Well, the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist dropped just over an hour ago, and it's left me with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I've already read three of the six finalists; on the other, Orbital, the book I think the least of so far, made the cut along with the Australian entry Stone Yard Devotional, a book that may or may not ever be published in the U.S. as far as I can tell. This already reminds me of last year when the Booker Prize winner, Prophet Song, was not published in this country until after it won the prize. As Yogi Berra supposedly once said, "it's deja vu all over again."
Here are the other five finalists to go along with that wonderful cover of Stone Yard Devotional:
So there are now two American authors (James and Creation Lake), one British author (Orbital), one Canadian author (Held), one Dutch author (The Safekeep), and one Australian author (Stone Yard Devotional) still in the running. Of the ones I haven't read yet, I'm seeing the most positive comments about Held, so I hope to get my hands on that one soon.
Question: now that Book Depository has closed it's doors forever, does anyone know how I might obtain a copy of the Australian entry without breaking the bank on postage...and shipping time. I don't think I can buy an e-book version in the U.S. unless the book is published here. Am I wrong (I hope) about that?
At least your favorite so far made it onto the final list of books. And it's sad that Stone Yard Devotional isn't available here in the States. Even sadder that there's no more Book Depository.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of relieved to see The Safelist on the short list, especially after hating Orbital as much as I do and seeing it there, too. lol
DeleteI have never read Rachel Kushner but I have heard good things about her novels and I must get around to reading her. I also must read last year's Booker winner Prophet Song. I've been hesitant because I heard it's a difficult read but I should give it 50 pages to see what I think.
ReplyDeleteProphet Song is a more difficult read than it probably should have been because of the humongous paragraphs that comprise each chapter. I always find it a bit difficult to maintain a steady train of thought that long and I prefer shorter paragraphs. But eventually, I fell deeply enough into the story and the characters that the long paragraphs became almost no problem at all. Maybe the audiobook version would be a more pleasant experience? I wonder.
DeleteI watch a lot of bookish Youtube vids, Sam, and the one I've seen touted the most as being good is James. I don't think you've read that one yet, have you? Or have I missed you mentioning it? I'm not normally into the Booker prize but I think I would be interested in reading that one.
ReplyDeleteJames defintely seems to be the choice of readers, Cath. Not sure what the judges have decided...or will decide...but that's definitely the most hyped one as far as I can tell. I rank it number two of the seven I've read (Wandering Stars will be finished up tomorrow for #7).
DeleteI will start with your question about Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. We have had success with Blackwell's in the UK. They ship books to the US and don't charge for delivery to the US. The hardback for Stone Yard Devotional is $19.55. My husband and I have placed several orders for books we could not get elsewhere. I don't think that they take a long time to ship.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Blackwell's shipped over here without adding some huge cost to the purchase, Tracy. Thanks for letting me know that; I'll look into it later today.
DeleteI haven't been able to spend a lot of time online, but when I saw that the Booker short list was out, I figured you had a post on it. Because I had already bought a copy of Orbital, I am happy that that book made it to the list. Also Creation Lake, because it is espionage-related. (I am reading a spy fiction book right now.) I will have to look into Held by Anne Michaels since it is Canadian.
ReplyDeleteI will really appreciate your take on Orbital because that one must have gone right over my head. Seems that opinion is split right down the middle - either high ratings or very low ratings, and not much in between.
DeleteI've read part of the sample to Creation Lake and it read a little slow to me but that was probably because the sample doesn't go far in setting the characters in my mind. I do like the plot, and the author interview I watched about it. I'm hearing good things about Held from a lot of places, so I'm looking forward to that one, too.
I'm finishing up Wandering Stars, have Good Friends in hand, and expecting Held any day now. Can't believe so many of shown up already...now I need to get hold of Blackwell's.
I think Canada's Amazon (amazon.ca) will get a copy of Stone Yard Devotional on Oct. 3. It looks like it's on order at my library ... so I'm the wait list. Isn't crazy that it's not available and up for such a big award?
ReplyDeleteSo far I'm not seeing it directly available in this country yet. I'm going to order a copy soon, but haven't gotten to it yet.
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