I judged a book prize! 🏆 | BookTube Prize book reviews and ranking
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- I was very excited to have judged the Octofinals for the BookTube Prize! My thoughts on these books have been kept under lock and key since the start of February, but now the round is over I can share my book reviews and my final ranking. I'm also going to see which books from my ballot progressed based on rankings from all the judges, and react to the result.
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@BookTubePrize results video:
• 2022 Octofinals Result...
Original August Blue review:
• Every book I read in J...
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Books mentioned:
📖 August Blue, by Deborah Levy
📖 The Rachel Incident, by Caroline O'Donogue
📖 Witness, by Jamel Brinkley
📖 I Have Some Questions For You, by Rebecca Makkai
📖 Enter Ghost, by Isabella Hammad
📖 Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
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00:00 The BookTube Prize
05:04 August Blue
06:07 The Rachel Incident
08:12 Witness
10:28 I Have Some Questions For You
14:23 Enter Ghost
18:40 Tom Lake
22:25 Final rankings
22:55 Reaction to results
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Thank you so much for watching.
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Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and what you thought of them!
Starting a fan club for the ranking board.
I feel very interested in The Rachel Incident. I still can’t decide if I want to go ahead and read I Have Some Questions for You, but you’ve given me another push in its direction. Tom Lake was awesome. I agree it was perfectly paced, and I loved the gaps between what Lara tells her daughters and what she decides to leave out. A worthy top spot choice! 😊
Another reason for me to read Tom Lake. I just can't get excited about the blurb and even the glowing reviews but I felt the same about The Dutch House and ended up really liking it.
Tom Lake has really stuck with me (although, to be fair, it's only been a few weeks). The more I think about it, the more I think it's a perfect novel.
Love the way you shared your thinking process in arriving at your rankings. You have warmed my interest in The Rachel Incident.
Thanks Ros - glad you enjoyed it! It was a fun process to go through.
Enjoyed watching your BookTube Prize review and listening to your reflection on the categories. I realised we have the same final rankings for the books. :) I struggled a little with 'Enter Ghosts' as to whether I should include it in the top three as well. I am happy that it made it through.
Great minds think alike 😅 Thanks so much for watching - good to hear from a fellow Group C judge!
Brilliant video, Ben! Great to hear how you review, it's given me some food for thought on what I prioritise when evaluating what I've read :)
Thanks so much for watching! I do like to spend a fair amount of time thinking about my reviews. I probably spend longer writing them than it takes to record 😅
Love your review of Tom Lake. That was one of my favourite books from last year, and as time passes I just like it even more. (I'm actually feeling quite sore about some books on the Women's Prize longlist, because they could have had Tom Lake instead!)
But now I am a bit apprehensive about Enter Ghost. I have expectations there that maybe I should moderate 😅
Yay, more Tom Lake love! I wish I saw more people raving about it. It was such a wonderful surprise as I went in with middling expectations. It definitely would have been a wonderful addition to the Women's Prize longlist.
Lots of people have LOVED Enter Ghost so take my review with a pinch of salt. It definitely gave me the most to think about out of these books, and with a few changes in line with my personal taste could have really hit the spot.
@@benreadsgood I'm at 8/16 longlist books, and there's plenty of space on my shortlist for Enter Ghost, to put it that way 😂 And Tom Lake is definitely underrated. Have you read Our Town? I read that first and it made for a really good combination. But people are saying there are Chekhov references in the book too, and I have never read/seen any of his plays.
I haven't read Our Town or any Chekhov at all, actually! But I can see the connection to The Cherry Orchard, and how it would be rewarding to be familiar with those stories and get even more out of Tom Lake.
How exciting to be part of! Way to go, Ben! 🙌
I’m so, so eager to for to The Rachel Incident - and still really want to read Enter Ghost and August Blue (despite your fair review) 😉✨
The Rachel Incident is a lot of fun! Definitely a good one to turn to if you ever hit a bit of a slump. And the other two are definitely worth reading, just not my favourites 😊
Great video! Lots of interesting information about these books! I judged fiction, as well - Group H. Sitting out the Quarterfinals by choice, but will definitely judge again. Great experience!
Thanks so much! It was really fun to be part of it, wasn't it?
