A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. George R R Martin

Holiday, Stanley Middleton – confronting the discomfort of inaction
Fiction, Prize Winners, Reviews
June 27, 2025
A quietly introspective novel set in a fading seaside town, Holiday by Stanley Middleton follows a grieving man’s attempt to make sense of his life, marriage, and identity.
KEEP READINGThe Booker Prize Winner List
The following is a list of all the Booker Prize Winners. To include all the
KEEP READING
Fiction,Prize Winners,Reviews,The Booker Prize
June 26, 2025
Orbital – a near earth tour-de-force (or a disappointing novella as novel)?
Join six astronauts as they orbit Earth in *Orbital* by Samantha Harvey, a beautifully written, Booker-winning novel that explores time, grief, and perspective. Dreamlike and meditative, it’s a quiet yet powerful reflection on life above—and far removed from—the world. Perfect for readers who love fiction that lingers.
KEEP READING
Fiction,Prize Winners,Reviews,The Booker Prize
June 26, 2025
In a Free State – prickly colonial masterpiece?
In a Free State follows two uneasy travellers on a road trip through a country in turmoil. V. S. Naipaul’s Booker winner is unsettling, razor-sharp, and quietly devastating.
KEEP READING
Fiction,Reviews,Science Fiction,The Booker Prize
June 24, 2025
In Ascension – an uneven attempt at great genre-busting literary science fiction
In Ascension is an ambitious blend of deep-sea science and speculative space fiction. While beautifully written in parts, I found its inconsistencies distracting. A bold but flawed Booker-longlisted novel.
KEEP READING
Fiction,Prize Winners,Reviews,The Booker Prize
June 20, 2025
Troubles – a darkly comic look at English decline and colonial arrogance
A darkly comic tale of decay and denial, Troubles by J.G. Farrell follows a shell-shocked English major adrift in a crumbling Irish hotel after WWI. Lyrical, satirical and quietly devastating, it’s a Booker Prize winner that lingers long after the final page.
KEEP READING
Fiction,Prize Winners,Reviews,The Booker Prize
June 17, 2025
The Elected Member – a vivid exploration of mental health and cultural expectation
A darkly comic and quietly devastating portrait of mental illness, family pressure, and religious identity, The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens begins with a breakdown and spirals inward. This Booker-winning novel explores how brilliance can become a burden—and how love can distort.
KEEP READING
Fiction,Prize Winners,Reviews,The Booker Prize
June 12, 2025
The First Booker, Something to Answer For – decline and collapse in Suez
P.H. Newby’s Something to Answer For won the very first Booker Prize in 1969, but it’s largely forgotten today. Set during the Suez Crisis, this surreal and absorbing novel explores identity, colonial decline, and quiet disintegration — and it’s well worth rediscovering.
KEEP READINGABOUT
Chatterton Books is a quiet corner of the internet for thoughtful readers — a virtual local bookshop where stories matter and the joy of reading is shared, not rushed.
1969,Booker Prize,Booker Prize Winner,Fiction,P H Newby