Dit is Simone se annus horribilis. Op vier en veertig stap sy vir die tweede keer uit n huwelik, bankrot, werkloos, moedeloos, verbrysel. Al wat sy het om van vier en veertig jaar te wys, is n bedenklike verlede, n tienerseun wat skaars met haar praat, en die besef van mislukking en ontoereikendheid wat soos n meulsteen om haar nek hang. Al waarheen sy het om te gaan, is die kleinburgerlike dorp op die Oos-Vrystaatse platteland waar sy grootgeword het, waar haar konserwatiewe ma en konvensionele suster haar gedurig aan haar tekortkominge kan herinner. Rock bottom, dis waar sy is.

Omstrede en skatryk oud-politikus Armand Deysel is vermoor, en Kassie en Rooi het nie minder nie as ses verdagtes. ’n Britse ondersoeker is op die spoor van die waardevolle Doolhof-halssnoer, en ’n platsakman steier telkens terug van die samelewing se dwarsklappe.

Stella Bennet van die plaas Ommekeer het drie dogters—en hulle het probleme. Niemand sal Julia glo dat sy in haar huwelik verbaal mishandel word nie. Niemand sal begryp dat Pauli verlief is op die verkeerde man nie. Veral aangesien sy so ’n verstandige man aan haar sy het. Niemand sal ooit weet hoe broos Teresa is nie. Want sy is hierdie hardekwas advokaat wat geen man nodig het nie.

Maar waarom doen hy dit? Beslis nie net vir die geld nie. 'n Sielkundige, Erika Hamilton, ontmoet hom toevallig. Albei van hulle bied op beroepsvlak verligting van neurose, onvervuldheid en frustrasie - die een op akademiese wyse, die ander met lyflike plesier. Wat gebeur wanneer hulle ontmoet?

Dis die laat tagtigs in Johannesburg. Adriana van der Hoon is agtien. Haar aktivis-pa het jare lank oorsee geld vir die Education Trust ingesamel, en nou staan die veiligheidspolisie op haar drumpel met 'n ultimatum. In Berlyn leer sy oorleef. Dis waar sy haar talent om messe te gooi vervolmaak, en waar sy Yasen Todorov ontmoet. Hier, weg van alles wat bekend is, leer Adriana dat mens oor alles kan onderhandel, ook jou onskuld.

’n Moord by die Kaapse Waterfront. Wat dalk skakel met geheimsinnige briewe wat geskorste luitenante Bennie Griessel en Vaughn Cupido ontvang het. Maar eers moet Bennie-hulle op Stellenbosch soek na ’n verdwene student, en die spoor vat van die eiendomsagent wat die kooptransaksie van Donkerdrif, korporatiewe swendelaar Jasper Boonstra se peperduur wynplaas, behartig het. En al hul ondersoeke het ’n gemene deler: die donkerste drif, gierigheid.

Bart, die aantreklikste ou in haar matriekklas, soen Esli uit haar vel. Vir meer as veertig jaar deel hulle hul lewens, maak saam kinders groot en sien om na vriende en familie. Jaarliks vier hulle Kersfees in Kleinmond met geskenke en trifle en stappies langs die see met hul worshond. Maar hoekom val Bart se broer uit ’n boom voor Esli se ouerhuis? En watter donker geheim is onderliggend aan Bart se ma se vreemde gedrag en onfatsoenlike grappe?

Speurder Ella Neser stel ondersoek in nadat vier voete in 'n Checkers-sak in 'n openbare tuin gevind word. Lou Pepler, eks-polisieman, nou sekuriteitskonsultant, glo dit hou verband met 'n saak wat hy 20 jaar gelede ondersoek het—die verdwyning van Billy Katz, rykmanseun en rokjagter. Ella se soektog lei na 'n begrafnisonderneming in Turffontein en die Pottas-familie. Maar hoe hou die voete verband met Billy Katz se verdwyning en die saak wat Lou sy loopbaan en amper sy lewe gekos het?

Ellie hou van haar nuwe lewe op die platteland. Net wanneer sy nie kan slaap nie gaan sit sy in die spaarkamer, waar haar kaarte, diagramme en lyste opgeplak is. Êrens in die massa data is haar pa se moordenaar. Sy moet net hard genoeg soek. En intussen kan sy orrel speel in die kerk. Toe hulle kom vir haar, weet sy als was vir hiérdie dag. En dat sy sal moet uitvind wie haar soek, en waarom. Die lang wag is verby! Die vervolg op 2014 se Dubbelspel.

