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#WomensPrize
review
squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

I was worried that this #womensprize for NF long lister would be a bit dry but it wasn‘t. (I‘d tried to start Vulture Capitalism which I found difficult to get into so thought this may be the same).

The author uses real-life people and their stories to discuss the impact of AI, both good and bad, which makes it an interesting and accessible read.

Covering areas such as facial recognition, health apps and crime statistics I‘d recommend it.

Balibee146 Stacked and love your pupper 😍😍 46m
Hooked_on_books Sounds interesting! This one doesn‘t come out here until shortly after the prize is announced. Plus, hi Henry! ❤️🐶 29m
squirrelbrain @Balibee146 @Hooked_on_books - we‘re on a camping trip (a bit cold and wet!) so lots of reading time and Henry gets lots of cuddles. 20m
9 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Lindy
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Pickpick

Superb storytelling, farcical humour and a vivid sense of place carry this historical / high seas adventure / bildungsroman / romance / heist novel centred on a real 18th-century artifact created in southern India: an automaton in the shape of a tiger eating a man. Serious themes—colonialism, imperialism & racism—give this story of self-reinvention heft. Audiobook read by Shawn K Jain.

squirrelbrain Great review! This was one of the most heavily tipped books for the #womensprize, but obviously didn‘t make the list. It was 99p on Kindle recently so, clearly, I bought it! 2d
Lindy @squirrelbrain It may not have won the heart of the Women‘s Prize judges, but it made the National Book Award longlist and is currently longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize. 🏆 2d
34 likes2 comments
review
TheKidUpstairs
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Pickpick

An excellent, engaging read.

1990. A young girl is found dead on a council estate in London. Another child is suspected of causing her death. An exploitative journalist hides the family away in a hotel in hopes of wringing a story out of them.

I couldn't turn away, and found myself sneaking time to listen during a busy March Break. Highly recommend! I usually can't do fiction on audio, but Jessica Regan's narration was superb.

#WomensPrize

Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻 2d
squirrelbrain Great review! 2d
BarbaraBB I liked this one so much too. 2d
60 likes3 stack adds3 comments
review
TheKidUpstairs
Restless Dolly Maunder | Kate Grenville
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Pickpick

A solid historical fiction read about a complicated woman in early 20th century Australia, trying to find a way to live within the narrow confines of society. Grenville's author notes and connection to Dolly add extra interest.

It was a good read, but as a #WomensPrize nominee, it wouldn't make my Shortlist. I enjoyed it, but nothing felt new or exceptional to make it Prize worthy.

squirrelbrain I agree with your view, it wouldn‘t make my shortlist either. 2d
59 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
ChaoticMissAdventures
The Maiden | Kate Foster
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Sharing my shame here. I got home from the library and called up my account online and realized I must not have understood the new self checkout machine because all of my library books say they are waiting at the library for me! I didn't check out any of them! I walked right out the door with 5 library books! I stole from the library!
The remodel got rid of the sensors so no alarm sounded. I am so embarrassed.

Tamra Ooops 🤭 2d
Karisa Oh, that sounds like something I would do… Then I‘d go back in to tell on myself and confuse the librarians— instead of just checking them out low key style 😳 2d
HettyG 🤣😂 2d
See All 7 Comments
squirrelbrain Oopsie- are you sure it just doesn‘t take a while for the system to update? Never mind though, you have a fabulous #womensprize stack! 2d
Coffeymuse I work for a large library system and this happens, no biggie! Just call them up with the books nearby and they should be able to check them out to you :) 2d
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2d
ChaoticMissAdventures @Karisa @Coffeymuse I called them this morning and I could hear the shrug over the phone. 😁 She was like happens all the time, you are now on the honor system, please bring them back when you are done. Which is a bit loosey goosey for me, but it does give me more time with the one I am a bit nervous to pick up! 2d
35 likes7 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Hangman: A Novel | Maya Binyam
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Mehso-so

That was…. different. 🤔 My least-liked book on the #womensprize long list so far.

An unnamed man returns to unnamed country (in Africa) to find his brother, who may be dying. Along the way he meets many people, who aren‘t named and who he should recognise but doesn‘t, who all want to tell him their stories.

I liked the stories at the start but they became very repetitive and the way of naming characters was frustrating ⬇️

squirrelbrain …‘son‘s mother‘s brother‘ is very wearing after a while. I also got the ‘twist‘ / concept of the book fairly early on. A bit too clever-clever for me, or maybe I‘m not clever enough for this book. 3d
Deblovestoread Just reading that blurb made my head hurt. 😂 That‘s a pass for me. Thanks for taking one for the team! 3d
MicheleinPhilly Ugh. Pass! 3d
See All 6 Comments
jlhammar This one wasn‘t really calling to me. I‘m in line for the audiobook so might give it a try and bail if I‘m not feeling it. 3d
BarbaraBB I am reading this one too and kind of waiting for where it goes 3d
youneverarrived Wow I don‘t think I could read a full book written like that 🙈 3d
62 likes6 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Brotherless Night: A Novel | V. V. Ganeshananthan
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Pickpick

My favourite so far from the #womensprize long list. Set in Sri Lanka during the civil war, from the 1980s onwards, it follows 16 year old Sashi as she tries to train to be a doctor against a background of fear and violence.

Powerful and raw, this feels like non-fiction at times. So much so that I looked up whether the author had direct experience of the war and she hadn‘t.

The audio narration was also fantastic.

jlhammar Oh good, this is one of the handful I ordered to start with. Looking forward to it! 3d
67 likes4 stack adds1 comment
blurb
ChaoticMissAdventures
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We are one week into the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction Long List!
How are you doing?
Hae you changed your mind in either direction on if you are going to read them all?

#WPFL24
#womensprize

squirrelbrain I haven‘t changed my mind - still reading them all! 🤣 7d
23 likes1 comment
review
Caroline2
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Pickpick

A soft pick. Loved the first half then it switched to 2nd person perspective and all the you youing did my head in! 🙄 but a really good ending (for a change!!) and I loved all the Mohawk stories and history. #womensprize

BarbaraBB Interesting! 7d
squirrelbrain Looking forward to this… I think! 🤔 7d
Caroline2 @squirrelbrain Hmm it‘s a tough one to “recommend” as it‘s a difficult read (it‘s mainly about post natal psychosis.) 7d
79 likes3 comments
review
Leniverse
Restless Dolly Maunder | Kate Grenville
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Mehso-so

Fictionalised account of the life of the author's grandmother. Dolly is an unyielding and not very likeable character, but she was a product of her time and circumstances. Made me very happy I wasn't born a century earlier and in rural Australia. A quick read. Plain story and plain prose, but interesting. Lacked that 'little extra' for me, even though it says something universal about being a woman.

#womensprize #longlist #womensprize2024

charl08 I'm hoping to get to this one soon: Library request allowing! 1w
Leniverse @charl08 Hopefully it won't take too long! My library has been pretty good, although it doesn't have all of them and only one copy of the Nolan book 😒 My hold is number 8. Might have to cave and just buy that one. 1w
41 likes2 comments