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#booksthatwinprizes
blurb
JillR
Great Circle | Maggie Shipstead
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The above are my very favourite reads this year. Highlights✨accepting I can read and love Bridgerton as much as I want✨yet still finishing and loving the Women‘s Prize for Fiction shortlist - a huge achievement for this girl who has always been afraid of #booksthatwinprizes✨being part of my first book group; this year‘s choices have brought vampires, Japanese work culture, time travel, flesh-eating and more, and I‘m all for it!✨Happy New Year✨

TrishB A great picture 👍🏻 the books match wonderfully and great choices. 1y
JillR @trishb the photo is very pleasing but I promise I picked the books based on my true favourites and not the aesthetics 😆😉. Happy New Year! 🥂 1y
squirrelbrain Love this picture and your summary! I‘ve read all of these (some this year, some last year) and really liked all of them. (edited) 1y
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JillR @squirrelbrain thank you! Loved all of these obviously, although there were also lots of average reads this year. Excited about new books to come in 2023 as I‘m impatiently awaiting lots of new paperback releases! Happy New Year 😊 1y
Cathythoughts I‘ve read three of your lovely stack. Happy New Year Jill 🥳 1y
JillR Happy New Year @cathythoughts x 1y
36 likes6 comments
review
JillR
Burnt Sugar | Avni Doshi
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Mehso-so

So disappointed that I didn‘t enjoy this after having been intrigued by an interview with the author. I found the writing impenetrable and it brought back all my fears of #booksthatwinprizes! That said it was really good to discuss it in our book group; so interesting to get other takes on the same book which really makes me think beyond my initial “I don‘t like it” reaction - half of us enjoyed it, the other half disliked!

TrishB Great hashtag! I have that too 😁 3y
JillR @trishb with the odd exception I‘m finding Booker Prize nominees in particular tend not to be for me! (edited) 3y
JamieArc I always get excited to read Booker nominees (like this one) and almost always have a harder time getting through them. I‘m always pleasantly surprised when I actually really enjoy them 😂 3y
JillR @jamiearc recently I‘ve tended to avoid Booker nominees as I‘ve struggled with so many, that said I‘m now reading Shuggie Bain and it‘s really good! 3y
37 likes4 comments
review
JillR
Oryx and Crake | Margaret Atwood
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Pickpick

I was brave and tackled #authorswhoscareme and #booksthatwinprizes (or are nominated...) with this and I‘m glad I did; I enjoyed the writing and to an extent the story. I liked the flashbacks, and how the events that led to the dystopian future we find Snowman in are explored, but I‘m not sure this stands out over other dystopian fiction I‘ve read. That said it was just getting going when it ended. So am I invested enough to read the next two?!

Heatherfeather What's interesting about this book is how long ago it was published. I feel like a lot of dystopian literature since then was influenced by it. 5y
Cathythoughts Nice review ♥️👍🏻Well done 5y
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
JillR
Tin Man | Sarah Winman
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I‘m currently slogging through Bring up the Bodies (@cathythoughts) and there‘s no way I‘ll finish by Monday, so here is my #18in2018. I‘ve had such a good reading year, mainly thanks to Litsy. I‘ve tried new authors, some authors I‘d been scared of and a few of those #booksthatwinprizes that I‘ve always avoided. My top five are tagged below. Can‘t wait for 2019!

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BarbaraBB Great list. Tin Man was one of my 2017 favorites. 5y
Cathythoughts I‘ll be interested to hear your thoughts on Bring Up the Bodies. You are very brave 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 very very brave 😉♥️ 5y
Cathythoughts I‘m screenshotting your list ♥️👍🏻 5y
JillR @BarbaraBB it was so good 😍 5y
JillR @cathythoughts so far it‘s much more accessible than Wolf Hall, but I can‘t say I‘m racing through it. Watch this space... 5y
TrishB Great list 👍🏻 5y
TrishB I love the Hilary Mantell books - but they‘re not to everyone‘s taste! 5y
Cinfhen Love seeing your picks💕 5y
Kalalalatja Tin Man ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
rmaclean4 @Kalalalatja agreed! One of my top reads of 2017. 5y
JillR Love seeing some love for Tin Man @Kalalalatja @rmaclean4 ! 5y
KarenUK So much love for Tin Man 💕💕💕💕 5y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego I loved the epistolary form in which this book was written. Great choice. 5y
71 likes18 comments
review
JillR
Life of Pi | Yann Martel
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Pickpick

I unexpectedly loved this book; I loved Pi and I loved Richard Parker. I know I didn‘t take from it the deeper meaning the author no doubt intended; I admit the first and last sections lost me somewhat. It is for reasons like that that I am still scared of #booksthatwinprizes. However I loved this book simply because I loved the story of the boy and the tiger, whatever the deeper meaning might be 🐅

