Currently in your feeds by The Reading List

An Appetite for Risk by Anant Singh. A global player in the film industry, Singh reveals the underbelly of the commercial side of film – the less glamorous parts that keep the business going. He is not only an industry insider with a long and stellar career to write about, he also built his business under the constraints of apartheid. That unique perspective informs his narrative and makes for fascinating reading.

Never by Ken Follett. An action-packed, globe-spanning drama set in the present day. A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert; a stolen US Army drone; an uninhabited Japanese island; and one country’s secret stash of deadly chemical poisons – all these play roles in an escalating crisis. Struggling to prevent the outbreak of a world war are a young intelligence officer, a spy working undercover with jihadists, a Chinese spymaster, and the president of the US, beleaguered by a populist rival for the next election.

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way by Alistair Mackay. A debut novel that takes place over 12 years in a near-future Cape Town, unrecognisable because of climate collapse, fundamentalism and inequality. In this environment, three queer friends attempt to carve out a place for themselves. It is, says Mackay, “a cautionary tale about where the world is headed if we don’t “reimagine our politics and priorities, but it’s also a story of resilience and love – told from the perspectives of marginalised voices”. Out in February.

Janice Honeyman’s Pantomime Cinderella. This classic favourite has been re-energised into a “high-tech, 21st-century riot of innovative and spectacular special effects” that will wow the whole family. This show has all the nostalgia of the fairytale combined with projections, holograms, pyrotechnics and 3D graphics on more than 500 LED screens – all delivered with a touch of fairy dust. Runs at the Joburg Theatre until 24 December. Tickets from WebTickets.