Reading through this year's Booker Longlist

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I wanted for many years to be able to read through the full longlist before they announce shortlist and later a winner.

I managed to start listening to Deborah Levy (UK) - Hot Milk (Hamish Hamilton) which I got on Audible night before it got announced on a recommendation from Guardian. So far so good!

I also found 2 more on Audible and bought them as well:
Elizabeth Strout (US) - My Name Is Lucy Barton (Viking)
Madeleine Thien (Canada) - Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Granta Books)

Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK) - His Bloody Project (Contraband) - I got for £1.99 today on Kindle!

The rest of them are pricier so will see if my library has any before spending any money:
Paul Beatty (US) - The Sellout (Oneworld)
J.M. Coetzee (South African-Australian) - The Schooldays of Jesus (Harvill Secker)
A.L. Kennedy (UK) - Serious Sweet (Jonathan Cape)
Ian McGuire (UK) - The North Water (Scribner UK)
David Means (US) - Hystopia (Faber & Faber)
Wyl Menmuir (UK) - The Many (Salt)
Ottessa Moshfegh (US) - Eileen (Jonathan Cape)
Virginia Reeves (US) - Work Like Any Other (Scribner UK)
David Szalay (Canada-UK) - All That Man Is (Jonathan Cape)

Have now read The Many and Eileen but still finding this year's contenders a bit disappointing.

The Many was interesting in a weird way and Eileen was a meticulous depiction of a unlovable character (IMHO of course). Have downloaded Work like any Other onto the Kindle but just renewed my library card as the books are expensive and I've not really liked any so far.

If anyone is interested, I do a Booker readathon each year and write fuller reviews on my blog

I finished Eileen today and will be starting The North Water next. The Schooldays of Jesus is waiting for me to pick up at the library too, trying to read all the long list is certainly keeping me busy. Do Not Say We Have Nothing and The Sellout aren't on the library system so I'll have to buy those, I'm keeping an eye on the kindle prices!

Just finished Work Like Any Other which is the first Booker contender I can honestly say that I really enjoyed reading. Still not sure what it's doing on the list, but it was a good read.

Hot Milk from the library is up next ...

Just finished Hot Milk which although it was very different to my previous book, was another that I found a good read.

In brief, the story of a suffocating mother-daughter relationship transferred to southern Spain where the mother received medical treatment whilst the daughter is encouraged to find herself, by everyone except her parents. Beautifully written examination of relationships. The best so far, but still hoping for a 4 or 5 star read.

Book 53: Hot Milk by Deborah Levy. Beautifully written examination of relationships. In particular and in very fine detail that of the mother & daugher (Rose & Sofia), with an amusingly sharp visit to the father & daugher relationship. The primary relationship though is that of the daugher with herself and her life. Her relationship with her mother is suffocating and which Levy's expresses through her depiction of southern Spain where the story is based. Best Booker candidate so far, but still not a 4 or 5 out of 5.

Oops, that last post was meant for the 50 books thread

Can I join? I am reading them anyway and didn't know there was a group effort on the go .

I was disappointed in Schooldays - I am a massive fan of Coetzee, but this (like Childhood of Jesus) is just too pared-back and self-reflective for my liking. I think it's his move to Australia what done it.

Serious Sweet - not great so far. I actually bought this because I live near to where it's set and thought I'd get a kick out of reading about somewhere I know so well, but the vaguely Joycean approach is a bit wearing. About halfway now. (Not sure if it's OK to add this, but if anyone would like this book after I'm done with it I'm happy to post it.)

I've just finished His Bloody Project, and loved it. I am Scottish, so the language and the setting was familiar to me from secondary school history. I think I'll choose it for my next book group book, as there's a lot to think about. I'm going to start Eileen next

So we have the short list.

The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh
All That Man Is by David Szalay
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

I finished Eileen and Hot Milk so far from this list.
Off to finish His Bloody Project I got on Kindle

I've read two from the shortlist so far: Eileen and His Bloody Project. I've got Hot Milk and Hystopia waiting for me to pick up at the library later on, having most recently read The North Water (liked this a lot, very dark) and Schooldays of Jesus (not really impressed, it may have been s bit too clever for me: not sure I understood the allegory), so that's 5 of the long list so far.

I loved The North Water, this is the type of book which turns into film in my head when I read it. I couldn't put it down.

Just finished Do Not Say We Have Nothing, so that's 7th long-lister and 4th short-lister. It's also the one I liked the best, so far. My kind of book, my idea of a Booker. Big (but not too big), family history wrapped up in new (to me) culture and history. Beautiful writing, showing not telling throughout and characters who you really cared about. Recommended.

Next 3 on the pile haven't made it to the short-list but, as I'm trying to read the whole long-list, I'm onto My Name is Lucy Barton next, following by The Schooldays of Jesus and The North Water.

Just jumping on so I can follow. Hello everyone.

Really enjoyed His Bloody Project. The only other one I fancy is The North Water but I'll wait until it comes down in price again.

I've read two more ...

My Name is Lucy Barton which is a masterpiece of subtlety and understatement. It's a short book but so much is alluded to, suggested and there between the lines. Beautiful!

The Schooldays of Jesus is a follow-on to the Childhood of ... which I haven't read (and am unlikely to bother with). Not that I disliked it, but there was too much allegorical stuff for me. Beautifully written though.

Has anyone else made it to the end? I've given up, with four books still unread (two from shortlist, two only longlisted). But I just cannot continue. I have soooo not enjoyed this year's selections, I think I'm done with Bookers now for quite a while ...

I only attempted the short-list. So far have read:

Do Not Say We Have Nothing, well described upthread by Joyless. I very much liked this; my favourite out of the four I've read so far.

His Bloody Project which I also really enjoyed, partly because I've stayed with friends in Applecross and it was interesting to see the place portrayed all those years ago; I also thought the author captured the rhythm of Scottish speech really subtly and well. Unanswered questions normally irritate me in a novel but not in this case. An original bit of writing IMO.

Hot Milk was well-written but the subject-matter didn't appeal to me, and I'd say the same about Eileen which I've nearly finished .. again the character is well portrayed but the story is unrelentingly grim.

Two more to go ...