Brilliantly narrated by Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio
š LiteraryFifteen 2024 – Aspen Words š
Did I get carried away and start reading for my reading challenge 2024 Literary Fifteen? Absolutely!
Aspen Words typically have those thought provoking opinionated reads that push your understanding, which is why I enjoy its longlist so much.
Chain-gang All-stars is set within the US privatised prison system and follows prisoners who fight in televised matches to the death in the hopes to gain freedom. I have been interested in Chain-gang All-stars for some time but admit that recent reviews discouraged me. I’m glad that Aspen Words brought me back to the book because my brain was bouncing back and forth while reading this. The book is definitely dark, it hurt reading this book – it is blatantly clear that this could happen, will happen, if we allow dehumanisation of each other. As such it is likely to be one of the most important books on 2024 Aspen Words and I expect it to make it to the shortlist and see it as a strong contender to win.
I read it as an audiobook which made the story and the characters come brilliantly alive. The voices in the audiobook are exquisite. The story was so vivid, infuriating and heart-breaking.
I was thinking about the different contexts that exist and who sets the rules. Who is excluded, included, allowed to be human? The connections between school, prison, work, criminal law, entertainment and sports, societal safety nets or lack thereof, racism, colonialism, slavery, health care, bias, sexism, bigotry and bright brilliant love that exists in spite of everything.
Through the book’s pain and darkness I’m strengthened in my belief that we must fight harder to stand up for each other and show more compassion, have hope and faith in each other.
I’m back on my library book tower building ways!!! This stack is #LiteraryFifteen inspired.
š Ursula K. Le Guin The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
Friendly reminder that Literary Fifteen 2024 is live! The book is for the 2024 longlist (and more books are incoming).
š Jhalak The Secret Diaries Of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun by TolĆ” Okogwu I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel
š Jhalak & OCM Bocas When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
š NBA Translated Fiction The Most Secret Memory Of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr Abyss by Pilar Quintana
š Nebula & Ursula K. Le Guin Spear by Nicola Griffith
š Carol Shields Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
Leaning onto this stack are today’s purchases: The Antiquarian Sticker Book and The Botanist’s Sticker Anthology. Stickers intended to add that bit of art you need some days when you do not have it in you to draw or paint something yourself.
As for my Literary Fifteen status I’ve completed 8 out of 15 prompts. This stack would allow me to catch up on most of the prompts I have yet to read from: OCM Bocas (I’m working on OCM Bocas as I’m reading my way through Moon Witch Spide King by Marlon James. It is brutal as always but I’m enjoying being back with Sogolon and having James open a new world that deserves is own series in each chapter), Carol Shields, Jhalak, Ursula K. Le Guin.
AKO Caine I’m planning to read all the stories – just like last year – which are available through their website. It was a delight and exploration of different ways to tell a story.
For the Stella and JCB there are no books available for me so I’m guessing I will have to give up or figure out which one to buy. Any suggestions or disappointments?
A reading challenge sampling 15 literary awards and hopefully finding some of your best reads in 2024.
The prizes will take you to several places around the world and offers translated fiction, poetry, non-fiction, short stories, fantasy, political novels, queer lit and much more. The prompts & literary prizes:
1. Aspen Words – longlist is already here!!!
2. Dublin Literary Award
3. OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
4. International Booker
5. Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
6. Jhalak Prize
7. Lambda Literary Award
8. Ignyte Awards
9. AKO Caine Prize for African Writing
10. The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
11. Polari Book Prize
12. JCB Prize for Fiction
13. National Book Award for Translated Fiction
14. Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
15. Award of your choice
Rules: Read (or DNF) at least one story nominated for a literary award.
If you want more, read for 2 or more prizes. Or read 1 or more for a prize.
It doesnāt matter how much you read – any level of participation counts. Read as much or little as you want to – read because you want to. PS. This is also a reminder to myself to not try to do it all even when you shouldn’t.
Which prize are you most looking forward to in 2024? Which prize would you pick for no 15? Curious to know even if you do not join the challenge!
I’m feeling a bit meh to be honest, maybe because I was expecting a book by book reveal video with the bookish community reacting in a live feed and got a reel & overloaded website instead. But, I do not think that this is a longlist for me. There were too many mentions of turn-offs for me: funny or some version of it and even sport. The only thing missing was music. Give me dark and gloomy, please. And yes, I know that a brief summary that I do not like might hide a beloved read but we are going by first impressions. Most likely everyone’s reactions and reviews will change which books catch my interest. What I do enjoy is that the longlist feels so different from what I’ve seen in predictions. Did anyone get more than a couple? I predicted 2.
