In the past, every year I would read the shortlist for the International Booker Prize Short List and I loved that experience so much. I found such great authors that I still read today that I would not have otherwise found. While at this point in time I am not reading over 100 books a year like I once did, I still would like to take a peak at this years shortlist and pick a few to add to my TBR.
Shortlist
- A Leopard-Skin Hat by Written by Anne Serre, Translated by Mark Hutchinson
- Heart Lamp Written by Banu Mushtaq, Translated by Deepa Bhasthi
- Perfection Written by Vincenzo Latronico, Translated by Sophie Hughes
- Under the Eye of the Big Bird Written by Hiromi Kawakami, Translated by Asa Yoneda
- Small Boat Written by Vincent Delecroix, Translated by Helen Stevenson
- On the Calculation of Volume I Written by Solvej Balle, Translated by Barbara J. Haveland
Making the shortlist is such a great accomplishment, each of these sounded very interesting and really spanned a wide range of topics and genres. So, I had to make a few tough calls and narrow it down to two books I would really love to read before the end of this year.
The two books that really stood out to me were Under the Eye of the Big Bird, which was originally written in Japanese and A Leopard-Skin Hat, which was published in French. Now these two books stood out to me for two different reasons. The first book was almost an instant yes for me because I have read a book by this author in the past and their writing style was beautiful and I ended up reading it super quickly because it flowed so nicely. On top of that, the concept of writing about a time in the future where humans were on their way to being extinct and examining the possible society that could bloom in that environment. The second book I chose because it talks about psychological disorders and the ups and downs that come along with that in their own mind, but also the relationships around them as well. I am interested in seeing how this author depicts this especially since this was written after the authors own sister passes away.
So, those are my two choices to read and I am off to see if my library has them by any chance so I can get a request in and read them ASAP! What are your thoughts on my two picks from this years shortlist? Would you read these picks and if not which books would you pick to read from this shortlist?
For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.
Classic Bhaer 