H was a pretty decent group - although you got maybe the shortest and longest books in the whole list!
@@benreadsgood it was fun!
Love the Booktube Prize, so glad you participated!!
It was lots of fun, and I felt very lucky with my assigned group!
Great video- I loved Tom Lake and The Rachel Incident so it was good to see them progress. Still waiting for Enter Ghost from the library.
I judged Group E, and you weren’t wrong 😅😅. Relieved Blackouts got through and the Reformatory was a pleasant surprise but I didn’t like the third book that went through, though I wasn’t surprised that it did. I wasn’t selected for the next round but I’m looking forward to seeing how the prize develops. 😀
Tom Lake is SO GOOD and I can't really believe there's not more buzz about it. People seem to say 'yeah it's decent' but so few people are giving it the raves it deserves.
Oof at Group E. I was so relieved so thank you for taking that hit 😅 At least Blackouts made it! 🎉
I loved the Rachel Incident reading Commonwealth by Anne Patchet atm and loving it. Also enjoyed State of Wonder by her. Just finished Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor which I first saw on your channel. So looked forward to it and wasn't disappointed. One of my books of the year.
I'm so thrilled you liked The Night Alphabet! It's an absolute gem and I think probably my favourite so far this year.
I've read Enter Ghost and the Rebecca Makkai book. I enjoyed them both but think Enter Ghost has a bit more going on. How fun! Looking forward to your ranking the next round.
It definitely made me think more, I just enjoyed the writing and protagonist a bit less, I think. I'm actually sitting the next round out as I needed a break from obligated reading! But keen to do either the semi-final or final later in the year.
Yay for Tom Lake. Just about to head to my last 3 and a bit hours. I was concerned yesterday as even though I have my own most beautiful hardback (signed and with daisies splayed on the longest side of page), my audio was due back today the 9th. It is due back by 8pm tonite (now almost 11am), so I will get it done. Such a treasure of a book, and I'm so glad I took the time to read Thornton Wilder's play Our Town prior to reading this. Meryl Streep's audio is awesome as well. Go Ann Patchett!! Hope she wins the Pulitzer.
Really also enjoyed Enter Ghost, I found myself googlemapping various spots through that one too.
On with the next prizelists. Thanks again Ben for your great videos!
Hope you managed to finish off Tom Lake in time, and that you loved the end! I thought it was pretty perfect all round.
I appreciate the kind words, thanks so much ❤️
"Irish children are being trained from a very young age to write spectacular prose, or they're being microdosed at school to give them some superior creative skill," lol Ben, u r too funny! I love when you use the corkboard, too.
North Woods is still my five-star fave; Blackouts was very good; and I liked Tom Lake. Very much looking forward to reading The Rachel Incident.
Haha thanks - I have my suspicions because Irish fiction is TOO good for it to be coincidence!!!
I'm glad you were pleased with what went forward. I judged group b and felt bummed with the results. I'm considering reading Enter ghost but might watch Hamlet first to get references.
That’s a good plan, as there was probably a lot I didn’t pick up on!
Group B seemed really good! Shame you didn’t love the results, but I am probably most excited by North Woods and Family Meal from that group.
@@benreadsgood North Woods was my favorite.
Thank you so much, Ben!
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Thanks for watching!
I loved Enter Ghost, but I can see that there were parts that could have been dispensed with to help the pacing. That fling she had with the guy whose name I can’t even recall immediately comes to mind. While I was reading it I was obviously conflating it in my head with the current events. I kept yelling at my husband, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?? CAN YOU??!?! Of the books on the Women’s Prize list, I think it’s in my top two so far, along with Ordinary Human Failings.
I know you know I Have Some Questions wasn’t my favorite. All I can do is reiterate my suggestion that you read The Great Believers. It’s better.
It was just a bit baggy and uneven, but there was a great idea in there and I think I could easily love a book written by Hammad. I still haven't gotten to Ordinary Human Failings, but it just came out in paperback here so hoping to read it soon!
The Great Believers is on my shelf and I will get to it one day!
I’m trying my hardest to get as much of my backlog read before the international booker and women’s prize shortlists get announced. And would you believe it…I’m currently reading the Rachel incident, not that far into to it, but glad to hear it you really enjoyed it!
