Summer days and the reading is easy with Exclusive Books’ holiday list

Exclusive Books’ Summer Holiday Reading List features 25 fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children’s titles to dive into this December or guide you to that perfect gift for book lovers young and old.

And to give your festive book shopping a boost, The South African is giving away three R500 Exclusive Books vouchers for you to pick and choose your summer holiday read.

How to enter:

Complete the multiple-choice Exclusive Books Quiz at the end of the article. It will only take a minute as there are three questions and you will find all the answers in the article.

The competition closes on 4 January 2021 and the winners will be announced on 5 January 2021. And who knows…it could be you walking away with that R500 Exclusive Books voucher!

Exclusive Books Summer Holiday Reading List

Have a look at the 25 books featured on the Exclusive Books Summer Holiday Reading List for some great recommendations for your holiday bookshelf. As an added bonus, Fanatics members also earn a whopping 200 bonus points on their purchases  from the list during December. 

Fiction titles to pick and choose from

Six fiction titles will appeal across any flavour of reader:

The narrative in The Midnight  Library by Matt Haig has a slightly old-fashioned feel, like a bedtime story. It is an absorbing  but comfortable read, imaginative in the details, if familiar in its outline.

Lynn Joffe’s debut novel The Gospel According to Wanda B Lazarus, boasts this endorsement from English actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry:

“Just what the world needs – a fizzing, fulsome and fiercely funny heroine worlds away from  the anaemic, lifeless puppets that populate so much fiction today, and a novel that is  charged with music, energy, bounce, juice and joy.”

In A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin there is a sense of warmth and freedom in this novel, as though Rebus’ retirement  has liberated his creator as much as himself.

“What could be more reassuring in troubling times than a new William Boyd novel?… Immensely readable,” quotes the Sunday Telegraph about ‘Trio’, and a quote from Paige Nick about ‘Nine Letters’ by John Webb: “What a novel! Hilarious and beautifully written. I smiled  the whole way through”.

Mess by Dudu Busani-Dube is the fifth book in the popular Hlomu series centred around eight Zulu brothers from Mbuba village in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal. Each of the  books is narrated by a woman drawn into the path of the brothers. 

Non-fiction: From reading like a spy novel to life-changing books

In his second book, 20 Habits that Break Habits, Pepe Marais once again sets out to  deliver on his personal purpose: To bring out the best in those around him. 20 Habits that  Break Habits reflects a deep concern for developing human potential and is in service of  your journey towards discovering your own inner greatness.

Vusi Gumede’s Africa’s Wellbeing in an Uncertain World is an important work, not to be ignored.

With Ben  Macintyre in charge, you are virtually guaranteed a history book that reads like a spy novel in Agent Sonya. And Now For the Good News… by Ruby Wax, Annie Lennox quotes “I think  at this point in time we’re all in need of as much good news as we can get!

Ruby can always  be guaranteed to lift your spirits!” From renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary critic,  Michiko Kakutani, comes an inspiring and gorgeously illustrated selection of the life-changing books that none of us should miss in Ex Libris.

Unflinchingly honest and remarkably candid, Matthew McConaughey’s book Green Lights invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did — and to see that the point was  never to win, but to understand.

How I Started my Business with R1 Million from the Bank by Bathabile Moreki, is a book that will inspire and motivate township entrepreneurs to  start and grow profitable businesses in their communities. Bathabile Moreki has mentored  over 800 youth entrepreneurs.

The reader will find a candid, inspiring guide to finding  lasting love by getting real about your relationship goals In Relationship Goals by Michael  Todd – based on the viral sermon series about dating, marriage, and sex, and Saving a  Stranger’s Life The Dairy of an Emergency Room Doctor by Anne Biccard, Michele Magwood  says:

“Poignant in parts, shouting-out funny in others, the stories leap from the page, a  welcome reminder of sheer humanity and courage under pressure.”  

In Success is a Choice, John C Maxwell says talent is just the starting point for a successful life. It’s the choices people make that take them beyond talent and propel them to  extraordinary success in life and leadership. In The Happiest Man on Earth author Eddie Jaku’s tale is compelling and particularly pertinent as we struggle to make sense of  challenging times.

David Sumpter’s The Ten Equations that Rule the World aren’t the  equations of Newton or Einstein – crisp relations describing the evolution of a clockwork  universe. These are the equations of randomness, expectation, and imperfect information.  The equations, in other words, of the real world.

In VBS: A Dream Defrauded, Dewald van  Rensburg’s account of this tragic saga is fundamentally about choices. No one who mattered  chose to do the right thing and blow the whistle.

In Onder Een  Dak, Dana Snyman shares 100 of his favourite stories. There are family stories from his boyhood, travel stories, true-life drama, as well as more recent stories.

Young adults and children

The last five titles are YA and Children’s. A Tale of Magic… by Chris Colfer is a dynamic,  engrossing fantasy that will have readers staying up late and dreaming big.

In Minecraft The  Ultimate Creative Collection Gift Box, readers can dive into the world of Minecraft with the  official Minecraft Gift Box, packed with tips and tricks for Minecraft players.

Spinderella by Julia Donaldson and Sebastien Braun is a great book with amazing illustrations.

There is  heart-stirring storytelling in The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson and Losprys in  Parys by Nerine Ahlers with the promise of action and romance.

Exclusive Books ‘made easy’

All the books on the Summer Holiday Reading List is available instore, online or through Uber Eats. 

At this time of gift giving, sometimes the best present is the gift of choice. Visit  www.exclusivebooks.co.za for their new and improved gift voucher offering – beautiful templates for every occasion and the ability to personalise messages and time delivery. 

Exclusive Books has also launched an exciting new online book show called Cover to Cover with Joanne Joseph and Eusebius McKaiser.

While Exclusive Books real life book launches and events are slowly starting up again,  Exclusive Books are still hosting authors on webinars and everyone who is signed up for Fanatics will receive news about events or alternatively, follow Exclusive Books on:

• www.facebook.com/ExclusiveBooks
• https://www.instagram.com/exclusivebooks/
• http://www.twitter.com/exclusivebooks
• www.exclusivebooks.co.za

Enter our Exclusive Books Quiz competition here: