The International Booker Prize Longlist - REACTION! 😬

Am I interested in any of the 13 books nominated for the 2024 International Booker Prize?
If you want some general chat you can see the live on ‪@BobTheBookerer‬ channel!
You can see the whole longlist here - thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...
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[@stalkingkafka]

Rudi! I've had Kairos on my radar for awhile and now I will probably go ahead and add it to my TBR. Nice to see so many women on the list!

[@GemofBooks]

I’m hearing good things about that one, so it’s moving up my list…

[@TheFictionalSarah]

Thanks for going over the list! I might wait for the shortlist to try to tackle some of those but The Details, Simpatia and White Nights are some that do sound interesting to me! I hope you end up enjoying a few of the ones you read :)

[@GemofBooks]

It will certainly be interesting to see what makes the shortlist. White Nights seems to be pretty tricky to get hold of, hopefully they rectify that because a lot of people seem to be interested in that one.

[@FMsukina]

I empathize! I was underwhelmed when I read the summaries of these books. With the exception of "Crooked Plow" which was already on my TBR and "Not a River," I likely won't read any of these until I here more people speak about them. I do have to say I'm curious about "A Dictator Calls," but even that isn't making me jump for joy.

[@GemofBooks]

Yeah - I’m really hoping that some of these books are better than they sound 😬

[@FMsukina]

@@GemofBooks , me too! Those summaries sound pitiful, hahaha!

[@kellyoconnor1035]

Hello Gemma, I have not heard of any of them. 🙄 The blurbs have left me underwhelmed, but I do think if I research a bit I will find a few that speak to me . 💕💕

[@GemofBooks]

I expect there will be a few gems in here, but it looks like one of those years where the books just don’t align to my reading taste, which is fine ☺️

[@cynthiamurphy2610]

I don’t know if you would like the entirety of Undisccovered, but I would encourage you to read the last chapter if you get a hold of a copy. It won’t spoil anything, it’s super short, and you are the first booktuber I thought of when I read it. Her depiction is far more compelling than the correlating Wikipedia page. I definitely thought of you and Scott (GF&P) for this book. I don’t know that you would love it, but there would be thoughts. Also, I’m enjoying the WP plodalong, and I agree with the exclusion of fruit on savory pizza. Makes sense to me.

[@GemofBooks]

Ooo interesting…. I’ll try and find a copy! Thanks for letting me know. So glad that you are enjoying the Plodalong - I’m always happy to have a fellow anti-pineapple on pizza ally 😂😂

[@BookwormAdventureGirl]

Love when Rudi says hello! The only book I have from the longlist is Not A River. I hope it’s good. 😊💙

[@GemofBooks]

I’m hearing quite a lot of buzz for that one, so it may well hook me in at some point…

[@ariannefowler455]

I have only heard of two. I'm not sure how many I'll read from this list. Nothing is jumping out. Maybe Simpatia?

[@GemofBooks]

Yeah, it doesn’t sound as interesting as last years list. Hopefully it’s just boring blurbs but the books are great 🤞🏻

[@CharlieBrookReads]

❤️❤️❤️

[@GemofBooks]

🧡🧡🧡

[@novellenovels]

I’ve not heard of any of them 😂😂

[@GemofBooks]

It’s an obscure list 😂😂

[@novelideea]

🥴 none of these sound like ones I want to read. I love how often we’re getting Rudi these days.😂😂😂

[@GemofBooks]

Yeah, a very uninspired list. Rudi is all over filming time at the moment 😂😂

[@josmith5992]

I like the fact that I’d only heard of four of the books but like you Gemma, very few of them are jumping out of me except for the Selva Almada which was already on my TBR. Of course over here I only have access to three anyway but I’m not in a rush to read those three. I’ve read Kurkov’s Grey Bees which I loved and Starnone’s Trick which I also loved but neither of their books on this list are really calling to me 🤔 I think it will be the case that I’ll just wait and see some reviews to see if there are gems on there. The ones I’m most interested in are Simpatica and White Nights as I’m interested in Venezuela and do love short stories.

[@GemofBooks]

Completely agree - I’m always happy to see a load of books that are new to me, just a shame that none of these sound very interesting to me. Last years year had so many I wanted to read, but hey ho, can’t win em all, right?!

[@ameliareads589]

I have already finished Not a River and wasn't the biggest fan. Current reading Via Gemito and have borrowed four more from the library. An autobiographical novel means that the author used own experiences, but not all of the story has happened that way. It's also called autofiction. Jenny Erpenbeck is one of the best current German authors, but I can't judge how good the translation might be.

[@GemofBooks]

I saw your rating on SG for Not a River, probably won’t rush to that one 😂 Have you read any that you would recommend from the list yet? I’m about half way through Crooked Plow now and it’s definitely growing on me!

