Independent Publishers: Porcupine Press: OUR TEAM: Clare-Rose Julius (General Manager) Gail & David Robbins (Owners)
Tuesday 25 March 2014
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Monday 24 March 2014
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Coolie, Come Out and Fight! Review in Artsmart
Sunday, February 16, 2014
A South African memoir of love, courage and journeys to a
better place, Mohamed (Mac) Carim’s Coolie
Come Out and Fight is simultaneously a family memoir and a slice of South
African history. It offers that rare thing: a beleaguered community in
turbulent times seen through a young couple’s struggle for self-realisation and
fulfillment.
It’s about the particular hurdles that face an
Indian/Coloured family in their search to find a more dignified space in which
to live, grow and thrive. Starting with the grandfathers − the Indian
deck-passenger who reaches Cape Town in 1914, sells fruit off a street handcart
and ten years later establishes a silk bazaar. And the illegitimate child of a
daughter of the Italian House of Orsini, born in secrecy, who was sent to a
convent in Cape Town and raised as a foster son of a coloured fishing family.
Through the journeys of three generations Carim’s story
offers insights into aspects of the lives of ordinary people during the
transition years from colonialism to apartheid. The style is engaging, the
dialogue lucid and authentic; rewarding the reader with vivid action and
imagery. Its title Coolie, Come Out and
Fight! is devastatingly honest and redolent of South Africa in the 1950s
and 60s.
Mac Carim’s emotional ties to the volatile streets of
Johannesburg haven’t faded in 70 years, just as his love affair with his wife
Hajoo hasn’t cooled in 55 years. This memoir is a return to those streets and
times.
Born in Cape Town in 1936, ‘deported’ to the Transvaal with
his parents when he was two, Mac grew up in the unpredictable neighbourhoods of
Malay Camp, Troyeville, Johannesburg’s Asiatic Bazaar in the city centre and
Fordsburg. The couple left South Africa in March 1961, some three years after
their marriage, with toddler Xavier in tow. Son Zane was born in Kano, Nigeria
in 1964. Their journey spanned 35 years and four continents, while Mac worked on
assignments in 33 countries.
During all this time his heart remained in South Africa and
his spirit walked Jo’burg’s ghetto streets and avenues. After 19 years of
stability in Canada, this family was attracted back home in 1996 by the promise
of Nelson Mandela’s Rainbow Nation. Published by Porcupine Press, it retails at
R195.
Decarb Diet: GET IT Joburg West; 10 February 2014
The Decarb Diet
Rialien Furstenberg / 10 February 2014
Description of book:
This doctor-designed diet is easy to read and easy to start. It will guide you to weight loss and renewed health. The initial strike phase will take you from fat to lean without hunger or excessive exercise demands. When you reach your goal weight, stabilisation techniques will ensure that you stay slim and healthy for the rest of your life.
The Decarb Diet uses the latest nutritional research to fire up your fat-burning system, elevate your mood and beat back depression. You will eat well and never feel hungry. At the same time, your heart disease, cancer, alzheimer’s and diabetes risks will be reduced. The vitamin D and omega balance plan will lower inflammation and improve inflammatory conditions like arthritis, asthma and psoriasis.
About the Author:
Howard Rybko was born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1956. He graduated as an medical doctor from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in 1981. After two years in research, he went into private medical practice, specialising in diet and weight management. During the late 80′s he became involved with medical software. He has also been active in sports nutrition and performance since 1992, specialising in cycling, a sport he continues to be actively involved in. He is currently working on using low carb ketogenic methods to enhance endurance in weekend warriors.
The Decarb Diet is available from Exclusive Books and www.porcupinepress.co.za
This doctor-designed diet is easy to read and easy to start. It will guide you to weight loss and renewed health. The initial strike phase will take you from fat to lean without hunger or excessive exercise demands. When you reach your goal weight, stabilisation techniques will ensure that you stay slim and healthy for the rest of your life.
The Decarb Diet uses the latest nutritional research to fire up your fat-burning system, elevate your mood and beat back depression. You will eat well and never feel hungry. At the same time, your heart disease, cancer, alzheimer’s and diabetes risks will be reduced. The vitamin D and omega balance plan will lower inflammation and improve inflammatory conditions like arthritis, asthma and psoriasis.
About the Author:
Howard Rybko was born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1956. He graduated as an medical doctor from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in 1981. After two years in research, he went into private medical practice, specialising in diet and weight management. During the late 80′s he became involved with medical software. He has also been active in sports nutrition and performance since 1992, specialising in cycling, a sport he continues to be actively involved in. He is currently working on using low carb ketogenic methods to enhance endurance in weekend warriors.
The Decarb Diet is available from Exclusive Books and www.porcupinepress.co.za
ETERNITY by WERNER WEYER
RECENT RELEASE BY PORCUPINE PRESS
204 PagesRetail Price: R180-00 (Incl. VAT)
Publication Date: October 2013
ISBN Number: 9781920609320
Genre: Fiction / Suspense
Description of Book:
A crazy desert prophet, a missing woman and a bloody dress, Ronny Searching got more than he bargained for when he took the road to Eternity.