It's a pretty quick and breezy read so I'm sure you'll blast through it! Excited to see your shortlist reading 🙌
I enjoyed this video! I also liked The Rachel Incident very much. I could not connect with I Have Some Questions for You at all even though I liked some of her other novels. I like Ann Patchett and have read several of her books. Tom Lake is on my TBR.
The fact that I enjoyed I Have Some Questions For You makes me really excited for The Great Believers, as everyone seems to be saying how much better that one is!
@@benreadsgood The Great Believers is on my TBR also. I hear nothing but great things about it! Enjoy!
Ok I need to try Tom lake. I loved the Rachel incident..
Tom Lake was such a wonderful surprise for me. Beautiful novel!
When you tell people you're the inside man don't forget to say its for a book prise not a bank job! Best wishes with what you are reading. I hope you get some great stories. I'm currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo. I might be some time!
Haha I will always put book prizes before bank robberies 😂
I’ve read 4 on the list. The Rachel Incident was in my top ten of 2023. Tom Lake on audio in January was lovely. I Have Some Questions For You was just ok. Enter Ghost I predict will win the Womens Prize. The audio narrator was wonderful.
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Good to hear you liked some of these too! Will be interesting to see if your Enter Ghost prediction comes true 🔮
Ben, I don't always agree with you, but I do today! Loved Tom Lake & The Rachel Incident (so smart). I'm just starting Enter Ghost & finding it slow. I'm so glad you liked the Mikkai book -- I've been dissuaded by reviews. I "liked" August Blue & think I'll skip Witness.
I judged the 1st round of nonfiction -- not a great experience -- didn't like any of them.
Haha well I'm glad now and again the stars can align for us. Maybe it will only ever happen when there's an eclipse 😂
Shame to hear about the non-fiction experience, but I suppose that's the way it is with judging things. Total luck of the draw! I can't imagine judging one of the non-distributed book prizes. Imagine having to read them all 😱
I’m still waiting for the smaller paperback version of Tom Lake but I don’t know why it’s not yet available? Either online or in local bookstores (I’m in the Netherlands). Is it available in UK? I hate reading in large prints.
I was actually looking this up the other day as I wanted to recommend it to a friend to take on holiday, but sadly it's not out in paperback until 6 June!
I loved The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
I definitely need to read more Patchett! The Dutch House and Bel Canto are near the top of the list of ones I'm interested in.
of the three i read, i would rank witness way at the top, then august blue, then i have some questions for you (which I really didn't care for)
Awesome to see some love for Witness!
I had similar feelings to you about Enter Ghost. It's definitely difficult to separate real-life events with the book. It gives the book a gravity and importance I'm not sure it deserves. I also think this may influence the judges because they may not want to be seen omitting a book about Palestine from the shortlist. I was disappointed in it. My main problem with the book is the same response I had to the Bee Sting: the plot dictates that conversations not be had so that the book can continue. Memory fails or people leave rooms solely because the plot demands it. This annoyed me greatly because the revelations (ex. hunger protest secret) aren't that important that we need to wait hundreds of pages for them to be revealed. The romance subplot felt unnecessary as well. I felt guilty not liking this more because of what is happening in Gaza, but I tried to judge it on its own merits.
Yeah, I'm with you. It's definitely admirable to want to amplify Palestinian stories and voices, and I reading and reviewing the book is, in and of itself, adding to my understanding and perspective. But I want to judge it fairly as a novel. I didn't pick up on some of the things you noted, but I can see those are fair criticisms too. I would definitely read another book written by Hammad though - she's clearly got talent and some great ideas, they just didn't come together for me in this one quite as much as I'd hoped.
The Rachel Incident: Local library: "checked out". D*mn you Ben!!!
It'll be back one day!
If you liked Secret Life of Church Ladies and want more short stories, I loved Angel of Rome by Jess Walter
Thanks for the recommendation 🙌
My comment fell into the UA-cam ether but I also ranked Tom Lake #1. My top 3 went through.
I did see a comment from you, and then before I could reply it disappeared - how weird! Yay for the Tom Lake love 🎉
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think you might really like The Shards.
I have a feeling I might as well! I have a copy on a shelf somewhere I just need to make some time for it. All these prize lists need to bugger off 😂