Books are luxury items and, for those of us who love and can't resist them, the Exclusive Books sale is one of the best. This year's Winter Sale offers stacks of excellent reads at exceptionally low prices.
The sale starts today when Exclusive Books branches around the country open at 7.30am for eager bookworms.
"We are running the sale a month later than usual because of the soccer - fabulous books at bargain prices are the perfect antidote for the post-World Cup blues," said Rene Brophy, publicity and marketing manager at Exclusive Books.
With hundreds of thousands of quality books on sale, the extensive variety promises that book lovers will be able to overindulge.
The average book price of R54 offers excellent value for money, with discounts of up to 75 percent off the normal retail price.
Expect to see the hottest names in fiction - Dan Brown, Louis Theroux, Paul Kennedy, Richard Yates, Tim Ecott, Minette Walters, Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson, Ian McEwan and John Grisham, to name but a few.
As always, foodies will love the cookery books - including one that details the president's favourite dishes.
The spirituality, motivation and self-help section is particularly strong this year, with inspiring books from Myles Munroe, Rick Joyner, Donna Otto, Leigh Valentine, Dr Keith Johnson and Kris Vallotton.
Afrikaans authors such as Rachelle Greeff, Nico Moolman, Ventra Joubert, Sue van Waart, Karel Schoeman and Maretha Maartens are included.
There are also some fantastically priced box sets, including Rolling Stone Cover to Cover, Mad's Greatest Artists and Playboy Cover to Cover: The 50s.
Stocking up on children's books to give as gifts during the year is also an option.
But more than anything else, it's about fashioning your own set of favourites.
Look at what's available and put together your own dream collection.
Here is my personal list:
Portraits of the new Architecture, by Paul Goldberger (R109)
If you're into architecture, this is a great buy.
All the world's best architects from Gehry to Calitrava are here, as are all their greatest designs from Lloyds Bank in London to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The book covers not only the classic contemporary buildings many might know, but a few others under the radar or not part of your frame of reference.
Architecture tourism has become a big boon to the travel industry and if you want to know why, just take a look at some of these majestic buildings.
Mad's Greatest Artists: The Completely Mad Don Martin (R217)
If you grew up reading Mad magazine, or even if you are only vaguely interested in cartoons, you're not going to get a better buy than this one.
Everyone who dipped into Mad will know the name Don Martin - one of the sharpest pens around. He captured a very specific time and place in popular culture.
If you think movies like Airplane were funny, wait till these guys dip their pens in ink and start sketching.
They knew just which buttons to push and penned quite a few classics - all captured here to keep you giggling for hours.
French CD Language Course (R74)
We all spend a great deal of our lives behind the wheel. You might as well use that time to catch up with something you have wanted to do your whole life.
In my case, it's speaking French fluently. I have tried it numerous times, including the achievement of French 2 at varsity and a few book prizes at the Alliance, but this time, with the help of this easy-to-follow language course and the intimacy of my car, I'm finally going to buckle down (and up) and get this language thing down pat. Bon chance!
The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems (R58)
The price is a steal but, apart from that, this is a book that has done the hard work. It has chosen a very specific selection of classic poetry.
It's a place to start re-acquainting yourself with poetry - an art we all studied at school or varsity.
Since then, life may have run away with us and filled our time with work and mundane chores,but these beautifully written verses are here to be rediscovered. It's an easy way get back into some of the best poetry in the world.
buy.ology: How Everything We Believe About Why We Buy is Wrong, by Martin Lindstrom (R71)
Shopping is one thing we all do all of the time. It's become an obsession. Name me one person who hasn't bought or doesn't constantly purchase something they don't need or have duplicates of.
We simply don't know how to turn away and at some point say enough is enough.
But, says Lindstrom, much of what we believe is simply not true.
Anti-smoking campaigns unwittingly encourage people to smoke; product placement in films rarely works; many multi-million rand advertising campaigns are a complete waste of time; subliminal advertising may have been banned, but it's all around us... and these are just a few of the findings in what is described as a groundbreaking study.
How Art Made The World, by Nigel Spivey (R84)
If you can't see it on television, you might as well get the book. Spivey is a lecturer in Classics at Cambridge University and the presenter of the television series which this book accompanies. It looks at the history of art and how it shaped the world.
Talk about ambitious - but, in this fast-paced world, it is tough trying to keep up with the zeitgeist and the ideas that are currently occupying great minds. This is one way to stay in touch with what is being put out there.
It is a book packed with insight into the ancient wonders of the world and tells us all about the way people make art and, more importantly, how art makes us human.
2009 Time Out Film (R90)
If keeping in touch is what life's about, here's a great guide to keep you ticking over with the best on the silver screen.
If you're tapped into the movie world, have DStv and go to the movies regularly, this is just the guide you need. Not only does it give you great info, but it gives fantastic advice on the best movies to see.
It's encyclopedic in what it has to offer and that is what one needs today because of the abundance of entertainment available.
The one thing you don't want to do is waste your time or money on bad movies.
The Philosopher's Cookbook, by Martin Versfeld (R36)
If you haven't got this one it would be sinful not to get it at this price. Versfeld is regarded as one of our best philosophers and, on the jacket, Andre Brink is quoted as saying "a book of profound wisdom and great delight". I can't think of a better reason to immediately put it on the list.
"With great humour and infinite wisdom, this is a journey you can't afford to miss," is another quote, which instantly settles my mind.
Restaurant Design, by Bethan Ryder (R85)
If you're someone who likes restaurants, you're probably going to grab this one. It covers the world and, of course, looks at all the best that's available. As we're probably not going to get anywhere close to any of these restaurants, it's fun to see what they are doing.
If you think locally, design hasn't been such a huge thing, especially not in Gauteng. Perhaps Cape Town fares better in this area, while we concentrate more on the food than the interiors.
Showing page 1 of 1 comment pages, 1 total comments
5 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
I was excited about the Exclusive Books sale, and most interested in the book mentioned, viz: Mad's Greatest Artists: The Completely Mad Don Martin (R217). I phoned a few of the branches and Montecasino said it was not on their list; Sandton City said she did not know what was in the sale boxes, but she could order it for me at R2000! For convenience, I need to know at which branch I can get this book!! Can't somebody tell me???? Rene Brophy...hellooo?
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By Diane de Beer
