The Best Books of 2024 (so far) according to the NY Times
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- Looking through a recent NY Times list of top recommendation book recommendations of 2024 so far. Click ‘Show More’ for info & links.
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NY Times article: www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/bo...
My full review of “James” by Percival Everett: • James by Percival Ever...
Books discussed & purchase links:
James by Percival Everett
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978103...
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978024...
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978103...
The Hunter by Tana French
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978024...
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978178...
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978191...
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Knife by Salman Rushdie
uk.bookshop.org/a/9054/978067...
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It makes you wonder, exactly how does the NYT go about deciding the best books, assuming serious considerations are made of literatures outside English? Hmm
The Wandering Stars stands on its own, you don't need There, There to understand it. Super interesting way that he put it together and how it wanders the generations in vignettes. He and Akbar are good mates, it seems, I suspect they've both gone through that excellent Iowa programme.
Knife was one of the best books I've read this year.
Headshot is fantastic. I am hoping it will make the Booker longlist
It’s already interesting to see the difference between the UK and US covers.
Knife is excellent! Give it a try.
The only book I’ve read from this video is - -James - loved it Can’t stop thinking about it . Have you read anything else by Percival Everett ? thinking of
reading ‘The Trees’
I’m a big fan of his writing…try Erasure or I’m not Sydney Poitier…the Trees is one of my all time favorites…
I've been a Percival Everett fan for several years. I'm Not Sydney Poitier was the first novel of his that I read. I could not put it down. I remember feeling that my laughter, embarrassing to me at first, was due to his brilliance in describing and evoking a humor-heightened version of a discriminatory world I recognize and fear. I also enjoyed and respected his novel Erasure (now also a film re-titled American Fiction). I posted about these here years ago, but it took his well-earned kudos for The Trees for his work to be widely recognized. I'm glad his work is being read!!
Trees was really good, a bit absurdist, but makes its point. I think James is his best that I have read.
Beautyland is MIRACULOUS and beautiful. My favorite book of the year with James and Martyr! both right behind. Marie-Helen Bertino and Kaveh Akbar are quite simpatico and are friends. Kind of amazing class of 2024 authors!
I’d encourage you to read Beautyland, 100%.
Good Material was fine. Dolly is amusing.
Just finishing "The House of Broken Bricks," thanks to you. Previously I read 1995's "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry, which becomes one of my "best evers.". Before that it was "My Friends," thanks to you. I was cautious to read "James," as I'm a bit turned off by sequels, but now you've persuaded me. Also, thanks to you, I enjoyed "The List of Suspicious Things" and "Tom Lake."
That is so great to hear! I’m chuffed I could help direct you to these great books. 😊📚
Recommend prioritising There There - fantastic writing and storytelling.
I’m currently listening to Martyr! as part of my #pride TBR. I have read The Searcher ( Tana French) and There There ( Tommy Orange) but I don’t feel like rushing to read the 0:06 sequels,especially The Hunter.
Best books so far?
Greta & Valdin
Enter Ghost
Hello Beautiful
Service by Sarah Gilmartin
Brotherless Night
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Haworth
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Solider Sailor
Stone Yard Devotional by Charolette Wood
Fayne by AnnMarie MacDonald
The Bandit Queens
The Caretaker
Ordinary Human Failings
Tom Lake
North Woods
How To Build A Boat
🍀👋☘️☕️📚📕📖
I really enjoyed Martyr. Well structured and written.
Hi Eric, Currently reading James by Perceval Everett. I am only about a third of the way through but am totally engrossed in the story. I have never read Huckleberry Finn (I am Canadian) but I love the characters and would be interested to revisit Twain's novel soon after. I also read There There by Tommy Orange when it first came out a few years ago. I really enjoyed the story but like James, it can be a challenging read. Not sure if Ii will get to Wandering Stars.
I've only read James and Good Material. Both were OK, not mind blowing. I've got Martyr and Beautyland on my TBR.
Tana French is an amazing storyteller, but I would agree with your assessment about reading The Hunter first for character development. I did a reread via audio. I appreciated the author sharing in an interview that she didn’t plan a sequel, but the characters had more to say.
I read The Searcher and was left wondering what it is all about. I've read some of her books, but am familiar with her really as a crime novelist.
Listening to Knife on Audible was wonderful, because Salman Rushdie reads it himself.
James was my favorite so far this year, closely tied with wandering Stars. Favorite new gay novels are Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts Historical faction fav is Becoming Madame Secretary by Stephanie Dray (about Frances Perkins). I think you will be glad if you prioritize Tommy Orange
I hope to eventually get to James, Martyr and Beautyland (I like you enjoyed Parakeet).
Was given a copy of Martyr so need to.read it. Have read the new Tana French - as always excellent
Want to read James but going to read again Huckleberry Finn
ofc I've not read it but your description of Good Material must remind us of Woody's Allen's Academy Award winning film, Annie Hall, wherein Alvie Singer - a stand up comic - endeavors to tell us how difficult it has been picking up the pieces of his shattered life since his break up with Annie Hall.
I think for me the best book I have read is Fire Weather by John Vaillant. It's petrifying and brilliant in equal measure.
I still haven’t returned to James after putting it down after the first couple of chapters. I do expect to return to it and finish it, but I’m waiting for the mood to strike me. It just may be that I need to listen to this one, but that is feeling like a bit of a cop out for Everett. Even though I listened to The Trees. Don’t try to make it make sense. LOL
I listened to Knife this week and found it very compelling and, of course, very harrowing. It made me want to pick up his fiction and give it a try. My one tiny nitpick are the times when it feels like a name-dropping exercise, but the guy knows a lot of famous people. What are you gonna do? I definitely recommend this on audiobook.
I didn’t find this a very inspiring list overall though. Feels like I wouldn’t want to read about half of the books on. I do have to look into Martyr! as I don’t know much about it.
I don’t think it’s a cop out to listen to an audiobook and I’m sure the narrator brings Everett’s rich text to life. I may follow your suggestion and do that with Knife. I think in making the list they were trying to get a balance of books in different genres.
The only book I read from this list was Tana French the hunter. A good book without a doubt. Tana French is a very good writer. I don't think it's necessary to read the first book in this series to fully appreciate this story. It was a strong 4 stars.
Good Material is interesting. For the first 80% of the book the protagonist seems like a typical whiny dude claiming that he’d done nothing wrong (implying that he totally did)…but then we find out that his ex never really wanted a relationship and felt socially pressured into it, so she chose the guy knowing that she would eventually dump him. It’s a very good, easy lit fic so the hype is earned even if it’s not James or North woods.
I like horror books. My favorite is My Heart is a Chainsaw
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