I have read all but The Seven Moons which is currently in the post. I think identity could be a loose theme, around national identity, personal identity, and who creates identity. My hopeful shortlist is The Colony, Glory, Nightcrawling, Case Study, Treacle Walker, and I think The Trees. Treacle Walker mostly because it is so different. I did not like Trust but I didn't DNF any this year (though After Sappho was close). I could change my mind by the 6 September. I may re read one or two depending on the shortlist.
I chose a few reads on the Longlist. This is my rating in the order of enjoyment: 1. The Colony (beautiful narrative poise) 2. Trust (personalised history at its best) 3. Small Things Like These (empathic storytelling at its best). 4. The Trees (great insights but the repetitive satire irritated me a little lessor than in Glory) 5. Nightcrawling (begins very were but gets a punture halfway through).
Love how you broke the list down, grouping certain books. Fingers crossed some of your hopefuls make it. I’m hoping for The Trees and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. 😊💙
Have read 7 of them and so far The Colony is number one. Then maybe Trust, The Trees and Treacle Walker, Case Study is also up there.. Thanks for your list!
I have read 6 and just started After Sappho, my order of those 6 is... 1. The Colony 2. Trust 3. Glory 4. The Trees 5. Small Things Like These 6. Booth I want to say that Glory took me about 150 pages to start appreciating the style. (I very nearly dnf.) When I finished the book, I was stunned. It was beautiful.
I'm almost finished my seventh of the longlist. My favourites are The Colony, Trust and The Trees, and I hope all three are on the shortlist. I quite liked Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. I was not a fan of Glory, and thought Nightcrawling was fine but not shortlist quality. Booth, which I am most of the way through, is good but I don't think it is shortlist material. Very interested to read the others.
I love your shortlist! I’m really keen to get to The Trees and Nightcrawling. I’ve just finished Trust and thought it was fantastic, I’d be really surprised if it doesn’t make the shortlist
Colony is still my #1. Small Things (which I loved last Dec; audio now available on Hoopla for many US Public Library patrons: Merry & Happy Christmas! 🙂 ) The Trees (which tops 5 if not 6 of the Everett novels I've enjoyed reading so far), and Case Study are my top 4 of 10. Glory and Trust in the running for 5 & 6. Just started Maps, which might bounce one of the above; Sapho just arrived (neither in US bookstores yet; I bought them from afar) and Seven Moons is in transit (ditto). That said, I fully intend to try reading Treacle Walker aloud with friends. Great longlist!!
I enjoyed the groupings you had found in the books. I’m currently listening to Case Study. My top favourite from the list so far and a huge surprise for me was Maps of our Spectacular Bodies, which I loved so much! Highly recommend you pick that up soon. 😊📚
I've read three of them and they are on your list (Trees, Small Things, and Nightcrawling)! I am a little less certain about Nightcrawling, but really loved the other two!
I have read different books from you. Not read either Seven Moons or Night Crawling. Was not a fan of the structure of The Colony. So my predictions would be : Glory, The Trees, Small Things, After Sappho, Case Study and either Trust or Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. Wasn't keen on Treacle Walker but it is the bookies favourites
I was thinking earlier it was impressive holding all thirteen. . . I really like Small Things Like These and Booth and would be very happy to see them on the list! Oh William is my next, I just read her first two novels in the series to mixed thoughts so I don't personally think it will be a contender for me. Glory I am liking more as I get to the end and see all of it coming together. I am dependent on long library holds for many of these but I am really intrigued/excited to read After Sappho, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and Colony. Always love your comparisons and thoughts on prize lists.
Thanks for another great video and for inspiring me to read some of these books. I really enjoyed your thoughtful parallels between the different novels. I’ve only read four and a half (midway through Booth - a pleasant surprise so far!) so far. I loved Case Study until the very end - I’ll be so interested to hear your thoughts if and when you pick it up. I love Elizabeth Strout’s writing too. Alan Garner is a bit of a local legend here in my home county of Cheshire so it’s great to see him nominated. The book sounds a little inaccessible though… Here’s to lots more great reading in the weeks to come!
i enjoyed your wrap up of all the books on the list. My next targeted reads are The Colony and Trust. Your picks and predictions are usually right -it will be interesting to see which ones are on the short list.
If I had to try to guess the shortlist, I would guess 5 of your picks but Maps instead of Nightcrawling. Trees and Maps are my two favorite of the longlist. September 6th will be here before we know it.
Excellent and insightful commentary, Eric. I am still reading off the list. What I have read so far has been impressive. I loved: “Nightcrawling” “The Trees” and “Oh William.” Side note: I have read all three books of Lucy Barton. I love Strout’s writing, and I am eagerly awaiting her new novel. I own “Booth”, “Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies,” “Case Study,” and “Seven Moons… I would still like to read “Glory” and “Trust.”
My favourites of those I have read (7) are The Colony, Case Study, Trust and Small Things. The Trees was also terrific. It would be fun to put Oh William on there too. That's the shortlist of those I have read
Another great video. I do think there will be at least one UK book and one of the more experimental narratives will get in, so maybe MAPS or SAPPHO make the list
I'm currently on my 6th. It's After Sappho, and I'm afraid I'm going to DNF it. I'm just not getting along with the narrative style. So far my favourite has been Treacle Walker, although I have the feeling it won't be to the Booker judges' taste. Joint second are Nightcrawling and Small Things Like These, with Oh William and Seven Moons of Maali Almeida very close behind. I'll be trying Case Study next. Thank you for your lovely gentle videos. They're just what I need when the world starts to feel too much.
I read 11, it's an amazing longlist and The Trees is my favourite. Very much agree with your shortlist, but would replace Nightcrawling by Booth or Oh William.
I haven’t read all of the longlist yet either, but to me it seems like a big theme this year is an invitation for us to take a look in the mirror, as a society and as individuals and an invitation to ask ourselves whether we like what we see. From what I’ve read this far, the issues discussed in these books are not new and ones we all talk about yet many are systemic in a way that makes them difficult to address. Anyway, I would put Trust, The Colony, Trees, Seven Moons, Little Things, and Glory on the short list.
Interesting stuff, as always. I'm reading my eleventh book on the list - I may just make the entire longlist before next week's announcement, but I wouldn't bet on it! There are four books I have truly loved - Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is something of a masterpiece, I think, and I hugely enjoyed Case Study, Trust and Small Things Like These. I admire (with some misgivings) Booth, Glory and The Colony. I disliked The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida in spite of finding some aspects of it truly remarkable, was mostly rather bemused by Treacle Walker, and was irritated by the blunt repetitive satire of The Trees. Do I think my top six (so far) will make the shortlist? Almost certainly not - and I do note that our tastes seem almost diametrically opposed (sorry!) - but I would be surprised if the Mortimer didn't make it through to the next round.
From your shortlist, I have loved The Colony, Small Things and Nightcrawling. Half way through Seven Moons and loving it. The other tw 'shortlisted books are on order from the library. However, I would love Maddie Mortimer to be on the list.
I have only read MAPS OF OUR SPECTACULAR BODIES by Maddie Mortimer and NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley from the longlist and I loved both of them ❤️ I hope they make it to the shortlist ❤️
I’m reading my 5th off the long list. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. I’m 68% in. Feels 5 star read. The others? The Colony 5/5 Small Things Like These 5/5 Case Study 3/5 The Trees 4/5
We have four books in common on our respective shortlists. I have Trust and Oh William instead of Glory and Seven Moons. Seven Moons is the one book I haven’t read yet. It hasn’t released in the States, but I expect to receive it next week from the U.K.
It occurs to me that I am surprised this is the first time I've seen you topple a stack of books. Making a video and balancing books at the same time seems deceptively easy, but it really is not! ☺😛
A guilty pleasure of mine is finding out that none of the Booker Prize nominees that I’ve read are chosen for the short list and then I’ve really got to kick it into gear to read or listen to the remaining books before the prize is announced.
There is what will be, and what should be, included on the Shortlist. I think the shortlist WILL be: Maps Of Our Spectacular Bodies The Colony The Trees Seven Moons Small Things Like These Oh! William Winner: The Trees (As an aside I understand why The Trees - keep in mind an American reader here - is receiving such praise, but I’m not seeing it remarked on the problem of pacing within this novel, and Kim know why I struggled with it….I think it is a play masquerading as a novel. So much dialogue, so little exposition) What I think the Shortlist SHOULD be: Trust Seven Moons Glory Small Things Like These After Sappho (I struggled with work in terms of themes and relevance - it seems random the time period - but not in format or syntax or imagination) The Colony Winner: Small Things Like These Love the videos, love your take, and love you got named dropped on the most recent The Mookse and The Gripes podcast 😊😊
I like your shortlist, with the exception of the missing Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, which I love and it's incredible and I hope wins the whole thing.
I am little over half the way through this novel, and since you have admiration for Maps, I’d like to ask you a question: Would you agree - no spoilers - that this novel succeeds or fails based on how strong the reader thinks the “other” narrator is? Which is to say, without the “other” narrator, this novel is very much in line with disease literature of a very British sort? I’m too far in not to finish now, so your answer won’t change the outcome, but Mortimer has taken a big risk here, and I’m wondering if you feel the same….thanks!
@@drewnorth5545 I think that the other narrative is of minor importance, it adds some context and information and it changes the mood, but I think too much is made of it. If you're struggling with it, it might help to read Max Porter's Grief is a Feathered Thing, Mortimore has clearly been inspired by crow from that book. I think the relationships Lia has specifically with Iris are the most important to the enjoyment of the novel.
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies has been my favorite that I’ve read so far from the list so I’d really like to see that make the shortlist. I’d also love to see Seven Moons on the list even though I haven’t read it yet because I’d like to see it picked up by a us publisher and I think it being shortlisted would help that happen. I like that you included connections you made between the books you read, that’s been one of my favorite parts of reading the list! I listened to the audiobooks for The Colony and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and I found that they had similar narration styles and both involved memory.
I agree about "Small Things" and "Nightcrawling", did not like "The Colony". And I also think that Elizabeth Strout is highly underrated, but on the other hand I might agree that the Booker people will not give a spot on the shortlist to her, She holds the 2021 Lawson-spot and the 2020 Tyler-spot.
Booth was okay but nothing special. It is certainly not prizeworthy. I haven't read any of the others because frankly most of them don't appeal to me. Good luck for your choices!
I’ve only read three so far: The Trees, Small Things Like These, and The Colony. I rate them in that order. We agree on The Trees, The Colony, Seven Moons, and Nightcrawling for the shortlist. I had Trust and Case Study as my other two guesses. Nightcrawling will be my next read.
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I was introduced to Salman Rushdie because of his Booker Prize and have trusted the award ever since.
I have read all but The Seven Moons which is currently in the post. I think identity could be a loose theme, around national identity, personal identity, and who creates identity. My hopeful shortlist is The Colony, Glory, Nightcrawling, Case Study, Treacle Walker, and I think The Trees. Treacle Walker mostly because it is so different. I did not like Trust but I didn't DNF any this year (though After Sappho was close). I could change my mind by the 6 September. I may re read one or two depending on the shortlist.
I chose a few reads on the Longlist. This is my rating in the order of enjoyment:
1. The Colony (beautiful narrative poise)
2. Trust (personalised history at its best)
3. Small Things Like These (empathic storytelling at its best).
4. The Trees (great insights but the repetitive satire irritated me a little lessor than in Glory)
5. Nightcrawling (begins very were but gets a punture halfway through).
Love how you broke the list down, grouping certain books. Fingers crossed some of your hopefuls make it. I’m hoping for The Trees and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. 😊💙
Thanks! I'm really looking forward to reading Mortimer's novel.
Have read 7 of them and so far The Colony is number one. Then maybe Trust, The Trees and Treacle Walker, Case Study is also up there.. Thanks for your list!
I have read 6 and just started After Sappho, my order of those 6 is...
