 Hi everyone and a big welcome back to my channel. Here we go again people, it is that time of the year women's prize time. I just love this time of the year, there is something so special about a prize bringing everyone together, everyone gets so excited about it, different people are making videos and all of their thoughts. I love finding out what the judges have picked, I love seeing books on there that I already love as well as discovering new books. It's a fun time. That all being said, this year I am going to be taking a slightly different approach to my women's prize reading. Usually I try my best to read the majority of the books on the list and that doesn't always go well for me. There are always without fail a few books on the list that I either deeply dislike or I just think are pretty meh. And the truth is if those books weren't on the list then I probably would never have picked them up. So that being said, using this knowledge of my prior experience combined with the fact that I've just got so many other exciting new books to read at the moment, I'm going to be putting less pressure on myself to read the majority of the long list this year. I am just going to read the books that I'm really excited for. This sounds very obvious, no I'm saying it out loud, I'm aware, but it's a pretty big deal for me. So what I'm going to do is split these books into three categories. Firstly, the books that I'm not interested in probably won't pick up. Secondly, the books that I am interested in may pick up depending on how the reviews go from other booktubers and just where my other reading is up to. And finally, of course, the books that I definitely want to read. Oh, and there's also kind of a fourth category because I've already read a few of these books. Like I say, this new approach doesn't mean that I don't still love the prize as a whole. I do love it, I love this time of year. And honestly, just allowing myself to focus on the books that I'm really genuinely excited for and let myself off the other ones is probably the best way to keep myself loving this prize. So before we dive into the specific books, let's talk about overall long list thoughts. So my main thing that I want to say about this list is it doesn't really shock me. I guessed a good few of these books on this list, some of which I have read, some of which I haven't. There are other books that I've already heard of as well that I'm not particularly surprised to see on the list. And there are actually only two books on here, I believe, that weren't already on my radar. Now in a way, this is all kind of good news because the books that I had heard of or had already read are good books, they are exciting books, they are diverse books. Like I really do think there is quality on this list. But I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a tiny bit disappointed because I really love discovering new books through this list. I love that the lists occasionally offer up really exciting amazing books that were kind of under the radar, not really getting a ton of attention already, and it doesn't really feel as though this list is doing that too much. This kind of goes hand in hand with my observation that there isn't a ton of smaller indie presses on this list, which is a shame. So overall, not the most shocking of lists potentially, not the most groundbreaking, although we do have to acknowledge that the list does feature a trans author for the very first time, which is awesome. Like I said, I have already read a few of these. There are a few that I really want to read, that I was already excited to read before the list was announced. And there are also some books that I think I will just let pass by me. So let's get into the books, shall we? So starting with the books that I have already read. Firstly, we have Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi. I swear to God, I cannot find my copy of this book anywhere. I thought we would just start with this one, get it out of the way. I read this one when it was long listed for the Booker Prize last year. I was kindly sent a copy from the publisher. It is set in modern day India and explores the fraught relationship between a mother and a daughter when the mother becomes old and relies on her daughter to take care of her. Now, I didn't particularly like this novel for whatever reason, I just could not emotionally engage with it. I didn't like the central characters. I didn't find them interesting or likable or relatable. I just couldn't really care about them however much I tried. That being said, I do not think that this was a bad book. I think in many ways it was technically very good. Plus, I know that a lot of people really liked this one, so I'm not surprised to see it on this list. It just isn't a book for me, it's not one that I loved. Next up is The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett. Again, this is another book I do own a copy of. It's just in boxes somewhere. We are moving house really soon. This is another one that I'm not surprised to see on this list at all. I really should start putting money on what's going to be long listed for this prize. This one follows a story of two twin sisters who grow up in a small black community in southern america. As the sisters grow older, their paths end up diverging, they end up living very different lives and taking on very different identities. One of the sisters remains in the small black community in which they grew up, living with her young black daughter, and the other sister lives miles away with her daughter secretly passing as white. This novel has been hugely popular over the past year. I jumped on the hype, I read this book last summer when everyone else was. It was really good. I love what this book is doing, I love what this book is exploring, I love themes of self-identity, self-reinvention, and our roots. The structuring in here, switching between perspectives and timelines is also really clever, really helps to bring this whole thing together. I will say that this isn't a favorite book of mine, I don't think I loved it quite as much as everyone else, but I do see why this book is so popular. It is hugely enjoyable, hugely important, so I'm very glad to see that it made it onto this list. Next up is Detransition Baby by Tori Peters. I read this one at the beginning of this year when the publisher kindly sent me this copy ahead of publication. It follows a story of a man named Ames who has recently detransitioned from living his life as a transgender woman when the woman who Ames is sleeping with falls pregnant. Ames then suggests a non-conventional, non-conforming, non-nuclear family setup in which himself, the woman he has been sleeping with, and his ex-girlfriend who is a transgender woman would bring up this baby together. So it is very exciting that this book