The Montagu Bookshop

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Reader-centric at heart, Montagu Bookshop is a place of inspiration and discovery — where thoughtfully curated shelves invite both browsers and collectors to slow down and find books that stay with them.

EVAN DAVIES | 'HUSK' – THE ANTHOLOGY PROJECT(A Montagu Bookshop + Bloupunt Winery collaboration )THE OCCASION | MEET TH...
03/06/2026

EVAN DAVIES | 'HUSK' – THE ANTHOLOGY PROJECT
(A Montagu Bookshop + Bloupunt Winery collaboration )

THE OCCASION | MEET THE POET ✍🏼
A wintry Friday night in June calls for a local fireside poetry gathering with Evan Davies.

Some of you may know Evan as the Klein Karoo swordsmith. Others may know him as the author of Teenage Safari.

📌 But on the 19th June at 18h00, we’ll meet Evan Davies, the wordsmith (and "the real deal”) as he introduces HUSK, his new anthology of poems and reflections.

THE SETTING | IN THE SHADOW OF BLOUPUNT ⛰︎
Blou Café in Montagu is a relaxed, intimate space and the perfect backdrop for Evan to share his poetic musings, proving perhaps what T. S. Eliot meant when he wrote that “genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”

THE FARE | A TASTE OF WINTER 🥘
Join us for a complimentary glass of Bloupunt wine + a bowl of seasonal soup, artisanal bread, and an evening of fireside words.

Spaces are limited.
Reserve your spot with Anne | 073 235 2073

30/05/2026

TREES IN POETRY | TREES IN BOOKS 🌳

We're not entirely sure whether our collection of books on trees inspired the inclusion of this beautiful poem from Montagu Nursery, or whether the poem inspired us to gather these tree-themed titles together.

Either way, it seemed only fitting to let the words and the books stand side by side for a while.

POEM | THE TREE’S PRAYER

Ye who would pass by and raise your hand against me,
hearken ere you harm me.
I am the heart on the cold winter nights,
the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,
And my fruits are refreshing draughts quenching
your thirst as you journey on.
I am the beam that holds your house,
the board of your table,
the bed on which you lie and the timber that builds your boat.
I am the handle of your hoe and the door of your homestead,
the wood of your cradle and the shell of your coffin.
I am the gift of God and the friend of man.
Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer …
HARM ME NOT.

[Anonymous]

28/05/2026

IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNA-BET STEMMET | ONE FOR THE (AFRIKAANS) BOOKS

Pink hair. 🩷 Jam-and-cream scones. 🩷 A mulberry-pink manor house in Montagu. 🩷 And a debut Afrikaans personal essay collection that completely won over a mostly English-speaking audience. 🩷

What am I going on about? Montagu Bookshop’s May ‘26 book launch of Anna-Bet Stemmet’s “GOED WAT GEBEUR HET MET MENSE OP PLEKKE” at La Rochelle.

From quirky real-life characters and laugh-out-loud moments to tender storytelling, this collection has been described as “sorbet vir die siel” and “bedtime stories for grownups.”

Even if your Afrikaans is rusty, this is one for your bookshelf. (And Anna-Bet assured us that an English translation is on the cards).

Read the full blog (with photos) here: ⬇️
https://www.pause-read-engage.com/single-post/in-conversation-with-anna-bet-stemmet-one-for-the-afrikaans-books

21/05/2026

CONVERSATIONS WITH A STORYTELLER 🩷

Our Wednesday morning “elevenses” with Anna-Bet Stemmet at La Rochelle in Montagu proved to be the perfect setting to hear the stories behind her stories.

Thank you to our wonderful audience, to Anika for drawing out the entertaining backstories, and to Elaine for so generously sharing her beautiful home and garden.

HAPPY WORLD BEE DAY (WITH A LITERARY TWIST) 🐝To celebrate , we’re highlighting four books on our shelves that incorpora...
20/05/2026

HAPPY WORLD BEE DAY (WITH A LITERARY TWIST) 🐝

To celebrate , we’re highlighting four books on our shelves that incorporate bees into their titles and narratives. 📚

🐝 THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES | SUE MONK KIDD
A tender, coming-of-age story set in the racially-divided American South during the 1960s. Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens finds refuge with three beekeeping sisters and, through them, discovers the truth about her past and what it means to belong.

🐝 THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO | CHRISTY LEFTERI
A powerful story of love, loss, and survival as Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afra flee war-torn Syria in search of safety and a new beginning. Along the way, their memories, grief, and hope intertwine, revealing the quiet resilience that carries them forward.

🐝 A RECIPE FOR BEES | GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ
A lyrical novel exploring the bond between mother and daughter, where the art of beekeeping reveals deeper truths about family, memory, and connection.

🐝 A HONEYBEE HEART HAS FIVE OPENINGS | HELEN JUKES
A thoughtful memoir about grief, healing, and the surprising lessons of beekeeping, showing how the life of the hive mirrors our own journeys of change, loss, and renewal.

Visit us at The Quarter, Long Street, Montagu, to add one or more of these titles to your TBR list.

2 DAYS TO GO | RESERVE YOUR SPOT | PINK HAIR IS OPTIONAL 🩷If you appreciate good storytelling and unpretentious writing,...
18/05/2026

2 DAYS TO GO | RESERVE YOUR SPOT | PINK HAIR IS OPTIONAL 🩷

If you appreciate good storytelling and unpretentious writing, then this midweek book launch is for you.

On Wednesday morning at 11h00, Anna-Bet Stemmet is bringing her wildly witty, super brave, and unexpectedly tender “Goed Wat Gebeur Het Met Mense Op Plekke” to Montagu.

