Exclusive Books’ recommended reads for July and how to get your hands on them

Back to lockdown level 4 and not wanting to enter a shopping centre? A reminder there are four ways to shop for your bookish delights from Exclusive Books during the latest Covid-19 restrictions.

First, order your book on the UberEats platform. You will find Exclusive Books as one of the vendors. Order your book as you would order food, and have it delivered within an hour.

Second, the phone-in option means customers can chat to a real bookseller and complete their transaction over the phone. Orders will be delivered in 36 hours.

Third, in-store is still the best place to browse and Exclusive Books staff will take care to ensure the safety of their staff and customers.

Lastly, order online via the website and your read will be delivered to your doorstep within 36-hours.

Exclusive Books’ 28 recommended titles are merchandised in front of all stores every month and are carefully curated in different categories: local authors, fiction and non-fiction, plus young adult and children’s. The aim is to assist customers to see titles that are new, trending and have caught the eyes of the Exclusive Books’ buyers.

There are 11 fiction titles for July:

Unbecoming by Joanne Fedler is a book of comic, startling wisdom.

Naomi Ishiguro adored the characters, was utterly gripped throughout, and loved having her eyes opened to the troubling yet fascinating world of Victorian circuses in Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal.

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead is “ferociously clever”, says the Guardian.

Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor is beautiful and his writing makes every heartbeat register.

Carolyn Steyn says she loved Limerence by Vincent Pienaar.

In Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid immerses us in a glamorous, star-studded world, yet remains full of raw human emotion. Its characters feel completely real – each one is flawed and messy and impossible not to love.

Every page of Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by TA Willberg is a delight.

Still Life by Sarah Winman is an utterly beautiful story: generous, rich, deeply moving and filled with hope. Winman is a genius and one of the greatest storytellers of our time.

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is a gentle, hopeful story which will be a balm for nerves frazzled by the pandemic or patience fried by sexism.

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is tense, addictive and powered by an unforgettable narrative voice.

Yellow Means Stay, edited by Allwell Uwazuruike, Confidence Uwazuruike and Munachim Amah, is a collection of enthralling, sad, humorous and touching love stories from across Africa and the black diaspora.

Ten titles are on the non-fiction list for July:

Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan is an indispensable guide to a business world turned upside down.

Fully Human by Steve Biddulph is a kind and encouraging book, as well as being a helpful and essential tool for navigating modern life.

How to Change by Katy Milkman is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their habits – or their life.

I Am A Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro is a story that can uplift and inspire every girl and boy in every part of the world. It is beautifully told and beautifully lived.

Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R Sunstein is a brilliant investigation of a massive societal problem that has been hiding in plain sight.

Unsettlingly honest and brutally blunt, Ougat is Shana Fife’s story of survival: of surviving the social conditioning of her Cape Flats community, of surviving sexual violence and depression, and of ultimately escaping a cycle of abuse.

Robert by Robert Hamblin is a remarkable feat — one that challenges every South African to examine not just their own sexuality and identity, but their very humanity.

To The Wolves by Caryn Dolley is the true life story of how SA’s underworld came to be, what continues to fuel it today and how the deception and lies go all the way to the top.

Reimagining the story of Eve, Sarah Jakes Roberts draws lessons from scripture and from her own life that show women how to use the mistakes of their past to overcome the challenges of today in Woman Evolve.

In You Are Your Best Thing, Tarana Burke and Brenè Brown are the perfect pair to usher in this stark, potent collection of essays on black shame and healing. Along with the anthology contributors, they create a space to recognise and process the trauma of white supremacy, a space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of black love and black life.

The last five titles are young adult and children’s:

Becoming by Michelle Obama is adapted for younger readers, with new photographs and a new introduction from Obama.

In Instructions For Dancing, author Nicola Yoon delivers a story of the unpredictability of love and the importance of perspective that unfolds with ease and heart.

Zukiswa Wanner tells the story of how, in March 1961, former president Nelson Mandela vanished in The Black Pimpernel: Nelson Mandela on the Run. For 18 months he was a fugitive, living under assumed identities and disguised as the police and secret services tracked him in vain.

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved asking questions. Why? Where? When? How? What? Who? When everyone grew sick and tired of all her questions, the girl decided to search for the answers to all her questions elsewhere — in books. The answers will be found in The Girl With 21 Questions by Boitumelo Mothupi and Subi Bosa.

Written by the brilliant Julia Donaldson and stunningly illustrated by the award-winning Sara Ogilvie, The Hospital Dog is a big-hearted tale about a special and brave dog.

• Issued on behalf of Exclusive Books by Helco Promotions.