Tom Lake as an audiobook was exceptional. I didn’t physically read it but Meryl Streep as a narrator is so amazing that the listener can easily feel like we are listening to her true life with her family. She embodies the character so brilliantly. But Heaven and Earth Grocery is probably the winner and deservedly so.
@@benreadsgood I love doing that and this is one of those books that would lend itself to it being the perfect experience! It would be interesting to see the physical book win and Meryl Streep won for the audio narration.
Great video! Mobility could be an interesting choice; haven't read it yet but I did read her debut novel The Golden State back in 2019, and thought it was very good.
Good to know she's written well in the past! Picking mobility was just a bit of a hunch off some research so I was unable to properly verify if it had the literary chops 😅
Less excited for sure. However, my local library is scheduling it for our August book club discussion. They supply the books, so I'm hoping for something I want to read. Not sure what book that is.
My video is an hour long, so buckle up if you do get to it. Or at least make yourself a cup of tea or coffee first. 😂 Interesting predictions! I agree that North Woods and Heaven & Earth Grocery are the frontrunners, but I predicted a different book. Emboldened by last year's prediction success, I suppose. I'm also feeling paranoid that something is going to happen to delay the prize this year since Columbia University administers the prize and they are having quite a bit of controversy at the moment. Especially after what happened with the PEN America prize.
Haha I will make sure I am well-stocked for the hour 😅 Hoping the Pulitzer can distance itself from what's going on on campus, but it's wild how public sentiment is having NO impact on what's happening in US politics right now.
Over the years, I've found that a few of my favourite books have been Pulitzer winners, although I've never really followed the prize. Your video reminded me that I hoped to read more James McBride, having previously enjoyed the author's work. Otherwise, I hadn't heard of any of your wild cards, and feel that I might have got on with This Other Eden a little more than you did. Either way, I look forward to seeing what wins and hearing your thoughts on the matter.
This is my first year following the Pulitzer (or any other prizes). I was rooting for North Woods since I adored it, but since Greg put out his Pulitzer video, I’ve been trying to read as many titles on that video as I can, and have enjoyed so many great reads! I loved Heaven & Earth, and especially Tom Lake, so I’d be happy with either of them. And I’m delighted you picked Chain-Gang All Stars-that was a surprise for me, and I think it would be a fantastic choice to win. I’m currently reading the Lost Journals of Sacajawea, and so deeply immersed in the unique nature-based writing, though I’m not sure it’s a Pulitzer type book. I still need to get to Absolution, Biography of X, and Blackouts, which have been on prediction videos. I’ll add Mobility and The Faraway World, as I haven’t heard of them. Great video! Excited to find out what ultimately wins!
Greg is the font of all Pulitzer knowledge - I’ll be watching his video very soon! Thanks so much for watching 🙌 And welcome to the Book Prize gang. It only gets more obsessive from here 😂
Great predictions, BEN! This is my favorite book prize by far, so I'm glad to see some legitimate predictions for it on here. I'm going with North Woods, THAEGS, and Blackouts. If anything can double-dip with NBA, it's Blackouts, which feels like the riskiest choice of the three to make. The last winner to do that was The Underground Railroad, and I'd place Blackouts right on par with it. It's even riskier not having a woman listed. They haven't had an all-male roster in decades. I guess Tom Lake fits the bill well-enough, but the reception for it seemed muted compared to some other options. A dark horse that no one's talking about but should be is Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine. It's a short-story collection, so that's a knock against it, but it's super topical and left-field enough for the Pulitzer board to go crazy over. Think I have to go with North Woods FTW!
I'd love to see Blackouts take it as I loved that book, it just didn't seem like a super 'Pulitzer' book to me. But would be very happy to be surprised. Dearborn is a good call!
Here are my picks. I haven't really verified that they're eligible, but either I think they're worthy or loads of others seem to think so. Tremor by Teju Cole Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Blackouts by Justin Torres Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward Happiness Falls by Angie Kim Absolution by Alice McDermott I also agree with your choices of Tom Lake and Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Wise bets.
When you said the protagonist talked about a show “called ‘Our Town.’” It was said in a manner that made me infer you’re not familiar with the play by Thorton Wilder. That drama is one of the most profound pieces of American theater ever written and I highly recommend you seeking out a well-regarded production of a live performance on TH-cam because my sense is there’s likely a literary reason for Patchett to site that play amongst hundreds of others.
