The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Thanks for starting this and finding Doug's usual Listopia list Mohamed.

Some interesting novels there I didn’t know were coming eg new ones from Gwendoline Riley and Sophie Ward.

Thanks Mohamed. How did I not know there was a new Pynchon in the offing? This has made my day.

I think Transcription by Ben Lerner would also have a good shot, quite cerebral and interesting play with how to think of narrative, similar to works of Rachel Cusk and Katie Kitamura

It would be interesting to see if the new Maggie Farrell (Land) book had a shot.

I don’t think Ali Smith allows her books to be considered for the booker anymore, does she?

Hugh wrote: "Thanks for starting this and finding Doug's usual Listopia list Mohamed."

You are welcome Hugh. Thanks also for all the great work you do in here.

Henk wrote: "I think Transcription by Ben Lerner would also have a good shot, quite cerebral and interesting play with how to think of narrative, similar to works of Rachel Cusk ..."

Indeed, I have an ARC and will delve to it soon.

Garry wrote: "Thanks Mohamed. How did I not know there was a new Pynchon in the offing? This has made my day."

Welcome Garry! Yes, one of the most anticipated novels for me

Paul wrote: "Some interesting novels there I didn’t know were coming eg new ones from Gwendoline Riley and Sophie Ward."
There is also a new Valeria Luiselli novel coming in July 2026 . What most excited about is This Is Where the Serpent Lives, this his debut novel

This Is Where The Serpent Lives does not have a UK publisher currently.

I can’t find much about the new Luiselli, but the little I’ve found has indicated it is a non-fiction book. But I’m not sure I trust the website that the info is coming from.

She talks about it on this recent podcast (haven't listened but the podcast blurb refers to "new novel").

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Well, there ya go! Thanks!

First - and very extended - review I have seen of Claire-Louise Bennett’s new book.

https://yalereview.org/article/audrey...

Wow, just checked the listopia and this looks like a big year. I didn't know we had such heavy hitters in store. Really looking forward to the new Saunders and Stuart. Curious about the Pynchon which, thankfully seems to be on the shorter side for his standard. Has anyone had access to any ARC?

A number of authors I like -- looking forward to the new Yann Martel and Ali Smith.

Henk wrote: "I think Transcription by Ben Lerner would also have a good shot, quite cerebral and interesting play with how to think of narrative, similar to works of Rachel Cusk ..."

I believe Ali Smith does not allow them to be submitted, but the judges can call for it if they believe it is worthy, so her work remains eligible - someone correct me if I am wrong?

But she would still need to agree.

Not sure there are many fans of his in here, but I believe Brandon Taylor’s new novel is out in the UK in March

James wrote: "Not sure there are many fans of his in here, but I believe Brandon Taylor’s new novel is out in the UK in March"

His debut was shortlisted for The Booker in 2020

Yes, I remember it being rather divisive, though I really liked it

Derek’s new novel is a strong contender for me

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tayari Jones has a new novel coming in march. It will be published by One World in Uk and Knopf in USA

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Thoroughly agree with GY on Derek's new novel - absolutely stunning.

I've just finished Our Numbered Bones by Katya Balen which started off quite simply but finished as something which made me feel I had read something very strong (perhaps suiter more for the Women's Prize, though I wouldn't rule it out for the Booker longlist).

Great to hear as I'm about to start Borderline Fiction this weekend.

About BEGINNING, MIDDLE, END by Valeria Luiselli :

From the award-winning author of Lost Children
Archive and Tell Me How it Ends comes her most
powerful and page-turning novel yet.
Beginning, Middle, End is a story of a mother and a daughter
as they take off on a trip after the collapse of a marriage.
Their journey begins in Sicily during a summer of rapidly
changing winds, volcanic rumbles, and sudden tempests.
How do you begin again, the mother wonders, pondering
her family line, How do you begin again if you got the
beginning wrong? As their trip progresses, her daughter
takes the reins of the story, and their journey becomes a
quest for origins —not just to the familial past across
continents, languages, and generations, but also further
back to a mythical and even geological past. With her
daughter beginning to form complex memories and her
own mother showing signs of dementia, the narrator
confronts some of the primary questions of life: How do
stories shape our children’s imaginations? How do we
situate ourselves deeply in the world while accepting our
transience in it? How are a family’s memories made and
what happens when they disappear?