Books I’m interested in: š²š¾ The house of doors by Tan Twan Eng š³š¬ A spell of good things by Ayį»ĢbaĢmi AdeĢbaĢyį»Ģ š¬š§ In ascension by Martin MacInnes š¬š§ All the little bird-hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
The house of doors and A spell of good things were on my prediction which was based on books that sparked my interest so no surprise there. In ascension I’ve seen around many times but I keep forgetting what it is about or confusing it with another book, reading the summary again it had me at sci fi and ocean depths. All the little-bird hearts caught my interest because of its focus on neurodivergent motherhood and I’m even more enthusiastic after finding out more about the author.
Maybe books for me: šŗšø If I survive you by Jonathan Escoffery š®šŖ Old god’s time by Sebastian Barry
The other longlisters: š®šŖ The bee sting by Paul Murray š¬š§ Western lane by Chetna Maroo š®šŖ Prophet song by Paul Lynch š¬š§ Pearl by SiĆ¢n Hughes šŗšø This other Eden by Paul Harding š®šŖ How to build a boat by Elaine Feeney šØš¦ Study for obedience by Sarah Bernstein
From the judges’ comments I think Pearl is certain to make the shortlist and might even win.
Some statistics: 7 men / 6 women 7 countries as per boasting on Booker website – The author info is spotty at best but I think we are looking at Ireland 4, England & Scotland 4, USA 1, Canada 1, Malaysia 1, and Nigeria 1.
What have you read and what were your thoughts? What do you want to read? Is this a longlist that works for you?
Our wives under the sea was shortlisted for Lesbian Fiction for this year’s Lammys and if you like unsettling books with a purpose I highly recommend it to you. The book is told from the perspective of two women, intertwined but in different point of time. Miri shares what happens when her wife Leah finally returns after a deep-sea exploration goes wrong and the unsettling effects it has had on Leah. From Leah’s perspective we get to see what happened beneath the surface and it builds up a tension that I think pays off in a really interesting way. I found the balance of how Armfield approached the story to be exquisite, it feels nuanced and life affirming. Things are tough and dealing with change of any kind can feel otherworldly at times.
The story had me researching deep water animals, zones and learning more than I cared for. I felt a connection with Boulder by Eva Baltasar which I read recently. There was something about Boulder’s and Leah’s connection to the ocean, their distance in the relationship, that I felt were in communication with each other.
This book was close to impossible to put down and has stayed with me the weeks since reading it. The story was not what I expected it to be, it was so much better.
I’ve been browsing the 153 submitted books for this year’s Warwick Prize For Women In Translation and I think there is potential for a really good longlist.
I have read 5 of the books and I think all of them could make it to the longlist, it all depends on what the judges are after. And even if none of them make the longlist I definitely think it is books you should check out in case you are looking for translated fiction.
š³š“ Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth – A daughter obsesses over her mother as she returns home to Norway after years away. One of my favourite’s of this year and one I would have selected for the International Booker shortlist. I would be really happy if it makes it onto another longlist because then more readers can discover Hjorth which is an author that always captivates me.
šøšŖ A system so magnificent it is blinding by Amanda Svensson – Thriplets spread out over the world, all of them struggling in their own way and about to face a secret hidden since the day they were born. It was an interesting read, it was not on my shortlist for International Booker, although I liked it better than some that did make it. Being a fan of new books on shortlist I do not wish for it to make it to the Warwick longlist but I also wouldn’t object.
šŖšø Boulder by Eva Baltasar – Boulder follows her love Samsa to Reykjavik, where Samsa decides she wants to have a child, about lust, sense of self and motherhood. Short but has a lot to say and I can see why it made the International Booker shortlist. I found it both enchanting and distant, it stood out with its richer language.
šÆšµ Scattered all over the earth by Yoko Tawada – In a world forever changed by climate disaster people’s language and place in the world has changed forever. I read this one to get a feel for Ursula K. Le Guin Prize last year and it did not disappoint, but it also had some things that annoyed me and that I struggled to let go of (silly because it is after all fiction). I think there are a lot of worthwhile themes explored and would not be surprised if it is included on the longlist.
This is my prediction list and it is very much a “oh this sounds interesting and I would read this first if I was a judge” list rather than an attempt to predict what the judges will select for longlist.
Just like International Booker has mostly western Europe on their list, Booker will have mostly UK, Ireland or USA on theirs. So my list below will definitley not happen. But I hope a few will make it, I feel especially strongly about Hungry Ghosts and The Covenant Of Water.
š¹š¹ Hungry ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein šŗšø Chain-gang All-stars by Nana Kwame Adeji-Brenyah šØš¦ A history of burning by Janika Oza š§š¦ šŗšø The world and all that it holds by Aleksandar Hemon š²š¾ The house of doors by Tan Twan Eng š³šŖ A spell of good things by Ayį»ĢbaĢmi AdeĢbaĢyį»Ģ šŗšø Biography of X by Catherine Lacey š®š³ One small voice by Santanu Bhattacharya š®š³ šŖš¹ šŗšø The covenant of water by Abraham Verghese š¦šŗ The sun walks down by Fiona McFarlane š¬š§ Losing the plot by Derek Uwusu šµš° šŗšø When we were sisters by Fatimah Asghar šŗšø š®š³ The East Indian by Brinda Charry šµš° The idle stance of the tippler pigeon by Safinah Danish Elahi
Although I’m enjoing the Booker enthusiasm I’m trying to not get swept away. Last year I read Small Things Like These, Booth and Trust. They were good but nothing spectacular for me.
I bought After Sappho, The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida, Nightcrawling and Glory – books I believe I would like more. But as buying and reading are two separate hobbies of mine, these remain unread.
ā¦
Emilie, seriously, do not buy more Booker books.
ā¦
But these 4 do look pretty tempting. What if I read them in July and find that I really like them. Maybe I should only read the books that are my type of books. And then buy the rest if I finish them all.
Yes. We have entered full bargaining with oneself about book budget stage.
I do not get excited by yet another pretty reel from a literary award – but seeing a fellow reader contemplate predictions, buying, which books you love the most – it gets me every time.
Have you read any of these? Which is your favourite to make the longlist?
PS. And yes, there are 14 books on my list. I can do whatever I want.
Iām having difficulty focusing on reading at the moment. Work is taking up too much space and Iām often exhausted when Iām not working. This whole concept of āwork-life balanceā is just infuriating at the moment. If I never saw another forced positivity self-help post again I would be happy.
Despite all of that I managed to finish Is mother dead at a decent pace for me. I actually ended up putting all of the other books on pause as this book caught my interest from the first page with only two sentences. Words that held so much nuance, shadows of a deep sea of emotions and family history.
“She would have contacted me if mother died. She is obligated to?”
This is my own translation of the Swedish quote, the English edition is worded in another way but I liked the use of obligation. A promised hint of the following 354 pages which are intense as we sit in the mind of Johanna, a Norwegian artist who has just returned home and is occupied by past memories and the lack of relationship with her mother and sister. The book is disorienting and all-consuming. Like stepping into a mind that, like many of us, is just a constant stream of thoughts going over and over itself. I thought a lot about translation while reading – how it can be an actual translation from one language to another, but that we also interpret and translate each interaction for ourself, only it is less obvious. What is truth really? It is fascinating, sometimes you can discern who is at fault, and other times things just are.
What does it mean to be a parent? When are you allowed to be a parent? How heavily does it impact you when you have had parents that speak their love to you clearly and with their entire being – and what does it mean when that is not the case? How do you know if you are loved?
This is an intense, violent, obsessive reflection over motherhood.
I watched the shortlist announcement during my lunch break on YouTube (or BookTube it you partake in the bookish goodness) and there were some intense feelings in that live chat š¼ Really very exciting but Iām disappointed there was no cake š I think we deserved it!Ā
Anyways – I think Iām probably one of the happier readers after the announcement. I got 4 out of 6 predictions which I think is the best I have ever done. As @anniesmanybooks on Bookstagram said – I made a bold prediction, apparently the judges did too and now people are angry š Plus I would like credit for getting the more unusual predictions right – Iām a very humble person.
Iām lucky enough to own all 6 shortlisters which makes me very excited about the photo and the shortlist reading ahead of us! Iāve read exactly zero of them. Now I want to hear all about your enthusiasm and rants. Which book was snubbed? Which book doesnāt belong? Do you already have a winner prediction? Tell me everything! Here are my thoughts to get you started.
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov š§š¬Ā
Tr. Angela Rodel
One of my current reads and Iām on page 62. It is a type of book that pushes me away by seeming very smart and I wouldnāt be reading it if not for the prize. So far I think I could end up loving it or not really connecting to it. Readers whom I consider very clever seem to love it so in the end I think it will be a positive reading experience. The fantasy and time travel aspects fascinates me. I would appreciate it if it is a fantasy book in the same way as Piranesi is. Also my love for these themes in the book tells me I really need to get back to my comfort genre fantasy.Ā
Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan š°š·Ā
Tr. Chi Young-Kim
Reading the first 10 pages I really liked the character of Chunhui and the potential opened up for the rest of the book. I think the attitude and the body of the character is something I will connect with deeply. I really enjoyed the writing and had to debate with myself about including it on the shortlist prediction – it was my runner up.
But – there was a lot of focus on the weight of the character and a set number used to convey contempt and it turned me off. Typically an author that opens like that canāt pull it off into a positive message and I believe Iām in for some anti-fat bullshit. There might be a powerful message behind the characterās development but bringing a fat positive light to it will most likely not be part of it.
Standing heavy by GauZā šØš®
Tr. Frank Wynne
Wow! Iām so happy for the author. I really liked the sample I read and I thought it was starting several topics and viewpoints on racism, colonialism, sexism and more from page 1. Yet people have seemed to not count it as having a chance of the shortlist. Maybe it is a case of ādeceptively simpleā which I think Slimani mentioned in the announcement. I personally prefer the books that do not do the heavy lifting for you and explaining each nuance in detail – let my mind go off in all the directions because you add a word or a sentence that connects with a larger issue. Of course it means that I will miss some things but that is OK – I will learn and grow and catch more for each time I read a book. Iām very much looking forward to reading this one!
Boulder by Eva Baltasar šŖšøĀ
Tr. Julia Sanches
This has been a favourite of mine from the beginning. The sample gives me a feeling of a much more poetic and contemplative story than the rest. It feels like it will tell a story by bringing you into the mindset of the character Boulder – whereas Is mother dead told its story through obsessive intensity this feels more laid back, harder to catch. That part of the story will be told through what isnāt shared directly. Iām really excited for this one! Maybe Iāll read it in the weekend to get a jump start on the shortlist.
Well, we can call off our riot plans because our favourite made it! I think Still Born is the book Iāve seen on the most predictions so it is no surprise it made the shortlist. I felt the prize runners knew this which was why Still Born was presented last. For a few seconds I thought it would miss out! This book has been my favourite every since I made the longlist prediction and now Iām terrified of reading it. What if it doesnāt live up to the hype? But it really seems like my type of book so Iām scared but hopeful.
The books that didn’t make it
The Nordic books didnāt make it!!! I really thought one of them would make it! But maybe Iām biased and got too convinced by the positive reviews from around the world. It is OK – Iām happy to see more parts of the world represented and making it to the longlist is enough to get more well-deserved readers.
Iām missing some reader favourites on here that I was sure was going to make it: While we were dreaming and The birthday party. Especially the latter seems to be well-received so Iām surprised it wasnāt on the shortlist, even though it wasnāt on my prediction. I just assumed I would be more wrong.
I really thought Jimi Hendrix live n Lviv would make it because of the constellation of the judges where I think two are focused on Eastern Europe. But I was clearly wrong – maybe they had to pick between Time Shelter and Jimi Hendrix? Is that how they do things in the judging panel? Iām not sure – Iām guessing it is different each year depending on the dynamics. Maybe I should try and see if I can figure out a way that they have reasoned their way to the shortlist.
Iām not that surprised that Pyre and Ninth Building missed out – I havenāt seen strong feelings either way for them which I guess takes away the fun in shortlisting them. But I have a good impression of both from the sample reading and will definitely read them even if they didnāt make the shortlist.
How does everyone get their reaction posts up immediately after the announcement!?!? I could not even watch it and saw the posts only hours later. What is happeningā¦ does not everyone else obsess about their reactions and struggle for hours to get a post together?
My first reaction to the longlist was shocked. Out of the 40ish titles I was looking forward to seeing on the longlist only a handful made it.
