Litsy

The Ministry of Time: A Novel | Kaliane Bradley

so-so

Book 8 #wpf25

I didn‘t expect to love this, after all the comments by Littens I respect, when it made the WP #longlist.

I actually didn‘t mind the first half but then it grew just a bit silly and repetitive, around the introduction of the ‘strange machine‘.

I found I didn‘t care for any of the characters and just wanted it to finish. #listcompletist 🙄

ChaoticMissAdventures I agree. I was shocked to see it in the list, having already read it and felt meh about it 1d

TrishB No reviews have made me want to read this! I‘m reassured by yours that I still don‘t want to read it. 1d

julesG @TrishB you're definitely not missing out. 1d

BarbaraBB I decided to skip this one as well 20h

63 likes4 comments

Graywacke

Headshot: A Novel | Rita Bullwinkel

pick

#booker #booker2024 #longlist

My last longlist book. This is an interesting narrative style, a series of snapshots from each fighter‘s past, future, and rather violent present. The 8 girls fighting for the u-18 boxing championship in-front of 12 fans in a neglected arena. But the narrative is doing a lot more than just following our neglected lady gladiators.

My full longlist summary will go in the comments.

Graywacke Some thoughts: 2024 was not my favorite Booker list. Four terrific books. And three others that I found rewarding reading. But that leaves six of thirteen that didn't really work for me. Seems like a lot. What was unique this year is that last September I joined the Booker Prize Book Club on Facebook and got really involved. So I had a different and much higher level of excitement around the list than ever before. That was rewarding. 3mo

Graywacke Here's my breakdown, a personal list

My top two:
- Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
- James by Percival Everett

Other books I really took to and that are really well done:
- Orbital by Samantha Harvey
- Held by Anne Michaels

The book that was just too cautious to be great
-My Friends by Hisham Matar

The imperfect but with terrific elements
-Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
-Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel 3mo

Graywacke The interesting ones that didn't quite work for me
-Playground by Richard Powers
-Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

The book that never quite took off and overcame itself
-This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud

The ones that I didn't like (although I can talk about some of their strengths)
-The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
-Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
-Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange 3mo

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Graywacke I enjoyed my reading of the list with other Booker peeps here: @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @AnnaCecilie @JenP @TheKidUpstairs @charl08 @BookishTrish @Suet624 3mo

BkClubCare Just wanted to say…. Cool post. I am not a Booker follower other than being interested in which book wins. So with all the overlap of lists I *do* follow, I like to see other opinions. I appreciated Safekeep but didn‘t enjoy it; will look for the Charlotte Wood (the only one I don‘t recognize). 🌟 3mo

Suet624 I never think that facebook is consistent enough to include me in a reading group. I‘m glad you got a lot out of it. I primarily agree with how you‘ve rated the books, but I liked My Friends more than you apparently. It‘s true that Booker was a bit disappointing this year. 3mo

BarbaraBB Very interesting post! It‘s been great following your progression. Overall I was a bit more positive about the list although I haven‘t read all of them. I am looking forward to Playground and will skip Creation Lake. 3mo

squirrelbrain I love the way you rated the books, although I disagree with some of them. ☺️ Actually, only one - The Safekeep. I‘ve enjoyed seeing all of your reviews and opinions. 3mo

Graywacke @BkClubCare thanks. I have found the Booker winner often less interesting than the Booker longlist over all. But that‘s 13 books instead of one. SYD is terrific. 3mo

Graywacke @BarbaraBB thanks. Creation Lake has its fans. Playground is much more universal, though 3mo

Graywacke @Suet624 That FB group is the only thing l like on fb. ☺️ I joined last year and found it unexpectedly kind and encouraging. 3mo

Graywacke @squirrelbrain i‘m probably too hard on The Safekeep. It‘s not the 🍐 🍐 so much as the clean wrap-up that left me feeling down on it. Thanks. I enjoyed all your posts too! 3mo

Leniverse We have the same two favourites! After that I would put My Friends and Orbital. I still have three that I haven't read though, but I doubt they would make the top of my list. 3mo

47 likes13 comments

Graywacke

Headshot: A Novel | Rita Bullwinkel

Starting my last from the #Booker2024 #longlist. This is my first book after drowning in Faulkner‘s Absalom, Absalom! for 20 hours at 4-minutes a page. So, this one is so far crazy fast and clear

Suet624 It's always fun to read a fast book after slogging through your last one.
4mo

BkClubCare My next audiobook! 4mo

BarbaraBB And what did you think of the Faulkner? I still have it on my shelves but 4 minutes a page doesn‘t sound encouraging! 4mo

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BarbaraBB Also I read your comment on LT, thanks! 4mo

Graywacke @Suet624 it helps! 🙂 3mo

Graywacke @BkClubCare cool. I hope we both enjoy. (I loved the 1st fight) 3mo

Graywacke @BarbaraBB that was the hardest Faulkner i have read, by far. It‘s important and interesting. It‘s just difficult to follow the five-page paragraph you might currently be reading. 3mo

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Graywacke

Wild Houses: A Novel | Colin Barrett

pick

My 12th from the #Booker #longlist. One more to go.