1. The Colony
2. Trust
3. Glory
4. The Trees
5. Small Things Like These
6. Booth
I want to say that Glory took me about 150 pages to start appreciating the style. (I very nearly dnf.) When I finished the book, I was stunned. It was beautiful.
I'm almost finished my seventh of the longlist. My favourites are The Colony, Trust and The Trees, and I hope all three are on the shortlist. I quite liked Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. I was not a fan of Glory, and thought Nightcrawling was fine but not shortlist quality. Booth, which I am most of the way through, is good but I don't think it is shortlist material. Very interested to read the others.
I love your shortlist! I’m really keen to get to The Trees and Nightcrawling. I’ve just finished Trust and thought it was fantastic, I’d be really surprised if it doesn’t make the shortlist
Short list for me 1. Trees 2. The Seven Moons of Maali 3. Glory 4. The Colony 5. Case Study 6. After Sappho
Colony is still my #1. Small Things (which I loved last Dec; audio now available on Hoopla for many US Public Library patrons: Merry & Happy Christmas! 🙂 ) The Trees (which tops 5 if not 6 of the Everett novels I've enjoyed reading so far), and Case Study are my top 4 of 10. Glory and Trust in the running for 5 & 6. Just started Maps, which might bounce one of the above; Sapho just arrived (neither in US bookstores yet; I bought them from afar) and Seven Moons is in transit (ditto). That said, I fully intend to try reading Treacle Walker aloud with friends. Great longlist!!
I've read 7 so far. Of those, personal favorites: Glory, Trees, Treacle Walker, Seven Moons. All of them were new to me -- it's why I love longlists!
I enjoy your opinions on books. Thank you. I only pick out one from the Booker longest to read before the shortlist announcement. It is one h
I enjoyed the groupings you had found in the books. I’m currently listening to Case Study. My top favourite from the list so far and a huge surprise for me was Maps of our Spectacular Bodies, which I loved so much! Highly recommend you pick that up soon. 😊📚
Thanks! Good to hear you’re such a fan of Mortimer’s novel because coincidentally I started reading it this morning!
I've read three of them and they are on your list (Trees, Small Things, and Nightcrawling)! I am a little less certain about Nightcrawling, but really loved the other two!
I have read different books from you. Not read either Seven Moons or Night Crawling. Was not a fan of the structure of The Colony. So my predictions would be : Glory, The Trees, Small Things, After Sappho, Case Study and either Trust or Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies. Wasn't keen on Treacle Walker but it is the bookies favourites
I've got Seven Moons on pre-order for its November release here in NZ. Small Things and Nightcrawling are my favourites from the five I've read.
It's worth the wait! So good. Glad you agree on the power of Keegan and Mottley's novels.
I was thinking earlier it was impressive holding all thirteen. . . I really like Small Things Like These and Booth and would be very happy to see them on the list! Oh William is my next, I just read her first two novels in the series to mixed thoughts so I don't personally think it will be a contender for me. Glory I am liking more as I get to the end and see all of it coming together.
I am dependent on long library holds for many of these but I am really intrigued/excited to read After Sappho, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and Colony.
Always love your comparisons and thoughts on prize lists.
Thanks for another great video and for inspiring me to read some of these books. I really enjoyed your thoughtful parallels between the different novels. I’ve only read four and a half (midway through Booth - a pleasant surprise so far!) so far. I loved Case Study until the very end - I’ll be so interested to hear your thoughts if and when you pick it up. I love Elizabeth Strout’s writing too. Alan Garner is a bit of a local legend here in my home county of Cheshire so it’s great to see him nominated. The book sounds a little inaccessible though… Here’s to lots more great reading in the weeks to come!
i enjoyed your wrap up of all the books on the list. My next targeted reads are The Colony and Trust. Your picks and predictions are usually right -it will be interesting to see which ones are on the short list.
I'll be SO happy if my favourites make it. 😄📚
If I had to try to guess the shortlist, I would guess 5 of your picks but Maps instead of Nightcrawling. Trees and Maps are my two favorite of the longlist. September 6th will be here before we know it.