The novel will be published in May 2026 in Spain and July 2026 in UK and USA

Rights are already sold in 15 languages

One to watch for sure. I really loved Lost Children Archive.

Min Jin Lee new novel is coming in September 2026. It is not for your Paul as it is at 800 pages

The second novel from Booker prize shortlisted author Avni Doshi is coming next summer It will be published by Hamish Hamilton/PRH

Sharp as a blade, Avni Doshi returns with a story of betrayal, projection, family entanglement, and the ways in which our past continues to haunt us, even as we strive to
break free.
Imago follows a young woman grappling with the sudden revelation that her husband is leaving
her. Shocked and devastated, she tries to understand how her seemingly happy marriage, with
two children, unravelled so unexpectedly. When she tries to confide in her family, childhood
memories and strained dynamics come to surface. Although close to her parents, their
relationship has never been the same since her marriage—largely due to her older sister,
unmarried and still living at home, who disapproved of her husband. The narrator’s reflections
and recurring dreams lead her deeper into her past, where long-buried memories resurface—
particularly around her older brother, Bhai, who mysteriously left the family at 18 and was
effectively erased from their lives. And when she examines her marriage, she uncovers
unsettling truths—her husband’s lies, the STD he gave her, and her unresolved doubts about
motherhood. Despite these red flags, she still chose to move forward, eventually confronting
her own blind spots and the reasons behind her creative block as a writer.
The novel unfolds amid rich imagery from astrology, mythology, art history, and entomology
woven through the narrative, shaping the narrator’s evolving consciousness. Imago is a novel
about the protection family provides and sacrifice it requires, and how remaining in the dark
can offer both comfort and danger. Ultimately, it is a story about personal growth, identity, and
the universal patterns that shape our lives.

It looks like Oyinkin Braithwaite’s publication date for Cursed daughters was pushed back till the 4th November, so it will be eligible next year.

Kyle wrote: "It looks like Oyinkin Braithwaite’s publication date for Cursed daughters was pushed back till the 4th November, so it will be eligible next year."

I think that's the US pub date. It's already out in the UK.

Yes it’s not eligible. I think it’s far more a WP contender anyway.

Ah my bad, I went off Goodreads date but hey go can read it now.

If I’ve seen correctly Rose Tremaine has a new book coming out coming out next year based on a short story she did. It’s called the housekeeper and is inspired by Rebecca.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "This Is Where The Serpent Lives does not have a UK publisher currently."

It will be published in January by Bloomsbury

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/this-is...

Not speculation as this is actually happening

Presenting the Children’s Booker:

https://youtu.be/ayTwNJDWdAM?si=o6_vg...

Oh wow! That’s a really cute video.

More info: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

It’s not often I wish my girls were younger as I absolutely love having three teenagers - but oh to turn back the clock 7 years or so just for this.

Gah, so cute! Love how the last kid cracks himself up over ff.

Curious how they're going to balance books for a range of ages with child judges, but love the sound of this.

Sounds very interesting. I’m addicted to the American Newbery Medal Award and Honor books, so it will be fun to explore this award. However, the actual books might be difficult to find in American bookstores and public libraries. I hope this will eventually get a thread.

Before Harry Potter, American children read very few UK books other than classics, and I don’t know if they’ve read many since, or even have access to many.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "It’s not often I wish my girls were younger as I absolutely love having three teenagers - but oh to turn back the clock 7 years or so just for this."

I'm lucky. My two girls are still young and so is my first boy. My second boy is only 5 months old. They love for their dad to read to them.

Bella (Kiki) wrote: "I'm lucky. My two girls are still young and so is my first boy. My second boy is only 5 months old. They love for their dad to read to them."

This prize is exciting news even though I am well past reading to my children as they are 30 and 27.

Isabel Waidner’s upcoming in February “As If” was I thought excellent and a bit of a departure (experimentation dialled down - although still way more left field than an average literary novel - but empathy and capture of the human condition dialled right up)

Think and definitely hope this might be their Booker breakthrough

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Some other possibilities from what I have read and which I don’t think have been mentioned

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (been ubiquitous on US prizes and will be almost be surprised if it does not make the longlist)
Raja The Gullible …. The National Book Award winner
Arborescence by Rhett Davies

John of John is very impressive

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...