A smorgasbord of books to tickle every literary tastebud
The team at has gathered a selection of the best books of 2023 (plus a preview of what’s coming in 2024). Whether you’re looking for stocking-stuffers, holiday hardbacks or dazzling audiobooks, dig in
by Tan Twan Eng
The House of Doors
Our book of the year is by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng, who counts Cape Town as one of his homes. His new novel has attracted dozens of glowing reviews. Set in 1920s colonial Malaya, with a cameo for the Karoo, the book features a fictionalised W Somerset Maugham and a scandalous murder trial. his “colonial mindset”. A primer on the horrors and exploitation of the industry.
Fair Play offers a nuanced and compassionate consideration of how to maintain fairness in sport in the context of trans and intersex athletes. Barnes, who identifies as nonbinary, delves into the science, the personal and the politics.
Normal Women the Queen of Historical Fiction, who turns her hand to historical fact, chronicling the disregarded, neglected and miswritten women of British history, from 1066 to the present.
by Katie Barnes
by Philippa Gregory,
Life’s too short for a summer body. Bake and braise your way into the new year.
Now & Then: A Collection of Recipes for Always
is part memoir, part recipe book from London-born Kiros, who grew up in South Africa. With influences from her Tuscan home, her SA childhood, and her time in Mexico, New Orleans, Thailand and Greece.
Sweet Salone offers a culinary journey to Sierra Leone. Inspired by her grandmother’s cooking, Bradford introduces the world to her country’s diverse and rich food culture.
Clever Cooking
South Africans are having to take the meal prep fad one step further, thanks to the perils of load shedding. This book shows you how to organise nutritious meals ahead of time.
Kiros
by
Tessa
by Maria Bradford
by Vickie de Beer.
Stewart,
by Nana Kwame Adjei-brenyah,
Chain Gang All Stars
read by Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch and Lee Osorio. Audiobooks with an ensemble cast are an acquired taste, but these readers pull it off emphatically.
Tom Lake read by Meryl Streep. A hopeful and moving novel, made even more so by Streep’s virtuoso delivery. Making It So
read by the author. A fascinating read elevated further by Stewart’s performance.