Evita – acclaimed chef and icon of the nation – presents her recipes for delicious dishes gathered on travels in South Africa and around the world. From the Cape to Limpopo, the West Coast to our president’s home province, come divine platefuls: guineafowl with prunes, potroasted quail, quince bredie and orange duck. Pofadders, oxtail and even sweet and sour warthog. Evita reinvents old favourites, and deliciously prepares veldkos – who would have thought of waterblommetjie chicken or dandelion salad for the dinner table? Each recipe has been tested and vetted, and they’re all ridiculously easy to make. My liewe aarde, just paging through the book is a mouth-watering experience, with all these pictures taken on her visits. First there was Kossie Sikelela, now there is Bossie. A new culinary front hits your table.

This book explores stand-up comedy as a relevant sociological phenomenon from a contemporary perspective, as both a symptom of neoliberal capitalism and the locus specificus of socio-political critique in the era of Empire. It draws a feasible connection between the conspicuous rise in the art form’s popularity over the past number of years and the dehumanizing and fracturing processes of the current dispensation that are increasingly becoming the defining experience of life in the contemporary era, and to which, understood in terms of the traditional humor theory of relief (of which Sigmund Freud is key), comedy serves as an obvious palliative. More than this, Taking Comedy Seriously: Stand-Up’s Dissident Potential in Mass Culture, in the Context of the Neoliberal Domain of 'Empire' questions the possibility of a contemporary aesthetics of humor, given that much of the art form is disseminated and controlled by the mass media, and as such complicit in its work. In particular, it argues that the ideological situation of global capitalism poses an obvious predicament for the possibility of a socio-politically efficacious stand-up comedy in that ironic and skeptical distance is already characteristic of postmodern cynicism, incorporated into the social fabric itself, effectively rendering the comedic technique of satire (synonymous with so-called ‘political comedy’) altogether appropriated, or at least compromised, and subsequently impotent. From where then does a site of resistance emerge? Through an analysis of a range of contemporary televisual, digital and literary examples from the comedic routines of American comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, South African satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys, and South African born (and now American comedic talk-show sensation) Trevor Noah, this book argues that a contemporary ‘political comedy’ is reliant on a structuring aesthetic logic built around dissent, disruption and difference.

Issues for Nov. 1957- include section: Accessions. Aanwinste, Sept. 1957-

Low carb is lekker is the brainchild of Inè Reynierse, who embarked on a mission to make the benefits of a low-carb lifestyle an achievable, budget-friendly reality for her friends and family. Her ‘decarbed’ versions of South Africa’s most popular and well-loved recipes soon caught the attention of various social networks and the growing need for a basic Low carb is lekker recipe collection. There are easy low-carb, wheat-free and sugar-free alternatives to some alltime family favourites (think bobotie, mac ’n cheese and curry and ‘rice’), quick comfort foods (gnocchi and chicken pie) as well as decadent treats (malva pudding, chocolate brownies and milk tart spring to mind). Written by a mom for moms who want to feed their loved ones back to health, Low carb is lekker is also a celebration for fellow South Africans who love the tastes of home without compromising health and wellness.

Evita Bezuidenhout, still regarded as the most famous white woman in South Africa, was born Evangelie Poggenpoel of humble Boer origins in the dusty Orange Free State town of Bethlehem on 28 September 1935. Illegitimate, imaginative, pretty and ambitious, she dreamt of Hollywood fame and fortune, tasting stardom in such 50s Afrikaner film classics as 'Boggel en die Akkedis' (Hunchback and the Lizard), 'Meisie van my Drome' (Girl of my Dreams) and 'Duiwelsvallei' (Devil's Valley). She married into the political Bezuidenhout Dynasty and became the demure wife of NP Member of Parliament Dr J.J. De V. Bezuidenhout and the proud mother of De Kock, Izan and Billie-Jeanne. Power became her addiction. She wielded it in the boardroom, the kitchen and round the dinner table, becoming confidante to the flawed gods on the Boer Olympus and so shaping the course of history with her close and often unbelievable relationships with the grim-faced leaders of the day: Dr H.F. Verwoerd, B.J. Vorster, P.W. Botha and F.W. de Klerk. Hand in hand with the glamorous Evita of Pretoria was the Tallyrand of Africa, Pik Botha, her ageing Romeo and constant friend, while watching her from afar as she watched him, Nelson R. Mandela, alive today thanks to her timely interventions. Satirical, provocative, radical and humorous, A Part Hate A Part Love will have you rolling on the floor one minute and weeping the next.

'For the Love of Baking' is food stylist extraordinaire Sarah Dall's debut offering. The book covers a wide variety of baking recipes and has everything from cakes, cupcakes and desserts to biscuits, tray bakes and even a whole chapter devoted to those recipes that children love, for instance good old crunchies.

At last, Pieter-Dirk Uys, South Africa’s most famous political satirist, entertainer and AIDS activist, has penned a memoir. He takes us back to his upbringing in apartheid South Africa, his early days in the theatre, and the birth of his alter ego, Evita Bezuidenhout, the ambassador to the fictitious homeland of Bapetikosweti. He revisits his political satire, which exposed the absurdities of Whites Only policies and the ridiculousness of the fear surrounding them. He also writes frankly about his sexual journeys in a conservative, Calvinistic society that forbade interracial sex and homosexuality. With the end of apartheid and the fall of the old tyrants, Uys wondered, did he still have a job to do? But a new democracy comes with its own challenges and absurdities, and the government continues to write his scripts for him. Whether he is educating voters or informing the youth about the dangers of HIV/AIDS, he goes to war against ignorance and complacency, brandishing his unique weapons: laughter, compassion ... and a plastic penis! This is a book about journeys, both geographical and personal, a document of Pieter-Dirk Uys’s love affair with South Africa and its people. Frank and controversial, hilarious and humane, Elections & Erections expresses his passion and anger towards present circumstances, and his hope and optimism for the future.

Andy Allen is the winner of Channel Ten's Masterchef 2012 and this is his first book. He has had an amazing journey from first audition to winning and his page on the Masterchef website received hundreds of thousands of hits. As well as over 80 recipes the book contains anecdotes about his journey and experiences as well as recipes for the food he learnt to cook whilst on the programme. There are quick and enticing family recipes, recipes he shared with his buddies from the programme, Ben and Kylie, as well as his favourite seafood dishes.