From an engaging Afrofantasy novel and an instantly acclaimed collection of contemporary nonfiction to a book about one of the world’s most interesting collections of African art, plus a fast-paced, darkly amusing thriller, we really have something for every reader this month.
This month, visual inspiration comes by way of a creative feast of a magazine. And for lovers of narrative there’s breathtaking new novel.
When I had finished reading it, I thought, what if our protagonist Unathi had a slightly different ending? If things had worked out differently, where would they go?
This month we celebrate a unique poetic voice, and we recommend a brilliant showcase of high-end craft, plus two remarkable novels – one contemporary and the other an African classic.
This month, we recommend a fictional memoir that tracks the formation of Sudan, while visual inspiration runs the gamut from graphic genius to an art collection owned by a mega-star couple, by way of an exploration of African influences on global fashion.
February brings a legal thriller, the next instalment of a young woman’s coming-of-age story, and a meditation on 21st century Johannesburg. Plus, a craft-meets-interior design book that combines careful research with aesthetic loveliness.
‘Resolving to read more fiction this new year? On our January list are 3 novels, which conjure up ghosts, examine the difficulties of endings and beginnings, and explore the nature of revolutions of all kinds. Plus a cookbook that will inspire you to try some fresh African flavours.
December means holiday reading and book gifting. Our recommendations: an epic history of the continent written, a pair of absorbing, uplifting novels and visual inspiration in the form of a breathtaking book on African photography and cinema.
From a gripping Nigerian murder mystery to considerations of the many shades of the human condition, this month’s reads combine beauty with pathos, and enlightenment with questioning.
On our October book list: a cultural history of one of the continent’s ancient civilisations; a beautiful book highlighting the burgeoning genre of portraiture in contemporary African art; an amusing and insightful memoir; and a heartfelt tale of marriage and family.
Visual inspiration come this month in the form of a beautiful book on figurative painting and an exploration of contemporary landscape design. Plus, absorbing debut novels from Zimbabwe and Nigeria offer a mix of nostalgia and coming-of-age insights.
This month we recommend to you a full splendour-coffee table book of one the continent’s most visually inspiring countries, vital narratives that explore what it is to be a young woman in Africa today, and compelling essays interrogating utopia, surfing, grief – and Cecil John Rhodes’s nose.
Patterns and more patterns from one of Kenya’s rising photography stars, and reading adventures for small people.
May visual inspiration is delivered in the form of a visual feast of a book about African sport, plus a revelatory exploration of contemporary photography from the continent. And for the narrative lovers, two absorbing debut novels from Harare and Cairo.
May visual inspiration is delivered in the form of a visual feast of a book about African sport, plus a revelatory exploration of contemporary photography from the continent. And for the narrative lovers, two absorbing debut novels from Harare and Cairo.
Our eye-opening April selection: an inspiring Africa-focused encyclopaedia for kids, a debut novel from Ethiopia that takes its reader on a journey through time and space, a comprehensive overview of street art across the continent, and the book about African women’s sex lives.
In our March library are Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s fresh, Zimbabwean crime novel, Leila Aboulela’s sweeping romance set in 19th-century Sudan, an inspiring collection of South African interiors, and a Diasporic photography book by the most buzzed-about curator-gallerist on the New York scene.
Four books to ring in February…glorious photography exploring dandy masculine styling, a debut novel from Angola delving into the unique musical genre of kuduro, thought-provoking essays from South African literary doyenne, and the awaited second part of a French-Moroccan memoir.
A list of Top 10 recently published titles from Kenyan literary blogger James Murua who has spent more than a decade tracing and archiving the African writing scene. Great reads from Kenya, the UK, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Ghana, to take you into 2024 with some fresh perspectives.
December means that holiday reading and book gifting are on the agenda. There’s a spectacular, glossy monograph showcasing the work of young multidisciplinary artist Awol Erizku, and an equally beautiful book of the ‘blue’ figurative paintings of Ugandan rising star artist Stacey Gillian Abe. For readers there’s Mandla Langa’s engrossing, award-winning historical novel about South Africa’s liberation movement in exile, and the searing yet sympathetic insights of the multi-talented writer and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga, who recently headlined Littlegig Lamu.
