Book Haul October 2023 - part 1

Not only do I have an exciting group of books newly published in the UK but I also have two different book prize shortlists to discuss. Click ‘Show More’ for info & links.

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Books discussed & purchase links:

Beasts of England – Adam Biles

Kibogo – Scholastique Mukasonga

Split Tooth – Tanya Tagaq

Hackenfeller's Ape – Brigid Brophy

Iced – Ray Shell

The 100 Trillion Dollar Wealth Transfer – Ken Costa

She's a Killer – Kirsten McDougall

Luda – Grant Morrison

Under Ground – ES Thomson

Out There Screaming – edited by Jordan Peele

Books Are My Bag fiction shortlist:

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

Polari Prize Shortlists:

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Fire Island by Jack Parlett

The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward

Here Again Now by Okechukwu Nzelu

All Down Darkness Wide by Sean Hewitt

Love From the Pink Palace by Jill Nalder

None of the Above by Travis Alabanza

Rising of the Black Sheep by Livia Kojo Alour

The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom

A Visible Man by Edward Enninful

The New Life by Tom Crewe

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:45 New books
7:08 Books Are My Bag Readers Choice Fiction Shortlist
9:18 Polari Book Prize
18:50 Conclusion

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Get in touch

[barbarahelgaker]

Glad to see Sea of Tranquility mentioned, it's very good. Her Station Eleven is also a terrific read.

[ygftiui]

I’m looking forward to picking up Schoolhouse. I recently picked up spill simmer falter wither by Sara Baume which I’m excited about

[thebigreveale]

Really interesting to hear about some of the polari prize nominess. I loved Young Mungo and I'm looking forward to reading some of the others on this list.

[LiteraryGladiators]

Thanks a lot for introducing me to some new book prizes. Now I have more lists to look over and acquire books from. Demon Copperhead also won the Booktube Prize and Barbara Kingsolver responded to being honored at the gold medal winner for the fiction category. Young Mungo finished in second place and won the silver medal for fiction. I had a feeling that Beasts of England had some kind of reflection to Animal Farm. That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of that term. I am very curious to see how Adam Biles approaches that work. Your selections are quite intriguing and you explain them very well. Thank you for sharing! -Josh

[penelopegough]

So many books new to me! I have on my shelf Tomorrow….. Yellowface and have read Demon and the wonderful Sea of Tranquility but other than Young Mungo all new to me. Will definitely look for She’s a Killer. Don’t know whether to feel overwhelmed or excited at the prospect of further exploration. Thanks Eric and great shirt!

[inarticulable]

Yellowface contains a lot of commentary on the publishing industry, so you might find it interesting. You’re right that the style and plot is very different to Babel.

[radiantchristina]

Cheeky cover 🤣 - i think i'd get fire island for the cover alone lol

[georginatoland]

On the George Orwell train…I recently saw a book called “Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life” by Anna Funder. From the promotional blurbage:

“Eileen O'Shaughnessy married Orwell in 1936. O'Shaughnessy was a writer herself, and her literary brilliance not only shaped Orwell's work, but her practical common sense saved his life. But why and how, Funder wondered, was she written out of their story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder re-creates the Orwells' marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War in London. As she peeks behind the curtain of Orwell's private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer--and what it is to be a wife.”

[heathersneddon]

The book published this month that I have been waiting for forever is Hilary Mantel: A Memoir of my Former Self

[TRACEYHAWORTH-ef]

I have just found your channel I'm so enjoying your recommendations of new books. I've just started reading A SPY AMONG FRIENDS by Ben MacIntyre. I would like to recommend two books you should read, Legacy by Thomas Harding and Sofia by Anita Anand these are two great stories about real life people. Thank you Tracey Haworth.

[norfolkreads]

Every time I see Demon Copperhead I hear you saying it in my head 😂

[TheEmzies]

I love that cover of She's a Killer. The NZ version is quite sci fi looking. Definitely worthy of a read though.

[spexi]

Our wives under the sea I still think about months later

[jamesduggan]

Whenever I see Tomorrow and Tomorrow ... I think of Macbeth's famous soliloquy (after learning of the death of his wife), which was the first WS speech I memorized as a teen. And now I'm hoping I don't need to read this new novel only to learn how they're connected. Oh, reading a new book (and one nominated for an important prize, at that) wouldn't be a bad thing, but nonetheless it seems a lot to learn just a little, no?

[janethansen]

On the Orwell theme, I just bought Wifedom by Anna Funder for non fiction November.

[Elizabeth-Reads]

Oh gosh Eric, I hope you’ll read Our Wives Under the Sea! It was one of my top 5 last year, a beautiful and unique story about the complexities of a marriage. I rarely cry at novels, but the ending made me sob. It was just so, so good, I’ll now pre-order anything Armfeld comes up with going forward. (And like I said on your short, I’d skip Yellowface, it felt derivative and pointless, and Kuang just doesn’t write well, IMO. I don’t understand the popularity.)

[bettystychno]

Please review Lauren Groff’s new book The Vaster Wilds. Lyrical page turner.

[Alexander_Scott]

What made you an American? Canadian? Move to the UK?

[giantcupofcoffee]

transfer of wealth you say? In all seriousness I’d be interested in knowing how the author approaches this topic, since everything I’ve seen states that there won’t be any boomer wealth for us after their elder care is paid for, and since we’ve gotten to the point where their homes aren’t in a state to be inherited without expensive repairs.

[georginatoland]

I just finished Yellowface, but have not read anything else by Kuang. It’s a quick read, and I found it entertaining because we all know a Karen that would have most definitely done the same things as this fictional one did.