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Want to know what the book worms are devouring? We rounded up the info. 
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We asked Currency readers what they’ve got on their bedside tables and in their kindle libraries that is worth seeking out. Here’s what these bibliophiles had to say … 

Radiance of Tomorrow,’ Ishmael Beah (Pan Macmillan) 

It’s actually very tough subject matter as it tackles how families try to cobble their lives together after a big trauma. Then, as they just about come right, there’s more trauma. That said, it’s beautifully written and digestible. Also, the novel is set in Sierra Leone and serves as a reminder of how removed we are from things that take place on our continent. – Nwabisa Mayema 

‘Intermezzo,’ Sally Rooney (Jonathan Ball) 

It’s off-brand for me to say this, but Sally Rooney’s new one is excellent. It’s her best yet and was a two-day binge read. I was not looking forward to reading it … so was pleasantly surprised by a more mature writing style and, mostly, her characters have matured too. – Kate Rogan (the owner of Love Books – so this recommendation comes with extra clout)  

‘Kala,’ Colin Walsh (Penguin Random House) 

I love an Irish historical murder in the vein of Tana French. There seems to be a whole genre of the stuff out there, including this, which I enjoyed. Who knew Ireland was so deadly for teens? – Jen Downs 

‘The Safekeep,’ Yael van der Wouden (Penguin Random House) 

The novel is by a gorgeous 37-year-old, it’s a debut novel, and it made it to the Booker shortlist (and should win). Can you believe that? It’s set in the Netherlands and is about a house, it’s people and history. Expect a rather slow, morose start but then, boy, does it get going! – Claudia Manning 

‘The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,’ Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Random House) 

This is by the delectable psychologist Jonathan Haidt – and I’d say it’s a must-read though not a page turner. It’s worth reading not only by parents who are concerned about the effects of too much screen time on children, but also as a reminder for us all to put down our phones and engage in the world around us. – Libby Dougherty 

‘Men Have Called Her Crazy,’ Anna Marie Tendler (Pan Macmillan) 

This a powerful memoir about the profound impact of men on women’s lives. It’s raw and potent, yet full of insight and empathy. – Nkanyezi Tshabalala  

‘How to say Babylon,’ Safiya Sinclair (Jonathan Ball) 

I’m halfway through this and it’s poignant and brutal. It offers unapologetic insight into a Rastafarian upbringing – for the author this was authoritarian at its core. It’s poetically described and I’m at the point where Sinclair is beginning to emerge from this darkness … I can’t wait to read some more later. – Brett Murray 

‘Rivals,’ Jilly Cooper (Penguin Random House) 

The series, based on this 1988 classic, has just been released and everyone is talking about it. One should always have read the text a show is based on – in this case, if only to make sure they don’t skip a sex scene! – Rachel Slack 

‘James,’ Percival Everett (Pan Macmillan) 

This is a masterpiece retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with the enslaved Jim at the centre. It’s complex, layered and darkly funny yet also a riveting page-turner. I haven’t read any of the other 2024 Booker nominees yet, but I can’t imagine anything else being better than this. – Christine van Deemter  

‘The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York,’ Robert Caro (Penguin Random House) 

It’s the 50th anniversary of this classic biography about US urban planner Robert Moses. I’m about a third of the way through it (it’s 1,344 pages) and, so far, I feel that the iconic author and journalist’s series about America’s 36th president, Lyndon B Johnson, is much better. – Pieter du Toit (read an extract from Du Toit’s new book here

‘A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy,’ Nathan Thrall (Penguin Random House) 

Nathan Thrall has written what feels like a book of fiction but is based on an actual event. By tracking a day in Salama’s life, the reader gets a glimpse into what it feels like to live in Palestine under authoritarian rule and the daily injustices that the people there have to endure. 

I read an interview where Thrall said something along the lines of not much changes when analysis and historical writing is done on authoritarian regimes, but the power of an individual story can shift public opinion. – Yusuf Mayet 

If you’d like to recommend something unputdownable, please email me on sarah@currencynews.co.za – I’m making a list! 

Sarah Buitendach

With a sharp eye for design, Sarah has an unparalleled sense of shifting cultural, artistic and lifestyle sensibilities. As the former editor of Wanted magazine, founding editor of the Sunday Times Home Weekly, and many years in magazines, she is the heartbeat of Currency’s pleasure arm.

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