Pan Macmillan: 10 local eBook titles to read during lockdown

It was the best of times, it was the Covid-19 of times...

In light of Pres Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement of a 21-day lockdown, bookstores nationwide will be closing their doors as of Thursday.

Fortunately the following 10 local Pan Macmillan titles are available as eBooks.

Go ahead, increase your screen time!

Changing a Leopard's Spots by Alex van den Heever & Renias Mhlongo

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B084C1PST7

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/changing-a-leopard-s-spots

World-renowned wildlife trackers Alex van den Heever and Renias Mhlongo have spent more than two decades working together, tracking leopards and lions at Londolozi, jaguars in South America and grizzly bears in the US.

In Changing a Leopard’s Spots, Alex shares stories from his life with Renias, including the successes, failures, dramas, laughter, disappointments and highlights.

As they experience numerous adventures, Alex and Renias learn to trust and rely on one another – both to stay alive, in a literal sense because of the sometimes dangerous environments in which they work, but also to develop a deep and meaningful relationship.

By challenging each other and learning from one another they break down social, cultural, racial and personal boundaries and obstacles that often divide South Africans; and in the process, the two men forge an unbreakable bond.

Three Bodies by NR Brodie

Reshma Patel and Ian Jack are back

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B084CWSP74
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/three-bodies

The first body was found in Hartbeespoort Dam. An unidentified woman, presumably drowned, washed up on the banks of an exclusive golf estate.

Next came the discovery of a grisly crime scene deep underground in Johannesburg, somehow connected to a second woman found dead in the Jukskei River where it runs through Alexandra.

When the body of a third woman is pulled out of the Vaal river, south of Joburg, Captain Reshma Patel starts to wonder if a serial killer is at work – or if the mutilated corpses have anything to do with the spate of cash-in-transit heists she’s busy investigating.

When a fourth woman goes missing, Reshma and her partner, former police officer Ian Jack, have to figure out who is behind the killings, and stop them before they can strike again.

The Book of Gifts by Craig Higginson

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0849PTKVH
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/the-book-of-gifts

What is the cost of giving a gift? What is the cost of receiving one?

Julian Flint is 11 years old. He likes to remain invisible, hiding inside the architecture of adults provided by his mother, his uncle and his aunt.

But when his mother, Emma, a celebrated sculptor, takes them on a family holiday to a luxury hotel by the sea, he meets the radiantly beautiful and irreverent Clare.

She sees something inside him he never knew existed. Everything he thought he knew begins to shift — setting off a chain of events that will determine each of their fates.

From the award-winning author of The Dream House and The White Room comes Craig Higginson’s most riveting and ground-breaking novel to date. Part psychological thriller, part murder mystery, The Book of Gifts takes us on a dangerous and unforgettable journey between the lush beaches of Umhlanga Rocks, the stark midwinter wastes of Johannesburg and the rich and strange coral reefs of Mauritius.

Written in Higginson’s compelling and indelible prose, this masterfully-plotted novel explores the fault lines between loyalty and betrayal, blindness and perception, entrapment and flight. It dives into the deepest reaches of human consciousness to catch the brightest fish.

Reggie & Me by James Hendry 

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B08286NFW8
Kobo: http://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/reggie-and-me-2

South Africa – 1976 to 1994

A time of turbulence as the struggle against apartheid reaches its zenith, pushing SA to the brink.

But for one small boy in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg ... his beloved housekeeper is serving fish fingers for lunch.

This is the tale of Hamish Charles Sutherland Fraser – chorister, horse rider, schoolboy actor and, in his dreams, 1st XV rugby star and young ladies’ delight.

The tale of a boy who loves climbing trees in the spring and a girl named Reggie.

An odd child growing up in a conflicted, scary, beautiful society. A young South African who hasn’t learnt the rules.

The Asian Aspiration by Greg Mills, Olusegun Obasanjo, Hailemariam Desalegn and Emily van der Merwe

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0848VWLFW
Kobo: http://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/the-asian-aspiration

In 1960, the GDP per capita in South East Asian countries was nearly half of that of Africa. By 1986, the gap had closed and today the trend is reversed, with more than half of the world’s poorest now living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Why has Asia developed while Africa lagged?

The Asian Aspiration chronicles the untold stories of explosive growth and changing fortunes: the leaders, events and policy choices that lifted a billion people out of abject poverty within a single generation, the largest such shift in human history.

Africa’s leaders have to adopt a similar sense of urgency to Asia if they are to ensure that their countries not only survive, but prosper in the face of the huge demographic changes they face.