Now Iām going to moan a little and if you are not here for it then you have been warned. Most literary prizes have issues and most of them I leave behind. International Booker is one of my favourites and so I stick with it but I also want them to be even better. Looking at them critically helps me look at my own reading choices critically and in todayās society going beyond the mainstream requires active work. Enough of the apologies and back to the longlist and my at-a-first-glance-reactionā¦
The few I recognise were not books Iām naturally drawn to. Iām not thrilled by the dominance of men on this yearās longlist as I read few stories from cis het men, simply because they generally do not write for people like me. I miss the numerous openly queer representations that we got last year. This is once again a Europe heavy longlist and we only get one book from Africa, which is just massively disappointing. It feels like a switch of approach compared to last year and I loved last yearās longlist. I think I needed a great longlist to make my heart sing yesterday and this was not it.
However, Iām still (perhaps stupidly) committed to my International Booker love and assume that the judges will have picked books that in the end turn out to be awesome. Iām probably going to try and read the entire longlist but there is no way I will be able to make it ahead of the winner announcement as I have read 4 books in total this year. The longlist lands on over 4000 pages and on average each book passes 300 pages, so yeah.
I own 1 book (Still Born), can get 4 of them from the library (A systemā¦, Is mother dead, Time shelter, The gospelā¦), I have ordered 3 books (Pyre, The birthday party, Whale) from my favourite independent bookshop and am looking at how to purchase the others. Say it with me: buying and reading books are not the same hobby.
I will be reading Swedish translations where available – I know I miss out on the translator into English but there is a limit to how much money anyone can spend these days. Plus, I do not have second thoughts about supporting Swedenās comparatively vibrant culture of reading translated fiction.
Now to the actual books! Having processed all of the above I’m starting to get excited about the longlist and finding the ones that I want to see on the shortlist.
šØš³ Ninth building by Zou Jingzhi (tr. Jeremy Tiang) – cautiously optimistic. I think this one could go either way from me, I do not get enough information from the summary to really understand what Iām getting into.
šøšŖ A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding by Amanda Svensson (tr. Nichola Smalley) – The English summary doesnāt work for me but the Swedish one that gave away much more detail has potential. Iām also kind of confused as I do not remember hearing about this book at all whereas much more successful Swedish books didnāt make it to the longlist. Fellow Swedes – have I missed it or are you also a bit surprised?
š²š½ Still born by Guadalupe Nettel (tr. Rosalind Harvey) – Yesss!!! My favourite made it! The one book that I felt I would scream if it didnāt make it is on the longlist. Look forward to reading it after getting the book this weekend!
š®š³ Pyre by Perumal Murugan (tr. Aniruddhan Vasudevan) – Was this on the eligible list on Goodreads? I donāt remember reading about it but I love the sound of it!!! This one is giving me that excitement that I was looking for. There is no surprise that a book labelled dark on StoryGraph will capture my interest.
š«š· The birthday party by Laurent Mauvignier (tr. Daniel Levin Becker) – I wouldnāt go for it myself but Iām hopeful about the sinister vibes.
šŗš¦ Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv by Andrey Kurkov (tr. Reuben Woolley) – It did cross my mind that due to one of the judges Ukraine would be represented somehow, not unfairly but because someone could argue well for an author, story and translation. Iām happy to see Kurkov represented and now many who enjoy several of the author’s books!
š³š“ Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth (tr. Charlotte Barslund) – I loved If Only! I think we are in for another blistering story and I will be reading it in Swedish.
š§š¬ Time shelter by Georgi Gospodinov (tr. Angela Rodel) – One that I expected and am already waiting for at the library. It just had that air about it. Time shelter is also longlisted for Dublin in case anyone wants to cover 2 prompts with 1 book.
š°š· Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan (tr. ) – I liked the sound of it but did not think it would make it to the longlist because it sounded too not longlisty. Interesting choice and Iām happy to see it!Ā
šŖšø Boulder by Eva Baltasar (tr. ) – Queer rep and motherhood – love it! Wish I had already bought it and read it!
What are your thoughts on the longlist? The most common one I’ve seen is surprised. Tell me what you are thinking!
PS: I run a reading challenge called Literary Fifteen that is meant to sample literary prizes – you only have to read one book per literary prize. I have selected 14 prizes for 2023 and you get one award of your choice. I’ll talk more about it another time or you can head over to Instagram or StoryGraph for more details.
Emilie's Bookish Thoughts 