Yeah, I hadn't heard of it until this novel! I think it's not a work that is very well known over here in the UK. But thanks for the recommendation - I doubt we'll be getting a performance of it live this side of the pond, so TH-cam could be a good shout!
Great picks! The only one of these books I read is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and I think it has a very good chance to win. I hear great things about Tom Lake and North Woods which are both on my TBR. Hope to hear your thoughts when they announce the winner!
Those do all seem like the 'likely' books, so perhaps we'll be completely surprised! I sadly don't think I'll be able to do a reaction video as I'm away on holiday, but we'll see 👀
I'm hoping for "North Woods" to win! I've only read 3 of the ones you mentioned ... the others are "Tom Lake" (loved but not as much North Woods) and "Heaven and Earth Grocery Store"...which I liked but had problems with... enjoyed your video!
A friend was on the Pulitzer jury several years ago and said in his experience jurors sometimes award something a bit off center or outside of the mainstream (although deserving in their minds) to call attention to a book that might otherwise be overlooked. Think for example LESS and THE NETANYAHUS. I love surprises! (PS Daniel Mason's finalist book was a fantastic collection of short stories.)
Love the inside gossip! It'll be fun to see something completely off-kilter... to be honest that's almost why I put two books in here that feel a bit random! And thanks for the Mason recommendation 😊
@@benreadsgood Appreciate the response! And speaking of unlikely and off-kilter, I'd like to see Open Throat get some love. One of my favorites of last year.
I feel like Pulitzer is more exciting in the moment because you have no idea what's going to happen. But the other prizes can be enjoyed over a longer period.
My favorite book of the year was Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - it stole my heart. But I agree that North Woods is a contender. And I think it would be a hoot if Chain-Gang All Stars won - I liked it much more than I thought I would. I like that the Pulitzer is somewhat different. I wait all year for those 5 seconds. I’m often disappointed (not always, but often). Then I move on to next year.
Yeah I think that's the main drawback: the window to be excited about the prize seems a lot narrower when so much of the process is behind closed doors!
Mobility has not been on my radar but it sounds great! I am team North Woods personally but would love if Mobility were a finalist. Chain Gang All-Stars is definitely a long shot but would be a great pick.
Ben you have excellent taste! I agree with your choices. Because you are British I suggest you listen to the audiobook of Heaven and Earth. The narrator is fantastic. There are two groups of African Americans in the book and he does the different accents perfectly.
Thank you so much! And thanks for the recommendation. I have really been enjoying physical+audio combo reading experiences lately, so Heaven and Earth may be a good candidate 👀
I'd be ok with any of those winning, though I'd add Catherine Lacey's Biography of X in there too. I definitely prefer prizes with full long lists; it at least gives the impression that the jury has put in some due diligence. Really anticlimactic when Nobel just plops out its annual career retrospective prize and then waits fifty years to give us the short list.
My only resistance to Biography of X winning is that I can't decide if it's a book I'm going to love or absolutely hate. And there's too many other things I want to read instead! The idea of prize winners 'plopping' out absolutely cracks me up 😂 There's just something very comedic about that word that speaks to my inner child.
I would love to see that too! I just don't read enough memoir to have an opinion really (same reason I didn't do any Women's Prize Non-Fiction predictions). I do have Stay True on my TBR though, as it sounds brilliant.
@@benreadsgood I don't know why in a clearly dystopian novel that I expected a "fair fight" between the contestants. Armed with a can opener vs. body armor
Not this year! The Pulitzer is awarded for books that came out in the previous calendar year. But definitely expect we’ll see James make an appearance next year.
I also do NOT want This Other Eden to win at Allllll. I’d love to See Chain Gang win as that book blew me away and left me speechless. But it probably will wind up between the two you mentioned, which I should probably read next month! I HATE that there’s no long list and short list I think the lists boost the prize interaction and bring light and sales to so many great books. As a result of following UK prizes I do read a ton of books by UK authors (hello America whatcha doing???) lolol😂 it’s ok I love my UK writers !!
