Daily Maverick Best Sellers November 2023

Our list is compiled from print sales data and other sources. It represents the bestselling books in South Africa from the previous three weeks to 11 November 2023, and combines Fiction and Non-fiction best sellers.

Months on the list: NEW

#1. Leo

by Deon Meyer

’n Student se dood in die berg by Stellenbosch lyk verdag. ’n Oud-recce vermoor as ’n boodskap. ’n Mooi veldgids, gewerf as ’n heuningwip vir die grootste dollar-rooftog in die land se geskiedenis. En staatskapers wat elkeen van die ondersoeke saboteer.

Jy’t ’n koel kop nodig om dit alles te ontrafel, om die enorme druk te kan hanteer. Jy moet kalm en gefokus en nugter wees. Maar Bennie Griessel se kop is nie koel nie.

Months on the list: 3
Prevous rank: 1

#2. Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby

Combines Eng & Afr sales

by Rassie Erasmus with David O’Sullivan

Rassie Erasmus has been called a genius. He’s been called reckless. All his life, he’s done things differently. Now, with his trademark candour, Rassie talks openly about his life of adventure and misadventure both on and off the rugby field – as a Springbok player, a provincial coach, and as the head coach who led the national team to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, including the lead-up to the RWC 2023.

Months on the list: New

#3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer (No. 18)

by Jeff Kinney

Up until now, middle school hasn’t exactly been a joyride for Greg Heffley. So when the town threatens to close the crumbling building, he’s not too broken up about it.

But when Greg realizes this means he’s going to be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his tune. Can Greg and his classmates save their school before it’s shuttered for good? Or is this the start of a whole new chapter for Greg?

Months on the list: NEW

#4. Iron Flame

by Rebecca Yarros

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College, Violet included. But now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is – unless she betrays the man she loves.

Months on the list: 22
Previous Rank: 3

#5. Atomic Habits

by James Clear

Transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour, starting now.

People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions: doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

Months on the list: NEW

#6. The Secret: Jack Reacher Book 28

by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Chicago. 1992. A hospital patient wakes to find two strangers by his bed. They show him a list of names and ask a simple but impossible question. Minutes later he falls to his death from his twelfth-floor window.

That attention comes from the Secretary of Defense, who calls for an inter-agency task force to investigate. Jack Reacher, recently demoted from Major, is assigned as the Army’s representative. If he gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy…

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 7

#7. The Diary of a CEO

by Steven Bartlett

Business strategy changes like the seasons. This is a book about something much more permanent.

At the very heart of all the success and failure Bartlett has been exposed to – both his own entrepreneurial journey and through the thousands of interviews he’s conducted on my podcast – are a set of principles that can stand the test of time, apply to any industry, and be used by anyone who is search of building something great or becoming someone great.

Months on the list: NEW

#2. Rise (New Ed.)

Combines Eng & Afr sales

by Siya Kolisi

There have been many comments made and books written about Siya Kolisi, captain of the Springboks, and the first black man to lead his country in over 128 years of South African rugby.

But now, for the very first time, Siya shares his story in an extraordinarily intimate memoir, charting his journey from being born into the impoverished Zwide township, to leading his proud nation to astonishing victory at the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

Months on the list: NEW

#9. The Woman in Me

by Britney Spears

Global megastar, singer, songwriter and Princess of Pop Britney Spears tells all in her heartfelt and honest memoir, portraying her rise to fame, tumultuous relationship with her father, controversial conservatorship, widely documented mental health struggles and so much more!

Months on the list: NEW
Previous No. 4, Sep 23

#10. The Covenant of Water

by Abraham Verghese

The long-awaited new novel by Verghese, the author of the major word-of-mouth bestseller Cutting for Stone.

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere.