I have weeks sometimes where I start a book post, and I am struck by the silliness of the endeavor. Books aren’t silly, but when events like the Israeli government continuing to destroy civilian lives with few consequences (while the U.S. enables it) and here at home, the continuation of an arcane practice like the death penalty- that involves some individuals thinking they have the moral upper hand on others- persists, it is hard to think about writing about books. It is hard to not let rage and grief consume you. Maybe it should consume me. It is all a reminder I have no answers and barely any comfort, for the world. Still, I am here. You are here. We are humans together. Community is not nothing. It is maybe everything.
A few years ago, I committed to digging deeper into (most1 of) what I read. My mother, long before she had dementia, used to read an alarmingly high amount of books2 and when you asked her about them like -a week- later, she’d shrug and say, “it was a mystery” or whatever. (I mean…they were mostly mystery genre books, it wasn’t an enigmatic statement.) Anyways, as my amount of reading increased in recent years, I became interested about why I was reading books. And, truth be told, it’s not for mindless entertainment (I hope you know I think this is totally fine) typically3. I want to connect to something bigger than myself when I read and sometimes, that is the author, sometimes, community, sometimes, a body of knowledge.
This has led me to reading more works that other people are reading. Sure, I can come here and write about a book and hope someone else who has read it will comment. But, mostly, I have to join a larger conversation that is convening. Right now, I am taking some literature classes which is great! I am getting a chance to read older works4 and look at them in the context of our modern world. Often though, it means reading books that are part of something that might be considered the “zeitgeist”, otherwise known as buzzy books. Besides participating in book clubs, like
‘s Fiction Matters, ‘s Stacks Pack and other things that arise, this year I read both the fiction longlists for The Booker Prize and the National Book Award. I did not quite finish the Booker, and I may never do so because the two books I have left did not make the short list, and I am not sure I care?? I read 11/13 on that list and that seems like enough?? I can decide it is enough (what a wonderful privilege). The NBA, I went 10/10, mostly because that list is full of short books. WE LOVE A TIGHT STORY!Below are *my personal rankings* for each list I read. They don’t have to be yours! I am going to try and tell you where I am coming from, because I truly do not want you to “take my word for it”5. I have had a lot of fun discussing these books with book friends, and enjoy hounding people as I continue to demand an articulation of *what exactly* they found to love about Orbital. There is no prize for me in reading all these books beyond the discussion, both with myself6 and with others, and in being in “conversation” with the author and their intent.
2024 Booker Longlist for Fiction (short list has been announced, denoted below)
Enlightenment: First and foremost, I am a vibes reader. I like to be emotionally wrecked for a beautiful sentiment (not so much trauma/tragedy, more on that later). Enlightenment ticked so many boxes for me - a fascination with the stars and the universe, messy and difficult relationships, how people shift and reconvene through time, a teensy bit of a ghost. This is a slow, quiet book. It is not a “page turner”. But, I found it gorgeous and transporting, and I finished it two weeks ago and am still thinking about it every day. (Weirdly, the space-related metaphor got me here, but stay tuned for how space failed me.)
held (shortlist): These first two are pretty interchangeable for me. Held is also a weeper. The prose is exquisite. The loosely connected vignettes about human connection, grief and love are perfect little treasures of the experience of being alive. If you pick it up, you’ll want someone to read out loud to the parts that made you fall apart.
Wild Houses: Honestly? I think this is a crowd pleaser! It has plot! It was character development! There are some real feels! Plus, it is short and moves quickly. I know “Irish drug crime” carries a certain expectation, but this busts through the stereotypes and gives us characters on the road to becoming themselves.
The Safekeep (shortlist): This book starts quietly, but brings itself up to boiling by the halfway point, only to throw us for a loop again at the end. Surprising, emotionally resonate and, yes, a little hot. If I gasp multiple times in a book, that is a winner! I am so glad I went into this one nearly blind.
James (shortlist): A perfect novel - pacing, plot, dialogue - all applied with great skill. A deeply satisfying ending. IF THERE’S ONLY ONE BOOK YOU READ THIS YEAR, IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE. I realize I put it at 5 instead of 1, but that’s only because of my personal predilections. (I’m not typically as drawn to pre-1900s era stories in fiction.)
Stone Yard Devotional (shortlist): Do you get squeamish about rodents? Don’t read this book. Otherwise, off with you to the nunnery (well, sort of?) where our protagonist is stumbling through how to reconcile her life and how’s she lived while she tries to seek real connection and deeper peace in the Australian countryside. Captures middle-aged loneliness and regret, coupled with twinklings of hope so well.
