book bites

Team Trinity ★★★★ ★ Fiona Snyckers (Modjaji Books, R148)

Love her, hate her, envy her, Trinity Luhabe is back. In this prequel to the series, 16-year-old Trinity is forced to spend a term in the school boarding house while her parents deal with an urgent business matter overseas. Thankfully, her best friend Lael is with her, leaving the door wide open for trouble. The plot has everything you would expect from a boarding school romp — but as with any high-school drama, there is an undertone of darkness to keep the novel grounded firmly in reality. — Sally Partridge @sapartridge

The October List ★★★ ★★ Jeffery Deaver (Hodder & Stoughton, R245)

Jeffery Deaver begins his latest thriller at the end — with chapter 36 — and proceeds to unfold all the twists and turns that lead up to that climax — chapter one. It’s a novel idea but frustration sets in as there is a feeling of never moving forward. Yet it’s still addictive reading with Deaver’s usual misdirections and frenetic pace. The story: Gabriela McKenzie’s daughter is kidnapped; the crook wants the mysterious “October List” that belonged to her boss. Leave assumptions until the end, which is the beginning. — Jennifer Platt @Jenniferdplatt

The Art of Thinking Clearly ★★★★ ★ Rolf Dobelli (Sceptre Publishing, R208)

We all make poor decisions. People stay in bad relationships, or overbid for things like a second-hand car or someone’s suspiciously mint condition Captain America trading cards on eBay. Rolf Dobelli has collated a number of phenomena such as halo effect, social loafing and survivorship bias to explain why we make decisions the way we do. It is a nifty little book, small enough to fit in a briefcase (if this were the ’90s), with 99 different explanations for human decision-making. A fascinating and occasionally painfully true read. — Zoe Hinis @ZoeHinis