Tan Twan Eng is a successful Malaysian novelist writing today. His first two books received nominations for the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2007 and 2012. His new novel "The House of Doors" also received a nomination this year. It’s a story of love and betrayal set in British Colonial Malaya. Here's a review.
Category: Award Books
Four novels and the 2023 Booker Prize
The novels of four Irish authors make up one third of this year's longlisted Booker nominees. It's a first for this prestigious prize, and not all that surprising given the literary talent surging from Ireland these days. Here are the four books, a glimpse at their wide-ranging plots and tones (humor to dystopian logic), and why I've made room for them on my reading table.
Reading Bette Howland’s Chicago stories and Robbie Arnott’s gem
Several new books by big name authors (Ann Patchett, Colson Whitehead, Richard Russo) are heading into bookstores these upcoming weeks, but I’m all into “Blue in Chicago” and “Limberlost,” two books that likely don’t pop up during your online book browsing, or that you’ll find on an indie bookstore shelf. Here’s what that’s all about.
This could be your summer reading list
Book awards and prizes are the best places to hunt for your next best read. They offer excellent opportunities to find thrilling and absorbing stories, and also to stretch beyond what you might typically select for yourself. Here's a look at a recent few.
Three books I’m eager to read
If only I could read faster, but I’ve always been a slow reader. So many good books I see on my reading table, like stacks of travel brochures, and I want to go everywhere. I remind myself “bird by bird,” as Anne Lamott teaches us in her classic by the same title, adding these books to my already full reading life, stories of family secrets, the Troubles, and Nazi heritage.
The 2022 Booker Prize winner plus a surprise bestseller
Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka won this year's Booker Prize for his second novel about his country's decades-long civil war. Also, and totally unrelated, the MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant announcements last week connected me to a wildly popular book that has "germinated" into a bestseller. Here's more.
“Treacle Walker” and “Oh William!”
The National Book Foundation announced their longlist for the 2022 National Book Awards this week. (This post isn't about that. I just wanted to tell you.) They have several categories beyond fiction and nonfiction, all of which you'll find on their website. Meanwhile, I'm still closing in on the Booker Prize nominees. They're down to the six finalists, including these two.
Reading the 2022 Booker Prize longlist
There’s much to be excited over in this upcoming fall season's literary line-up: Cormac McCarthy, Ian McEwan, Elizabeth McCracken are some of the authors coming out with new books. More on those later. Meanwhile, the Booker Prize is in full swing with its longlisted nominees, a great selection this year. Here are a few you might want to consider reading.
2022 Dublin Literary Award winner and finalists
Last month, Ireland's Dublin City Council announced the winner of its annual literary award. Nominations for this award come from public libraries around the world, which means the longlist of contenders offers readers an exciting wealth of books to browse in search of next reads. Here's what I chose for myself, and why so few. Plus, the winner, which I loved.
Mahmood Mattan’s tragic story
"The Fortune Men" is a fictionalized account of a gross miscarriage of justice that sent a Somali sailor to the gallows in 1952 Cardiff, Wales. Shortlisted for Britain’s 2021 Booker and Costa literary awards, it’s received much attention and praise. Here’s a review.
My 10 favorite books of 2021
A surprising mix of novels became my year-end favorites for their morally conflicted and inspiring characters: from scientists to petty thieves, French Algerians to Chilean dictators, an Indiana farm woman to a Black female executive. And then one book, simply put, I didn't want to end.
A man walks into a tacky hotel
"Winter in Sokcho" by Elisa Shua Dusapin tells the story of a stranger arriving in an isolated South Korean fishing village. He’s a graphic novelist looking for peace and quiet to complete his final book in a series. The unnamed narrator, who works at the guesthouse where he takes a room, becomes his tour guide, and also his unexpected emotional life reckoning. Her voice is enticing. Read more here about this award-winning novel.
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize Winners 2021
Since 2006, this significant prize in literature has celebrated the power of the written word to promote peace. Here are the 2021 winners: one adult fiction and one adult nonfiction, both of World War II and lives revealed, both riveting reads.
Finalists for the 2021 International Booker Prize
I wasn't paying attention, and then I was, when the six books in the running for this year's International Booker Prize jumped out at me on social media with their surprising variety. It's the stuff that astonishes. Take a look.
Book award winners announced this week
Some of the finest books published this year won the Booker Prize and the National Book Awards. Fiction includes stories about a ghost haunting a train station, an Asian actor aspiring to be Kung Fu Guy, and a boy in 1980's Glasgow. Here are the titles.
The Longest Chapter 