Tag: Booker Prize

The Shadow King – Maaza Mengiste

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Set during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King portrays the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. ✚ “Early on in The Shadow King I… Continue Reading “The Shadow King – Maaza Mengiste”

The New Wilderness – Diane Cook

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A group of strangers escape a polluted city and learn to live in the wild as part of a study  ✚ “This dystopian-type novel features a polluted and over populated city and a location which is the only place in which… Continue Reading “The New Wilderness – Diane Cook”

Burnt Sugar – Avni Doshi

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A story of love and betrayal between a woman and her mother.  ✚ “Though dementia is the vehicle for the plot, the real story in Burnt Sugar is the toxic co-dependent relationship between Tara and her daughter Antara. Despite Antara’s sense… Continue Reading “Burnt Sugar – Avni Doshi”

Real Life – Brandon Taylor

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A biochemistry student’s experiences of life as a gay, black man captured over one weekend ✚ “What started off as a fairly innocuous read soon became anything but. Reading Real Life after Burnt Sugar and The Shadow King I was more… Continue Reading “Real Life – Brandon Taylor”

Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A story of modern Britain and black womanhood told through the eyes of 12 different women ⚑ “This is a beautifully paced novel which at first I thought was a collection of separate stories. However the links and interwoven threads soon… Continue Reading “Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo”

Quichotte – Salman Rushdie

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A modern re-write of Don Quixote that broaches traditional elements as well as the current state of the world.  ⚑ “Confession time: I have not read Don Quixote. While I know the premise I don’t know its intricates nor how cleverly… Continue Reading “Quichotte – Salman Rushdie”

An Orchestra of Minorities – Chigoze Obioma

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A Nigerian chicken farmer sells everything he owns in order to win over his girlfriend’s wealthy family. ⚑ “An Orchestra of Minorities is about a Nigerian chicken farmer who falls in love with a girl from a wealthy family. The family… Continue Reading “An Orchestra of Minorities – Chigoze Obioma”

The Testaments – Margaret Atwood

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale in which the republic of Gilead is taken down. ⚑ “I haven’t anticipated a book as much as this one since Go Set a Watchman was released (side story: when I bought Go Set a… Continue Reading “The Testaments – Margaret Atwood”

10 Minutes & 38 Seconds In This Strange World – Elif Shafak

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A dying prostitute’s brain lives on for 10 minutes & 38 seconds during which it recalls her life’s troubles. ⚑ “Tequila Leila is a Turkish woman with a traditional but disturbing upbringing and a adulthood full of expectations and sadness. It… Continue Reading “10 Minutes & 38 Seconds In This Strange World – Elif Shafak”

Milkman – Anna Burns

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A young woman is pursued by a renouncer terrorist in 1970s Northern Ireland. ➽ “The unnamed narrator in Milkman is the glue that holds the book together. She is the apolitical in a political novel, the every day logic amongst the… Continue Reading “Milkman – Anna Burns”