Ooh, I'm hoping to get to that one too. Got my copy, but first I want to read How to Say Babylon.

I'm curious about All That She Carried. I like the premise, but the opening pages didn't grab me. I may revisit it later as longlisted books tend to hold their luster much longer in my eyes than other books. But it's nice to hear from someone else who didn't immediately connect with that book either.

@@hellobookworm I got disappointed when I found out the objects that were in the bag had been removed or lost upon the way and that only the bag basically existed. I was much more interested in the bag and objects as a whole, rather then the bag itself, and I felt that the book would have to have a little of filler to make it that big and not substantial enough. I was hoping for something more along the lines of Hannah’s Suitcase, which belonged to a Jewish person who had died in the concentration camps and ended up in a Japanese museum. Or even like The Hare With the Amber Eyes.

@@bookofdust Oh dear. I can see how that would be disappointing. Sounds a bit like Never Caught, which was supposed to shed light on the Washingtons' runaway slave Ona Judge, but there was too little historical record of her to craft a book that felt substantial. I haven't heard of the two books you mentioned so I looked them up. The Hare With the Amber Eyes sounds particularly fascinating. Makes me think of People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (though this is fiction). Have you read it?

@@hellobookworm Yes! It’s one of my favorite books. I do like that it used a real work at the center of the story even though it fictionalized what happened to it. I like books that do this, both fiction and nonfiction. The Glass Room is about a very famous modernist home that was built in Eastern Europe and still exists to this day. The book imagines it history, especially being at the crossroads of wars and conflicts and uses some real history as a jumping off point. I was hoping North Woods was going to be similar, but the emergence of the Magic Realism dampened the impact for me. I’ve had Horse on my TBR forever and even as a library hold in the past, but have not yet gotten around to it.

@@bookofdust Wow, The Glass Room sounds interesting too. I have a copy of North Woods on my bedside table. I'm hoping to read that one later this year. I gravitate toward magical realism, so hopefully this book will work for me. After reading Geraldine Brooks' The Secret Chord, I was desperate for a new book from her, yet I still haven't read Horse. Not sure why. Maybe because it sounds so similar to The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan, which I loved and can't imagine any book on that subject outpacing. Still, I would like to read Horse someday and am always keeping an eye out for a used copy.

Great! Yes, I can imagine it must be fantastic on audio. I’m so looking forward to following your progress and thoughts on the books. 📚

Great! 📚

Yep! Love that film. Jungle red! 💅

Hi, Louise! I'm on the fence about Matrescence. Do you think it would appeal to childfree readers?

That's a fab plan! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of what you get time to read. 📚

Hellooo! 😄 Yes, Michael left a lovely message today. That’s great you’re joining an Argentinian book club and I’m so glad you’re reading Blonde!

Blonde it’s so moving and respectful of Norma Jean as a human being and not just a famous actress or a silly blonde. So many layers within Marilyn. Thanks so much for recommended it! ❤

Yeah, Evangelista's book sounds so powerful!

Tiya Miles' book certainly sounds powerful! I'd meant to read On Chapel Sands - I know she's highly acclaimed. 📚

Great! Hope you enjoy them.

Ooh, yes, I love those too. Here's hoping they'll continue the tradition. ☺

Sounds like a great strategy (and fun!). I'm going to start reading How to Say Babylon tomorrow. I'm so excited! ☺

Great! Hope you discover some good reads. 📚

Yes, it could have easily gone that way but the judges seem to have picked an interestingly diverse selection of disciplines.