There has been a recent bookish social media trend in which content creators have been putting out a personal long list of thirteen titles from all of the Booker long lists this century, and identifying a ‘winner’ from that list. I thought it would be fun to play along here, so that will be the deep dive this week. But first, the roundup.
Roundup
Music
Last week’s, and possibly the year’s, most anticipated release was Lost Weekend, Phoebe Bridgers’ first solo work since her 2020 masterpiece Punisher. I’m as surprised as I am pleased to say that it exceeded the lofty expectations set for it. (As of when I’m writing this, it has an aggregate score on Metacritic of 92, so it’s not just me saying this.) It’s a quiet and reflective album, and a creative step for her. But it wasn’t the only great album released last week, nor was it even the only great album released by a Phoebe, as I also really enjoyed Phoebe Ryan’s Yours. Both albums are going to get a lot of play from me. This week was a big one in terms of volume of new releases, if not in their profile. A surprising favourite for me was Hazel Eyes, by Sam Smith, an artist I’ve not normally enjoyed. The title track is particularly great. I also really enjoyed country/Americana artist Anna Graves’s America’s Greatest Burnout. Ruth B’s Peace to Make was also really good.
Albums
- Lost Weekend (Phoebe Bridgers)
- Yours (Phoebe Ryan)
- Big World (Hovvdy)
- Hazel Eyes (Sam Smith)
- Peace to Make (Ruth B)
- America’s Greatest Burnout (Anna Graves)
Songs
- “24 Hours” (Phoebe Ryan)
- “Bobby” (Phoebe Bridgers)
- “In My Gut” (Medium Build)
- “Hazel Eyes” (Sam Smith)
- “Bad Combination” (Ruth B)
- “Memories” (beabadoobee)
- “Fatal” (PR PARK & Molly Millington)
Reading
- The Butcher’s Masquerade (Matt Dinniman, 2022)
- Helen of Nowhere (Makenna Goodman, 2025)
- Killer Vibes (Jack Friday, 2026)
- The Beheading Game (Rebecca Lehmann, 2026)
- Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata, 2019)
- The Renovation (Kenan Orhan, 2026)
- Land (Maggie O’Farrell, 2026)
- The Rest of Our Lives (Ben Markovits, 2025)
- The Shadow of the Object (Chloe Aridjis, 2026)
- The Fire-Eaters (Margaret Laurence, 1969)
Focus on: Best 21st-Century Booker Books
Inspired by a recent social media trend, I thought I’d try my hand at developing a Booker-Prize-style ranking of books longlisted for the prize this century. A couple caveats before I begin: 1. I’ve only read 70 of the 387 books, so it’s far from comprehensive; and 2. I’ve tried to think more in terms of the things the Booker Prize values more than my personal feelings; a ‘Booker Book’ has a certain feel to it, and I’ve tried to respect that as much as possible.
The Longlist
Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel, 2009 Winner)): All three books in this trilogy are Booker books, with two of them winning. This was the first of the three, introducing Mantel’s unique literary point-of-view and perspective on Tudor England.
A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara, 2015 Shortlist): One of the most polarizing books of the century, this is a devastating story that has kept readers talking for over a decade now. Is it just ‘trauma porn’? Or is there enough grace and beauty to lift it above the more? That’s in the eye of the reader.
Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2004 Longlist): This Nigerian novel was in my all-time top 5 novels for the better part of a decade. While it’s fallen off a bit, it’s still a very powerful novel and I’m so glad it’s a ‘Booker Book.’
Stoneyard Devotional (Charlotte Wood, 2024 Shortlist): Almost two years after reading this one, I still think about it at least weekly.
Girl, Woman, Other (Bernardine Evaristo, 2019 Winner): The 2019 Booker is famous for its tie between the relatively unknown Evaristo and juggernaut Margaret Atwood (The Testaments). While it’s been a few years now since I’ve read it, it remains the book I think of most often when I encounter discussions of intersectionality.
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World (Elif Shafak, 2019 Shortlist): I just read this gut-punch of a novel this year and was really impressed.
Oh William! (Elizabeth Strout, 2022 Shortlist): Strout is back on the longlist this year, but this 2022 title from her, about a divorced couple who reconnect, is my favourite of her books.
Seascraper (Benjamin Wood, 2025 Longlist): This quiet and atmospheric novel was my favourite from last year’s longlist, and I’m still a little disappointed it wasn’t progressed to the shortlist.
The Shortlist
Bring Up the Bodies (Hilary Mantel, 2012 Winner): I love this second book in Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy; with its tighter focus on the fall of Anne Boleyn, it is to me the best of the three and was absolutely a deserving winner.
A Tale for the Time Being (Ruth Ozeki (🇨🇦 resident), 2013 Shortlist): This was my absolute favourite novel for a few years, and I think of it as a hidden gem, so I’m always surprised to be reminded it was shortlisted for the Booker. Ozeki juggles so many balls in this novel that its shouldn’t work, but she more than pulls it off.
The Stone Carvers (Jane Urquhart 🇨🇦, 2001 Longlist): Another personal favourite I often forget was a Booker book, I consider this to be the Great Canadian Novel.
My Friends (Hisham Matar, 2024 Longlist): It’s been two years, and I’m still angry this story of life in the Libyan diaspora didn’t progress to the shortlist. I’m absolutely convinced it was the best book on that year’s list.
The Winner
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005 Shortlist): This is a book I not only remember and still think about years after reading it, but it’s even become for me the archetype for a certain kind of speculative fiction book. I’m always surprised it didn’t win.
Matthew Root 