BarbaraBB I loved this one too - unexpectedly. And I loved the twist in the end. I didn‘t know what to think of that 💕 5y
JillR @barbarabb I have no idea what that was all about so I‘ve decided not to try and figure it out 🙈 haha 5y
50 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
JillR
The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry
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Pickpick

This was lovely, I really enjoyed it, despite it being one of those #booksthatwinprizes 🤭. Underpinned by a remote village‘s fear of a mysterious sea serpent, this is really a love story; both of love found and love unrequited. Beautifully written and gently told it encompasses an English village, Victorian London, medicine, poor housing, fossils and friendship; with a cast of quirky characters I loved. Recommended 🐍

readordierachel I loved this one too! Excited to read her next one 6y
JillR Ooooooo @ReadOrDieRachel I didn‘t know she had another coming out! 6y
JillR And I‘ve just checked it out and it sounds great! 6y
46 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
JillR
Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel
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I love historical fiction and I love the Tudor-era and its been bothering me that I‘ve never finished Wolf Hall. Possibly because I‘m frightened of #booksthatwinprizes 🙈. Anyway, despite the fact it weighs my bag down like a brick on the commute, I‘m diving in!

Cathythoughts Sounds good 👍🏻might pick this up for my coming hollidays 6y
TrishB I don‘t really go Tudor stuff - but loved these 👍🏻 6y
Bookgirl I bought this two years ago but have not started it. I‘m intimidated. 6y
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled It‘s challenging, but worth the read. Enjoy! 6y
JillR Thanks @TrishB @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled - it‘s a #chunkster so I may be some time! 6y
JillR @bookgirl that‘s how I feel for some reason, watch out for my review (give me time though, it‘s a #chunkster haha), let me know what you think if you go for it @Cathythoughts! 👍 6y
MayJasper I am starting this today 😊 6y
Cathythoughts Yes I‘m giving it a go ... I almost abandoned it last night ( I‘m one -fourth into it now ) as I was finding it hard going. But I woke up this morning & am reading on ... I really like it. But some sentences I have to reread... this could take a while.. but I‘m on holls so I hope to make some progress. Some beautiful writing I think. How are you getting on with it ?! 6y
JillR @cathythoughts -very similar for me too! I‘ve got about this far before & given up as it wasn‘t keeping my interest & there is soooo much more to go! I‘m hoping if I persevere a bit longer I might break through the barrier haha. I‘m hoping I‘ll get some longer reading spells this week which might help... 6y
Cathythoughts @JillR I hope we break through those barriers !!! Because it‘s soo good ... chat along the way 👍🏻🤞🏻📕 6y
JillR @cathythoughts the motivation helps! 6y
JillR @Cathythoughts help! I‘m only on page 230 and really struggling... trying my hardest to keep going but it‘s just sooooo long! How about you? 6y
Cathythoughts I‘m half-way ! But it‘s an uphill climb - I nearly give up & then some beautiful writing pulls me back in. Im a ruthless enough bailer .... but I‘m going to see it through ... I am taking a quick break to read the buddy Stepford Wives read with @Cinfhen .... but I will be straight back to it. It‘s interesting, because I can‘t even explain why I‘m not bailing .. I do find it exhausting though , the concentration ! Who‘s who !! ?! Stepford 👇🏻 6y
Cathythoughts 👇🏻Stepford is a quick read ( 100 pages ) maybe I need the break. There is something about Wolf Hall that just won‘t let me bail .... we can go it !! I‘m told ( I believe) it will be worth it 👍🏻Xxxx 6y
JillR @cathythoughts I‘m refusing to bail too as I‘ve bailed on it twice before 🙈 but it‘s hard work... helps to know it‘s not just me. I feel like I need a good few hours solid reading to break the back of it but keep “allowing” myself to be distracted haha 6y
Cathythoughts Yes @CarolynM suggested making a good stab at it ... not just an hour here or there ... I‘m hoping for a full day of reading it on Sunday ... and see what happens then. ( I‘m a slow reader at the best of times. But this book beats all !!! 🙄 (edited) 6y
JillR @cathythoughts I‘ll admit to getting impatient as to how long this might take me - I keep looking wistfully at my TBR pile... Bookish problems haha x 6y
JillR I broke the halfway barrier @cathythoughts 😅, feeling a little more positive now - I can do it! Also enjoyed it a little more too 🤞 6y
Cathythoughts Oh that is so good to hear ! Great ! I was thinking of you as I nearly bailed last night ... well , not quite .. but. Ok great 👍🏻 I‘m thinking it can‘t take more than another week ???! Well done - you‘ve given me new spirit 6y
JillR @Cathythoughts I‘m going to work really hard at it to finish this week - too much other good stuff waiting to be read! In fact I‘m on the train right now and shall put my phone away and dive back in (it has to earn its keep if I keep lugging it to and from work like a brick in my bag haha) :) 6y
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