jenp27

Jul 17

Battle of the Bots: Which AI can Predict the Booker?

Yesterday our panel posted our 2026 Booker longlist predictions. Today it’s time for the AI predictions. You all saw how well Chat GPT did with its predictions. I asked several frequently-used AI to give us their predictions for this year’s booker longlist. The prompt was the same for all. The prompt I gave was: Can you please give me your predictions for the 13 books you think will make the 2026 Booker longlist. Please follow Booker Prize eligibility criteria. Books must be originally written in English, have a UK publisher, and be published between October 1, 2025 and September 20, 2026. Thanks to Gygoldenreviewer (if you’re not already following him on Instagram, you should rectify that asap) for pointing out that ChatGPT from yesterday’s post selected a book that does not have a UK publisher. As such, I modified the prompt slightly to try and direct them to be more accurate.

Responses were copied and pasted exactly as obtained. I did not correct any errors. Keep reading to find out what they all predicted.

Jul 16

9 Comments

2026 Booker Longlist Predictions

It’s that time again! Every year our panel comes together to read and review all the booker nominees and to predict the winners. Welcome back to Andrew who is joining us again this year after a short hiatus. This year’s longlist will be announced on July 28. Every year we try and most years we fail spectacularly to get more than 3 correct predictions each. Will we have better luck this year? Keep reading to find out who we all selected and let us know what you think.

Mar 30

Glyph by Ali Smith

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of Ali Smith’s writing. So I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her latest book, due out this May. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ali Smith is known for her use of wordplay and tendency to bend time, perspective, and narrative structure. I enjoy her writing because it is highly intellectual while at the same time thoroughly readable. I’m also trying to get a head start on potential Booker nominees and while I’ve heard conflicting things about Smith submitting her books for consideration, she’s been on the list before and is a good candidate for Booker lists. So how’s her most recent novel? Here is my review

Feb 7

Terrible Reviews of Great Books: 1984 by George Orwell

There is no such thing as a universally loved book. In this series, I revisit Time’s 100 best English-language novels and unpack the weirdest reasons readers can’t stand them. From the nasty to the snarky to the downright absurd, I’ll highlight some of the strange reasons why some people hate these great reads. It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these features and what could be more appropriate for review than 1984 by George Orwell.

Dec 29

4 Comments

Our best books read in 2025

Many of the major book sites have released their top books of 2025 so we figured our panel would share their favorite reads of the year. While our lists do contain many books published in 2025, they are not exclusive to 2025 but rather the best books we read during the year.

Here are the top 5 books that each of our panel members read in 2025.

Nov 9

1 Comment

2025 Booker prize predictions

It’s time for our panel to pick our winner. Find out which book our panelists think will win the prize this year. The prize will be announced tomorrow, November 10th.

Nov 6

2 Comments

2025 Booker Shortlist: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Last but not least is The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. You can read our short reviews here: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. The novel made it onto three of our predictions lists with Nicole, Lisa, and myself predicting it would make the shortlist. The Booker judges had this to say about the book…

‘At its heart, this book is about Sonia and Sunny’s love, but it is also an expansive novel that encompasses several other characters and concerns. It is an intimate story about two people finding a pathway to love and each other. Read it if you are looking for a truly unforgettable epic, one rich in meditations about class, race, nationhood and the titular loneliness.’

What does our panel think of the odds of this book being this year’s winner? Keep reading to find out

Nov 4

1 Comment

2025 Booker Shortlist: The Land in Winter

Next up is The Land in Winter. You can read our short reviews here: The Land in Winter. The novel made it onto 3 of our predictions lists and it was in the top six books from our collective ratings. The Booker judges had this to say about the book…

In the depths of Britain’s coldest winter, two neighbouring women forge a friendship in the countryside. It’s 1962 and they have both just become pregnant. Around them, the men are struggling: maimed by father figures, haunted by the past, hampered by the destructiveness of their own desires. As a winter storm wreaks havoc on their lives, these characters become pivotal figures in a community precariously balanced between history and future: between the damage wrought by the war and the freedom for women that lies ahead. In beautifully atmospheric prose, Andrew Miller brings suspense and mystery to this seemingly inconsequential chapter in British history.’

What does our panel think of the odds of this book being this year’s winner? Keep reading to find out

Oct 28

1 Comment

2025 Booker Shortlist: The Rest of our lives

Next up is The Rest of our Lives. You can read our short reviews here: The Rest of our Lives. The novel made it onto 0 of our predictions lists. The Booker judges had this to say about the book

‘When Tom Layward’s wife cheated on him, he stayed for the children but promised to leave when his youngest turned eighteen. Twelve years later, Tom drops his daughter off at college, but instead of driving back to New York he heads west. What follows is a remarkably satisfying road trip full of strangers, friends, and self-discovery. It’s clear author Ben Markovits has spent time teaching. This novel speaks like a much-loved professor, one whose classes have a terribly long waitlist. It’s matter of fact, effortlessly warm, and it uses the smallest parts of human behaviour to uphold bigger themes, like mortality, sickness, and love. The Rest of Our Lives is a novel of sincerity and precision. We found it difficult to put it down.’

What does our panel think of the odds of this book being this year’s winner? Keep reading to find out

Oct 24

2025 Booker Shortlist: Audition

Next up is Audition by Katie Kitamura. You can read our short reviews here: Audition. The novel made it onto 4 of our predictions lists with all by Lisa predicting it will make the shortlist. The Booker judges had this to say about the book…

‘This novel begins with an actress meeting a young man in a Manhattan restaurant. A surprising, unsettling conversation unfolds, but far more radical disturbances are to come. Aside from the extraordinarily honed quality of its sentences, the remarkable thing about Audition is the way it persists in the mind after reading, like a knot that feels tantalisingly close to coming free. Denying us the resolution we instinctively crave from stories, Kitamura takes Chekhov’s dictum – that the job of the writer is to ask questions, not answer them – and runs with it, presenting a puzzle, the solution to which is undoubtedly obscure, and might not even exist at all.’

What does our panel think of the odds of this book being this year’s winner? Keep reading to find out