world’s top models, she is beautiful, rich and famous.

Yet beneath the veneer, and fuelled by the pressure of the life she leads, Electra’s already tenuous control over her state of mind has been rocked by the death of her father, Pa Salt, the elusive billionaire who adopted his six daughters from across the globe. Struggling to cope, she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain, and as those around her fear for her health, Electra receives a letter from a complete stranger who claims to be her grandmother ...

In 1939, Cecily Huntley-Morgan arrives in Kenya from New York to nurse a broken heart. Staying with her godmother, a member of the infamous Happy Valley set, on the shores of beautiful Lake Naivasha, she meets Bill Forsythe, a notorious bachelor and cattle farmer with close connections to the proud Maasai tribe. When disaster strikes and war is imminent, Cecily decides she has no choice but to accept Bill’s proposal. Moving up into the Wanjohi Valley, and with Bill away, Cecily finds herself isolated and alone. Until she discovers a newborn baby abandoned in the woods next to her farmhouse ...

Sweeping from the frenetic atmosphere of Manhattan to the magnificent wide open plains of Africa, The Sun Sister is the sixth instalment in Lucinda Riley’s multimillion-selling epic series, The Seven Sisters.

Me by Elton John

In his first and only official autobiography, published globally on October 15, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life.

Following on from the hugely successful and critically acclaimed epic musical fantasy Rocketman comes Me, the joyously funny, honest and moving story of one of the world’s most irrepressible and flamboyant musical geniuses.

Written by Elton, with writer and music critic Alexis Petridis, it is a no-holds-barred account of his life and work as the most enduringly successful singer-songwriter of all time.

It is filled with sex, drugs and rock and roll, with an incredible supporting cast, unimaginable highs and equally unimaginable lows, but it is also a story about the transformative power of music, social change over the past 60 years and redemption. It has been called the greatest saga in rock history.

Christened Reginald Dwight, this is the story of a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of 23, he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived; and the music world would never be the same again.

His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from halfheartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his Aids foundation (which has raised more than $450m supporting HIV-related programmes in more than 55 countries). All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for more than a decade.

In Me, Elton writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, frank and irreverent, this is Elton revealing all for the very first time, from his music and his relationships to his passions and his mistakes. This is a memoir that will stay with you, and a story of a living legend like no other.

In Love with the World by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s experience begins the night he chooses to embark on a four-year wandering retreat, slipping past the monastery gates.

Alone for the first time in his life, he sets out into the unknown. His initial motivation is to step away from his life of privilege and to explore the deepest, most hidden aspects of his being, but what he discovers throughout his retreat — about himself and the world around him — comes to define his meditation practice and teaching.

Just three weeks into his retreat, Rinpoche becomes deathly ill and his journey begins in earnest through this near-death experience.

Moving, beautiful and suffused with local colour, In Love with the World is the story of two different kinds of death: that of the body and that of the ego, and how we can bridge these two experiences to live a better and more fulfilling life.

Rinpoche’s skilful and intimate account of his search for self is a demonstration of how we can transform our dread of dying into joyful living.

Father Michael's Lottery by Johan Steyn

The doctors and nurses at a small hospital in an African town are fighting an uphill battle against the Aids pandemic, made worse by the interventions of Holmes, the budget-conscious superintendent, and his bungling sidekick, Thunderbird.

The rebellious and profane Morgan thwarts every new rule in his quest to save his patients, most of whom are dying because they lack the resources to buy back their lives with over-priced drugs.

His efforts are valiantly supported by the enigmatic Oumar; the likable Kenyan, the beautiful Violet; and Rebecca, the battleaxe with a heart of gold.

Then there is Mary, with her passion for birds, holding Morgan’s heart in her frail hands; Naledi, the success story, who is brought back from the brink of death; and Rastodika, the untameable spirit.

When funds are needed for a kidney transplant, Morgan conspires with Father Michael; Dorcas, the shebeen queen; and Rachel, the whore, to make the rich Mr B organise a beer fest to pay for the operation. But things don’t work out exactly as they had planned.

Beast by Tendai Mtawarira and Andy Capostagno 

Tendai Mtawarira is known throughout the rugby world simply as Beast. Or, more often than not, ‘Beeeaaassssttt!’, as crowds from Durban to London, Buenos Aires and Auckland cry whenever he gets the ball.

In 2018 he became the most capped prop in Springbok history, earning his 100th Test cap, and in 2019 he became the most capped Super Rugby player in SA.

Beast played his third Rugby World Cup in 2019, has been in a winning series against the British and Irish Lions, contested two Super Rugby finals and won three Currie Cups with his beloved Sharks.

Along the way, he has been moved from back row to front row, bullied by xenophobic politicians and undergone three bouts of heart surgery. Beast is the story of how a humble man from Zimbabwe has become a rugby icon.

Capostagno has been talking about Beast for 17 years. Best known for his rugby, cricket and hockey commentary with SuperSport, Capostagno was the rugby correspondent for the Mail & Guardian for a quarter of a century. Beast is his fifth book, after Jonty in Pictures, Memorable Moments in One Day Cricket, Fancourt: The Road to the Presidents Cup and Ystervarkrivier: A Slice of Life.

Dr T: A Guide to Sexual Health & Pleasure by Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng (one, signed)

“It is so important for me to write this book because frankly everyone was asking for it ...” — Dr T

The indomitable Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, affectionately known as Dr T, is passionate about making sexual health and wellbeing services available to all, regardless of their sexual and gender identities or their economic status.

This book is filled with the specifics of sexual anatomy and health, as well as advice and facts about pleasure and sexual rights.

Dr T, with her typically honest and warm approach, makes the reader feel comfortable reading about topics that are not always discussed freely, providing all the information that demystifies sex and sexuality in a way that is entertaining and enlightening.

Entry details:

To enter, simply answer the following question: How many of the up-for-grabs books are local titles? E-mail your response to Mila de Villiers (mila@book.co.za) by December 18.