November titles explore the many meanings of African pasts – both personal and collective – to create something new in the present. Primal processes are central: from the ancient language of fable deployed in NoViolet Bulawayo’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, to the ways that contemporary artists use one of humankind’s most storied creative mediums, clay.
A debut collection of short stories from Botswana, a reissue of an iconic book by acclaimed South African documentary photographer Ernest Cole, an art book showcasing 50 pioneering young African artists, and more.
In the past year we have: acquired and catalogued 111 African books; reviewed 68 books here and featured them on Instagram; worked with independent book stores and distributors, and a wide range of reviewers. This month is dedicated to our standout Year One favourites…
From traditional folk tales from Botswana and Zimbabwe to an intimate, fragmented South African novella, plus an informative history of African fashion and an acclaimed Ghanaian-American novel shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction – our August book selection has multivalent appeal.
Our eye-opening April selection: an inspiring Africa-focused encyclopaedia for kids, a debut novel from Ethiopia that takes its reader on a journey through time and space, a comprehensive overview of street art across the continent, and the book about African women’s sex lives.
A Top 10 Fiction List with a sentence on each book, from our Littlegig Lamu headliner, Tsitsi Dangarembga: Booker Prize-shortlisted author, playwright and human rights activist. Lucky us. Lucky you.
Our May book selection includes cutting-edge protest art from the DRC, the ever-developing design brilliance of architect David Adjaye, and a book of thought-provoking essays by the late and much lamented Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina. Plus, something for lovers of poetry and historical epics.
This month’s mix includes two novels that reflect on immigrant identity and three beautiful coffee table books featuring artists and creatives past and present – Kwame Brathwaite, Li Edelkoort and star Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu. We’ve also discovered a delightful collection of East African traditional tales, both beautiful and a little disturbing.
Littlegig Library brings you an eclectic mix for March. Our art selections run the gamut from the intimate works of South African painter Georgina Gratrix to the Ghanaian sculpture superstar El Anatsui’s monumental pieces. A new cookbook focuses on sub-Saharan food, while enlightening reads include Jessica Nabongo’s fabulously entertaining round-the-world travel memoir; a thoughtful exploration of the lives of black South African women who choose “the soft life”; and a satirical take on African expat life in New York.
Some perspective-changing reads: a memoir about diasporic identity, a classic of South African literature that was banned on its first publication in 1975, and a darkly comic tale of two sisters set in contemporary Lagos. Our visual books are a monograph showcasing South African photographer Zanele Muholi’s arresting images and a chronicle of the creation of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech.
In January, catch the latest African writing talent via a collection of prize-winning short stories, sharpen your knowledge of the continent’s culinary traditions by cooking from Africana, then construct your very own decolonial reading list. Edward Enninful’s fashion memoir is moving and fabulous, African Ceremonies is sumptuous and iconic, and When We See Us is the book accompaniment to the acclaimed art exhibition that’s on at Zeitz MOCAA, in Cape Town, until September 2023.
Our December list features major fiction prize winners (Nobel and Caine) and tales of murder, migration and coming of age set in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Botswana. Plus a must-have book of architectural drawing showcasing South African buildings, and an eye-opening overview of current photographic practice across the African continent.
Littlegig Library’s November booklist is a mix of groundbreaking art, vivid fashion, compelling memoir and memorable fiction. From pan-African fashion journalist Emmanuelle Courrèges’ take on continental style to a personal tale that also details the story of Cape Town, this month’s reads will inspire and delight.
In January, catch the latest African writing talent via a collection of prize-winning short stories, sharpen your knowledge of the continent’s culinary traditions by cooking from Africana, then construct your very own decolonial reading list. Edward Enninful’s fashion memoir is moving and fabulous, African Ceremonies is sumptuous and iconic, and When We See Us is the book accompaniment to the acclaimed art exhibition that’s on at Zeitz MOCAA, in Cape Town, until September 2023.
Our September booklist features an African fashion book from the museum show that the world is talking about, a classic short novel from Senegal, a visual documentary of the ultimate cultural festival, new fiction from Kenya, and an art book that’s a brilliant round-up.
Join us as we build a collection of African fiction, coffee table books and monographs, and in so doing support creators, publishers and booksellers.