Our list is compiled from print sales data and other sources. It represents the bestselling books in South Africa from the previous four weeks to 3 July 2019, and combines fiction and non-fiction bestsellers.

Originally published on the Daily Maverick as part of a collaboration with The Reading List.

 

#1. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
by Mark Manson

Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 2

Zen and the art of running out of f*cks to give, on purpose, as quickly as possible. People aren’t just born not giving a f*ck, after all: you’ve got to learn it. Start here.

 

#2. Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope
by Mark Manson

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 10

It’s a bit f*cking unfair that Manson has two titles in the Top Ten, but his formula is irresistible. He tackles the question of how to be an optimist in a world going to sh*t.

 

#3. The 5am Club
by Robin Sharma

Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 4

Own your mornings, master your life – and try not to think too hard about the book directly above this one in the rankings, lest you stop giving a f*ck about being an early riser and conquering all challenges in your path.

 

#4. Gangster State
by Pieter-Louis Myburgh

Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 1

Pieter-Louis Myburgh is finally dethroned as SA’s number one bestseller. But with joker in the ANC’s ‘Top Six’ deck – a certain fellow called Ace – still causing trouble, P-L’s book will doubtless keep charting for a good while.

 

#5. King of Kings
by Wilbur Smith

Months on the list: 3
Previous rank: 7

Smith’s two dynasties, the Courtneys and the Ballantynes, meet again in this sequel to The Triumph of the Sun. The plot involves places like Abyssinia, women named Saffron and men named Ryder. You get the idea.

 

#6. City of Girls
by Elizabeth Gilbert

New on the list

The author of Eat, Pray, Love has delivered a novel of glamour, sex, and adventure in 1940s New York that, according to one critic, pairs well with a cocktail or two.

 

#7. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid
by Jeff Kinney

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 6

Kinney, who toured SA earlier this year, starts a new line in his Wimpy Kid series, featuring Greg Heffley’s good friend Rowley, who agrees to write Greg’s biography – with predictably hilarious consequences.

 

#8. The Butterfly Room
by Lucinda Riley

Months on the list: 2
Previous rank: 3

When she’s not writing Seven Sister books, Riley produces ‘absorbing family sagas set in glamorous locations’ (Daily Mail). Here, Posy Montague is confronted by an agonising decision – and a face from her past.

 

#9. Manage Your Money like a F*cking Grownup
by Sam Beckbessinger

New on the List

You don’t know how to budget for your lunch breaks, much less your life. You haven’t asked for a raise in years and you have too many credit cards in your wallet. This book will sort you out. This book is the book to f*cking get. Great to see it back in the top 10.

 

#10. Undercover with Mandela’s Spies
by Bradley D Steyn, Mark Fine

New on the list

1988 South Africa teeters on the edge of a state of emergency. 17-year-old Bradley Steyn crosses Pretoria’s Strijdom Square and walks straight into a massacre. A true-life thriller, his book reveals some of the dirtiest secrets of a dirty war.

 

• See previous bestseller lists here

Our authoritative bestsellers list is compiled from print sales data and other sources, and represents the bestselling books in South Africa from the previous four weeks to 6 June 2019.

Categories Fiction International Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags Bestsellers Bradley D Steyn City of Girls Daily Maverick Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid Elizabeth Gilbert Everything is F*cked Gangster State Jeff Kinney King of Kings Lucinda Riley Manage Your Money like a F*cking Grownup Mark Manson Pieter-Louis Myburgh Robin Sharma Sam Beckbessinger South African bestselling books The 5am Club The Butterfly Room The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Undercover with Mandela’s Spies Wilbur Smith