How to read like a Booker Prize judge
In the world of the Booker Prizes this week: Chris Power on how Booker judges find time to read; Booker-nominated novels featuring strong female friendships; plus, how’s your summer reading going?
How to read like a Booker Prize judge – according to Chris Power
Being a Booker Prize judge is a bit like being a member of the most intense book club in the world. Five people from a range of backgrounds are tasked with reading over 150 novels in seven months, and with discussing them in great depth during regular meetings. It requires a commitment to fiction – and to talking about fiction – that seems superhuman at times. Do you and your book club want to be a bit more Booker? Chris Power – one of this year’s prize judges – has eight pieces of advice for reading more books and having excellent conversations about them.
Nine Booker-nominated novels featuring strong female friendships
From Elena Ferrante’s dazzling saga of a friendship across decades to Zadie Smith’s exploration of how childhood relationships evolve into adult ones, the novels in this reading list all examine how potent a force friendship can be in women and girls’ lives. The writers also reveal what can happen when friendships go awry. The books cover betrayals and bullying, dangerous power imbalances, and the heartbreak of a friendship ending, whether it explodes or ebbs away.
How’s your summer reading going?
The end is getting ever closer, but there’s still some summer left! We’ve pooled together some of our best summer reading recommendations – so dip in and find your new favourite novel. Still unsure? Our quiz will recommend the perfect Booker book for your summer season.
One month to go until the shortlist is announced
Of course, like us, you might have ditched all your other summer reading plans to dive into the Booker Prize 2025 longlist – and who could blame you? With only a month to go until the shortlist announcement on 23 September, which of the 13 longlisted novels have you been reading? If you’re still choosing, our guides will help you decide! Head over to our website to find out everything you need to know about the longlist, discover what the judges said about each book, read extracts and interviews, and let our personality quiz advise you where to start.
Join us for the shortlist announcement – live in London
We’ll be announcing the shortlist on the Booker Prizes website, on our various social channels and, of course, right here on Substack. But if you’re in the UK, you can also watch the announcement live at a special event at London’s Southbank Centre. This year’s judging panel – Roddy Doyle, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Chris Power, Kiley Reid and Sarah Jessica Parker – will be live on stage, in conversation with the Booker Prize Foundation’s Chief Executive, Gaby Wood, to discuss the shortlisted books, and their experience of judging the prize. Tickets are available now.
Happy reading, and don’t forget to let us – and fellow readers – know what you think in the comments.
Is that book published by Sarah Jessica P's affiliate going to be on the short list? Because that would look VERY suspicious.
Lovely 💕📚💕