Newest Additions to my Shelf: November Bookmail.

The month of November has brought with it some favourable news, achievements and while it also brought with it a couple of episodes of anxiety and depression I would have rather been without, we cannot deny that the good outweigh the bad. It's also been quite a great reading month.

I participated in what was Netflix's first month of their book club, which sees actress Uzo Aduba read and sit down to converse with guests on books that have adapted for the screen on the streaming platform. It also helped that my TBR for the month was solely dedicated to adapted books–so it felt like kismet when their club pick for the month was Passing by Nella Larsen.

The book is a gorgeous serving from one of the great voices of the Harlem Renaissance. It tells the story of two friends, Irene and Clare, who find their lives take a turn when they bump into each other one fateful day after years of not having seen each other. You see, Clare has been living her life as a white woman and has a desire to return–a thing that Irene believes is impossible and detrimental.

The book was intriguing, to say the least. I had the opportunity to read it while listening to an audio version from Scribd after seeing it on Mbali's stories. Mbali is another brilliant young mind and an amazing content creator on Bookstagram. Listening to the book provided for a surreal experience, it was entrancing how articulate and real the narrators made the characters. Irene and Clare came to life before my very eyes so much that when, a day after I'd finished the book, I watched the film I feared the actresses who'd been chosen to lead the film adaptation by Rebecca Hall would not be able to carry these powerful and complex characters. But I admit, I was wrong. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga were both transcendent, and the film utterly beautyful. I highly recommend it.

It appears, in my attempt to highlight one thing, I have lost myself to another–I have a tendency to digress wherever books and films are concerned. The purpose of this post was to gush at the new additions to my shelf–to show you books that were sent to me this month by my new publisher friends; books I hope to read before this year ends and review for Bookstagram. I am thrilled for this one, I'll tell you all about it shortly–Lord knows it's been following me around, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever buy it. Let's take a look, shall we?

1) The Coven: Blood of Sitayi, Kwazinkosi Ndlovu Self-published via Azishe Productions (2021)

If you do not know this already, let me reiterate: self-published authors/writers are near and dear to my heart; mostly because of the great lengths they go to to perfect their work. It also shows how far dedication and hard work will go, especially since I, too, considered this journey at one point in my life–a story for another day. I intend to buy more self-published books in the new year, especially by Black writers; which brings me to my first gifted copy.

The Coven questions what one would do at the discovery that magic is real. It's the story of Nandi Khuzwayo, a young girl in the township of Emahlathini, who's plunged into the world of magic when she's used as an unknowing target practice. It is during that she witnesses something she shouldn't, which rocks her entire world when she realises that everything isn't as it seems, and those with powers walk among the ordinary. After seeing what she saw, how is Nandi expected to return to her normal life? Especially since this young man who's tasked with erasing her memories neglects to.

The Coven is a rich fantasy tale that puts your every day individual at the center of the stories we normally read about in books. A love story filled with thrills and a journey into magical realism. It is a story that sees two young lovers being made to choose between love and duty, between identity and defiance.

Which will prevail?

Nkwazinkosi is a very intuitive, intelligent and gifted young writer, who also happens to be a blogger, with works like Such a Beautiful Mess and Love x Heartbreak and Vibes under his belt. The Coven is the first of his work that I have the pleasure of reading. I got introduced to him through another gifted individual, a mutual friend Thandolwethu Binda who's a podcaster and a philanthropist whose dedication to young girls is commendable.

I'm looking forward to reading this story, mostly because of Kwazinkosi's dedication to writing for the people who are rarely ever written about, whose stories aren't told–he writes to give a voice to marginalised people, to have them see themselves and relate to his work. You should really check him out.

2) Hauntings, Niq Mhlongo Published by Jacana Media (2021)

An important thing worth mentioning ke: I am proud of how all these books that were sent to me are from South African publishers, by Black writers. I have dreamed so long for this moment–I think I let out a squeal when Jacana Media followed me on Insta. I have this thing, this impostor syndrome type of drama where I'm always awed when faves give me attention. Just yesterday I almost stopped breathing when Qarnita Loxton followed me on the gram, even though she already follows me on Twitter. It is always awestriking, honestly.

From when BlackBird Books was an imprint of theirs, I've fantasised about working with Jacana Media. At one point, long long ago, I saw myself getting published by the two publishing giants. Reviewing books for them is an acknowledgement on it's own, still, especially since they reached out to me.

Anywho, check out how gorgeous this packaging they sent me looks. Gorgeous, right? That mug is now my favourite thing in the world.

