Your weekly edit
In the world of the Booker Prizes this week: get set for the International Booker Prize longlist reveal; join our Reading Challenge; our favourite sci-fi; books about motherhood; plus, our latest quiz
Three days to go…!
On Monday, March 11, the International Booker Prize 2024 longlist will be revealed.
While you might be wondering which 12 or 13 works of translated fiction will appear on the list, Chair of judges, Eleanor Wachtel, recently alluded to what the panel is looking for while they were reading their way through this year’s submissions. ‘What I hope to find are books that I could recommend to English-speaking readers, to be able to say, “Here, we’ve scoured the world and brought back these gifts,”’ the writer and broadcaster said in her recent interview with the Booker Prizes.
The longlist will be announced on thebookerprizes.com and our social channels at 2pm (GMT). We hope to see you there, too – we can’t wait!
Join the International Booker Prize 2024 Reading Challenge
As book lovers, we know you are always looking to find your next quality read. That’s why, this year, we’ve created the International Booker Prize Reading Challenge – a self-guided challenge that encourages readers around the world to explore the 2024 longlist, share their thoughts, and connect with fellow International Booker Prize fans.
Whether you want to read just one book or tackle the entire list, we’d love you to read along with us, and will be providing resources to help you on your journey, from reading guides to downloadable charts. Find out more about how to take part, just before this year’s longlist is revealed next week.
10 of the best sci-fi books nominated for the Booker Prizes
With Dune: Part Two – an adaptation of a literary classic – in cinemas, we’re revisiting our favourite sci-fi and sci-fi-adjacent works from the Booker Library. Doris Lessing’s 1981 novel, The Sirian Experiments, broke ground as the genre’s earliest inclusion on a Booker Prize shortlist. The influence of Margaret Atwood’s speculative fiction cannot be underestimated. Even as recently as last year’s prize, Martin MacInnes garnered critical praise for his epic work, In Ascension, which journeyed undersea and into space, showing that sci-fi’s appeal persists.
Quiz: Can you guess which Booker-nominated books these first lines are from?
First lines grab the reader’s attention and help set the tone for the rest of the novel. Test your knowledge of these opening words and see if you can match them to their titles from the Booker Library. How many can you get?
Booker-nominated books that present a range of experiences of motherhood
Among the 600+ books that have been nominated for the Booker Prizes over the years, there are many that focus on the relationships between mothers and their children, from a variety of perspectives. From loving mothers to estranged families our list of books shows motherhood in all its forms.
Which books, authors and translators are you hoping to see on this year’s International Booker Prize longlist? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!
My 'reading juices' get a boost when the Booker season gets underway - looking forward to the emerging books list(s).
What a pleasure 💎💕📚💕💎