Daily Maverick Best Sellers December 2021

Our list is compiled from print sales data and other sources. It represents the bestselling books in South Africa from the previous six weeks to 11 December 2021, and combines Fiction and Non-fiction best sellers.

Months on the list: 2
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.

Months on the list: NEW

#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.

Months on the list: NEW

#3. 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.

Months on the list: NEW

#4. 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.

Months on the list: NEW

#5. 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.

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 2

#6. 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.

Months on the list: NEW

#7. Better Off Dead

by Lee Child with Andrew Child

The 26th book in the Jack Reacher series.

Reacher never backs down from a problem. And he’s about to find a big one, on a deserted Arizona road, where a Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around.

Minutes later Reacher is heading into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. Next to him is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent, who is trying to find her twin brother. He might have got mixed up with some dangerous people. And Reacher might just need to pay them a visit.

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 6

#8. It Ends With Us

by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes the one who loves you is the one who hurts you the most. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind.

Months on the list: NEW

#9. Hosting with the Lazy Makoti

by Mogau Seshoene

A brand-new collection of recipes from South Africa’s bestselling chef and social media sensation.

Here Mogau presents a cookbook full of delicious and easy-to-follow recipes from the African continent. She shows readers how to host any occasion with stylish and tasty food, from soul-warming one-pot dinners, hearty plant-based dishes and irresistibly easy bakes to signature seven-colour meals, decadent desserts, and a vibrant cuisine.

Months on the list: NEW

#10. Never

by Ken Follett

A stolen US army drone.
A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert.
A secret stash of deadly chemicals.

Each is a threat to the stability of the world but individually are problems that can be overcome. In the diplomatic arena though, everyone will have a different way of dealing with such a threat. And when those in charge disagree and refuse to back down, it will kick off an international chain reaction with potentially catastrophic consequences: a world edging closer to war.

Follett’s first contemporary novel in over a decade.

Past Bestsellers

Daily Maverick Best Sellers November 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers October 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers September 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers August 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers July 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers June 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers May 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers List April 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers List March 2021

Daily Maverick Best Sellers List February 2021