Creation Lake (shortlist): Don’t call it a spy novel, but do enjoy narrator Sadie - a kind of inept spy and a very cynical woman attempting to infiltrate a commune of French eco-warriors. There’s a B-plot about Neanderthals (did they have the secret to life??) and a C-plot about an eleven year old father. This book is packed, and you could analyze it for months. It’s also pretty funny.
Headshot: A good debut! I respected how innovative these interlocking stories about teenage female boxers were and both visceral in the ring and thoughtful in the interiority. I wish it had culminated in something that brought it together a bit more.
My Friends: I was quite into the first half of this book. The writing is very precise (maybe too precise, because by the end it became quite tedious for me), describing every internal thought and small detail. It’s a little lulling, for better or worse. The book is very tight on just 3 Libyan men (with one being the narrator) living in London from the Libyan embassy bombing in the 1980s to present day, so you have to be very invested in them, and by the end, I just…wasn’t.
Wandering Stars: As tight a story as There, There was, this meanders. We spend less time in-scene and more time in character’s heads. I did not understand why we needed the first half of the book. The writing is still fantastic. It’s a good book. Just not a great one for me.
Orbital (shortlist): I realize many people loved this collection of observations on space, but I found it rather juvenile, a little weirdly anesthetized (like ChatGPT was involved) and -most of all- boring. If you like really like musing about earth from miles above it, maybe you’ll be in the majority and not like me. The only book on either list that actively disliked.
[*I have the Messud but did not read it yet. As noted in the caption, the final book was Richard Powers’ Playground.]
2024 National Book Award Longlist for Fiction (short list will be announced 10/1)
(tie) James: Since James is on both lists, you can get a sense of how much more I clicked with the Booker list. That said, I liked every book on this list, but really only loved the first 3.
and Martyr! Martyr! is my winner, because the NBA often honors authors who are experimenting and Akbar does that. I also loved Cyrus as our protagonist and was deeply invested in his journey into sobriety, self-acceptance and love. I appreciated the novel wasn’t afraid to be weird (those dream scenarios!), and the prose went down so easily.
Ghostroots: Aguda is a Nigerian writer living in the U.S. and I was very appreciative of the background she brings to this collection of short stories. They are mostly dark, mostly involving some magical realism and mostly about the bindings of being a woman (though my favorite was about three new fathers). I really loved the tight storytelling and the imagery.
Creation Lake: Another Booker duplicate. Fares better in this list.
Yr Dead: This book is about a person who commits suicide by immolation, and it is extremely sad and depressing. That said, the short blocks of writing were a smart way to tell the story and the sense of total desolation came through clearly. I am ranking this book here not because I “liked” it in the traditional sense, but because I appreciate what the author was doing and the technique.
Rejection: The first two stories were sharp, brutal and hilarious skewers of current culture and dating. The middle became a bit tedious for me. Overall, this is a collection of satire that feels a little raw still, but maybe that’s part of the genius? I do not love this type of exaggerated satire, but again, this ranks higher for me, because I do think what he’s playing with is interesting, and I’ll remember it.
All Fours: A blast to read, but not as much a work of “literature” to me. I loved the dive into middle-aged sexuality and perimenopause, but the book loses something in the back half and flounders a little. Definitely a rich, white-lady problems book, but I think it manages to transcend that at times into something more meaningful.
The Most: Telling a complex story in 130 pages is impressive, and I read this book when it was first released and liked it a lot, particularly because I think even the most devoted mothers have experienced that “trapped” feeling. But, why is a story about a 1950s housewife struggling with marital commitment and motherhood on this list? I couldn’t really tell you. Maybe you tell me.
My Friends: Another Booker duplicate.
Catalina: I really loved Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s first book, the nonfiction The Undocumented Americans. Again, this book is not bad! It’s good! Catalina is a sarcastic, witty narrator and the book moves along at a clip through the life of an undocumented Ivy League college student. Again, I liked it!
That’s it!! I want to hear your thoughts. Have you read any of these books? Did you love any? Hate any? Quit any? BE SPECIFIC.
Thanks for coming by. I appreciate this community, even on the days this feels like the silliest thing to do. xx
The amount of celebrity gossip blogs I read excepted.
I want to say sometimes 1 per day and she had a part-time job!!
That is what the celebrity gossip blogs are for, and also, the absolutely prolific amount of procedural television I watch. I am an abolitionist, unless I’m tuning into network television apparently.
I am currently taking a class on Austen’s Emma and James’s Portrait of a Lady.
Unless it is a book like last year’s Pineapple Street, and then I will say - AND YOU MUST- take my word for it and not read it. But, you would know because I would enunciate the hell out of it, I am not shy.
I spend a lot of time alone, ok?
I wish I could manipulate you into reading the International Booker longlist!! It’s so fun and different and makes me feel like I am communing with the world. I cannot shut up about The Details from this year’s. Talk about tight!
I love a ranking so I deeply appreciate this!