[@ameliareads589]

@@GemofBooks Did you read my review or only saw the rating? No, I wouldn't really recommend, but I can see people loving it. I have just finished The Details and gave it four stars. First I wasn't really impressed, but then it grew on me as well. Also corrected my first comment. No clue what the autocorrection was doing there. 🤨

[@GemofBooks]

@ameliareads589 I just saw the star rating - that was enough for me to cross it off my list 😂😂 Ok - Details sounds much more promising! 🤩

[@charlottemolloy]

My reaction was totally different this time to yours!! 😂 For me, I'm delighted with how many European novels have been chosen! I'm rooting for the home continent! 🎉 Also it's not like it's the Olympics- books get onto the list based on quality not based on every country being represented so that's probably why that's happened! I am also unsure about A Dictator Calls but I've already started Kairos and it's blowing my mind! 😍 Excited to hear your opinion of them as you get through them! 😁

[@GemofBooks]

This definitely shows our difference in book taste 😂 I definitely want the best books to be represented, but I struggle with not 1 single book being selected from an entire continent! Ok - adding Kairos to my TBR 😂

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

Decides to cut their tongue out???? Why? Why would anyone do this? 😱🤢 Hi Rudi! 🐕 Of course you’re interested in a really long one! 😂

[@GemofBooks]

Well it was sort of an accident, the tongue cutting thing. But if you put a sharp knife in your mouth you’ve got to know it’s a risk, right?! 😂 You know I can’t resist a chunker 😂

[@benreadsgood]

I’m a bit in the same boat. Disappointed at the diversity, and feel like this prize should do a bit better to bring the best fiction from around the world, not just two continents. Don’t know if it will increase or decrease your interest, but Starnone is rumoured to be the actual author behind the Elena Ferrante novels!

[@GemofBooks]

Yeah - I find it hard to believe that from the whole world 60% of the best fiction in translation came from Europe last year… I am one of the only people on the planet that doesn’t like Ferrante, so I might steer clear of that one 😂

[@StephanieP1901]

I'm excited about Kairos. I was going to read that anyway. I'm very interested in Simpatia, mostly because I love dogs (yours is so cute!). The Italian books seem promising too, and I'm even intrigued by the Kadare. Overall, I like this list more than I liked the Women's Prize list.

[@GemofBooks]

With you on the book about dogs! Who doesn’t love dogs?! You definitely seem more excited for this list that me - and I hope I’m completely wrong and these are all great and just have awful blurbs 😂 I did love the WP list though, so many we just have opposing reading tastes 😂

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

I've only heard of Ismail Kadare....

[@GemofBooks]

Have you read anything from him before Jim?

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

@@GemofBooks No he has just been on my radar...

[@kmaggs7804]

These books are fantastic. What is wrong with you?

[@GemofBooks]

😂😂 they may well be fantastic, but the blurbs don’t set my world on fire. Saying that I’ve just finished Crooked Plow and absolutely loved it! So it’s a positive start 🤩

[@bjminton2698]

Oh my - they all sound yucky - lol. Your attention to the prizes is amazing! I prefer to read to escape reality. I am however reading the 8 lives one from the WP. The first 4 of the lives are filled with torture, humiliation and violence. I guess this is something we need to know about but I can't imagine anybody enjoying this book. 🤔 Hope you find some Bookers that you enjoy!

[@ariannefowler455]

I dnf'd 8 Lives. I hope you get on with it better than I did.

[@GemofBooks]

I haven’t heard anything on that one yet so it’s good to know - thanks matey!

[@GemofBooks]

Uh oh - is it the first DNF from the list?

[@ariannefowler455]

@@GemofBooks Sadly, it's the second DNF. 😕

[@GemofBooks]

@ariannefowler455 oh no! Which other one did you dNF?

[@thosethingsiwrote]

Which African novels specifically do you believe merit a nod? Or is it a matter of quotas and virtue signals for you?

[@GemofBooks]

I hadn’t done a predictions video for this, but let me do some research and I’ll put out a video on African novels that I think could have been included. Obviously I haven’t read all the books that have been or could have been nominated, but it makes me sad to see that not one book from a whole continent made the list, and 60% of the books are from one continent, I’m just not convinced that that is representative of the best translated literature of the past year 🤷‍♀️

[@tabitha_h2000]

I read The Details & am still not sure what it’s about, your instincts are correct imo😅 Excited about a few of these titles but rather disappointed by the Eurocentrism🥲 thank you for sharing your thoughts!🤩📚

[@ivonaivona668]

I would feel more disappointed if they chose books they don't feel belong on the list just to fulfill the space with a non European book. It should be about the quality of a book not where it comes from. It's not the World cup in football

[@GemofBooks]

Haha - I think I’ll skip that one then 😂😂

[@GemofBooks]

Oh I completely agree that the best books should be chosen, I just have a hard time believing that from the whole world 60% of the best books in translation came from 1 continent 🤷‍♀️

[@ivonaivona668]

@@GemofBooks it all depends on where the most translated novels or collections of short stories eligible for this prize and published in the UK and Ireland are from. Why the most books in translation are from Europe and Japan I would say? Has it got to do something with the readers as well? Where do most foreign language films/series broadcasted in the UK and Ireland come from? It's something to think about and it goes deeper than just this prize. The judges have worked with what they have. At least that's what I think. I have no idea honestly..

[@GemofBooks]

I think you’re right - I expect that there are a disproportionate number of translated books from European counties, and that there are a lot of great books from other places in the world that never get translated into English. I love reading stories from all over the world though, so I’ll always shout for more 😁