@@benreadsgood I seriously wrote to the Pulitzer Prize and told them about themselves!!! lol I told them that the readers of America want the long list! How it could bring literary fiction to the forefront of our attention and spark sales for the authors, or else, we can just keep reading UK lit. I mean…. What’s it gonna be????? Lolol
Haha nice work. I reckon the way to do it might be to write a novel about your desire for a longlist, then pay the $75 to submit it for consideration 😂
I'd be surprised if Tom Lake is included - it's a very vanilla book and doesn't comment as significantly on the US American experience as say North Woods or Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.
Interesting to hear it was vanilla to you! I found it a really rich, emotional experience that had a lot to say about fame and success, and it had a bit of an agricultural angle to it which always plays well.
That's fair enough! I thought it was a really engrossing, emotional novel with brilliant characters and a lot to say about fame and dreams and family. I loved it so much.
It seems to have a lot of fans! I do wonder if books like The Deluge and Wellness are a bit too info-heavy to cut through with the Pulitzer judges, but we'll soon find out!
I'm one of the few people who did not like Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I found it slow and bloated with too much description and too many characters. By the end of the book, I didn't care about the mystery. I would have DNF’d if it wasn't for a book club. I would love to see Chain Gang All-Stars get it
Ahhh that's a shame the McBride didn't work for you, but good to know so that I can manage my expectations going into it! Chain-Gang would be a fun winner I reckon.
I read Tom lake last month, its so pretentious and tedious, None of the characters feel real to me, like they are so"made-up". Last year's demon copperhead and Trust both are great books, especially demon copperhead, love it so much.Read the physical book and audiobook also. 10 stars.
Ahhh that's such a shame - I absolutely loved Tom Lake and found the characters so real! But that's the beauty of reading I suppose. We all get different things from the same books! With you on Demon and Trust though. Loved both!
I personally didn't like This Other Eden, so I completely understand your reasoning! It's well-written and well-crafted but I feel like it deals with the subject matter poorly...
I just found the prose a bit much for me. I know some folks have very different opinions on this, but I found the story handled with a decent amount of care, I just took so long to get into it and get into the cadence of the writing.
@@benreadsgood I can totally understand that! I felt like some aspects leaned into eugenicist myths so I found those moments incredibly difficult, however I do agree that some aspects were handled with a lot of care! Completely agree re the prose - I found some sections to be overwritten... but, that's just my opinion!
Missed my own video premiere as I was working 🤦♂️
Thanks to everyone who joined!
Love when one of my favorite booktubers ( you) mentions another favorite ( Greg ) 📖 🪱 💚
You can't say 'Pulitzer' without saying 'Greg'!!!
Tom Lake as an audiobook was exceptional. I didn’t physically read it but Meryl Streep as a narrator is so amazing that the listener can easily feel like we are listening to her true life with her family. She embodies the character so brilliantly. But Heaven and Earth Grocery is probably the winner and deservedly so.
Honestly, reading the physical book while also listening to the audio was one of my best reading experiences in recent memory!
@@benreadsgood I love doing that and this is one of those books that would lend itself to it being the perfect experience! It would be interesting to see the physical book win and Meryl Streep won for the audio narration.
Well Mobility just immediately jumped to the top of my TBR!
It's frustratingly not available in the UK! But if it gets near the Pulitzer finalist list perhaps a publisher will pick it up over here.
Great video! Mobility could be an interesting choice; haven't read it yet but I did read her debut novel The Golden State back in 2019, and thought it was very good.
Good to know she's written well in the past! Picking mobility was just a bit of a hunch off some research so I was unable to properly verify if it had the literary chops 😅
The Pulitzer is the only literary prize I am absolutely not interested in. But I love hearing you talk about books, so I came here anyway!
Haha thanks that's very kind of you ❤️
Tom Lake please. It just gets better and better in my mind.
Doesn’t it just! A really beautifully layered book.
Less excited for sure. However, my local library is scheduling it for our August book club discussion. They supply the books, so I'm hoping for something I want to read. Not sure what book that is.
Oooh I actually love the idea of a book club where the book is a surprise and just handed to me 😅
I think these are some great predictions! I've been wanting to read North Woods as well - heard so many great things!
I’m excited to finally get to it, whenever I do, because it sounds so good!
My video is an hour long, so buckle up if you do get to it. Or at least make yourself a cup of tea or coffee first. 😂
Interesting predictions! I agree that North Woods and Heaven & Earth Grocery are the frontrunners, but I predicted a different book. Emboldened by last year's prediction success, I suppose. I'm also feeling paranoid that something is going to happen to delay the prize this year since Columbia University administers the prize and they are having quite a bit of controversy at the moment. Especially after what happened with the PEN America prize.