Excellent and insightful commentary, Eric. I am still reading off the list. What I have read so far has been impressive. I loved: “Nightcrawling” “The Trees” and “Oh William.” Side note: I have read all three books of Lucy Barton. I love Strout’s writing, and I am eagerly awaiting her new novel. I own “Booth”, “Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies,” “Case Study,” and “Seven Moons… I would still like to read “Glory” and “Trust.”
My favourites of those I have read (7) are The Colony, Case Study, Trust and Small Things. The Trees was also terrific. It would be fun to put Oh William on there too. That's the shortlist of those I have read
Another great video. I do think there will be at least one UK book and one of the more experimental narratives will get in, so maybe MAPS or SAPPHO make the list
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies!!!
What an interesting look at the books and grouping them. I'm still working my way through. 2 down! 😁
I've only read The Colony, but I definitely think that it should be shortlisted! I'll be surprised if it isn't.
Me too!
I'm currently on my 6th. It's After Sappho, and I'm afraid I'm going to DNF it. I'm just not getting along with the narrative style. So far my favourite has been Treacle Walker, although I have the feeling it won't be to the Booker judges' taste. Joint second are Nightcrawling and Small Things Like These, with Oh William and Seven Moons of Maali Almeida very close behind. I'll be trying Case Study next. Thank you for your lovely gentle videos. They're just what I need when the world starts to feel too much.
I read 11, it's an amazing longlist and The Trees is my favourite. Very much agree with your shortlist, but would replace Nightcrawling by Booth or Oh William.
That's very impressive! I think Booth has a good chance of being shortlisted.
I enjoyed your thematic groupings in this video!
I haven’t read all of the longlist yet either, but to me it seems like a big theme this year is an invitation for us to take a look in the mirror, as a society and as individuals and an invitation to ask ourselves whether we like what we see. From what I’ve read this far, the issues discussed in these books are not new and ones we all talk about yet many are systemic in a way that makes them difficult to address. Anyway, I would put Trust, The Colony, Trees, Seven Moons, Little Things, and Glory on the short list.
I like The Colony, Trust, Small Things Like These, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Nightcrawling & Case Study.
👍📚
Interesting stuff, as always. I'm reading my eleventh book on the list - I may just make the entire longlist before next week's announcement, but I wouldn't bet on it! There are four books I have truly loved - Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is something of a masterpiece, I think, and I hugely enjoyed Case Study, Trust and Small Things Like These. I admire (with some misgivings) Booth, Glory and The Colony. I disliked The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida in spite of finding some aspects of it truly remarkable, was mostly rather bemused by Treacle Walker, and was irritated by the blunt repetitive satire of The Trees. Do I think my top six (so far) will make the shortlist? Almost certainly not - and I do note that our tastes seem almost diametrically opposed (sorry!) - but I would be surprised if the Mortimer didn't make it through to the next round.
From your shortlist, I have loved The Colony, Small Things and Nightcrawling. Half way through Seven Moons and loving it. The other tw 'shortlisted books are on order from the library. However, I would love Maddie Mortimer to be on the list.
Colony is my favourite
I have only read MAPS OF OUR SPECTACULAR BODIES by Maddie Mortimer and NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley from the longlist and I loved both of them ❤️ I hope they make it to the shortlist ❤️
Small Things, The Colony, Spectacular Bodies, Seven Moons, Glory, and The Trees are my favorites, in that order! Would love to see Small Things win
👍📚 It’d be really exciting to see Keegan win!
I’m reading my 5th off the long list. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. I’m 68% in. Feels 5 star read. The others?
The Colony 5/5
Small Things Like These 5/5
Case Study 3/5
The Trees 4/5
I don’t think two Irish novels will make it, but I do love your chosen shortlist. I think Trust is gonna make the list though.
We have four books in common on our respective shortlists. I have Trust and Oh William instead of Glory and Seven Moons. Seven Moons is the one book I haven’t read yet. It hasn’t released in the States, but I expect to receive it next week from the U.K.
I LOVED Nightcrawling
So far I’ve only read a few, but I do think autonomy kind of overlaps among what I’ve read so far.
