Thinking about the New Year
Book awards, thoughts on reading goals, and upcoming releases we can't wait to read
Welcome to 2024, readers! The new year brings a time to reflect and look back on the past year and how we can move forward in the coming months. Below we’ll touch on some 2023 reflections, and talk about setting reading goals for 2024.
Should we Trust Book Awards?
As we step into the new year, we have all been seeing everyone’s 2023 best reads lists, Oscar nominations, Spotify wraps and more. I have to admit, I am always excited to see what books, movies, songs have been trending in these lists and add them to my personal ever-growing catalog of things to be consumed in the future. What is it about these lists that pique our interest and how are they even picked out in the first place?
In a recent episode in which we talk about The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (click here to listen), Shruti brings up some interesting points about the Booker prize. She mentions that the panel is comprised of seven people (consisting of librarians, literary agents, publishers and book sellers), that read a list of books submitted by publishers and pick the winner together. Seven people is a pretty small sample group. Also, on what basis does a book become the “best” one?
How is “the best book” something that can be measured?
Writing is a form of art, and art is subjective. Does giving a book a prize over another say that the others are not good enough? Does having these award systems in place make storytelling competitive? Should storytelling be competitive? Are some awards (such as the Goodreads awards) just popularity contests? For me, they just seem like another way to clickbait readers into buying a book.
Another popular form of book reviews in today’s world is video blogger style critique on Instagram or TikTok where you’ll hear an explanation of why a person liked or disliked the book. This form of reviewing allows you to see the reader’s thought process and may help us, the audience, decide whether their reasoning is something we can relate to or not. Especially if you have been following this person over time, their opinions and reviews help build a much more trusting relationship and seem to have more meaning than slapping a prize winning label on the cover of a book without knowing who the people are that made the decision, and why they loved the book so much.
Below, I’ve listed some Booker prize winners that I enjoyed, and why. Whether you loved or hated these titles, we hope this will reveal more about our reading preferences so that you can get the most out of our podcast episodes and future newsletters.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood: In 2019, Margaret Atwood won the Booker prize for this spellbinding sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel is set 15 years before The Handmaid’s Tale and explores a villain origin story like no other by creating sympathy, complexity and frustration towards the characters and events progressing throughout the story.
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: In 2008, Aravind Adiga won the Booker prize for this dark but humorous story of India’s class struggle in the eyes of Balram, a poor villager that grows up in a cold, hard world. The social commentary of the story and how it brushes on religious issues, caste issues and loyalty makes for an eye-opening read.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel: In 2002, Yann Martel won the Booker prize for the intriguing journey of Pi, the son of a zoologist escaping to North America after The Emergency is announced in India. This story will take you through every emotion and forces you, the reader, to self-reflect on your own morals and beliefs. It has since been made into a major motion picture as well as a theater performance that both have riveting reviews.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: In 1997, Arundhati Roy won the Booker prize for her poetic debut of this book. The story of twin siblings Estha and Rahel set in the memorable Kerala landscape is about loss, separation, injustice, and revenge. The writing is lyrical, technical, enthralling.
Quality over Quantity: Setting Reading Goals for 2024
Neha’s Personal Hot Take : Reading goals can sometimes be counterproductive. Often, it can make reading feel like a chore, rather than something fun you do in your free time. While not everyone shares this view, it is something I have learned in my years of reading with Bookstagram as a companion. I always admire people who have reading goals because it shows discipline, motivation and consistency. But if you’re like me, having reading goals and seeing others progressing through theirs makes the whole reading process competitive. Does having a reading goal create a pressured environment or create an obligation?
As I think about the new year, I have decided that reflecting is my reading goal this year. As readers, we don’t only learn from books based on the number we consume, but more through how we reflect on this book during or after our journey with it. On our podcast, Shruti and I sometimes go into an episode not loving a book, but through our discussion and debates, we walk away from the episode maybe respecting or admiring the book a little more. The time we take to reflect on a book is what creates experiences and conversations that we can learn and grow from.
We challenge ourselves at the end of our episodes by asking each other “Will this book stand the test of time?” I think this question, amongst many others, is what grows our mind and enriches our life. Some other questions we ask ourselves after finishing a book:
How did this book make you feel? Why do you think it made you feel that way?
What about this book did you love? What about it did you not love?
Did you learn anything new? Did the material make you want to learn more about a specific topic?
What was the author trying to achieve? Did they succeed?
Whether you read one book in the upcoming year or 200, what is important to learn and grow from the process. Join in on our discussions by listening in and emailing us your thoughts.
Upcoming Releases We’re Excited About
New year, new books! Here are some books we’re excited about that are coming out in 2024.
The Women by Kristin Hannah: ‘ “Women can be heroes, too.”
When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.’ See more
The themes of The Women seem to be right up our alley, and The Nightingale had us hooked so I cannot wait to hear more from Kristin Hannah.
Until August by Gabriel García Márquez: ‘Sitting alone beside the languorous blue waters of the lagoon, Ana Magdalena Bach contemplates the men at the hotel bar. She has been happily married for twenty-seven years and has no reason to escape the life she has made with her husband and children. And yet, every August, she travels by ferry here to the island where her mother is buried, and for one night takes a new lover…. Constantly surprising, joyously sensual, Until August is a profound meditation on freedom, regret, self-transformation, and the mysteries of love—an unexpected gift from one of the greatest writers the world has ever known.’ See more
Before his passing in 2014, Gabriel Garcia Marquez left us with one last story. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a story that takes us through generations of human isolation in a magical but vicious way. I loved One Hundred Years of Solitude and am so excited to cherish this last novel.
Knife by Salman Rushdie: ‘From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him. Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.’ See more
We talked a little about Salman Rushdie in our “Was it Worth the Hype?” episode last season, in the context of his most recent novel, Victory City. The difficulty and tragedy this author has faced in his years of writing and fame is one that I am very interested to know more about.
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig: ‘Grace Winters is a widow and retired math teacher whose life seems to be getting smaller and smaller. She keeps out of the way of people and passes time watching the birds in her garden and doing crossword puzzles. But when a long-lost friend dies in strange circumstances and leaves her a house on the Spanish island of Ibiza, Grace’s solitary drastically changes. The Life Impossible is a story of wild adventure, deep transformation and gloriously heart-warming characters. It shows how a new outlook can burst into life at any moment and change everything.’ See more
Matt Haig has written some of my favorite books of all time. The Humans by Matt Haig is a book I go back to often, and recommend to almost anyone who asks. I will consume anything he releases in hopes of finding a new favorite.
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson: ‘On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.’ See more
Erik Larson has a talent for writing non-fiction stories like they are fictitious, in part due to his career as a journalist. His research is comprehensive and his storytelling is gripping. I am so looking forward to seeing what this new book has in store.
We are so excited about our upcoming Season 3, and can’t wait to share it with you! Stay tuned for more information on our theme and book selections coming soon.