The Booker Prize longlist for 2025 has been announced. It’s a selection of 13 top-drawer works of fiction, chosen from over 150 titles written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland.
I’ve become very interested in books nominated for the Booker List over the past two years, especially this year. The 13 nominated books are: Love Forms by Clair Adam, The South by Tash Aw, Universality by Natasha Brown, One Boat by Jonathan Buckley, Flashlight by Susan Choi, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, Audition by Katie Kitamura, The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits, The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller, Endling by Maria Reva, Flesh by David Szalay, Seascraper by Benjamin Wood, and Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhogg.
The longlist features authors representing four continents and nine countries: Albania, Canada, Hugary, India, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, the UK, and the USA.
The nominated novels include a vast range of international experiences. Perhaps, arguably more than any other year in the prize’s history.
The longlisted books transport readers to a farm in southern Malaysia, a Hungarian housing estate and a small coastal town in Greece. They shine a light on the lives of Koreans in postcolonial Japan, a homesick Indian in snowy Vermont, a Kosovar torture survivor living in New York, a shrimp fisherman in the north of England, a mother whose child was given up for adoption in Venezuela and even endangered snails in contemporary Ukraine. The great American road trip if reimagined as a slow-burning mid-life crisis, and taking us into the heart of the UK’s coldest winter. In the various books, some are playful and explosive and others that are quietly devastating and darkly comic.
The Booker winner will be announced in May 2026. I plan to read at least two of the shortlisted book nominees. I’ve watched several videos on You-Tube of authors discussing the Booker Books. I generally tend to read more genre fiction, while the Booker contenders tend toward more literary efforts. I do enjoy the deep dives into character seen here.
If you follow the Booker Prize or other book competitions, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Chicks on the Case 
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book nominated for the Booker prize.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sometimes they’re obscure, but it’s fascinating to hear writers argue over structure and themes.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I always read about the Booker nominees and winners, but don’t often read the books themselves–unless one is left in our Little Library, in which case I often grab it. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Leslie, it’s cool that you get books of that caliber left in your Little Library!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same as Leslie. Though I’m often fascinated by the complexity and creativity of literary works. I have read a few Pulitzer winners…
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s exciting and instructive to read outside the genres I write in and mostly read. Cool that you’ve followed some of the Pulitzers!
LikeLiked by 2 people
These books sound fascinating. I wish I had time to read all of them. Or even one!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Eek, my TBR pile is already so huge…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Welcome home, Ellen! Look forward to more pics and news about your Paris trip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for shining a light on the Booker Prize nominees, Vickie! These sound perfect for winter reading lists. I’ll look for some of the titles at the library. Looking forward to your reviews! Snails. Hmm.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lisa, glad you enjoy looking over the Booker Prize noms, too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I rarely follow awards since so few of the nominations are anything I am interested in. So I didn’t have the background on these books. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Mark! I know you already have a full TBR.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Congratulations to the long-listed authors!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Vickie, thank you so much for sharing this information on the Booker nominees. Your descriptions have intrigued me. I look forward to reading a few of them. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person