Play Book Tag discussion

The 2020 shortlist is:

Diane Cook (USA), The New Wilderness (Oneworld Publications)

Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), This Mournable Body (Faber & Faber)

Avni Doshi (USA), Burnt Sugar (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)

Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia/USA), The Shadow King (Canongate Books)

Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA), Shuggie Bain (Picador, Pan Macmillan)

Brandon Taylor (USA), Real Life (Originals, Daunt Books Publishing)

Some of our members (Nicole D, Susie, Tracy and myself) participate on a Booker prize panel over at https://thereadersroom.org/ if you want to see some analysis of what we've read and what we thought was good (or not).

Let's just put it this way, I predicted only three of these and have only read two.

The big news is that Hilary Mantel's The Mirror & the Light was longlisted, but did not make the short. Yikes.

Does anyone have any plans to give any of these a try?

I was gifted Real Life for my birthday earlier this year, so it may turn up on my tbr some point this year!

These are all the books I thought looked LEAST interesting, with the exception of Shuggie. lol. I may read the books that were not selected (plus Shuggie)!!!

For those looking for some quick links, these are the books that were shortlisted:

The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Books that were longlisted but didn't make it on the shortlist were:
Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
Apeirogon by Colum McCann
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

I have The New Wilderness on hold and need to pick up The Shadow King from Politics and Prose after attending one of the author's book talks. My main project is in Ethiopia and she was hosting Ethiopian authors.

I'm also interested to read Real Life and just finished Such a Fun Age which was slightly painful in an awkward and thought provoking way.

I didn't love Real Life when I read it, but I can see that it could be important.

I know that those who read them didn't rate them as highly, but most of the shortlist sounds interesting to me.

They also seem as if there is an underlying theme.

I’m ok with all of the list, except The New Wilderness. I thought it was just awful.

I’m sad that Love and Other Thought Experiments didn’t make it. It will probably make my top ten for this year.

Hard to believe Apeirogon didn't make the short list. I loved The Mirror & the Light as well. I haven't read the others, but hope to get around to them eventually.

Tracy wrote: "I’m ok with all of the list, except The New Wilderness. I thought it was just awful.

I’m sad that Love and Other Thought Experiments didn’t make it. It will probably make my top ten for this year."

Me too, Tracy! I'm not yet finished with it, but really enjoying and intrigued by it.