Booker Prize Shortlist 2024: Predicting My Preferences
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- In which I attempt to rank order the Booker Prize shortlist on the basis of their opening sentences.
#bookerprize #booker #booktube #fiction #fictionbooks #literature #bestbooks
Books discussed:
James - Percival Everett (US)
Orbital - Samantha Harvey (UK)
Creation Lake - Rachel Kushner (US)
Held - Anne Michaels (Canada)
The Safekeep - Yael van der Wouden (Netherlands)
Stone Yard Devotional - Charlotte Wood (Australia)
I’m sooooo pleased you did this. Super duper interesting. Though you’re not allowed to read James first. Coughs. There’s a schedule to stick to 😉
🤣🤣🤣 I’ll stick to the schedule but I’ll read them in whatever order I like 🤭❤️❤️❤️
Wonderfully done, Louise. So happy you and Simon are reading the shortlist. I’ve read four of these and they did not disappoint. Such beautiful writing in this group thus far. Nice to see some appreciation and understanding of Held just based on the first sentence. Stone Yard Devotional and Creation Lake are on my TBR list. Thanks for doing this!❤❤❤
My pleasure. I’m thoroughly enjoying reading the list 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Reading the first line is such a good idea. I always read the first paragraph
to see if I will like the book but you do it so well
Thank you. I rarely buy a book without carefully perusing the first page 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Yasssss , love these book prize videos from you and Simon ( separately and together!) 📕🪱💚
Thank you for your enthusiasm 👍🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
This year I managed to read the long list and this shortlist is brilliant. The shortlist is magnificent. I want to read James and Orbital once more before they announce the winner. Happy reading Louise x
Thank you. I’m loving the first two 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
@@louisesavidgemuses4135 as a result of one of your recommendations I am reading the mayor of casterbridge. What a romp brilliant story telling x
@@ralphharris6374 That’s delightful news. Boy can he spin a yarn! Thanks so much for letting me know 💛💛💛
@@louisesavidgemuses4135 just finished it. Twists and turns at every turn of the page. Thank you for the autumn recommendation. I’m now moving onto something a little more modern. Intermezzo Sally Rooney! I love her writing as well xx
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Love this first line approach! It's something I always do with contenders in bookstores. I so enjoy your videos, Louise ❤
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I'm so excited to hear you and Simon discuss each of these books. I've read James, Held, The Safekeep, and Creation Lake. Still awaiting Oribital and Stone Yard Devotional from my local library, but should be able to read them before the Booker award ceremony. I LOVED the opening line from James too! I still chuckle about it because I'd call those boys little bastards too (and being American, Huckleberry Fin and Tom Sawyer are part of my childhood). Happy Reading!
I’m very happy doing this particular reading project 🤗 Thank you 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I feel like you're teaching me when you can draw so much out of those first lines! Looking forward to all your reviews.
🤣🤣🤣 Once a teacher… 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛📚
The shortlist is very appealing this year. I want to read them all.
Absolutely 👍
I have high hopes for this shortlist and, amazingly, my library has all available. My book club had chosen "James" for later in our year so that will have to wait a bit. Thank you for your reactions and thoughts on the first lines; as always, you have given us a lot to ponder. Hope you enjoy reading them!
I’m certainly enjoying them so far… Nearly finished a second 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Love your glasses!
Thank you!! 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
It’s a very solid shortlist. I understand how you came up with the order that you did, but I am taking a guess that you won’t finish the books with that order of preference! Can’t wait to see watch you and Simon make your way through the six books!
Think you’re right, it wasn’t very illuminating 😂😂🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
@@louisesavidgemuses4135 I didn’t say that!!! Just taking an educated guess on how your reaction to the first sentence of each book might be different from your reaction to the book as a whole. But first sentences see important!
@@cindyhaiken5644 Don’t worry, I didn’t think you did 😊
I love that all of them got you excited about reading them, Louise. Even though Stone Yard Devotional might be the sixth choice (one had to be), you still have great experiences with her writing in the past, so I’m not worried at all ☺️🥰 Enjoy! I’m really looking forward to the parallel reads and general Booker musings.
