Creation Lake was unreadable. I am the OP of the November What Are You Reading thread, who DNF halfway through. Weird, pretentious, supremely unlikable main character, and just all around BAD.

I will check out some of these other titles, though.

Anonymous wrote:Samantha Harvey won for Orbital.

I haven't read it yet, but I have it on hold at the library.

Same! I tried to get it early this year and they didn’t even have it available for ereaders yet. It looks like it’s now easier to get.

Samantha Harvey won for Orbital.

I haven't read it yet, but I have it on hold at the library.

Anonymous wrote:I have copies only of these two, waiting to be read

Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars
Sarah Perry, Enlightenment

I wouldn't be surprised if Tommy Orange won, regardless of who else is up for it. He's an amazing writer.

I didn’t love Wandering Stars, and it did not make the short list. I totally agree he’s a great writer— it’s just not a strong work, IMHO.

Anonymous wrote:The short list was decided:
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

I've read James which I thought was good. I'm also very interested in Orbital. Not sure if I'll read any of the others.

I’m still waiting for James and Orbital! They went on my list even before the long list was announced.

I have copies only of these two, waiting to be read

Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars
Sarah Perry, Enlightenment

I wouldn't be surprised if Tommy Orange won, regardless of who else is up for it. He's an amazing writer.

The short list was decided:
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

I've read James which I thought was good. I'm also very interested in Orbital. Not sure if I'll read any of the others.

I've read Enlightenment and I loved it.

My review:
Sarah Perry has really hit her stride with this new novel. It keeps her trademark character-driven plot, and continues the rather odd writing style she has that seems a mix between Victorian and modern syntax. And in this novel, unlike some of her others, she's created characters and situations that kept me fully engaged.

The center of this novel is Thomas Hart, a middle aged man at the beginning of the book, who writes a column in the local paper. He is straight out of the past - wearing formal clothes, speaking in an old-fashioned way, continuing to favor letters over email or the phone. He is also gay, but a member of a strict Baptist church, so he hides this from others and practically from himself. He stayed in the church when he was drawn to a baby girl whose mother died and whose father is a member of the church. The two have a deep connection, Grace Macaulay and Thomas Hart. Grace is in her teenage years when the book begins, and with that comes all the rebellion and soul searching and love interest that you would expect.

Unfortunately, Thomas and Grace have a falling out. Over the next twenty years they will be drawn back together, though whether they'll forgive each other will be the question. Tying this all together is a subplot that is integrated beautifully. Thomas Hart, early in the book, is assigned to write about the Hale-Bopp Comet. This prompts a love of amateur astronomy that continues through his life. He also finds a local story about a woman who went missing in the late 1800s named Maria Vaduva, whose incomplete letters and diary are found. Her story, and the story of her forays into astronomy, bind the book together.

This all sounds complicated and I didn't even tell half of it, but Perry does an amazing job of tying everything together seamlessly. There is no "dual timeline" or "flashback" to Maria Vaduva's life - it's all integrated perfectly into the present day story. Though, as I said, the present day story barely feels present-day with Perry's quirky Victorian writing style and characters.

I'm not doing justice to this novel. It's so hard to describe. I found it completely original and captivating. I think it's her best book to date and I hope she keeps writing more novels. I will try them all!

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been waiting for “Orbital” and “James” at the library for awhile now.

I thought “Wandering Stars” was okay. Some parts were excellent (historical sections), some were uneven and required a recent read or reread of “There There.”

Don’t know much about the rest!

Use libgen.

I’m reading the Clare Messud right now and really enjoying it

I used to buy the whole booker long list and read them but only ever liked a small portion of the books.

Thanks for the list OP I will watch and wait for the shortlist

I've read:

- James
Excellent, worthy of all the hype and accolades but I don't think it will win. It's creative and intelligently-written, but not quite esoteric enough for Booker standards.

- This Strange Eventful History
Wonderful. It's a family saga, my favorite type of book. My only complaint is that each section focuses on one family member and then when you're all invested in that story it ends and jumps 10 years to the next generation/character. I didn't want to leave each character yet. But that's a sign of good writing to me; when you care enough about the characters to want more.

- Enlightenment
Not a fan at all. This book was such a slog to read, I found myself skimming passages to just get through it. The main character is quirky, which I usually appreciate, but it didn't work for me.

-The Safekeep
Another one I didn't like. This book managed to be so dull despite the intriguing premise. It had aspects of a thriller with no thrill. It started off strongly but once it focused too heavily on the relationship between the ladies, I lost interest and found it cringe-worthy.

I’ve been waiting for “Orbital” and “James” at the library for awhile now.

I thought “Wandering Stars” was okay. Some parts were excellent (historical sections), some were uneven and required a recent read or reread of “There There.”

Don’t know much about the rest!

OP here. I haven't read any of them yet. Do you have predictions? My friend is rooting for James to make it the short list.

Longlist:

Colin Barrett, Wild Houses
Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot
Percival Everett, James
Samantha Harvey, Orbital
Rachel Kushner, Creation Lake
Hisham Matar, My Friends
Claire Messud, This Strange Eventful History
Anne Michaels, Held
Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars
Sarah Perry, Enlightenment
Richard Powers, Playground
Yael van der Wouden, The Safekeep
Charlotte Wood, Stone Yard Devotional