Hauntings, as the note states, is an invitation from one world to another; a blurring of what's known and unknown. Where the stories are teeth-gnashing and make one's hairs stand on end. A horror serve, if you will.

Edited by the award-winning author Niq Mhlongo, Hauntings is not the first book that's his of this kind–he recently curated and edited Joburg Noir, an anthology with other great contributors like Keletso Mopai, Sue Nyathi, Sibongile Fisher and the likes. As a fan of horror films, it's quite ironic that I do not particularly gel with the written genre. I find the experience quite searing, leaving a lasting impression I'd rather do without. Don't get me wrong, a good scare is needed; but I watch horror films for therapeutic and refreshing reasons, haha. It's kind of weird and perverted, I admit, and I am rarely ever scared by them. Mhlongo's introduction on its own made me feel uneasy–how he delves into the eerie infamous history of Soweto's Ghost Town and the stories and mythos that have been born and reborn from generations of retelling. It's sure a preamble to a thrill I'm terrified by, but cannot wait to dive into.

He writes that the collection 'shows us that as humans we are haunted by different things, ranging from our own greed, cultural beliefs, personal choices and even natural disasters.' And I believe him, and appreciate how he hopes to reconcile the intersections and nuances raised by the things that haunt us–how not everything that's a haunting is inherently supernatural. It can be as mundane and natural as a single moment of regret.

I am utterly intrigued, believe me. It is always a favourite moment for me when South African creatives and thinkers get together to create a singular body of work. As someone obsessed with crossover events, collaborations and collections are my wildest dream.

3) Echoes of the Mountains: The Unspoken Champions, Pindiwe Mgijima-Mabhena Published by What Now Publishers (2021)

Pindiwe Mgijima-Mabhena refers to her memoir as a dedication to the ordinary, everyday people who were affected by the reality of apartheid; whose stories weren't told because of their lack of proximity to power. She calls them the unspoken champions. So many people, in my family and yours, took up arms to fight, they lost things and people on this quest for democracy. This book is for them. It is for the families with a story to tell that they do not believe is important, when it actually is. This book also exists as an extension of Mgijima-Mabhena's healing process from the loss she suffered.

I appreciate how the author is well-learned and well-versed in a number of fields as she is primarily an educator; so her opinionated nature is one I'm looking forward to. In her introduction, she writes that the book opens up painful topics that haunt many families in this country. She writes about how her own wasn't immune to this pain, and she hoped to highlight how apartheid made it worse for non-white families. She implores young people to sit their elders down, engage them on their history and take up the duty of archiving their families' history. To interrogate events, to be a custodian of this knowledge for the coming generation–something I find very touching and triggering, being a young person with means myself.

I am rarely ever one for nonfiction, but I'm looking forward to reading this as it appears that this story is very personal and speaks to more than just Pindiwe Mgijima-Mabhena's own identity, but questions and probes the reader to introspect. I really hope more people pick up this book, and that the author's dream of having it translated and read in magnitude comes to fruition.

4) The Journals of He: The Beginning, J.D. Kizza Published by Beyond the Vale Publishing (2021)

I. AM. SCREAMING!!! I would like to confess that I'm UTTERLY in love with this book I have not even read for selfish reasons. The girl is THICK!!! I take thick books as a challenge I am meant to conquer, because they mainly intimidate me and give me sleepless nights. My love for them is masochistic at best, and I love them as an aesthetic. I'm ready to embark on this journey, to tackle this Goliath of a book ahahaha.

This book being primarily set in university, drawing from the author's own personal experiences is almost orgasmic because what other reason is there for the drama? I enjoy these kinds of scenarios because while I haven't been a student in a minute, my life wasn't that eventful–both in high school and varsity, so like every book lover and reader I intend to live vicariously through Dilia and her handsomely charming nameless Him.

I've noticed that this, being titled The Journals of He, is told from the first person narrative of this handsome stranger; so I hope that Kizza, with the book being the first in a trilogy, will provide us with Dilia's perspective at some point. It's speculation at this point, I'll revert to this during and after I read the book.

The Journals of He and Echoes of the Mountains were sent to me by my new friend at Tivisa Publicity, Nyiko Mthembi, who I'm grateful to for reaching out.

I'm also grateful to Kwazinkosi and the Jacana Media team for being kind enough to send these gorgeous books my way. Stay tuned to my Instagram and blog for reading updates and reviews. It's going to be quite a festive season indeed for the girl.

I love you, besties.

—Nkeshyy 💋