It’s that time again and this morning the judges announced the longlisted books.
Booker Prize Longlist
More award and judge info available here:
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Took a look at the list this morning and there are actually some books that sound interesting. In the past, most are not my cup of tea.
I go into it open minded because many of the books are not yet available in US so I know nothing about them. The only one I’ve read is John of John and I loved it! In a buying spree I had picked up All Them Dogs which has received high praise from several readers I follow so that’s up next. I put several on hold at the library but it’s going to take some time. I’m betting I’ll find some surprises.
That’s a great way to approach the list. Hope you find some wonderful surprises. I will watch for your comments as you work your way through the longlist. I put a few on hold at the library this morning, too.
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I’m surprised to see I’ve read one of the longlist books: John of John. Found it very straight- forward readable and enjoyable. Protagonist ends better than he began which is a first sign of a story well done! I’ve looked briefly at a few others here and think The Renovation sounds intriguing - will have my eye out for that one.
I knew I could count on you to get this posted. Thanks, @Anne_Glasgow!
I feel kind of out of the loop! The only one of these I’m familiar with is John of John (my favorite book of 2026 so far).
So many books, so little time…
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Agree. The Renovation holds some appeal for me too.
I just heard someone make an interesting comment about the Booker books. It makes sense to me. This person said that this list is made up of somewhat dense books. Any book that gets to the Booker short list has to be packed with enough content to stand up to rereading. The shortlisted books will have been read three times by the judges when they make their final selection of winner. That seems like a credible argument to me. That would potentially make this a good list to select from if you want to read something a little more challenging. Perhaps that’s why I like these award lists because I do like to read the unusual and more brain stimulating books as often as possible.
Thoughts?
I do think the Booker titles tend to be more challenging and thoughtful reads. My main issue with them hasn’t been the challenge rather I haven’t cared for many of the storylines / topics. I do applaud those who have the resolve to read the list.
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I agree that sometimes they go for the super creative, genre bending, speculative types of books that are all about being unusual and less about good storytelling, character development, great reads. I tend to not like those but so long as there is some sort of recognizable progression I’m interested. They do seem to find things that are outside the norm.
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And here’s today’s news.
The Booker Prize 2026 shortlist is:
I’ve read everything but the Harrison (I won’t) and Marlon James (I hope to try this one before the end of the year.) The Disappearers by Marlon James is believed by many to be the lead for this award.
I think the book cover shown below for The End of Everything is the wrong book. Different author.
It’s the Book Browse algorithm that selects the covers. Apparently they’ve not figured out how to fix this kind of mistake. Happens fairly regularly.
Thanks for posting, @Anne_Glasgow! Why are you not interested in the Harrison, may I ask? Just curious. What’s been your favorite so far?
The only one I’ve read is John of John, and it’s my favorite book of the year so far.
I’ve heard a lot about The Disappearers, too. That one seems to be showing up on a lot of lists.
@Roberta_Winchester, yeah, what Anne says is 100% correct. I don’t know why Nick hasn’t been able to correct the problem, but I gather it’s not an easy fix.
I have not yet heard anyone (and I follow a LOT of bookish content creators, readers, and critics) who has understood The End of Everything let alone liked it. I simply don’t need to put myself through that, especially now that I have my list of fabulous authors to see and meet at our Texas Book Festival.
Haha, @Anne_Glasgow, good to know!
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Thanks for the clarification. I didn’t know that. No big deal really
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If (when) you read The Disappearers, I’ll look forward to your comments. I’ve read some reviews that it is quite obscene and violent, so I’m not sure I’ll read it, but I value your opinions. It’s hard for me to imagine it as “the book of the century”.
Happy to report @Roberta_Winchester, but it will be at least a couple of months. I have struggled with Marlon James’ books in the past because of the violence and I hear this one has even more. But I’m also hearing that for those who persevere it is an amazing story so I’m game to give it a try.
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