made it onto this list, even if just for the fact that Tori Peters is herself a transgender woman. The first transgender author to make it onto a long list, amazing. And once again, I can totally see why this book has been receiving so much buzz recently. It's fresh, it's exciting, it's humorous, it's touching, it's contemporary. I loved the exploration of womanhood in here in particular, and all of the different ways you can come at womanhood. Again, I didn't think this one was perfect. You can hear more of my full thoughts in my review video. I will leave reviews linked around. But nevertheless, a great book and really happy when I saw it listed. The final book that I have already read on the list is Exciting Times by Nisha Dolan. Now this is a book that I have been meaning to read for what feels like forever. I have been bugged to read this book for what feels like forever. And finally, I did it like literally last week. This is an incredibly popular millennial literary novel. It follows a young Dublin-born woman named Ava who meets two very different characters out in Hong Kong, where she's teaching English to kids. This book has been so incredibly popular, and I can see why. This book is so on trend. I cannot tell you how ridiculously of the moment this book is. Shockingly, and I do mean shockingly, I am shocked. I didn't totally love this book. I thought I would. Everything about this screams me. Literary, character-focused, millennial, tri, simplistic language. If you love Sally Rooney, you'll love this. You know the drill. But I just didn't really love this. Nevertheless, not shocked to see this on this list at all. Also, not particularly mad, like I can kind of see why. But anyway, look out for my full thoughts coming on this one soon in my next recent reads video. Now onto the books that I'm not so interested in, probably won't pick up. Firstly, we have Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. So let me just start by saying why I have a strange relationship with Claire Fuller as an author. I first experienced her work a few years ago when she wasn't as well known, I don't think. I read our endless number days, which I believe was her debut. I hated that book. Honestly, I can't name many books that I have hated as much as I hated that one at the time. From what I remember, I found the book to be so mediocre. But then towards the end, it featured abuse in what I view to be a purely shock factor way. I did not think it was handled realistically, or sensitively, or responsibly. I thought it was gross. So I thought that I was done with Claire Fuller. Honestly, never thought I'd really run into her novels again. But then, as we've all seen, in the past couple of years, Claire Fuller has been churning out the quality. Everybody seems to love her novels. She just keeps popping up. And like I say, my experience with her earlier novel was years ago and now. I don't remember the book too well now. I just remember having that reaction at that time. She is an author that I would consider giving another go if the right book came along. Like her writing must be good at this point, surely. But unfortunately, or fortunately, I guess this book just doesn't interest me enough to make that leap. I believe this one follows two twin sisters who are in their fifties, who both live at home still when their mother unexpectedly dies. That's all I know. For some reason, this premise just isn't getting me. I'm not interested. Apologies for the slight tangent on this one as well. If any of you have read our endless numbered days and had a similar experience to me, please do let me know. It would be very nice to hear that my 20 year old self was not alone. Next up, we have Because of You by Dawn French. This was one of the couple of books on this list that I hadn't heard of, didn't guess. I've heard that this book is essentially about motherhood. I believe we have two women who both give birth to daughters in the same hospital on the same day, and the book then takes place 17 years later when something happens. So I'm kind of surprised to see this one on this list. Celebrity authors don't tend to make these kind of long lists. Not that that means they shouldn't, I guess. But all of that aside, I just don't really think this one is my kind of read. Nothing about this premise has me excited or hooked. I also haven't really heard anything good about this one yet, so I'll probably just let it go. The next book on the list is This One by Susanna Clark. I really should have looked up how to pronounce this book title before I started filming. Piranesi. Piranesi. So I believe this one is set in a dream-like alternate reality. We have a labyrinth, this house that is filled with an infinite number of rooms, and we have a main character who spends all of their time exploring this house. I've got nothing else to tell you. So funnily enough I actually purchased this book a couple of weeks before the list was announced because it was Cameron's birthday, and I do think this book is probably very good. I've heard very good things about Susanna Clark's writing. I've heard great things about this book in particular. Also, the end papers are just absolutely stunning. Kind of irrelevant, but also kind of not. For me, personally, this just isn't the kind of book I tend to read. If Cameron reads it and tells me that it's incredible and that he thinks I would like this book, then I may give it a go. But other than that, I just don't really see this one taking priority over the rest of my TBR, to be honest. Now for the second category, the books I'm interested in. We will see how my reading goes category. Firstly, we have Summer by Allie Smith. This is the fourth and final book in Allie Smith's insanely popular seasonal quartet. Of course, this book made it onto this list. And honestly, making this video has just made me realize how little I actually know about the content of this book. But perhaps that's the best way to go into it. This one was also one that I found very difficult to categorize because I really want to read this. I really, really do. I've read one other Allie Smith, really enjoyed it. I've heard endless amazing things about this quartet, but I just haven't read the first three books in this quartet yet. Because of this, Summer is not going to happen anytime soon. Certainly not before the short list is announced. I know I call myself a literary booktuber, so that's why this book hasn't been put in the top category. But yes, Allie Smith. Next up, we have How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Sherry Jones. This is a debut novel, I believe, which is exciting. And all I know about this one is that it is set in Barbados and follows four different characters who are all trying to avoid some kind of violence. I've seen this one around these past few months and I've heard