People who read and review all of them are truly doing a public service! I'm itching to get to The Safekeep, otherwise I think I'm tapping out after reading about half of them
First time on your channel-absolutely love that you call out self-righteous BS for what it is. I've read each book on the longlist except Playground. I also really enjoyed James, but I found it incredibly self-involved and pretentious, too. It's more playful and has a great message, but it came across as a little smug. I fully agree with your review of Orbital. My favorite from the list was Stone Yard Devotional-it's stayed with me for about eight weeks now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Looking forward to your reaction video when James wins the prize-I think we all know it's going to happen.
First-time viewer but certainly not lost. Found your candid and honest approach really endearing so thank you so much! This point on pretentious writing, which in my experience tends to be first-person accounts of someone who finds either themselves or their banal insights fascinating. I sometimes wonder if they were written in a pre-digital age whether they’d be evaluated differently. Can’t really provide any insight into why I think that. But I have found that the number of books I want to throw out the window has definitely increased more recently.
Surprised at how positive your final ranking looks, after your reviews! And our personal shortlists are 5/6 the same! 😮 Entertaining as ever, thanks for sharing 👏
That's a good way to do your ranking, interesting to see how reading vs first impressions goes. I'd place Held and My Friends higher but I've still got a few books to go. Agee with Orbital, currently reading Messud's book and not finding it as bad as most people seem to think it is.
I thought it was a very middling list too, very conservative and not very diverse. Where are all the African/Asian/Indian books? More queer rep? I love reading the longlist because there are usually a couple of books that surprise me with new authors to love, but not really this year. Yet to read Playground but I've done the rest. I can't even put a shortlist together. James is the outstanding, My Friends Orbital and the rest are just okay.
My experience with Held and Orbital was pretty much the opposite to yours. 😂 I thought Orbital was beautiful reading. But Held, ok, I see what you're saying about looking at photos, but to me it just read like the author had a few scenes she wanted to describe but no way of connecting them. And so she took all the scenes from each chapter and put them in a hat, and wrote them in the order that she pulled them out, devoting max attention to making each sentence as floaty and pretentious as possible.
Like last year, I enjoyed reading a bunch of books along with everyone else and watching their varying opinions. My shortlist is: James My Friends Stoneyard Devotional Held (although I had to read it twice) Creation Lake Playground (I haven’t been able to read this yet, but it made Bob the Bookerer weep) I enjoyed some of the others. They just fell below these. Unlike last year, I didn’t hate any of the books (as I did Prophet Song and This Other Eden).
I wonder since when the Booker started being like the Óscars, where you have more than half the stuff being too mediocre to be nominated. Or maybe it has always been this way and we never realized 🤔
@@leopercara3477 THIS! Since I joined book tube, it’s become such a bigger thing in my year. When I read the longlist before I joined book tube I don’t remember finding the list so middle of the road or bland. Were they better before? Or has the hype placed too high a benchmark on them? I’m leaning towards the latter.
@@nadiadixon5805 ooo! Now that will take some thought. I’m a fair chunk into praiseworthy, and that would take precedence over everything on the list bar James. Blackouts, wellness, and the heaven and earth grocery store, would also have been a better choice than everything except James. But I do see longlists as a source of discovery. So I was hoping to discover some novels that I hadn’t heard that blew me away. Alas, nothing did. There’s always next year.
Surprised at your ranking of Held when you say you like plotty books. I thought My Friends was excellent and I enjoyed Headshot but agree with the rest of your reviews.
Do you know why no seems to be reviewing The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk She has won the Nobel prize in literature so it surprises me that their is no mention of her book among book reviewers
People who read and review all of them are truly doing a public service! I'm itching to get to The Safekeep, otherwise I think I'm tapping out after reading about half of them
First time on your channel-absolutely love that you call out self-righteous BS for what it is. I've read each book on the longlist except Playground. I also really enjoyed James, but I found it incredibly self-involved and pretentious, too. It's more playful and has a great message, but it came across as a little smug. I fully agree with your review of Orbital. My favorite from the list was Stone Yard Devotional-it's stayed with me for about eight weeks now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Looking forward to your reaction video when James wins the prize-I think we all know it's going to happen.
I appreciate your style, honest, and agree with much of your opinions. Thanks, you’ve saved me some time and money.
First-time viewer but certainly not lost. Found your candid and honest approach really endearing so thank you so much!
This point on pretentious writing, which in my experience tends to be first-person accounts of someone who finds either themselves or their banal insights fascinating. I sometimes wonder if they were written in a pre-digital age whether they’d be evaluated differently. Can’t really provide any insight into why I think that. But I have found that the number of books I want to throw out the window has definitely increased more recently.
