Hi Bookworms, I hope you’re doing well. You might wonder why I still have a winter header up above. Well we still have some snowflakes here and there so I will keep it up for a while longer. It’s been a busy week of doing taxes (ugh) and swapping out my old laptop for a new one and having things transferred over. Wow it’s been over a decade. This new one is shiny and clean, which I’ll try to maintain. The photo is from one of our walks near here, where we take the dogs up a hill and this was coming back down. The fields give me some solace.
And since it was another brutal news week, my husband and I started and finished another 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. This one called Greetings From Canada is a bit similar to the last one we did in that it spotlights the various Canadian provinces and what they’re about. It’s put out by Cobble Hill puzzle Co. for those interested. I was a bit blown away that Rachel at the blog Waves of Fiction actually found and did our last puzzle. She probably did it in her sleep as she seems a master “dissectologist” (puzzle aficionado). I had to look that word up, which seems a strange fit, don’t you think?
Lately at night we’ve been watching The White Lotus Season 3 set in Thailand. It’s pretty frivolous but all right for an escape. We finished the thriller series Prime Target starring British actor Leo Woodall as a mathematician who’s on the run from those trying to stop his work with prime numbers, which was okay. And we’ve been watching the series Pachinko, which has a dual timeline and is a pretty good drama, set in Asia during the ’30s and ’40s, and in New York in current times. I liked the 2017 book and still await Min Jin Lee’s next novel.
Meanwhile, last week after I highlighted the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, Carmen reminded me of some other big literary prizes going on that look good and have their shortlists coming out in April. For translated lit fans, there’s the International Booker, which will announce its shortlist April 8. I’m trying to read more translated foreign fiction this year, so I’m eyeing this longlist (above). I only know about the novel Hunchback by Japanese author Saou Ichikawa so far, but I will look into the other books more. Apparently several on the list are very short books, for example Hunchback is just 112 pages. So here’s our chance to sample some shorter works of translated lit.
Also similar to the Women’s Prize, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction celebrates the excellence in women authors from Canada and the U.S. and will announce its shortlist on April 3. There’s several novels I recognize on the longlist (above), including All Fours, Creation Lake, Liars, Bear, and River East, River West. I’ve only read River, East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure, which is a good coming-of-age debut set mostly in Shanghai, but I still need to check out some of the others.
Next up is the Walter Scott Prize, which honors achievements in historical fiction and has its shortlist coming out April 15. I’ve read two on the longlist (above) so far — The Safekeep and Clear, which were both quite good. I might try to get to Kevin Barry’s novel The Heart in Winter which apparently is a rip-roaring western set in Butte, Montana. I’ve been reading quite a bit of historical fiction lately, but I don’t know some of the ones listed here. Do you?
And lastly I would be remiss not to mention the Stella Prize, which celebrates Australian women writers and will announce its shortlist on April 8. I’m a newbie to this award now in its 13th year, but I like Aussie writers and look forward to trying a couple of these on the longlist. Apparently the longlist includes seven fiction, four nonfiction and one poetry collection. They mix the prize’s nominees of various formats together. Hmm … which must be tough a bit to judge. I’ve been eyeing The Burrow novel (above) with the rabbit on the cover.
So there you have it — enough book prize lists for a while. I’ll be keen to see which books make the shortlists when they come out next month. And now I’ll leave you with a review of what I finished lately.
Good Material by Dolly Alderton / Knopf / 336 pages / 2024
3.75 stars. This light-ish relationship kind of novel, which surprisingly made the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2024 list, is about a British couple that has recently broken up. Andy, a 35-year-old comedian, is having a terrible time coming to grips with why his girlfriend Jen broke up with him and especially right after they came home from a vacation in Greece. They had been together for over three and a half years and lived together, but Jen seems to have had enough of Andy and said she’d rather be alone. So poor Andy around and around he goes wallowing in the heartbreak and trying to figure it out for six months or so.
It’s put him into a sad sap frame of mind and he starts drinking during the day and his comedy career hits the skids. He’s in a bad way, obsessing about Jen. But luckily there are some light amusing moments along the way … his attempts to live on a small leaky house boat and later with an odd 78-year-old roommate who corresponds with Julian Assange, oh my. Then Andy runs into Jen on a date with a man named Seb, and he starts seeing a 20-something model-ish woman named Sophie. But can the two really move on from one another?
You have to wait to near the end to see what becomes of Jen and Andy, but the story’s narration changes hands from Andy to Jen near the end. Both characters are narrated well by actors Arthur Darvill and Vanessa Kirby for the audio, which I listened to driving back and forth from the city. All and all, I thought it was entertaining and heart-affirming despite the sad sack of both Andy and Jen who spy on one another after they’ve broken up. I didn’t get Jen’s side of the story as well as I did Andy’s … who came off more appealing to me.
I’m new to British writer Dolly Alderton who’s a newspaper columnist in the U.K. and has also written a popular memoir, but she writes with such ease in a conversational and often witty way. Though I wondered at times if Andy’s narration seemed authentically how a guy would react to things along the way, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. And I look forward to seeing what Alderton writes next.