A sensitive thriller? A low-level violent drug-deal abduction, that becomes very interested in the sensitive nature of its characters. The pacing is careful but controlled. When we want it to move on, it holds its course. Be patient dear reader. I enjoyed it.

#Booker2024

Graywacke @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @AnnaCecilie @JenP @TheKidUpstairs @charl08 @BookishTrish @Suet624 4mo

Suet624 I liked this one too. Great review. 😊 4mo

Graywacke @Suet624 thanks 🙂 4mo

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Cathythoughts Great review. I enjoyed it too. 4mo

Leniverse I've waited so long for this to be available from the library, I was starting to lose interest. But I guess I'll keep my hold after all. 4mo

Graywacke @Leniverse you won‘t regret meeting Dev, Doll and Nicky 4mo

57 likes6 comments

Graywacke

Wild Houses: A Novel | Colin Barrett

See, collar off. 🐕

Starting my 12th from the Booker longlist.
#booker #booker2024 #longlist

Leftcoastzen 👏🐶 4mo

dabbe And more beautiful than ever! 🖤🐾🖤 4mo

55 likes2 comments

Graywacke

Playground | Richard Powers

pick

My pup is out of this lion costume collar now. Surgery went well, recovering largely done.

Powers is an author determined to make quality fiction out of pertinent science. Here he tosses us a red herring, when a social media leader, author of AI-based Playground, suffering from a disease that affects his mind, looks at the oceans. I was waiting for the environmental hammer, but his focus is different. Thought-provoking. Not subtle.

Graywacke @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @AnnaCecilie @JenP @TheKidUpstairs @charl08 @BookishTrish @Suet624

#booker #booker2024 #longlist 4mo

Ddzmini I saw this book at the book fair and almost bought it now I‘ll have to get it 🤗📚 4mo

AllDebooks Beautiful pup 😍 4mo

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Ruthiella ❤️🐶❤️🐶❤️ 4mo

DogMomIrene Glad your pup is healing. Those soft collars are such a great alternative to the cone. 4mo

AlaMich I‘ve never seen a collar like that! It‘s adorable! However, my pencil-neck greyhound would probably be able to worm his way out of it. 4mo

Leftcoastzen Awww , cute !🐶 4mo

squirrelbrain Aw, such a cute collar - glad pup is feeling better. As for the book, I enjoyed it but also felt it was rather heavy-handed in places. 4mo

ShelleyBooksie What a cutie! So glad that surgery went well and that recovery is going well ♡♡♡ 4mo

dabbe Such a beauty! So glad surgery went well and that she's healing! 🖤🐾🖤 4mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks @Ruthiella @DogMomIrene @Leftcoastzen @squirrelbrain @ShelleyBooksie @dabbe she says thanks to each of you. And she wants you to that she‘s much better looking without the pillow. Her words. 🐕 4mo

Graywacke @Ddzmini hope you can get a copy of 4mo

Graywacke @DogMomIrene @AlaMich that pillow collar was a huge hit it doesn‘t get in the way of her eating or getting up on couches. It‘s clearly much more comfortable. And she like to use it as a pillow 🙂 They come in different sizes 4mo

Graywacke @squirrelbrain yeah, heavy handed 😇 4mo

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Graywacke

Playground | Richard Powers

Another book i started last week. Slowly making way through. Joy of discovery mixed with drama of the characters lives. Fun stuff so far. #booker #booker2024 #longlist

BarbaraBB Looking forward to your review and to this book! 6mo

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Graywacke

Held: A Novel | Anne Michaels

pick

What an interesting book. I‘ll have to reread this. It‘s a splintered narrative and I tried to focus on where and when and who, enjoying the romantic touches and the drifty feel, overlooking the mechanical and scientific commentary … until I saw two chapters titled “River Orwell…1984”. Then I started to look for something dark. It‘s a little buried and quiet, but pieces line up. A striking condemnation of our destructive society is built in here.

