Post-exam, pre-holiday reading list

Ashleigh Pascoe

As discussed in PDBY’s August 2022 edition, Pan Macmillan South Africa supplied varying works that allow readers to dive into the concept of escapism. Now, with some of its gorgeous second-half of the year releases, it is the perfect time to provide a reading list for that post-exam, pre-holiday limbo. Most readers found their love for the worlds within pages from a young age, and eight titles will be recommended for the diversity of student’s reading interests based on what sort of reader you were pre-university.

Lost in the Never Woods (Aiden Thomas)

One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)

Another author considered to be an LGBTQIA+ young adult author is Casey McQuiston.The concepts of time and the present are central in her newest novel, One Last Stop, which features the growing view of a realist slowly starting to believe in love again. A recommended reading list would not be completely without a hearttugging sense of hopeless romanticism. As said previously, McQuiston is for those readers who found themselves smitten with Alaska Young, Miles Halter, and Will Grayson.

characters become part of a world they barely understand, unlikely alliances are formed, a seemingly emotionless group becomes very emotional, and each individual becomes the opposite of who they expected to be. This series is objectively brilliant, with its ability to write about ideas so mystical and yet make them appear ever so realistic. As one further immerses themselves in the story, they lose all preconceptions they had from the first book and realise that those who appear the most put together, are truly more unhinged than those who show their cards.

If you were the type of child that enjoyed reading encyclopaedias for fun, or simply to impress adults with your vast stores of knowledge, you may be the type to read the following during time off. These titles are recommended for the purpose of making conversation with those uncles at festive dinners, or for picking a little post-pudding debate about the complexities of varying social issues. They can also be used to drop unsolicited facts about populism or land reform every time the parents ask questions that you would rather avoid.

The first three titles are written by the same author, Aiden Thomas. As a young adult author, Thomas has created works for those who grew up on novels such as Narnia and Percy Jackson. Thomas draws the audience in through mystery and undertones of romance. His works are unique in the sense that they can be considered as LGBTQIA+ fiction in the most natural sense of the word, and not for the sake of representation purposes. Thomas’ books represent themes of unexpected loyalty, tied in with the complicated nature of processing trauma through the lens of a young adult book.

While breaking away from a more mystical, romantic lens, the next recommendation is for those who prefer a more historically based form of mysterious happenings.

The House of Fortune (Jessie Burton)

If you were a child who obsessively read Horrible Histories only to morph into the teenager engrossed in Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Jane Eyre, this may be the book for you. But you should also give it a try if you believe you share the same twisted sense of humour as uproariously chaotic author Marian Keys, a strong endorser of this title.

My Land Obsession (Bulelwa Mabasa)

This title is nonfiction, and although not a light read, it is definitely worth the effort and time it takes to absorb. Mabasa tackles a topic that has been part of South African discourse for the entirety of most young adults’ lives, but from the perspective of someone who has experienced land dispossession. She does not claim to know all the answers, but provides solutions from first-hand experience, and that is what makes this title refreshing.

In the Name of the People

The Atlas Paradox (Olivie Blake)

Blake’s titles were written for those who had a Secret Seven phase in grade six, a Nancy Drew obsession in grade 7, and made Harry Potter their entire personality from ages 13 through forever. The Atlas Paradox, the well-awaited sequel to The Atlas Six, provides even more context on the serious and untrustworthy Alexandrian society. As the remaining

In the Name of the People, a title written by Tendai Biti, Nic Cheeseman, Christopher Clapham, Ray Hartley, Greg Mills, Juan Carlos Pinzón, Lyal White, is the final recommendation of this reading list. The interesting nature of this piece stems from the multiple authorships, resulting in viewpoints from not one or two people, but seven. This provides a sense of thorough research and reliability throughout the reading process. As expected, this is a thought-provoking piece, almost written in an essay-like format, discussing the role of populism in today’s society. Guided insight is given into the discussion surrounding the far left, versus the far right, prevalent in today’s political sphere. There is no quote that can entirely capture the multitude of complex thoughts written, and this is the type of book read of one’s own accord through their understandings.