(meat) “It takes the arc of a classic story, one man’s life journey from childhood to old age, and presents it in a radically new and challenging way, gouging out the interiority that usually powers the novel form…We are cut off from his thoughts, feelings, and motivations: we see only how others react to him, desire him, and fear him.”
For a behind-the-scenes look at Booker, Sarah Jessica Parker talks about her experience serving on this year’s committee.
today’s book
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Goodreads Choice Awards begin
Voting is now open for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. A selection of readers’ favorite books from this year, with 20 nominated titles in each of the 15 categories. Members can vote for one book in each category until November 23rd. The top 10 books in each category will be announced in the final round starting November 25th, with winners announced on December 4th. Popularity is not a reliable indicator of literary quality, so it’s always nice to see well-made and commercially successful titles make it onto these lists. This year’s crossovers include “Sonia and Sonny’s Solitude,” “The Guardian and the Thief,” and “The Wild Dark Shore.”
reading is popular again
I’m bookmarking this article, which delves into the fashion industry’s recurring interest in literature, to read this weekend in Knife and Fork. In the meantime, I would like to provide an answer to the heading question. “Is reading novels really cooler than ever? Or is it just a performative fad?” is a yes. The book seems to be having a cultural moment, although the decline in sales doesn’t show it. You can probably thank algorithmic media for sparking a new generation’s interest in reading and making anything but scrolling more appealing than ever.