Thank you. I’m already loving the experience 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I’m pleased you like Mark Twain’s works. I would like recommend some of his “not so widely read”. Letters from the Earth, etc. for example. In grad school I did a mini-study of Mark Twain’s works. If you can find a copy of Mark Twain tonight with Hal Holbrook as M.T. Please give it a watch. Looking forward to reading James - so far it isn’t challenged or banned like Huckleberry Finn.
I enjoy reading the first line or first chapter when choosing or ordering books on my pile of possibilities. I do find interesting reads doing this in a used books shop.
Do enjoy this reading project. If you have time eventually Mark Twains “back list”.
Always enjoy you and Simon together. More please.
Thanks for the nudge about Mark Twain. I do have two volumes of his collected writings so hopefully some of what you suggest might be in there. Will look it out.
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Something about the camera angle made me think you had an absolutely enormous copy of James 😂 definitely plan to read Orbital and Creation Lake.
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I've read all but Creation Lake. My favourites are James and Stone Yard Devotional. My least favourite is Held. Looking forward to hearing you and Simon discuss them all.
Interesting 🧐 Wonder what I’ll make of them all 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I have James and Stone Yard Devotional on the Want to read list, I'll wait for both your reviews before deciding on the others, I did like Trees and loved Amnesty and The Rain Heron, which were both Australia books recommended in the past. Looking forward to the vdeos.❤
Hope you enjoy the videos when they land 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I’ve enjoyed The Safekeep and James. The beginning of Safekeep is a bit rough, but please hang in there for the unfolding of the whole story. 📚🍂🍃
Will do! 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Hi Louise I have read Orbital and have reserved Held, Safe keep and Stoneyard Devotional at the library but big queues for them. Having read Rachel Kushner I am not keen on that one. I do think James will probably win but will wait until it comes out in paperback.
Creation Lake seems to divide opinion 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
I wasn’t all that interested in the Anne Michaels book until you read the opening sentence. Now I have to read it along with Stoneyard Devotional.
🤣🤣 Sorry! I don’t think you’ll regret it. Please do let me know what you think 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Loved this ❤
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I suggest NOT listening to Creation Lake on audio. I think I would have liked it better if I had read it in print.
I can't wait to see what you think about them all. Happy Reading!
Thanks for the tip! I’m intending to physically read them all. Love audio but also like to go at my own pace 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
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Re your comments on “after death there is nothing - and what does that mean”, I have just started reading Percival Everet’s Dr. NO, which is about a college professor whose research is about nothing - I fully anticipate having my brain stretched by that book. Everett is such a clever writer. And - like you - my first introduction to him was THE TREES, still my favourite book of 2023.
Oh yes! I’d completely forgotten the premise of Dr No! Thanks so much for reminding me. Would love to know how you get on with it 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Great choice! ❤
Thanks! 😊 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
It’s as good a way to choose an order as any🤣 I’ve read Held, Orbital and Stone Yard Devotional, I’m a bit nervous to read James in case it doesn’t live up to all the hype, am looking forward to what you think!
Thank you. I must admit, I’m quite impatient to get to it 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Look up the North American cover for “The Safekeep.” It’s gorgeous.
Will do! Thanks for the tip off 🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛
Ignore Simon’s comment read James first!!!! I wasn’t really interested in held until you read the first sentence now I’m intrigued… I thought the Safekeep was a great book for a debut.
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Of the shortlist , I’ve only read James & Orbital, and while I love both, I feel the former is likely to be a future American classic and remembered decades from now & wouldn’t be surprised if it won, but I personally prefer Orbital and its GLOBAL citizen’s vibe & continue to think about its message & meaning weeks after reading, I’m super hype to read Stoneyard Devotional & The Safekeep - they’re in route in the mail . Had little interest in reading Held … UNTIL you read that 🔥 first line . Blahdiggityblah, excited to see how you 2 feel about all of these! 📕🪱💚
Thank you. Looks like you’re going to end up reading the entire shortlist 🤭🙏🙏🙏📚📚📚💛💛💛