What I Learned Reading an Awards Longlist for the

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[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Until recently, when I started spending more time on Bookstagram, it was unusual that I even knew

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Literary awards, as far as I’m concerned, are fairly arbitrary

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] There’s an active community of readers on Bookstagram who read various awards longlists and shortlists every

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I considered reading a few different longlists — the Booker Prize, the International Booker Prize, the Scotiabank Giller

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I’m all for reading outside my comfort zone, and yes, I love a checklist, but gone

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] I considered reading a longlist-minus-one, but I’m a completist, and that doesn’t have the same

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] So I told myself that if I ever encountered an awards longlist that contained only books I

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I hadn’t heard of most of the others, but, after looking them all up, I was

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I was ready to discover more brilliance on par with All This Could Be Different and The

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] If I hadn’t committed to the project, I would have DNFed them

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] What’s more: I knew after about 30 pages that they weren’t going to do it for

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Conversely, regarding those three books I loved: I loved them immediately

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I read If I Survive You in a day because I didn’t want to put it

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] I’d already been excited about When We Were Sisters, but it exceeded all my expectations

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Let me be clear: I am not criticizing any of the books on this longlist

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] There are people who didn’t love All This Could Be Different, and I don’t understand

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Sign up to Today In Books to receive daily news and miscellany from the world of books

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] I went into the project with an open mind, ready to discover new books

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] And this, it turns out, is the biggest gift the project gave me

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] No: what I learned from this project is that it’s possible to do all of those

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I was lying in bed, and it was past my bedtime, but I decided to read the

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Then I just walked around my house in circles for a while, pondering, feeling, because wow is

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I never would have read this book if not for the NBA longlist

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I like short story collections, but I don’t gravitate toward them

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] I still think literary awards are arbitrary, and this experience only confirmed that belief for me

[{"selector":"#anim-574aa85e-66b7-49d5-84bb-35b3f4202fba [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-3.4034399948172863e-15%, 2.5495635385903583e-7%) scale(0.8403361344537815)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Picking up books by debut authors I’ve never heard of because they’re longlisted for an

[{"selector":"#anim-312dbec2-448c-4388-85c4-1b8014f14582","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93d08196-99ec-4261-87a6-4af6a44e4cae [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(3.3045977011494228%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Picking up books there’s a chance I’ll like even if the structure/theme/plot isn’