Graywacke #booker #booker2024 #longlist #shortlist 6mo

Graywacke @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @AnnaCecilie @JenP @TheKidUpstairs @charl08 @BookishTrish @Suet624 6mo

BarbaraBB Another great review. It is an exceptional Booker year don‘t you think? 6mo

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Suet624 My goodness. You‘ve made it sound quite intriguing 6mo

Graywacke @BarbaraBB thanks… but no, I don‘t think it‘s a good longlist 🙈 I feel i read several meh books and all soft or imperfect prose. But i like that my four favorites are on the shortlist - this, Held, James, and SYD. 6mo

Graywacke @Suet624 it is intriguing! 🙂 6mo

BarbaraBB @Graywacke I haven‘t read the whole longlist but I really love the shortlist except for the Kushner that I haven‘t read 6mo

Graywacke @BarbaraBB i have three on the longlist to go - Playground, Wild Houses and Headshot. I was mixed on CL 6mo

squirrelbrain I‘m going to start Playground soon too…. 6mo

Leniverse I didn't even notice the Orwell reference 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was so frustrated and bored by that point. This one just didn't work for me. 6mo

Graywacke @Leniverse what part do you think made it boring or frustrating? 6mo

Leniverse It was just too disjointed for me. The ghost thing was frustrating because it was introduced and then abandoned except for some woo woo musings by later characters. Because we jumped around so much I had trouble working out how some of the characters were connected, and I didn't feel invested enough to put effort into it. ⤵️ 6mo

Leniverse I get that the whole thing was snapshots from a family album, and that ties in with the photographer theme, and it's all very clever, I'm sure. I think if the book works for you, you probably get a lot from it. I can recognise that. But to me it was just paragraphs, polished to be very pretty with overblown language, and no connecting matter. 6mo

Graywacke @Leniverse Thank you for sharing. Very interesting. i‘m still pondering the ghost thing. My thought at the time was that it‘s kind of silly. Or that his assistant was doing it. But it might have a good reason to be there. I didn‘t think of the photo album relationship. I like that idea. I was thinking she was jumping around to create reader detachment (from our real world) and to create associations. 6mo

Leniverse There was a thread of mysticism and lingering ancestors throughout that made me think the ghost photos were real (but probably also allegorical in some way), and because they're highlighted in the blurb I didn't expect that whole narrative thread to be abandoned. I felt detached, alright, but from the story. After we left photographer John I only felt invested once - the story where the woman goes back to a war zone and her father & husband wait. 6mo

52 likes15 comments

Graywacke

James: A Novel | Percival Everett

pick

I found this so bold. And he pulled it off. It‘s a terrific book. Critical of Twain‘s classic, while deeply honoring it. And provoking the reader. Making us uncomfortable. Confront us with this alternate world take. It‘s a brilliant book.

#booker #booker2024 #longlist #shortlist

Graywacke @rmaclean4 @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @AnnaCecilie @JenP @TheKidUpstairs @charl08 @BookishTrish @Suet624 6mo

BkClubCare 🌟 (Have you read The Trees? ) 6mo

Graywacke @BkClubCare hi. I have. Terrific book. But, whoa. I haven‘t read anything else by him. I want to read

Erasure: A Novel

6mo

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BkClubCare @Graywacke 👍 I haven‘t yet read Erasure. Have enjoyed So Much Blue, Telephone, and Wounded. I own I am Not Sidney Portier but … it‘s here somewhere 🤷🏻‍♀️ 6mo

Graywacke @BkClubCare you‘re a definite fan! I‘ve heard a little about all of these, except Wounded. 6mo

BkClubCare @Graywacke - he seems to have wiggled his way onto the must-read list 🤷🏻‍♀️ 6mo

Graywacke @BkClubCare I‘m feeling some of that now. More so after this book, although i think most readers find The Trees more powerful. I found this one really sharp in ways I could follow. Very insightful for me. 6mo

Suet624 @Graywacke I love your review. I thought he couldn‘t write something more powerful than Trees but I was wrong. This one, like you said, is so bold. And in that it is just as powerful. 6mo

Graywacke @Suet624 thanks! Different than the trees, and less funny. But just a satirical and challenging to the readers comfort. 6mo

squirrelbrain I haven‘t read many others yet, apart from The Trees. I‘ve read Dr No, which I think you‘d like. 6mo

67 likes10 comments

Graywacke

Held: A Novel | Anne Michaels

My last left from the #shortlist - I just started this morning and I‘m have The Sound and the Fury and Tinkers vibes. But it‘s also totally different. #booker #booker2024 #longlist

CatLass007 😻 6mo

Jari-chan 😻😻😻 6mo

dabbe Those mesmerizing green eyes! 🖤🐾🖤 6mo

55 likes3 comments

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