Booker 2026 musings: Reflections and personal favorites

Every year when our panel reads the longlist, we rate each book on several categories including writing, originality, plot development, character development, and enjoyment. This year each of our panelists will pick their favorite book for specific to each category and a few other new categories. Later this afternoon we will post our predictions. So here are our musings and reflections on this year’s list.

Jen’s overall thoughts: My favorite types of books are those that push the boundaries of narrative style and structure. I really enjoy unconventional novels that make you think, but aren’t completely obtuse or pretentious.

My favorite author is David Mitchell, with early Murakami a close second. The vast majority of books on this year’s longlist are exactly the sorts of books I would naturally gravitate toward. But admittedly, it gets old and tiring to read the same sort of plotless, big-ideas, experimental, surreal novels one after another.

By the time I reached my final book, I was desperate for something plot-heavy, with well-developed characters, that didn’t require mental gymnastics to comprehend. Thankfully, my final book was Marlon James’s The Disappearers, which managed to be both satisfying from a plot and character perspective and intellectually stimulating.

If I can separate my feelings about the individual books from the experience of reading so many similar novels back-to-back, I can say that I appreciated a great many of the books on this year’s longlist. I just might need a few straightforward novels before tackling another experimental one!

How many of the longlist books did you read: All 13.
Best writing: The Disappearers. Although to be fair the writing quality in this year’s list was stellar across the board
Most original: The Vivesectors
Best Plot development: The Disappearers
Best Character development: The Disappearers
Most enjoyable read: May We Feed the King
Least enjoyable read: Helen of Nowhere
Made you think/reflect in a deeper way: The End of Everything
Which book would you want to read again? The End of Everything

Nicole’s overall thoughts: When I first heard the judging panel, I was like – yes! This is going to be my year! Alas … it was too little variation of a theme. There were some I really enjoyed, but nothing that knocked my socks off. Even The Disappearers won’t make my top 10 this year and usually 1 or 2 Booker books make my personal list. I think this is the closest I’ve come to finishing the list.

How many of the longlist books did you read: Finished 12, DNF John of John
Best writing: The Disappearers (anybody else struggle typing that every. single. time?)
Most original: The Vivisectors (honorable mention for The Renovation)
Best Plot development: The Disappearers
Best Character development: The Disappearers
Least enjoyable read: Helen of Nowhere
Made you think/reflect in a deeper way: May We Feed the King
Which book would you want to read again? I listened to The Disappearers because I struggle reading dialect, and the audio was great, but I think it would stand up to a read-read as well. Structurally, it’s probably better suited to reading.

Lisa’s overall thoughts: This year I read more than usual, maybe because so many of the books were short. I did not read John of John, in part because it was long, and in part because it did not appeal to me. I tried to read The Disappearers. I read about 100 pages and I just did not like it. Honestly, I prefer books that center more on female characters, and I don’t love reading about sex, and the book was so long, and reading those first 100 pages was like reading with an ax hanging over my head because I knew what was coming. I finally decided my life was too short to keep going. Reading everyone’s reviews, maybe I’ll re-visit and re-try, but I just don’t know. I’m daunted by the length and the misery. But it’s also my best bet to win the prize.

How many of the longlist books did you read: 9, which is the most I’ve ever read. I DNF The Disappearers and All them Dogs. I almost DNF Black Bag but then everyone else’s review convinced me to go back to it and I did. I’m almost done, and I think I’m glad I went back.
Best writing: May we feed the king
Most original: The end of everything
Best Plot development: The Vivisectors. Plot was not a major feature of many of the books I read.
Best Character development: The things we never say.
Most enjoyable read: May we feed the king.
Least enjoyable read: Helen of Nowhere (even though I finished it)
Made you think/reflect in a deeper way: Switzy – I think I liked this more than others reviewers. I liked the attempt to really get into the head of a person with dementia.
Which book would you want to read again? May we feed the king

Tracy’s overall thoughts: Violence, dementia and gay shame seem to be the themes of this list. But it’s kind of hard to tell, because maybe three of the books actually had a plot. I have no problem with experimental fiction- but this many in one list was overkill. However, the quality of writing was crazy good in nearly every book. I think if these books were presented throughout the year, I’d have enjoyed them much more. Except for Helen. And I have to add here that if Black Bag had been published last year, it would have beaten the pants off of Flesh. Similar theme, much better book.

How many of the longlist books did you read: 13
Best writing: The Disappearers
Most original: The Renovation
Best Plot development: John of John
Best Character development: Black Bag
Most enjoyable read: May We Feed the King
Least enjoyable read: Helen of Nowhere
Made you think/reflect in a deeper way: The Vivisectors
Which book would you want to read again? The Disappearers, John of John

Anita’s overall thoughts: This year’s list was certainly thought provoking. In some cases, the themes seemed to almost overwhelm everything else. Storytelling is important too, and some of these books just didn’t seem to care. Nearly all of the books would be excellent for book club discussions, and honestly I am yearning to discuss The End of Everything even though I didn’t enjoy reading it all that much. Some books need more than one brain applied before they can be seen as not just a diamond in the rough, but for the gem they are. One book is wowing me (not quite done) and another made me laugh out loud which isn’t easy. If those two make the cut, I’ll be satisfied.

How many of the longlist books did you read: 8 1/2
Best writing: The Renovation
Most original: The Renovation
Best Plot development: The Disappearers
Best Character development: The Disappearers
Most enjoyable read: Black Bag
Least enjoyable read: The Shadow of the Object
Made you think/reflect in a deeper way: The End of Everything
Which book would you want to read again? The End of Everything

Andrew’s Thoughts: Per usual, I only made it through a handful of the longlist books (and bailed early on two of them). As the rest of the panel noted, there was a distinct theme for many of the selections, and frankly that theme wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe I’m basic, but give me a well-crafted novel with a narrative arc and engaging characters and I’m all in. Even if you create immaculate sentences, if the only thing you’re offering me is an ethereal sense of existential dread, I’m good. That’s my default setting – I don’t need any extra help. I love a good allegory or extended metaphor, but when I’m done with a book I want to know what I’ve read and have at least a basic sense of what the author was trying to convey. Therefore, The Disappearers, All Them Dogs, and The Things We Never Say ranked head and shoulders above The End of Everything and The Vivisectors. I will finish The Disappearers at some point – it was just too heavy for me to power through in the time I allotted for it. All Them Dogs and The Things We Never Say were good books, but hardly groundbreaking. Just good reads. And I’ve made my feelings on the other two quite clear. 

Of the books I read (or partially read), my rankings in order would be:

How many of the longlist books did you read: 3 (and two halves… does that count?)
Best writing: The Disappearers
Most original: The Disappearers (I’m tempted to say The End of Everything just because it was original to take a promising premise and making it boring as hell)
Best Plot development: The Disappearers
Best Character development: The Disappearers
Most enjoyable read: All Them Dogs
Least enjoyable read: The Vivisectors
Which book would you want to read again? The Things We Never Say (in about 20 years when I’m roughly in that stage of life)

We want to hear from you. Which books did you like and why? Drop us your thoughts and reviews in the comment section!