Mirre weet Marilyn is reg, maar ʼn Dreyer skei nie. En as sy hom aankla van huishoudelike geweld, sal hy nooit weer sy beroep as befaamde huweliksberader kan volg nie. Sy reputasie sal vernietig wees. En dít sal hy haar nooit vergewe nie. Buitendien, sy verstaan waar die ‘beast’ in haar andersins sjarmante man vandaan kom. Maar sy weet ook dat sy volgende keer dalk nie ʼn aanranding sal oorleef nie. Mirre gaan skuil by haar vriendin Corali op Vywerbaai, waar Boeta Naudé met sy vrou en drie seuns ook woon.

Lemmer se Eerste Algemene Wet: Moenie betrokke raak nie. Hy pas dit veral toe in sy werk as vryskut-lyfwag by Body Armour, waar hy laag af is op die pryslys, want hy’s die een met die kriminele rekord, die gebrekkige sosiale vaardighede en die baie kort humeur. Wanneer die mooi, ryk Emma le Roux hom huur en begin vertel van onwaarskynlike bedreigings en ’n broer wat sy vas glo ná twintig jaar soos ’n Lasarus uit die dood uit opgestaan het, stof hy ook ’n ander ou Wet af: Moenie klein vroue vertrou nie.

Hulle is almal in die land. Die Italianers met hulle Mafia-verbintenisse, die Chinese triades, die Nigeriërs, die Russe, Koreane, Indiërs, die hele lot, en dan natuurlik nog die plaaslike ouens ook. Niemand is hier vir die land en die Kaap se natuurskoon nie. Hulle het nie sentiment oor ’n politieke bestel of ’n reënboognasie nie. Geld is die enigste god wat aanbid word. Toe Ellie McKenna instem om hierdie wêreld te infiltreer, het sy gedink sy weet waarvoor sy haar inlaat. Maar soos haar pa altyd gesê het, die duiwel deel nie visitekaartjies uit nie.

Gracie-Jane Coetzee se eerste kleinkind word gebore kort voordat die president die eerste inperking aankondig. Gracie is ’n skrywer en illustreerder van kinderboeke, en nie juis ’n konvensionele ouma nie. Sy verkies die geselskap van haar getroue basset-hond bo enige ander verhouding in haar lewe. Saans wanneer PTS haar tussen die mure van haar huis rondjaag en die gevoel van onheil soos ’n uil op die dak kom sit, dokter sy graag die kompulsief obsessiewe simptome met ’n glasie wyn of twee . . .

Toe Daan van der Walt, ’n eerstydse Kalahari-boer, ’n vertigo-aanval kry, laai sy vervreemde seun hom by ’n monnikeklooster in China af. Onder leiding van Meester Yang moet Daan tai chi doen in ’n poging om sy balans te herstel. Maar daar is ook iets anders wat aan Daan vreet, iets wat hy van sy hart móét afkry voor hy sy weg na die hiernamaals kan vind. Dalk is dit tyd dat hy aan Magrieta, sy oorlede vrou, skryf en sê dat hy haar liefgehad het. In Die Dao van Daan van der Walt word die Afrikaner-dilemma in die moderne lewe met ’n fyn lem oopgevlek.

As Dana ná besoeke aan Orania, sy ouma-hulle se erf, Adriaan Vlok (met sy voetwasskottel) en Manji van Nkandla huis toe ry, is dit met 'n nuwe manier van kyk - en 'n nuwe hond. Die verhaal neem sy loop deur die Rugby Wêreldbeker, ontmoetings met oom Frik du Preez en Joost van der Westhuizen en 'n enigmatiese Valentynsboodskap. Op pad is Dana se eerlikste boek nog. Dit vra ons om op 'n nuwe reis te gaan, weg van vooroordeel en wantroue, na 'n plek van genade en hoop.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

A Signature Performance: Tim Curry rescues Charles Dickens from the jaws of Disney with his one-of-a-kind performance of the treasured classic. Our listeners loved this version so much that it inspired our whole line of Signature Classics.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams stars in Mary Jane, a poignant and intimate drama following a single mother’s journey caring for her chronically ill young son. Set in New York City, the play unfolds in two parts—Mary Jane's small Queens apartment and a pediatric hospital. With unflinching honesty and unexpected humor, we witness Mary Jane's tireless devotion, her interactions with medical professionals, and her struggle to maintain her sense of self.

When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she imagined curing sick kids and sporting pink stethoscopes. She never anticipated the sleepless nights, grueling exams, and endless labs. And she certainly never knew that her medical school earned the nickname Dead Med thanks to the tragic history of students overdosing on illegal drugs. But Heather would never consider doing anything like that. That is, until her longtime boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself failing anatomy, and her world starts to crumble.

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.

London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: Her best friend Marisa is a police officer who is assigned to the case. Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.