This month, take a look at these 5 Must-Read Books that will have you and your family swopping screens for pages, as The Sandton Times picks out a few hot read recommendations.

• From business to Boulders Beach, there’s a book for every family member this month.
• There’s also some self-development, a touch of Hollywood and economics.
• Check-in on a monthly basis for some of the hottest titles fresh of the press.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

Good Housekeeping’s 2022 New Year’s resolution #3 of ‘60 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions for Healthier and Happier Living’ is simple: read more books. With a new year upon us and the idea of ‘Book & Chill’ having an equally as attractive ring to it, The Sandton Times has set out to bring you a mixed selection of interesting reads for you to consider each month, to make 2022 not just a better but smarter year too:

The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch
Did you know that 80% of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20% of our efforts?

Did you know, for example, that 20% of customers account for 80% of revenues? That 20% of our time accounts for 80% of the work we accomplish? The 80/20 Principle shows how you can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and resources, simply by identifying and focusing our efforts on the 20% that really counts. Although the 80/20 principle has long influenced today’s business world, author Richard Koch reveals how the principle works and shows how you can use it in a systematic and practical way to vastly increase your effectiveness, and improve your career and your work.

The unspoken corollary to the 80/20 principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20%, and transform your effectiveness in your job, your career, your business, and your life.

Get OVA It! by Devon Brough
Get OVA It documents the story of this passionate first-time South African author’s harrowing journey which began to go horribly awry at the tender age of 15 when he accepted a dare to down a bottle of tequila. What ensued was a blur of alcoholism, addiction, two suicide attempts, 18 warrants of arrest, being set up for cheque fraud, and living with three Russian prostitutes. In the space of a few years, his life had spiraled into one that would inevitably end prematurely.

As Devon muddled his way through adulthood, making poor choices, he had carved out a life of extremes – the kind no one should ever experience. A life that ultimately led Devon to the realization that no one was going to rescue him. If he wanted his life to change, to become unstuck; he was going to have to take ownership of his life and rescue himself.

This book is an essential life toolkit that teaches the reader to stack Ownership, Vision and Action to get ‘OVA’ pain, challenges and obstacles that keep them stuck. It is the essential guide to breaking free and living a life of purpose. A veritable guidebook to healing and transformation.

Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail by Ray Dalio
From legendary investor Ray Dalio, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Principles, who has spent half a century studying global economies and markets, his latest book examines history’s most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we’ve experienced in our lifetimes—and to offer practical advice on how to navigate them well.

In this remarkable and timely addition to his Principles series, Dalio brings readers along for his study of the major empires—including the Dutch, the British, and the American—putting into perspective the “Big Cycle” that has driven the successes and failures of all the world’s major countries throughout history. He reveals the timeless and universal forces behind these shifts and uses them to look into the future, offering practical principles for positioning oneself for what’s ahead.

WILL by Will Smith with Mark Manson
One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.

This memoir is the product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind. Written with the help of Mark Manson, author of the multi-million-copy bestseller ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’, Will is the story of how one exceptional man mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same.

Few of us will know the pressure of performing on the world’s biggest stages for the highest of stakes, but we can all understand that the fuel that works for one stage of our journey might have to be changed if we want to make it all the way home.

A Penguin Called Dave (and How the Day Was Saved) by Gord Laws
A Penguin Called Dave (and How the Day Was Saved) is a rhyming children’s story for kids of all ages, set in Boulders Beach, Cape Town. Featuring real animals and wildlife from the natural ecosystem, the book is a fantastical fairy-tale adventure, set against the backdrop of lessons in real nature and geography.

The book also features an educational fun-facts spread, with information about the real animals featured, and their behaviour in the wild, including Cape Jackass Penguins, Cape fur seals, Cape vultures, Cape Eagle owls, blue cranes, flamingos, Verreaux’s eagles, and of course, great white sharks!

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