quite a lot of good things about it. It definitely sounds like something I could enjoy. We all know that I love contemporary novels focusing on different characters. I've also heard this novel likened to Zadie Smith novels, which obviously could mean nothing, but it could also mean something, which would be amazing. Very keen to hear more people's thoughts on this one, and then we will take it from there. Next up, we have No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. This is one of those books that I've seen around, but I couldn't really tell you what it's about. Honestly, I've looked it up, I've read the blurb, but I still couldn't really tell you. From what I've gathered, I believe the novel follows a woman who has a huge social media presence, and the book explores the weird space between our real selves and our online selves. Maybe. I've heard this book described as genre defying. I expect it's going to be quite unique and pretty surreal. The concept does sound pretty fascinating and very of the moment, social media is such a fucked up but amazing place. So yes, definitely intrigued by this one, plus it's blurbed by Sally Rooney on the front, so pretty cool. Next up, we have The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig. This is one of the chunky novels on the list, and it's one that I hadn't actually heard of before. I just realized that I forgot to say for the past couple of books, but a big thank you to the publishers for sending me on these copies. I believe this one follows a young single poor mother named Hannah who meets another woman on the train, they end up chatting, and basically agree to murder each other's husbands. Hannah then gets to know this woman's husband who doesn't appear to be what she was led to believe. This book sounds bizarre but I'm here for it. I imagine it is a dense character focused, family focused novel which sounds as though it has strands of intrigue and mystery. I think this could be really really good and very me. I just haven't heard too much about it yet. Time will tell. Now onto the good stuff, the ones that I am very very excited about. Firstly, we have Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers. Set in London in the 1950s, I believe this one follows the story of a woman who works for the local paper. When she starts working with a young Swiss woman who claims that her daughter was the result of a virgin birth. So I've seen this one around quite a few places recently. It had always attracted me, I'd heard great things, plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I think it is so stunning. I'm so pleased that this one made it onto this list which will hopefully give me the final push I need to pick this one up. This one just has me. It sounds super intriguing. I'm really excited to get to know the characters. I'm excited to explore the time setting and I'm just excited to see where this novel goes and what its point is. I will hopefully be reading this one very soon. Next up is Consent by Annabelle Lyon. This is another debut. I was actually sent this advanced copy a couple of months ago when the book came out. I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I believe it follows two sets of sisters whose lives come together when some kind of tragedy occurs. That's really all I know and kind of all I want to know to be honest. As I say, I was already excited to read this one. I'm now even more excited to read it. I've heard that the characters are supposed to be a particular highlight in this one which has me, characters are my favourite things. Apparently it's filled with the complexities of family duty. It explores resentment and guilt and regret. I'm excited for this one. I'm hoping it's going to be really good. Next up we have Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. This one follows a Ghanaian family in Alabama, most prominently a young woman named Gifty who is studying neuroscience at Stanford and it explores her relationship with her mother and her brother who at different points struggle with addiction and depression. This book is about immigration and grief and love and family. I'm actually already reading this one. I'm listening to it on audiobook. I am a massive Yaa Gyasi fan. I fell in love with her when I read Homegoing a few years ago. I said then that I would read anything that she brings out so of course I was super excited for this one and I'm really enjoying this one so far. I just love the way Yaa Gyasi writes characters and family and how bold she is. I will report back with my full thoughts on this one soon. The penultimate book on the list is Nothing but Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon. This is another one of those books that I'd kind of seen around but didn't really know too much about but now I know more about it and I'm very excited. I believe it follows the story of a middle-aged man whose wife dies after 20 years of marriage. He then uncovers some secrets about her and starts to question whether he knew her, whether he knows himself, whether he knew their relationship. A character study set within a long-term relationship exploring love and identity and memory. This book is so me. Plus this one has actually been blurbed by a Donal Ryan I believe who is such a beautiful writer. I'm very excited to read this one soon. And the final book on the list is Luster by Raven Leilani. Apart from the Alice Smith, this is probably the least shocking novel on this list. I've spoken about this one before in my anticipated releases video. It is supposedly a dark comic novel following the story of a young black woman who is navigating life as an artist. It supposedly explores themes of sexuality and politics among other things. Again, this novel has been fucking everywhere recently. This novel is insanely popular. It is the literary fiction novel of the moment and everything about this one just screams my name. I think I am going to love it. I just need to actually pick this one up and hopefully I'll do that soon. So there we have the 16 books on this year's women's prize long list and some of my thoughts. I would love to know your guys thoughts on this list down below in the comments. Do you like following the women's prize? What do you think of this list in particular? Are there any books that you particularly want to read? I can't wait to hear all of your guys thoughts. Let's chat women's prize down below. Depending on how my reading goes, I may do some women's prize focused review videos. We will see. Please let me know if that's something you'd be interested in or I can just keep the reviews to my normal recent reads videos. Other than that, I hope you're all doing really well. I hope your weeks are going really well. I hope you're all enjoying spring and I will see you all soon in another video. Thanks for watching everyone.