I was going to add another review, but I’ll post it next time as this has gone on long enough. So that’s all for now, what about you — have you read any of the books pictured above and if so, what did you think?
I like your puzzle, and the landscape in the picture looks expansive. Nice of you to give me a shout out and highlight all the prizes/awards that are going on at this time of the year. I’ve read too few books that are in contention for awards, but last year I read less than the original amount I had set out myself to read, so there’s that. Anyway, great post and review, and have a nice reading week, and otherwise!
I love the puzzle. I need to make a list of all the Canadian provinces and which ones I have not read about (via either nonfiction or fiction), and how many books I had read for each.
All of those book prizes and there are so few of the books I have heard of. Of course they are relatively new and mostly not my normal reading but still. I have heard of The Burrow by Cheng, and I think it was when I was reading a post about the Stella Prize. A short one and even though it is about grief, I think it might be good.
The book I am starting tonight is The Ministry of Time, which you mentioned in your last post. Although I keep calling it The Ministry of Fear, which Graham Greene wrote (and I have not read).
So many prizes! Some of them look mysterious, some unreliable. I admit that I disliked so many Booker winners that I now AVOID them. It’s fun that your previous puzzle had an influence!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.comm
Susan, always love your pictures. I’m very fond of mountains – not that my part of the world has any of them – we have hills. Ha! However, the vista in your shot is lovely. Nice that you are keeping up with the awards lists. I will admit that I am primarily partial to the crime and mystery book awards. I do keep up with those. Our mystery book group has traditionally read and discussed books nominated or winning those awards in June each year. It’s always a fun meeting and we all get a lot of good suggestions. Hope you week goes well. Spring is here in our area and I must say March has come in ‘like a lion’ with the wind. I would happy for it to go out ‘like a lamb’.
Stunning photo of what you see on your walk. I love it. So peaceful.
I am glad you have a new laptop as it’s great to be able to connect with people.
Another great puzzle and how cool a fellow blogger found the same one you posted about before. I would love to get one of those and still look at thriftshops and other places where used puzzles are sold. I may give in and purchase a new one as a treat. That would be a birthday gift splurge.
So glad you posted links for all the books you have here. This is a way I get acquainted with new authors. Off to get Loki out for a good walk as the rains seem to have passed. Chat with you soon!
I hear you on taxes. I’m doing them now. Thanks for the reminder about White Lotus! You’ve mentioned so many tantalizing books I need to check out.
I feel as if I would really like White Lotus if I gave it a go. I just don’t watch much these days.
Love that photo at the top. Such wide open spaces.
Everything here is pretty good. Very busy at work. Reading some good stuff, Gliff and Pinch Me.
It’s getting to be book award season, isn’t it? I do enjoy following the lists, and will probably read a few of them after the short lists come out. Your puzzle reminds me that it’s been months since I’ve done one. My daughter got me a Jane Austen puzzle for Christmas… think I’ll get it out this week.
I hope, you will soon get some proper spring weather. In London, it is still cold, but at least we have had some nice and sunny days as opposed to the grey, rainy ones. You reminded me, I should probably replace my laptop as well, it may be reaching similar age as yours. However, it is still going strong, except for battery life not being great.
Prize season is always fun, but I feel you have to be selective. At the moment, I’m still in nonfiction mode, so besides from Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, I haven’t paid much attention. The international Booker, looks good though (will definitely read the Danish book).
I try to read award books too. Last year (or was it two years ago) I made a plan to read two of the Women’s Prize winners/finalists for the past decade as a catch up and then read two every year going forward. I finished up reading the past book just this last month. Most have been so good.
I also read The fiction Pulitzers, at least the winners, each year and a few months ago I finished my goal of reading every winner from the 21 century.
The National Book Award usually has spectacular choices and I try to read at least two of the five category winners or finalists. I usually end up reading the poetry books for sure, since it is hard figuring out good poetry selections on my own.
This year I have added the Booker Prize to my repertoire but I need to do some investigating as to the differences between dates of the International Booker and the “regular” Booker. I don’t think I will try to go back and catch up on past winners if I haven’t read them already. I’ll just start from this year and move forward.
For years I have been reading the Printz Award winners which is the YALSA award for best YA books. I’ve slowed down now that I am not a working teen librarian anymore. Now I try to read the winner and one or two of the finalists, not all of the books each year.
I just learned of the Carol Shields Prize last week. I haven’t heard of it before. Now I need to investigate it to determine if I need/should add it to my list of book awards I want to follow. It seems very worthy and I don’t read enough lit out of Canada, for sure.
Lastly, in the past I’ve attempted to follow the Bellwether Prize book but fell off and would need to do some back reading to catch up. It is a hard award to keep track of since it is awarded every other year.
What is your favorite among the book award organizations?
Hi Susan,
I eally need to get into puzzles. They sound like so much fun.
Thank you for including a list of many of the book awards for this year and the Carol Shields, Stella and Walter Scott awards are new to me. I will check them out and choose maybe 3 books where the plot interests me.
Good Material seems worth checking out. Alot will depend on whether one bonds with Andy since he is such a major character in the book.