5 Quick African books to pack for your next trip

Whether you’re waiting at the gate, settling into a long-haul flight or looking for something to dip into between sightseeing stops, the right book can make travelling feel even better. From a twisty murder mystery to candid reflections on motherhood and personal growth, these five recent releases offer very different ways to pass the time.

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Gisèle Pelicot’s A Hymn To Life is a story of survival and reclaiming her voice

Kiss Marry Kill by Yemi Dipeolu. Image: The Booklounge

If you like your holiday reading with a little suspense, Kiss Marry Kill is an easy one to reach for. The story opens on what should be the happiest day of Ife’s life: her wedding to Ade. But the celebrations come to an abrupt stop when her new husband is arrested for the murder of his ex, Cynthia, whose body has been discovered on the Dorset coast.

Suddenly, Ife is left questioning everything she thought she knew about the man she has just married. Was Ade really responsible, or is someone else determined to keep the truth buried? With love, obsession and murder at the centre of the story, this thriller promises plenty of twists to keep you turning the pages.

Women Rent Men and Secrets Here by Damilare Kuku

Damilare Kuku takes readers to Lagos for a story packed with secrets, scandal and complicated relationships. At its centre is Ara Ikoyi, a successful writer suffering from writer’s block and desperate for her next big story. Her inspiration arrives when her neighbour, Juicy Mbelu, is accused of killing her sugar daddy.

But getting Juicy to tell her story comes with conditions. Ara must trade secrets with the women living on their Lagos estate and promise to tell Juicy’s story exactly as it happened. As she begins digging deeper, what initially looks like a juicy murder story opens up into something far more complicated, exposing buried secrets, power dynamics, survival and the ways women are judged.

What Now? by Zama Mkhize

Sometimes the book you need on a journey is the one that makes you pause and think about your own life. In What Now? Navigating Personal Growth and Transformation, Zama Mkhize explores the questions that arise when you find yourself at a crossroads and need to figure out where to go next.

Published by Pan Macmillan South Africa in 2026, the book centres on personal growth and transformation, making it a fitting companion for anyone entering a new season of life, reconsidering their direction or simply asking themselves that familiar question: What now?

From One Mother to Another by Ntando Rambani with Zibu Sithole

For a more intimate read, From One Mother to Another is Ntando Rambani’s deeply personal reflection on motherhood, healing and breaking generational patterns. Growing up in a world where love was complicated by violence and emotional absence, Rambani writes about learning to navigate motherhood without having had the example she needed growing up.

Rather than presenting an Instagram-perfect version of parenting, the book explores the messier reality of raising a family while confronting your own past. It follows Rambani’s journey of self-discovery, unlearning and intentionally creating the kind of home she wanted for her children.

Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto

If you’re looking for something you can pick up and put down without losing the thread, Hail Mary is the perfect travel companion. Funmi Fetto’s debut collection brings together stories about Nigerian women navigating love, marriage, migration, family, tradition and the expectations placed on them. Across Lagos and London, the women in these stories find themselves at personal crossroads, confronting the systems and circumstances that have shaped their lives.

From Ifeoma, who is desperate to escape an abusive marriage, to Nkechi, a housemaid caught in the secrets of a wealthy Lagos family, and Riliwa, who is trying to find her footing as an immigrant in London, Fetto gives each woman her own story, voice and set of contradictions. Raw, funny and at times unsettling, Hail Mary is a collection about women refusing to be defined by the circumstances they find themselves in.