Happy weekend! Even happier for me, because I’m off work for a week – and off on holiday with my brother. We tend to go away this time of year, because it’s coming up to our birthday, so we always get to enjoy places that are cold and wet. Hurrah! A couple years ago we went to Canada, last year was Northern Ireland, and this year it’s Yorkshire. If there are any bookshops near Harrogate that I mustn’t miss, let me know.
Luckily Hargreaves isn’t being abandoned – Mum is coming up to look after him, with Dad popping in occasionally. They were known as Our Vicar and Our Vicar’s Wife here for many years – and those of you who’ve just read The Diary of a Provincial Lady for the 1930 Club will now know why – but since they’re retired now, what should their nicknames be??
I’m going to be taking a blogging break while I’m away, but I’ll leave you with a book, a link (or two), and a blog post.
1.) The link – I read an interesting take on that Booker prize and its rule-breaking double win, from one of the judges – and then I read an even more interesting take from one of the not-super-pleased publishers with a novel on the shortlist. I have to say, I ended up #TeamPublisher.
2.) The book – Of the making of books about books there is no end, and thank goodness say I. The Secret Life of Books by Tom Mole came through my letterbox recently, and you can colour me intrigued.
3.) The blog post – Scott is running a ‘Possibly Furrowed Middlebrow?‘ event – a virtual one, anyone. Are there books that you’d long to see back in print? There are a few other criteria but that’s the main one.
I think I’m with you on the Booker. I adore Atwood but the prize was not award this year on the merits of the books involved, the whole thing was a fudge, and how disheartening for the other entrants. In particular “Ducks…” – although I may not read it ever – sounds as if it was really pushing the boat out. Scary that the publishers have to shell out all that money too – I didn’t know that. I’m pretty detached from the Booker tbh, but this doesn’t make me any more inclined to take notice of it.
One plus of the all furore is that it’s making me think that maybe I could try Ducks one day… one day…
Have a lovely holiday! I’m off to Romania, and hope to explore lots of bookshops.
Oh lovely – enjoy!
I’m definitely with you and Kaggsy on the Booker, but that’s no reflection on the authors and their works, its the prize and its administration. Hopefully the attention its getting means it won’t happen again.
Have a lovely holiday!
Hopefully! I’m quite shocked that they overrode the organisers of the prize so brazenly.
I’m glad they didn’t just give it to Atwood, but did she really need it? I mean, better the Booker Prize highlight a lesser known author, no?
Or at least just the book they thought was best! If they couldn’t do that, then they weren’t qualified for the job.
Have a lovely trip! Stay warm and dry! I am very curious to hear your views on the Booker Prize thing! I read the article and didn’t… really understand what the publisher was cross about? Like, the idea that prize judges sometimes take into account things that aren’t exclusively the content of that specific book? That seems like an insane thing to object to! How could anyone expect that humans are capable of compartmentalizing their minds like that???
Belated reply! Interesting – I kinda do expect the judges only to judge the book in question. They seemed to be judging the authors’ whole careers – and, while compartmentalising completely is probably really hard, I think that level of “this book, not those books” shouldn’t have been too hard?
Ooooh thank you for those links re: the Booker! I’m going to read them back-to-back right now. And if you haven’t already, maybe check out The Book by Amaranth Borsuk, through MIT Press? Could be of interest ;) Enjoy your week off, and happy birthday in advance!
Interesting to see that the offending paragraphs/statements that Jordinson mentions in his very-reasonable complaint seem to have been removed from the Guardian piece? All I found there was a wonderful testament to the importance of reading outside our own “tastes”. Either way, both very interesting reads! Thank you, Simon!
Yes! I’m now wondering if I linked to the wrong article, or if they just shifted things…
I’m thinking that the article was retrospectively edited, given the negative feedback…
Thanks for the recommendation!