Oh no! Poor One Piece. I can see why you wouldn’t like it though. 🫣

Love this, Gemma! I’m definitely going to catch you and Charlie’s chit chat. ❤ Booker Bug! Woot woot.

Love when people get excited by book lists. I really want to read James and I’m happy that at least one Canadian made the list. Blah blah blah blah …. Best reading of blurbs so far. 😊💙

I’m a bit underwhelmed but looking forward to hearing the reviews and seeing how my opinions change! the Anne Michaels sounds great x

I'm quite disappointed tbh. I'm always hoping to discover new authors through prize lists and there were none this time for me unfortunately. Good authors on the list for sure, but I'm not as excited as I was last year about the longlist.

Congratulations to the 13. It was an honour to be in the 150 or so considered. I hope I get a second chance in the future :-)

Love seeing you in your car woth your real reactions. The book set in Essex, Enlightenment, has been getting rave reviews. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that one.

What happened to books by Pauls this year?

I love these live response videos. Thank you!

I’m excited because you’re excited. James is the first one I’m reading. But several sound really good. Looking forward to yours and Charlie’s chat.

Fun reaction! I’m a bit so-so about the list. So far, I’ve read Orbital which was okay and James which I loved. I’ve read There, There and own a copy of Wandering Stars, so that’s convenient. Also, quite happy to see a Native American author on the list. Of the remaining 10 books, I have access to 8. I’ve had to order in Playground and Stone Yard Devotional from the UK as neither are available here stateside. I really wish they would make nominated books available before the shortlist gets announced. Glad you’re excited for the reads. I’m excited about some and skeptical of others. I’m not super into the slow, plodding, reflective books about nothing much. 😅

8 women on the list! Glad you are excited!! The Kushner one appeals to me. Look forward to your live 🙂!

Haha love to see a real time live reaction!! You are very optimistic about this list… I am SHOCKED!! 😱😱😝 Looking forward to chatting about it tomorrow ❤️

Interesting long list. I kind of wanted a couple of real curve balls that nobody had heard of.

I’ve read 3. Stone Yard Devotional was good. Orbital was ok. Enlightenment was disappointing. One Irish book. Wild Houses by Colin Barrett 📚📖☕️📕☘️👋🍀

Good morning. I am disappointed that Praiseworthy or Martyr! are not on the list.

I think you might enjoy Restless Dolly Maunder - it gave me big Stoner vibes, so of course that meant that I absolutely did not! ♥️

Hi Gemma. So glad to see you. I just finished Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. 5 star for me but I know it’s only 3ish for some people. I LOVE Japanese books that are translated though I haven’t read a lot so thank you for the names of several. I’m pleased you will continue the FOMO book club but I’m going you watch you no matter. I know it’s so difficult to carry on. ❤

I like Christa Wolf's writing, so I hope Cassandra turns out to be great. I'm reading quite a bit of women in translation all year anyway, but high on my list for August is My Work by Olga Ravn.

Now that is a tbr!!! Especially when you're in Booker season! I'm going to read the travelling cat chronicles for WIT, and Persepolis. Also trying to read the spines on your unhaul pile!!

Love Matchbis a good read and it's a Gemma book. The kind of book that gets better the more you read. I started Death Note this year. It's addictive and not my usual. Look forward to finding out if that's your thing. But Japanese fantasy that isn't too serious seems like you'll enjoy it.

Cassandra sounds great, I do love Greek myths & their retellings. Thank you for highlighting the WIT readathon Gem! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Unsheltered 💕 Booker on Tuesday!! 🎉

Swerving the Read Good Challenge but I got you in the end 😂 Although to be fair the August prompt is ‘Read a Booker nominated book’ because I knew that’s all I’d be doing! I am not ready for you to roast Dolly 😭 If you want an alternative suggestion: GLORIOUS EXPLOITS. Sooooo good. So good. Looking forward to the newly arranged bookshelf tour!

Hey Gemma! One thing I've noticed after several WITS months is that people's go-tos seem to be Japanese and some French and German...I wonder if there's something in the publishing industry that facilitates those translations going wider? Or whether it's just the strongest publishing industries trading with each other? Like, where's India? Where's China? Brazil? South Africa? All those emerging BRIC countries that I would expect to be writing fiction. What I'm thinking about... 🙄

For WIT I'm planning to read "Iza's Ballad" by Magda Szabo translated by George Szirtes. This is the August selection for Charlotte's book club. I've also started on the Wainwright Prize longlist and I'll be reading from the Booker longlist as well,. My August TBR remains TBD..