I loved Headshot. I love your channel. How can two such things be held in one heart? You slay me.
Surprised at how positive your final ranking looks, after your reviews! And our personal shortlists are 5/6 the same! 😮
Entertaining as ever, thanks for sharing 👏
That's a good way to do your ranking, interesting to see how reading vs first impressions goes. I'd place Held and My Friends higher but I've still got a few books to go. Agee with Orbital, currently reading Messud's book and not finding it as bad as most people seem to think it is.
My shortlist is the same as yours except for Orbital instead of Held. I would say that's our wild card.
Enjoyed a lot your Booker videos, thanks!
I loved the intro and It's booker season baby. Lol
I thought it was a very middling list too, very conservative and not very diverse. Where are all the African/Asian/Indian books? More queer rep? I love reading the longlist because there are usually a couple of books that surprise me with new authors to love, but not really this year. Yet to read Playground but I've done the rest. I can't even put a shortlist together. James is the outstanding, My Friends Orbital and the rest are just okay.
Loved Orbital !
My experience with Held and Orbital was pretty much the opposite to yours. 😂 I thought Orbital was beautiful reading. But Held, ok, I see what you're saying about looking at photos, but to me it just read like the author had a few scenes she wanted to describe but no way of connecting them. And so she took all the scenes from each chapter and put them in a hat, and wrote them in the order that she pulled them out, devoting max attention to making each sentence as floaty and pretentious as possible.
I liked Held very much though I felt like it grew weaker near the end.
Like the way u drag those cover images around kind of an innovative approach to reviewing⚛️
CHAMPION! 🙏🙏
Like last year, I enjoyed reading a bunch of books along with everyone else and watching their varying opinions. My shortlist is:
James
My Friends
Stoneyard Devotional
Held (although I had to read it twice)
Creation Lake
Playground (I haven’t been able to read this yet, but it made Bob the Bookerer weep)
I enjoyed some of the others. They just fell below these. Unlike last year, I didn’t hate any of the books (as I did Prophet Song and This Other Eden).
Karate chop your kindle 😂😂 Great to see your rankings Andy.
Happy to see Held up there I was really moved by that but hard disagree about Orbital it was out of this world for me 😂
Forgot to add, The Safe Keep is my favourite thus far
I wonder since when the Booker started being like the Óscars, where you have more than half the stuff being too mediocre to be nominated. Or maybe it has always been this way and we never realized 🤔
@@leopercara3477 THIS! Since I joined book tube, it’s become such a bigger thing in my year. When I read the longlist before I joined book tube I don’t remember finding the list so middle of the road or bland. Were they better before? Or has the hype placed too high a benchmark on them? I’m leaning towards the latter.
Only differ with you on Held for the shortlist. Agree this year is mid.
which books would you have chosen for the longlist?
@@nadiadixon5805 ooo! Now that will take some thought. I’m a fair chunk into praiseworthy, and that would take precedence over everything on the list bar James.
Blackouts, wellness, and the heaven and earth grocery store, would also have been a better choice than everything except James.
But I do see longlists as a source of discovery. So I was hoping to discover some novels that I hadn’t heard that blew me away. Alas, nothing did. There’s always next year.
I thought that the heaven and earth grocery store would have been included...loved it...havent read the others.
Surprised at your ranking of Held when you say you like plotty books. I thought My Friends was excellent and I enjoyed Headshot but agree with the rest of your reviews.
I'm having a hard time picking up James. I keep thinking I should read Huck Finn first and I don't want to. Is reading Huck Finn necessary?
@@mitchellbrenner6663 it isn’t. But reading huck Finn or even googling the basic plot thread will heighten your enjoyment of this one.
Andy (may I call you that?), um - how about a comparison video with 2023 & maybe Booker winners over the years?
@@ashleylamont7687 sounds like a great idea. I’ll start having a think and if I get the time between reviews I’ll see if I can put a vid together :)
Sigh… I guess I will read Huckleberry Finn in order to read James then, seems like it’s worth it 😂❤
🦁 😅 that was awesome!
Do you know why no seems to be reviewing The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
She has won the Nobel prize in literature so it surprises me that their is no mention of her book among book reviewers
It might be because it’s bad. I haven’t DNF’d a book in a year or so, and I stopped reading it this week. How funny that you should ask.
@@rororeads That’s helpful
I have been trying to read it myself and thought it was me
Well, maybe next year. 🤷🏻♀️
To me Held is one of the worst books I've ever read 😅 agree to disagree. That probably means it will be shortlisted haha
📖 🪱 💚
Reading vicariously through you. 🥲