Ronny
Searching is a down and out tabloid journalist who’s tasked to do a story on a
so-called desert prophet named Dean Le Blanc at a small town named Eternity.
Dean shares his wisdom as and recalls his history filled with abuse, violence,
teenage angst, sex and drugs during a whirlwind trip on his Harley Davidson.
Things take a turn for the worst when they become prime suspects in the case of
missing woman who is presumed dead which sets off a chain of unexpected events.
About the Author:Werner Weyer was born in the bushveld town of Groblersdal in the Limpopo Province in South Africa. He has been awarded various accolades for his writing and his passion for the craft clearly shines through in his first novel. He currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.
THE DECARB DIET by DR HOWARD RYBKO
LATEST BEST SELLER BY PORCUPINE PRESS
182 PagesRetail Price: R165-00
Publication Date: November 2013
ISBN Number: 9781920609436
Genre: Non-Fiction
Description of Book:
This doctor-designed diet is easy to read and easy to start. It will guide you to weight loss and renewed health. The initial strike phase will take you from fat to lean without hunger or excessive exercise demands. When you reach your goal weight, stabilisation techniques will ensure that you stay slim and healthy for the rest of your life.
The Decarb Diet uses the latest nutritional research to fire up your fat-burning
system, elevate your mood and beat back depression.
You will eat well and never feel
hungry. At the same time, your heart disease, cancer, alzheimer’s and diabetes
risks will be reduced. The vitamin D and omega balance plan will lower
inflammation and improve inflammatory conditions like arthritis, asthma and
psoriasis.
Howard Rybko was born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1956. He graduated as an medical doctor from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in 1981. After two years in research, he went into private medical practice, specialising in diet and weight management. During the late 80's he became involved with medical software. He has also been active in sports nutrition and performance since 1992, specialising in cycling, a sport he continues to be actively involved in. He is currently working on using low carb ketogenic methods to enhance endurance in weekend warriors.
BOOK LAUNCH OF JOZI GOLD AT SKOOBS ON 12 MARCH 2014
NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR
"I am thrilled with how the book launch went! As a first experience of speaking to a crowd as a published author, it went exceptionally well. Besides the fact that Skoobs Theatre of Books in Monte Casino is such a stunning place to hold a launch, David Robins from Porcupine Press gave me a wonderful endorsement and several people came up afterwards to chat and buy signed copies of Jozi Gold. I had a professional photographer covering the event so there will be great pics to come. Meanwhile, I am celebrating the feeling of being on my way as a respected South African women's fiction writer!"
"I am thrilled with how the book launch went! As a first experience of speaking to a crowd as a published author, it went exceptionally well. Besides the fact that Skoobs Theatre of Books in Monte Casino is such a stunning place to hold a launch, David Robins from Porcupine Press gave me a wonderful endorsement and several people came up afterwards to chat and buy signed copies of Jozi Gold. I had a professional photographer covering the event so there will be great pics to come. Meanwhile, I am celebrating the feeling of being on my way as a respected South African women's fiction writer!"
JOZI GOLD by LEANNE HUNT
RECENT RELEASE BY PORCUPINE PRESS
318 PagesRetail Price: R189-00 (Incl. VAT)
Publication Date: November 2013
ISBN Number: 9781920609450
Genre: Fiction
Description of Book:
A woman with a past, a city with a future, a soccer team chasing glory.
Amidst the tension surrounding the run-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa, one woman discovers her husband is having an affair, another meets up with a university sweetheart and a third heads for a nervous breakdown. Who is the man at the centre of the drama, and does he get to keep his gold?
Who the book is for:
Are you toying with the idea of reinventing
yourself but haunted by the thought that your life could end up tasting like a
failed casserole or looking like a bleach job gone wrong? You'll relate well to Jeannie Parker. Where your relationships have worn tired, you
seek ways to revitalise them. When
you're not scrambling to meet work deadlines, helping the kids with
applications for car licences and college, or looking after the needs of
elderly parents, you're dreaming big dreams…
Because you firmly believe that, if others have found happiness, so can
you.
About the Author:
Leanne Hunt was born in Durban, South
Africa. She began penning poetry at the
age of nine and conceived her dream of writing novels early in high
school. Her inspiration came from
visiting libraries with thousands of books arranged invitingly on sturdy wooden
shelves, and checking out an armful of those books to read at home.
Notwithstanding
the fact that she became legally blind at the age of seventeen, she studied for
and obtained an Honours degree with distinction in English from the University
of KwaZulu-Natal. Today, her reading
material comes in the form of audio cassettes, CDs and digital downloads, but
her enthusiasm to write and captivate the hearts of readers is as strong as
ever.
Leanne
currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband and two daughters. A qualified crisis counsellor, she believes
the loss of her sight has given her a deep compassion for other people. Her interests include psychology,
spirituality and the way that stories can bring about a more conscious
engagement with the world.
