Defend Truth

Daily Maverick Best Sellers January 2022

Our list is compiled from print sales data and other sources. It represents the bestselling books in South Africa from the previous four weeks to 08 January 2022, and combines Fiction and Non-fiction best sellers.

Rise
Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 1

#1. Rise

by Siya Kolisi

The  captain of the Springboks, and the first black man to lead his country in over 128 years of South African rugby, shares his story – from being born into the impoverished Zwide township to leading his proud nation to an astonishing victory at the 209 Rugby World Cup. 

Rise is an exploration of a man’s race and his faith, a masterclass in attaining a positive mindset, and an inspirational reminder that it is possible to defy the odds.

The Promise by Damon Galgut
Months on the list:  2
Previous rank: 2

#2. The Promise

by Damon Galgut

Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize

Galgut’s novel tell a story in four snapshots, each one centered on a family funeral, each one happening in a different decade. In the background, a different president is in power, and a different spirit hangs over the country, while in the foreground the family fights over what they call their farm, on a worthless piece of land outside Pretoria.

Over large jumps in time, people get older, faces and laws and lives all change, while a brother and sister circle around a promise made long ago, and never kept.
Will by Will Smith
Months on the list:  2
Previous rank: 4

#3. Will

by Will Smith with Mark Manson

One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.

The Dark Flood
Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 5

#4. The Dark Flood

by Deon Meyer

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it’s all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

Wish You Were Here
Months on the list: NEW

#5. Wish You Were Here

by Jodi Picoult

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the art auction world. She knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their getaway to the Galápagos. But then a virus that felt worlds away appears in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: it’s all hands on deck at work. In the Galápagos, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself.

The Judges List
Months on the list: NEW

#6. The Judge’s List

by John Grisham

As an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct, Lacy Stoltz sees plenty of corruption among the men and women elected to the bench. In The Whistler, she took on a crime syndicate that was paying millions to a crooked judge. Now, in The Judge’s List, the crimes are even worse. The man hiding behind the black robe is not taking bribes – but he may be taking lives.

The Judge’s List
 – you don’t want to be on it.

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 3

#7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid no. 16: Big Shot

by Jeff Kinney

Book 16 in the hilarious series from author Jeff Kinney and illustrator Greg Heffley.

After a disastrous competition at school, Greg decides that he’s officially retired from ANY kind of sport! That is, until his mom persuades him to give it one more go and makes Greg reluctantly agree to sign up for basketball.

Tryouts are a MESS, and Greg is sure he won’t make the cut. But he unexpectedly lands a spot on the worst team.

Scatterling of Africa
Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 6

#8. Scatterling of Africa

by Johnny Clegg

Johnny Clegg’s origin story, written as he wanted it told. Here is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

‘There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know it.’ Here is how it all began.

Subtle Art_250
Months on the list:  NEW
Previous no. 3, Nov 2021

#9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

by Mark Manson

Zen and the art of running out of f*cks to give, on purpose, as quickly as possible. People aren’t just born not giving a f*ck, after all: you’ve got to learn it. Start here

Manson’s book has been a regular on the Daily Maverick Best Sellers list for more than two years.

The New Kingdom
Months on the list:  NEW
Previous no. 4, Nov 2021

#10. The New Kingdom

by Wilbur Smith and Mark Chadbourn

A brand-new Egypt novel from the master of adventure fiction.

In the city of Lahun, Hui lives an enchanted life. The favoured son of a doting father, and ruler-in-waiting of the great city, his fate is set. But craving power and embittered by jealousy, Hui’s stepmother, the great sorceress Isetnofret, and Hui’s own brother Qen, orchestrate the downfall of Hui’s father, condemning Hui and seizing power in the city.

Soon Hui finds himself in an even greater battle – one for the very heart of Egypt itself.