It occurs to me that I am surprised this is the first time I've seen you topple a stack of books. Making a video and balancing books at the same time seems deceptively easy, but it really is not! ☺😛
This would be an interesting shortlist! I only have 7 Moons and Nightcrawling to go but I have a very different shortlist so far!
Great shortlist, I’m really hoping nightcrawling is there it’s been my favourite so far
A guilty pleasure of mine is finding out that none of the Booker Prize nominees that I’ve read are chosen for the short list and then I’ve really got to kick it into gear to read or listen to the remaining books before the prize is announced.
wow, nice one. Have a good day x
The Trees will unanimously get on the shortlist.
Here is my prediction:
After Sappho
The Trees
Trust
The Colony
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Oh William!
Oh wow! We really differ! But glad we agree on some. It’ll be so exciting to see what’s on the official list. 📚
@@EricKarlAnderson Can't wait to see that! :) But oh we differ hahaha and that's alright :P
@@vivekian1 It is alright. Makes it more fun that way! 😜☺
There is what will be, and what should be, included on the Shortlist.
I think the shortlist WILL be:
Maps Of Our Spectacular Bodies
The Colony
The Trees
Seven Moons
Small Things Like These
Oh! William
Winner: The Trees
(As an aside I understand why The Trees - keep in mind an American reader here - is receiving such praise, but I’m not seeing it remarked on the problem of pacing within this novel, and Kim know why I struggled with it….I think it is a play masquerading as a novel. So much dialogue, so little exposition)
What I think the Shortlist SHOULD be:
Trust
Seven Moons
Glory
Small Things Like These
After Sappho (I struggled with work in terms of themes and relevance - it seems random the time period - but not in format or syntax or imagination)
The Colony
Winner: Small Things Like These
Love the videos, love your take, and love you got named dropped on the most recent The Mookse and The Gripes podcast 😊😊
I like your shortlist, with the exception of the missing Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, which I love and it's incredible and I hope wins the whole thing.
I am little over half the way through this novel, and since you have admiration for Maps, I’d like to ask you a question: Would you agree - no spoilers - that this novel succeeds or fails based on how strong the reader thinks the “other” narrator is? Which is to say, without the “other” narrator, this novel is very much in line with disease literature of a very British sort?
I’m too far in not to finish now, so your answer won’t change the outcome, but Mortimer has taken a big risk here, and I’m wondering if you feel the same….thanks!
@@drewnorth5545 I think that the other narrative is of minor importance, it adds some context and information and it changes the mood, but I think too much is made of it. If you're struggling with it, it might help to read Max Porter's Grief is a Feathered Thing, Mortimore has clearly been inspired by crow from that book.
I think the relationships Lia has specifically with Iris are the most important to the enjoyment of the novel.
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies has been my favorite that I’ve read so far from the list so I’d really like to see that make the shortlist. I’d also love to see Seven Moons on the list even though I haven’t read it yet because I’d like to see it picked up by a us publisher and I think it being shortlisted would help that happen.
I like that you included connections you made between the books you read, that’s been one of my favorite parts of reading the list! I listened to the audiobooks for The Colony and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and I found that they had similar narration styles and both involved memory.
I agree about "Small Things" and "Nightcrawling", did not like "The Colony". And I also think that Elizabeth Strout is highly underrated, but on the other hand I might agree that the Booker people will not give a spot on the shortlist to her, She holds the 2021 Lawson-spot and the 2020 Tyler-spot.
Booth was okay but nothing special. It is certainly not prizeworthy. I haven't read any of the others because frankly most of them don't appeal to me. Good luck for your choices!
I’ve only read three so far: The Trees, Small Things Like These, and The Colony. I rate them in that order. We agree on The Trees, The Colony, Seven Moons, and Nightcrawling for the shortlist. I had Trust and Case Study as my other two guesses. Nightcrawling will be my next read.
I may change my mind after I read those two.
@@EricKarlAnderson In all fairness, I was stuck for a sixth book and only picked Case Study because I love Scotland. 😉