Haha I will make sure I am well-stocked for the hour 😅 Hoping the Pulitzer can distance itself from what's going on on campus, but it's wild how public sentiment is having NO impact on what's happening in US politics right now.
Over the years, I've found that a few of my favourite books have been Pulitzer winners, although I've never really followed the prize. Your video reminded me that I hoped to read more James McBride, having previously enjoyed the author's work. Otherwise, I hadn't heard of any of your wild cards, and feel that I might have got on with This Other Eden a little more than you did. Either way, I look forward to seeing what wins and hearing your thoughts on the matter.
I had a similar realisation last year! I always think of the Pulitzer as a bit stuffy but they actually have so many fantastic (and readable) winners.
This is my first year following the Pulitzer (or any other prizes). I was rooting for North Woods since I adored it, but since Greg put out his Pulitzer video, I’ve been trying to read as many titles on that video as I can, and have enjoyed so many great reads! I loved Heaven & Earth, and especially Tom Lake, so I’d be happy with either of them. And I’m delighted you picked Chain-Gang All Stars-that was a surprise for me, and I think it would be a fantastic choice to win. I’m currently reading the Lost Journals of Sacajawea, and so deeply immersed in the unique nature-based writing, though I’m not sure it’s a Pulitzer type book.
I still need to get to Absolution, Biography of X, and Blackouts, which have been on prediction videos. I’ll add Mobility and The Faraway World, as I haven’t heard of them.
Great video! Excited to find out what ultimately wins!
Greg is the font of all Pulitzer knowledge - I’ll be watching his video very soon!
Thanks so much for watching 🙌 And welcome to the Book Prize gang. It only gets more obsessive from here 😂
Wonderful prediction video! Thank you for sharing. I am eagerly awaiting this year's announcement.
Thanks so much! Not long to wait now 👀
Great predictions, BEN! This is my favorite book prize by far, so I'm glad to see some legitimate predictions for it on here. I'm going with North Woods, THAEGS, and Blackouts. If anything can double-dip with NBA, it's Blackouts, which feels like the riskiest choice of the three to make. The last winner to do that was The Underground Railroad, and I'd place Blackouts right on par with it. It's even riskier not having a woman listed. They haven't had an all-male roster in decades. I guess Tom Lake fits the bill well-enough, but the reception for it seemed muted compared to some other options. A dark horse that no one's talking about but should be is Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine. It's a short-story collection, so that's a knock against it, but it's super topical and left-field enough for the Pulitzer board to go crazy over. Think I have to go with North Woods FTW!
I'd love to see Blackouts take it as I loved that book, it just didn't seem like a super 'Pulitzer' book to me. But would be very happy to be surprised.
Dearborn is a good call!
Here are my picks. I haven't really verified that they're eligible, but either I think they're worthy or loads of others seem to think so.
Tremor by Teju Cole
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Blackouts by Justin Torres
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Absolution by Alice McDermott
I also agree with your choices of Tom Lake and Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Wise bets.
Interesting picks - I think they're all eligible!
When you said the protagonist talked about a show “called ‘Our Town.’” It was said in a manner that made me infer you’re not familiar with the play by Thorton Wilder. That drama is one of the most profound pieces of American theater ever written and I highly recommend you seeking out a well-regarded production of a live performance on TH-cam because my sense is there’s likely a literary reason for Patchett to site that play amongst hundreds of others.
Yeah, I hadn't heard of it until this novel! I think it's not a work that is very well known over here in the UK. But thanks for the recommendation - I doubt we'll be getting a performance of it live this side of the pond, so TH-cam could be a good shout!
Great picks! The only one of these books I read is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and I think it has a very good chance to win. I hear great things about Tom Lake and North Woods which are both on my TBR. Hope to hear your thoughts when they announce the winner!
Those do all seem like the 'likely' books, so perhaps we'll be completely surprised! I sadly don't think I'll be able to do a reaction video as I'm away on holiday, but we'll see 👀
@@benreadsgood Have a great holiday!
Having already watched Greg’s predictions, I’m 😂😂😂.
Same.