Africa’s current cohort of about 420 million young people, aged 15-35, already face a daunting future. Only one in six has stable wage employment, and just 75% are literate – the lowest of any region globally. This book calls for a move away from ideology to unprecedented pragmatism in the pursuit of African success.

The continent’s ambition cannot be to duplicate the Asian path, but rather to learn from Asia and other fast-growing regions. This can be interpreted as the deep commitment to popular welfare which defines inclusive growth and has been routinely exhibited by East Asian leaders, whatever the formal system of government.

Africa is neither a continent of chronic despair nor one of unchecked optimism. The key lesson from Asia is to deal with the facts on the ground as they are. This book aims to give sound advice to take the next generation from poverty to prosperity.

The premise is that Africa would do well to heed Asia’s experiences and lessons, avoid its faults and replicate its successes.

Two Months by Gail Schimmel

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B085JMXY8K
Kobo: http://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/two-months-1

From the best-selling author of The Park and The Accident comes a new domestic thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

When Erica wakes up to discover that she can't remember two months of her life, she wants to know what she’s missed. She soon realises that she’s lost more than two months. She’s lost her job and her friends. And her husband won’t tell her why.

As Erica starts to put together the clues and pieces, a picture emerges of what has happened.

A picture that is fatally flawed.

The Upside of Down by Bruce Whitfield 

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B085GFZ1Z3
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/the-upside-of-down-17

The next time you attend a conference or hire a consultant, you may be told: “We live in a VUCA [Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous] world. Leave the room. You are wasting your time.”

In a world of fake news, deep fakes, manipulated feeds of information and divisive social-media agendas, it’s easy to believe our time is the most challenging in human history.

It’s just not true.

It is a time of extraordinary opportunity, but only if you have the right mindset. Fear of the future breeds inaction and leads to strategic paralysis. We put off decisions until we can have certainty. We look for signals. We wait. And while we do that, the world moves on around us.

Problem solvers thrive during chaotic and uncertain times because they act to change their future. Winners recognise that in a world of growing uncertainty, you need to resort to actions on things you can control.

The only things over which you have absolute control are your attitude and your mindset. These, in turn, determine the actions you will take and that will define your future.

Finding Common Ground by Wandile Sihlobo

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B084G1XS88
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/finding-comm on-ground-5

Wandile Sihlobo is perfectly positioned to provide a well-rounded, accessible view of agriculture in South Africa.

He spent his school holidays in the rural Eastern Cape, studied agricultural economics at university, has worked in private sector agriculture, consulting with farmers across the country, and has been an adviser to government as part of South African policymaking bodies.

Finding Common Ground is a selection of key articles from Sihlobo’s regular Business Day column, framed with insightful commentary and context. The book covers the broad themes that have marked current discussions and outlines the challenges and opportunities faced by SA’s agricultural sector.

Oupa Zombie deur Jaco Jacobs

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B08619F1Z7
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/oupa-zombie

Alex se oupa het grys hare, dra valstande en kyk graag na reisprogramme op TV. Maar op ’n dag raak hy skielik mal oor … BREIIINNNSSS!

Dit is duidelik dat Oupa besig is om in ’n zombie te verander. As Alex hom van dr. Zuurman en die zombiepolisie wil red, gaan hy ’n paar briljante planne, goeie vriende en hope broccoli nodig hê.

En miskien kan hulle op die koop toe ook hulle droom bewaarheid om die Zambia en Egipte te siene kry!

Met Jacobs se sonderlinge kombinasie van humor en die deernisvolle uitbeelding van gesins- en ander verhoudinge, is dit nie moeilik om te verstaan waarom hy die topverkoper-kinderboekskrywer in Suid-Afrika is nie.

Grandpa Zombie by Jaco Jacobs

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B08619KGFQ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/grandpa-zombie

Alex’s grandpa has grey hair and false teeth and he loves watching travel shows on television. But then he suddenly develops an interest in … BRAIIINNNSSS!

Grandpa is turning into a zombie and if Alex wants to rescue him before the Zombie Squad shows up, he’ll need to come up with a plan (and heaps of broccoli).

Their travels to find a cure take them across Africa – from Zambia to Egypt – and along the way they meet a range of interesting and wonderful characters.

Top selling children’s books author Jacobs uses his characteristic combination of humour and the compassionate portrayal of relationships between family and friends to create yet another best-seller in the making.

• Article provided by Pan Macmillan