Investec Literary Society

If you think When the World Was is a book for children, forget it. It is a book that will enchant adults even as they read the book aloud to their little ones.

Taken from hunter gatherer stories about how the world was created, it is as much a story of what we have lost as anything else.

As for columnist and writer Tom Eaton, his whodunnit has received an all too rare accolade: a three-book contract.

His anti-hero is so vexing you want to throw the book at him and even then, he won’t go away. Great fun.

Two African authors do their thing in this month’s Investec Literary Society’s podcast. Both Belinda Bauer and Femi Kayode write crime novels. Both, in their different ways, are intriguing. Belinda has picked up significant awards for her writing - will she do it again for a novel about (yes!) egg collecting. Femi’s, set in Nigeria, deals with family and a cleric accused of murder. Enjoy!

David Baldacci is one of the world’s most successful thriller writers. So when he sat down to write a novel (that is, in effect, a memoir in the guise of a whodunnit) set in the Deep South (A Calamity of Souls) you have to pay attention, don’t you? Jenny Crwys-Williams also brings us up to speed with news of Kristin Hannah’s smash hit The Women and Shubnum Khan’s growing international success for her enchanting The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil.

Stanley Tucci is a worldwide Italian food darling. Investec’s Literary Society grabbed a copy of his What I Ate in One Year and went to ground reading it. Fun, incredulity, movies and much laughter jostled for space. Last year’s surprise best seller Veld: The Gardens & Landscapes of Patrick Watson is another kind of delight. Jenny Crwys-Williams managed to walk some of his historic gardens and says the book’s a national treasure. Enjoy!

By now everyone is gasping for a break. What a year it’s been! So whether it’s beach, bush, mountains or blissfully at home, I’ve put together a carry on suitcase of books for you to read. Together they are a rich collection of very varied work writers have toiled over, sometimes for years. Happy shopping and ENJOY!

By now everyone is gasping for a break. What a year it’s been! So whether it’s beach, bush, mountains or blissfully at home, I’ve put together a carry on suitcase of books for you to read. Together they are a rich collection of very varied work writers have toiled over, sometimes for years. Happy shopping and ENJOY!

Peter Godwin’s Exit Wounds is a lyrical reckoning of love, loss & war. Kate Mosse’s The Map of Bones closes her quartet across France & SA. George Stephanopoulos’ The Situation Room reveals the hidden drama of presidents in crisis. Three must-reads.

You’ve seen her hosting a round table of Nobel laureates; you’ve seen her hosting intense debates in Doha; you’ve seen her TV series on African countries and you’ve seen her series on opera. Yes, it’s Zeinab Badawi and she’s just published a fantastic book: An African History of Africa. Investec’s Literary Society grabbed her for her first South African interview. Jenny Crwys-Williams says the book’s a sure-fire winner!

Who can forget the humour and the warmth of Chris can Wyk’s Shirley Goodness and Mercy and Eggs to Lay & Chickens to Hatch? Alas, he is no more, but his oldest son Kevin has delved into his father’s notes, unfinished books and interviews and come up with a delightful tribute to his father – and a hint there may be more to come. But there’s more from the Investec Literary Society as Jenny Crwys-Williams persuaded superstar David Walliams to read an extract from one of his funniest children’s books. She guarantees you’ll laugh out loud!

If you want to run screaming at the very mention of ‘AI’, then Arthur Goldstuck’s book is almost certainly for you. Love it or loathe it, AI isn’t going away, so best make your peace with it. This book uses devices to guide you through the pages – and therefore to omit those which have little relevance to you. Arthur says if you can bake a cake or make a curry you will cruise through the straightforward text.

Just as the summer holidays have ended, another series of long weekends is approaching. We’ve picked two reads to start off your reading journeys: Kristin Hannah’s smash hit, The Women has taken the world by storm and the Investec Literary Society is delighted to share Jenny Crwys-Williams’ interview with Kristin with you. The novel is unputdownable! We also asked respected novelist, playwright and English teacher Craig Higginson to read a passage from his latest novel, The Ghost of Sam Webster, for you. Think murder, butterflies, Isandlwana, love, hate and a turbulent family.

At about this time last year, one local publisher released four remarkable non-fiction books, all written by local authors. The first was written by journalist and crime fiction fan Justice Malala. Why is that important? Well, his riveting book, released 30 years after the driveway assassination of the charismatic Chris Hani, reads like a crime novel - except everything in it is true. The Plot to Save South Africa has been lauded by The Washington Post, The New York Times, the BBC etc. Don’t miss The Investec Literary Society’s opening salvo of 2024!

If you listened to Jenny Crwys-Williams’ choice of books for your holiday, here’s a reminder of what a book bouquet looks like. All of them have the potential to be best sellers, so make some time to grab your favourites.

If you listened to Jenny Crwys-Williams’ choice of books for your holiday, here’s a reminder of what a book bouquet looks like. All of them have the potential to be best sellers, so make some time to grab your favourites.

If the stirring epics of polar adventure quicken your pulse, if you throw into that mixture memoir, natural history and the ghost of an all wooden ship lost three kilometres beneath the ice, then Darel Bristow-Bovey’s 'Finding Endurance: Shackleton, my father and a world without end' is the book for you. Jenny Crwys-Williams interviews him for the Investec Literary Society.

Recorded at the Franschhoek Literary Festival, Jenny Crwys-Williams chatted to superstar writer Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Miss Benson’s Beetle. And there’s a little surprise for you at the end of that conversation.

In 'The World: A Family History', Montefiore tells the story of humankind in “a ground-breaking, single narrative that will forever shift the boundaries of what history can achieve”. The book begins with the story of a family some 9,50,000 years ago. In the coming pages, Montefiore takes the readers on an epic journey through the families that have shaped the world, including the Caesars, Medicis, Incas, Ottomans, Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs, Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Krupps and Churchills.