Ok now I can't wait to watch... 😅
I'm hoping for "North Woods" to win! I've only read 3 of the ones you mentioned ... the others are "Tom Lake" (loved but not as much North Woods) and "Heaven and Earth Grocery Store"...which I liked but had problems with... enjoyed your video!
Thanks for watching. I think North Woods has a very solid chance - not long to go until we find out!
Tom Lake was in my top 10 last year. 😍
It's such a great read! Completely surprised me as I went in expecting it to be middling.
A friend was on the Pulitzer jury several years ago and said in his experience jurors sometimes award something a bit off center or outside of the mainstream (although deserving in their minds) to call attention to a book that might otherwise be overlooked. Think for example LESS and THE NETANYAHUS. I love surprises! (PS Daniel Mason's finalist book was a fantastic collection of short stories.)
Love the inside gossip! It'll be fun to see something completely off-kilter... to be honest that's almost why I put two books in here that feel a bit random!
And thanks for the Mason recommendation 😊
@@benreadsgood Appreciate the response! And speaking of unlikely and off-kilter, I'd like to see Open Throat get some love. One of my favorites of last year.
I think other prizes with long and short lists offer readers a journey they can join in with. The Pulitzer provides a destination. I like journeys😄
That’s such a great way to put it!
Night Watch is excellent!!
I have heard such mixed (and wildly polarised!) things!
I feel like Pulitzer is more exciting in the moment because you have no idea what's going to happen. But the other prizes can be enjoyed over a longer period.
It definitely is very exciting to watch the livestream! But waiting all year for 20 minutes of fun... come on Pulitzer, give us a longlist!
@@benreadsgood😂
I think Goon Squad is better described as a novel of interlinked stories rather than a traditional short story collection.
Yeah that’s fair. The last true ‘collection’ probably would have been Jhumpa Lahiri in 2000, so perhaps we’re even more overdue!
I tried reading North Woods and dnfed it. I am really excited for Tom Lake.
DNF'd lots of people's favourite book of the year?!?! Kier you are a REBEL.
@@benreadsgood I try 😆
My favorite book of the year was Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - it stole my heart. But I agree that North Woods is a contender. And I think it would be a hoot if Chain-Gang All Stars won - I liked it much more than I thought I would. I like that the Pulitzer is somewhat different. I wait all year for those 5 seconds. I’m often disappointed (not always, but often). Then I move on to next year.
Yeah I think that's the main drawback: the window to be excited about the prize seems a lot narrower when so much of the process is behind closed doors!
Mobility has not been on my radar but it sounds great! I am team North Woods personally but would love if Mobility were a finalist. Chain Gang All-Stars is definitely a long shot but would be a great pick.
It seems to have quite mixed reviews on Goodreads, but sometimes those make for the most interesting novels!
Ben you have excellent taste! I agree with your choices. Because you are British I suggest you listen to the audiobook of Heaven and Earth. The narrator is fantastic. There are two groups of African Americans in the book and he does the different accents perfectly.
Thank you so much! And thanks for the recommendation. I have really been enjoying physical+audio combo reading experiences lately, so Heaven and Earth may be a good candidate 👀
Loved Tom Lake! ❤
A terrific novel! 🙌
I'd be ok with any of those winning, though I'd add Catherine Lacey's Biography of X in there too. I definitely prefer prizes with full long lists; it at least gives the impression that the jury has put in some due diligence. Really anticlimactic when Nobel just plops out its annual career retrospective prize and then waits fifty years to give us the short list.
My only resistance to Biography of X winning is that I can't decide if it's a book I'm going to love or absolutely hate. And there's too many other things I want to read instead!
The idea of prize winners 'plopping' out absolutely cracks me up 😂 There's just something very comedic about that word that speaks to my inner child.
@@benreadsgoodboth, for me it was both
Now that there is memoir category, I wish BookTube would consider memoir predictions for the Pulitzer.
I would love to see that too! I just don't read enough memoir to have an opinion really (same reason I didn't do any Women's Prize Non-Fiction predictions).
I do have Stay True on my TBR though, as it sounds brilliant.
I would be unbelievably delighted if Chain Gang made it!! 🤩
It would be such an interesting pick! And imagine that 'Pulitzer Prize Winner' sticker getting slapped on the paperback release 😍
Loved Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. This Other Eden is a must read. Hated Chain Gang.
