As Kate Rogan, owner of beloved Joburg institution Love Books, puts it: “During the holidays you just read differently. You could be struggling with a book during the year and yet once you’re on vacation, you become completely absorbed and engaged in it.”
We think she’s on the money – and are counting down the days to being able to log off, kick back and pick up an excellent read. No interruptions allowed!
To this end, Rogan and the Currency team have put together a list of perfect holiday reading options. From new and gripping to just plain enjoyable, we guarantee that there is something in the mix that you will love. Plus, all of them make excellent gifting fodder.
‘A Voyage Around the Queen’ by Craig Brown (Jonathan Ball)
If you read Ma’am Darling, Brown’s 2017 biography of Princess Margaret, you know why we are so excited about this. That unconventional account was a treat from start to finish. We liked his take on the Beatles less (it was far too long), but nevertheless are big fans of this witty genius of a journalist and author. This time he’s turned his attention to Margaret’s big sister. This miscellany offers funny, audacious, fascinating and even fictious snippets about Queen Elizabeth, her life and nation. Look forward to some classic, crazy Prince Philip-isms among them.
‘You are Here’ by David Nicholls (Jonathan Ball)
While we think it’s impossible that Nicholls will ever outdo the greatest snot en trane read of our time – his 2009 hit, One Day – we did enjoy this, his latest offering. It’s also a romance, of the “will they, won’t they” kind, but this time about two 40-somethings, who meet on a walk across England. Nicholls is a master of creating charming, funny and incredibly real-feeling characters. In this case we all know a Michael and Marnie (or are them). Also, if you love a good traverse on foot, this tale will delight you – and possibly give you fresh holiday ideas.
‘James’ by Percival Everett (Pan Macmillan)
Rogan read the proof copy of this mega successful retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on holiday in January. It went straight to the top of her best-reads list and has stayed there. As she says, “I just think it’s the cleverest thing I’ve read in such a long time. The themes range from slavery to racism – it’s all dreadful stuff, but Everett is so clever, he makes this tale funny and gripping, and you keep turning the pages. I probably read this in two days flat.”
‘Orbital’ by Samantha Harvey (Penguin Random House)
At 136 pages long (admittedly in small font), you could finish this year’s Booker Prize winner in an afternoon. We were mesmerised and calmed by Harvey’s short, genius meditation on space exploration, the universe, the majesty of earth and the complexity and brilliance of mortals. If you are a fan of Max Porter, Sarah Moss or Jon Mcgregor’s “not much happens but the writing is spectacular” vibes, then this will thrill you. Who knew that a vignette of astronauts in orbit could be so wonderful?
‘The Bitterness of Olives’ by Andrew Brown (Karavan)
We read this at the beginning of the year and have been raving about it since. That Brown’s completely unputdownable story about two men on either side of the Palestine-Israel conflict (it was written before the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on Israel) was also the winner of this year’s Sunday Times prize for fiction is further proof of its excellence. This is a sophisticated whodunnit that will have you thinking long and hard about what has been going on in that part of the world for decades.
‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah (Pan Macmillan)
Start Hannah’s latest release in the knowledge that you’re in for an ugly cry and a day or two of blanking out your family so that you can follow this story. This infinitely readable bit of historical fiction centres around a wealthy and naive American girl who enlists as a nurse in the Vietnam War. The premise reminded us of the late 1980s TV series China Beach, and we adored this just as much. This book was released earlier this year, but it has everything you want from a December read: a solid but not heavy narrative, romance, devastation, social commentary and a couple of good plot twists.
‘The Siege’ by Ben Macintyre (Penguin Random House)
Macintyre zooms in on bygone events and historical people of note, and has his fans engrossed in his telling of them. His 2020 work, Agent Sonya, which recounted the amazing life of super-spy Ursula Kuczynski, was the one that hooked us. Now we’re itching to get stuck into The Siege. This account of the 1980 storming of the Iranian embassy in London by armed gunmen – and subsequent siege – was a finalist for the Waterstones Book of the Year, is getting rave reviews from all corners and is also being adapted for TV.
‘The Ministry of Time’ by Kaliane Bradley (Jonathan Ball)
Technically this fab book is sci-fi, but it’s got so much going on in it that it’s hard to truly classify. Action, comedy, thriller, time travel, a love story – The Ministry of Time does it all, so it’s a smart option for those who like a little dash of fantasy with their fiction. The jumping between a 19th-century Arctic expedition and modern London made us think a lot about the iconic TV series Dr Who, and so did the “fight the baddies” narrative. Tardis territory aside, this is an effortless, stylish romp, best enjoyed between pool-side snoozes.
‘Capitec: Stalking Giants’ by TJ Strydom (Tafelberg Publishers Ltd)
He’s an unofficial extended part of the Currency team so, yes, we are biased. That said, neutral parties in the know also think Strydom’s telling of how a bunch of outliers created a bank to take on South Africa’s big four (Standard Bank, Absa, FNB and Nedbank) is a hell of a yarn. As Rogan says: “Sure, it’s a book about business, but Strydom is such a compelling writer and, reading this, you can just tell he’s a literary man – there are all sorts of great literary references in this gem.”
‘The Spy Coast’ by Tess Gerritsen (Penguin Random House)
If Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books and the Red movie series (which starred Bruce Willis) had a baby, it would be The Spy Coast. It came out in 2023 so, yes, we’re late to the party – though also perfectly timed, as the next instalment, The Summer Guests, is due for release in March. As you would have gathered from our attempted mash-up metaphor, the action involves a retired spy, Maggie Bird and her “martini club” of aging espionage brethren. When a dead body appears on Maggie’s driveway, the action kicks off. This is killer cosy crime.
Sign up to Currency’s weekly newsletters to receive your own bulletin of weekday news and weekend treats. Register here.