Writing experience:
Leanne Hunt began her writing career as a
freelance journalist, with articles appearing in Scope, True Love and Esther
magazines, as well as The Daily News. She worked as an advertising copywriter at
Paton Tupper in Durban, and as a PR editor at Seymour van Biljon in
Pretoria. While living in Piet Retief,
Mphumalanga, she ran a small community news-sheet and contributed articles to
the local newspaper, Excelsior.
In
2011 she started a personal blog called Diamond
Panes, where she began building her author platform. Her novel, Jozi Gold was first self-published with CreateSpace, an Amazon
company, in June 2012. Leanne has also
written a one act play called Private
Views.
Awards:
Best Original Script, awarded for Private
Views in the Edenvale Acting and Drama Society's One Act Play Festival,
2011.
FACES & FOOTSTEPS by MORAG WADE MACKAY
LATEST RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE FROM PORCUPINE PRESS
154 pagesRetail Price: R150-00 (Incl. VAT)
Publication Date: January 2014
ISBN Number: 9781920609337
Genre: Non-fiction / Memoir
Description of Book:
This is a
story of personal triumph, a story about overcoming extreme adversity, about
being on a mission to success so strong that every stumbling block becomes a
stepping stone to ultimate success. A
journey that brings a young teenage girl from being an object of compassion and
disability to a self assured human being.
This message is one of empowerment to everyone – a self discovery path
in finding the hero within us all and ultimately bringing hope to crushed
souls.
About the Author:
At
17 Morag was a teenager with nothing to worry about except what she was going
to wear the next day. On June 7, 1980 she broke her neck in a motorcycle
accident and life forever changed.
While
she was hospitalised for 9 months she began her journey of self-discovery and a
new lease on life. Deciding to write this book has been a catharsis. It tells
her story. It celebrates people. It applauds life and wonderful chances. She
believes that we’re not totally shaped by past events. Everything does happen
for a reason. The best will come. We can change.
THE GODS WHO FELL FROM THE SKY by DICK MAWSON
LATEST RELEASE
AVAILABLE FROM PORCUPINE PRESS
272 PagesRetail Price: R195-00 (Incl. VAT)
Publication Date: February 2014
ISBN Number: 9781920609481
Genre: Non-fiction / Memoir
Description of Book and About the Author:
A soul that is afraid of dying has never learned to live … This is the precept by which Dick Mawson has lived his adventurous life. He was born in England during the Second World War. With his parents he crash landed into southern Africa where he grew up.
In the 1940's
Douglas Bader lost both his legs in a plane crash. He taught himself to fly
again with artificial legs, becoming a Squadron Leader in the RAF. He went on
to fly with great distinction in the Battle of Britain. During
the 1950's the world was not aware of another legless fighter living in
southern Africa. His name was Richard Mawson, an eleven year old boy, who lost
his right leg in a farm accident. A few years later a 100 mile per hour boat
accident at the Victoria Falls changes the course of his life forever. With an
amputated right leg and the left badly damaged his outlook was bleak, but with
tenacity and a will to win instilled in his very being, he overrides his fears
and the possibility of crippling himself for life.
Reminiscent of
the legless Squadron Leader Douglas Bader, Mawson has defied the odds and, as
he says, ‘broken the boundaries of the norm’. He was lured into a life of speed
and competition on water and ultimately on the race tracks of southern Africa
and Europe; competing against and defeating his fellow man on a level playing
field.
Mawson’s
memoirs take us at great pace through the difficulties he has faced and the
tenacity with which he turned them into the foundations of his success – as man
and racer.
BETRAYED by JOHN GOSEBO
LATEST RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE FROM PORCUPINE PRESS
192 PagesRetail Price : R149-00 (incl. VAT)
Publication Date: March 2014
ISBN Number: 9781920609566
Genre: Fiction / Crime Thriller
Description of Book:
Corruption in South Africa has reached epidemic levels and threatens the lives of all citizens. Global Financial Integrity (a research and advocacy organisation based in Washington DC) said in a report that South Africa had suffered an illegal outflow of R185-billion due to corruption in the public sector between 1994 and 2008. It is estimated that in 2009 government corruption totalled R70-billion
News24, 8 May
2012
This book reads like a crime
thriller. People are abducted. Others get murdered. There are betrayals and
false accusations. There are gripping courtroom scenes and dazzling legal
arguments, as Tom Triton wriggles out of his latest crisis.
He’s young and exceedingly wealthy, but
as his adventure unfolds, much more is revealed than the twists and turns of an
exciting plot. The picture of a country in serious moral crisis emerges to form
the backdrop against which the plot is played out. Indeed it mingles freely
with the plot. Corrupt act follows corrupt act. Fraudulent collusion between business
and elements within the state is exposed.
Finally, the picture is unmistakable:
Tom nearly becomes the victim of a corrupt system that he himself has helped to
build. He is saved only by a brilliant lawyer and the loyalty of his father’s
friend. Which way will Tom jump?
About the Author:
This book is written under a pseudonym.
John Gosebo is the pen name of a legal academic working at a major South
African university.
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