Hate for Chain-Gang shocks me!!! But I respect that we all have different tastes 😅
(Thank you for watching!)
@@benreadsgood I don't know why in a clearly dystopian novel that I expected a "fair fight" between the contestants. Armed with a can opener vs. body armor
My vote goes to North Woods, the best book that I read in 2023. I agree that The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is a worthy and amazing candidate.
Thanks for returning for this month's one - really appreciate it!
Haven’t read North Woods yet, but I’m excited. I liked Chain Gang All Stars but didn’t love it.
I'm excited to get to it as well!
If This Other Eden wins, I riot.
Is James by Percival Everett not eligible? That came to my mind first, it is getting incredible reviews
Not this year! The Pulitzer is awarded for books that came out in the previous calendar year. But definitely expect we’ll see James make an appearance next year.
I also do NOT want This Other Eden to win at Allllll. I’d love to
See Chain Gang win as that book blew me away and left me speechless. But it probably will wind up between the two you mentioned, which I should probably read next month! I HATE that there’s no long list and short list I think the lists boost the prize interaction and bring light and sales to so many great books. As a result of following UK prizes I do read a ton of books by UK authors (hello America whatcha doing???) lolol😂 it’s ok I love my UK writers !!
Chain-Gang would be such an interesting pick! If only there were a longlist it could be on 😭
@@benreadsgood I seriously wrote to the Pulitzer Prize and told them about themselves!!! lol I told them that the readers of America want the long list! How it could bring literary fiction to the forefront of our attention and spark sales for the authors, or else, we can just keep reading UK lit. I mean…. What’s it gonna be????? Lolol
Haha nice work. I reckon the way to do it might be to write a novel about your desire for a longlist, then pay the $75 to submit it for consideration 😂
Team Tom Lake 🍒
It’s such a gorgeous novel!
I'd be surprised if Tom Lake is included - it's a very vanilla book and doesn't comment as significantly on the US American experience as say North Woods or Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.
Interesting to hear it was vanilla to you! I found it a really rich, emotional experience that had a lot to say about fame and success, and it had a bit of an agricultural angle to it which always plays well.
Why did people like Tom Lake so much? Genuine question. I read it and can’t remember much about it. I was underwhelmed.
That's fair enough! I thought it was a really engrossing, emotional novel with brilliant characters and a lot to say about fame and dreams and family. I loved it so much.
Predicting and hoping for North Woods.
It would finally give me the nudge I need to read it!!
@@benreadsgood It has no comparison book. It is one of a kind. Be prepared for that
That sounds exciting! 😱
@@benreadsgood ‘‘Twas an extremely exciting and unpredictable, fun experience living in the world Daniel Mason created!
The deluge by Stephen Markley
It seems to have a lot of fans! I do wonder if books like The Deluge and Wellness are a bit too info-heavy to cut through with the Pulitzer judges, but we'll soon find out!
I'm one of the few people who did not like Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I found it slow and bloated with too much description and too many characters. By the end of the book, I didn't care about the mystery. I would have DNF’d if it wasn't for a book club. I would love to see Chain Gang All-Stars get it
Ahhh that's a shame the McBride didn't work for you, but good to know so that I can manage my expectations going into it!
Chain-Gang would be a fun winner I reckon.
Felt the same. Forced the last hundred or so pages of Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Was a bit ridiculous by the end
I read Tom lake last month, its so pretentious and tedious, None of the characters feel real to me, like they are so"made-up". Last year's demon copperhead and Trust both are great books, especially demon copperhead, love it so much.Read the physical book and audiobook also. 10 stars.
Ahhh that's such a shame - I absolutely loved Tom Lake and found the characters so real! But that's the beauty of reading I suppose. We all get different things from the same books!
With you on Demon and Trust though. Loved both!
I personally didn't like This Other Eden, so I completely understand your reasoning! It's well-written and well-crafted but I feel like it deals with the subject matter poorly...
I just found the prose a bit much for me. I know some folks have very different opinions on this, but I found the story handled with a decent amount of care, I just took so long to get into it and get into the cadence of the writing.
@@benreadsgood I can totally understand that! I felt like some aspects leaned into eugenicist myths so I found those moments incredibly difficult, however I do agree that some aspects were handled with a lot of care! Completely agree re the prose - I found some sections to be overwritten... but, that's just my opinion!