EXPECT A MORNING THAT IS:
🩷 Funny & Honest | Stories that feel like a catch-up with a friend.
🩷 Slightly Cheeky | Saying the things we all think but rarely say out loud.
🩷 Very Real | Writing that "re-illuminates the everyday".

Come and meet Anna-Bet, and see why her writing is described as "cheerful without being superficial".

THE DETAILS
🗓 Wednesday, 20 May 2026
⏰ 11h00
📍La Rochelle, Corner Long and Du Toit Streets, Montagu
🫖 Refreshments | Tea and scones with jam and cream

RESERVE YOUR SPOT
WhatsApp Anne at 073 235 2073 to make sure we have a scone waiting for you!

STORMY SKIES & LITERARY CLASSICS ⛆The current weather conversations have us turning to the pages of some unforgettable s...
15/05/2026

STORMY SKIES & LITERARY CLASSICS ⛆

The current weather conversations have us turning to the pages of some unforgettable stormy literary classics.

In great literature, storms are rarely just about the weather, but serve as harbingers of change, conflict, and revelation.

⛆ Wuthering Heights | The wild winds of the Yorkshire moors mirror the turbulent emotions of Heathcliff and Catherine.
⛆ The Tempest | A dramatic storm at sea sets the entire story in motion.
⛆ Frankenstein: Violent weather underscores the power and consequences of scientific ambition.
⛆ Jane Eyre | Storms mark pivotal emotional turning points in Jane's journey.
⛆ Moby-Dick | The raging sea is a force as formidable as Captain Ahab’s obsession.
⛆ Dracula | Ominous winds and storm-laden skies create an atmosphere of pure foreboding.
⛆ Great Expectations | Bleak marshes and threatening skies shape young Pip’s earliest fears.
⛆ Lord of the Flies: Gathering storms reflect the growing chaos and a descent into savagery.

But perhaps it's Emily Brontë who says it best. The very title “Wuthering Heights” comes from the Northern English atmospheric adjective, "wuthering," describing a place exposed to fierce, turbulent winds.

That leaves us with one question from the witches in Macbeth: “When shall we (three) meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
The answer is simple: Anytime at Montagu Bookshop, no matter the weather.

THE WORD ON THE STREET…(ABOUT ANNA-BET)If you haven’t yet popped the Anna-Bet Stemmet Montagu book launch into your cale...
13/05/2026

THE WORD ON THE STREET…(ABOUT ANNA-BET)

If you haven’t yet popped the Anna-Bet Stemmet Montagu book launch into your calendar, then these 5 visuals will hopefully be just the nudge you need.

They’re simple teasers - offering glimpses into what people are saying about Anna-Bet’s writing, and giving a sense of why this is a book (and a voice) worth spending time with.

Join us for a relaxed morning of tea and scones in a Victorian garden as Anna-Bet chats about her debut collection of 29 creative non-fiction personal essays and short stories: “Goed wat gebeur het met mense op plekke.” (Things that happened to people in places)

🗓 Wednesday, 20 May
⏰ 11h00
📍 La Rochelle, corner of Long & Du Toit Streets,
🫖 Tea + scones with jam and cream
❤︎ Books available for purchase and signing

📱 Reserve your spot with Anne | 073 235 2073

SHE CAN'T READ A BOX OF CHOCOLATES 😉This Mother’s Day, trade the temporary for the timeless and celebrate the woman who ...
08/05/2026

SHE CAN'T READ A BOX OF CHOCOLATES 😉

This Mother’s Day, trade the temporary for the timeless and celebrate the woman who loves a good book.

And because every mom reads a little differently, a trip to Montagu Bookshop just makes sense:

♥︎ For the mom whose TBR pile can never be too long.
♥︎ For the “just-one-more-chapter” mom.
♥︎ For the mom who returns to the same books like old friends.
♥︎ For the mom who always has a book in her bag - just in case.
♥︎ For the mom who reads to get out of her own head for a while.

Whichever one sounds like your mom, we’ll help you find her kind of story.

Not sure what genre she’s into or what’s on her wishlist? A Montagu Bookshop gift voucher is the perfect solution.

Find us at The Quarter, Long Street, Montagu.

SWARTLAND STORIES + ‘ELEVENSES’ IN MONTAGUAnna-Bet Stemmet describes her debut book as "a guilty pleasure; like a cookie...
06/05/2026

SWARTLAND STORIES + ‘ELEVENSES’ IN MONTAGU

Anna-Bet Stemmet describes her debut book as "a guilty pleasure; like a cookie with your tea or a skelm sigaret.”

But it's so much more than that...

It's about lollipops, an ex-boyfriend's shiner, 'die regte Sandra,' Meneer Scheepers, a 9/11 school cake project debacle, Gielie Rademeyer's feminist manifesto, the tender tale of the dark brown vintage dinner plates and Liesbet, and Jakkals and Bets.

Join us on Wednesday, 20 May, for a midweek break at La Rochelle in Montagu, where all will be revealed as Anna-Bet is in conversation with her BFF accomplice, Anika du Toit.

What to expect:
🫖 Elevenses | Tea, coffee, and scones with jam and cream at 11h00.
🎤 Real Talk | From lollipops to literary gems, this promises to be an honest, witty weave through language, life, and mengels.

This is the best "guilty pleasure" since that sneaky morning rusk with your coffee.

Don't miss it. Come and hear how this Malmesbury mom and “word wrangler” made it all work out.

🍭 Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
🍭 Time: 11h00
🍭 Venue: La Rochelle, Corner of Long & Di Toit Streets
🍭 Books available for purchase and signing

📱 Reserve your spot with Anne | 073 235 2073

Address

43 Long Street
Montagu
6720

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 09:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:30
Thursday 09:00 - 16:30
Friday 09:00 - 16:30
Saturday 09:00 - 13:00

Telephone

0236142772

Website

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