Restless Dolly Maunder was an ok book. Would have been better on the nonfiction list.

I loved Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.

That new office looks like a comfortable little spot. I’d love to have a gleek ( look) at the pile of books on your right.

Several books I haven’t heard of so thanks for putting them on my radar. Whatever you and Jack decide about FOMO will be good and we are all here supporting you. 💙💙

The Kite Runner is one of my faves. Sailor Soldier has been mentioned by several people. I need to read it. The White Girl sounds like a book I would enjoy. 😊💙

Matrix by Lauren Groff was the last book I finished! I enjoyed it 4.25☆ but it wasn't at all what I was expecting, there are lesbian elements but they don't factor in much, it's about the head nun and the Abby she runs. Some of the things are off the rails so it was very surprising at points. And I really appreciated that it had older women finding love with eachother. Currently about 30% into Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck and really liking it! Several months ago we talked about reading The Aenid in August but if plans have changed I'm ok with that too. Otherwise my August TBR is madnessso far -Jamaca Inn by Daphne du Maurier -The Journey of the Pink Dolphins by Sy Montgummery 🐬 -The Beauty by Aliya Whitley -Piglet by Lottie Hazell -The Last Tale of The Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi -Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus -Dawn and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler -Agrippina by Emma Southon -Raptor Red by Robert T Bakker

I tried some Samantha Irby on Everand a couple of months back and couldn’t get on with it. Can’t remember which one. Oooo Death Note! That’s exciting! Ha - can’t wait for your Restless Dolly Maunder review! 😂 Literally almost bought What You Are looking for… yesterday! Looks fab. Cassandra is one of my favourite characters from mythology. Which is why you should get around to reading The Firebrand one day matey! 🤍

Yeah for Deathnote!! You are going to be reading Dolly!! If you end up being a Dolly lover I will laugh my arse off 😝😂❤ Love you Gem 😘❤️

I don’t read as much in August anyway and have a week’s holiday so I’m also trying to keep my TBR manageable 😬…yeah 😉 One of the good things about Charlotte’s prompts is that one book can meet 3 or 4 of them. I have 4-5 books planned and I think I hit nearly all of them 👍 Of course I’m going into august with some chunkers left over from July but who’s counting 😉

Enjoy your August reading. Katie Lumsden is a big fan of Banana Yoshimoto.

You do what you need to do with FOMO book club. And when and how also. It can't be easy either way and I think everyone understands that. 😘

I’m reading the next before the coffee gets cold book so one translated fiction and some pink books. Haven’t decided when I will tackle unsheltered yet. Oh and good luck with restless dolly maunder or yawnder 😂😂

Keeping your TBR reasonable... uh huh... 🤔🙂 I've recently inhaled most of the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews. Fun, escapist reads filled with all sorts of creatures and awful monsters and magic! I also read the translated I Who Have Never Known Men by Harpman. It is very good if you've not read it - very introspective and thought-provoking. For August, I hope to find another fun urban fantasy series and, of course, more mysteries. I'm also in a long queue for The Will of the Many from the library. Looking forward to your Booker discussions!

Helloo! 🤗 I keep waiting for my library to get Honeybees and distant thunder (over a year now) still hasn’t happened 😔 I am hoping to take part in WIT month- the only thing stopping me is mood. I need to find some I am really interested in!

The best president we had

Yes go Gemma! YA, children’s and graphic novels - must re-read Noughts and Crosses 🙌 I always just assumed Elena Ferrante was translated fiction. Yay Becky Chambers! The Fifth Season would be on my personal best books of the 21st century list. I’d only read 11 on that NYT list, unsurprisingly 😂

They've already released a "Readers' Choice" version of the list. Know My Name is included in this new list.

I love Kristen Hannah's books, but this was my least favorite. Perhaps she wrote The Women in the way she did so that the writing didn't distract from the serious story, but her writing was very far from good literature, to the point of being written for children - not the graphic content, but the style. A very serious topic written too simply. Also very predictable romance that got somewhat in the way.

Great Job Gem!!

this was so salty hahahaha - you hero x

Hopefully, you have got at least one wrong. I have my fingers and toes crossed that I make the final 13. 😊

two non hyped books I am radar and the lonely poligomist by udall. fabulous

You've convinced me to add it to my TBR.