With National Reading Group Day approaching, we’ve been thinking about the ways reading groups choose their books. With so many titles available, how do you find the right fit for your group? According to the results of our big reading group survey, one of the most popular sources of titles was from book prizes. For that reason, we’ve taken a look at three very different big book prize winners from this year.
Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women from throughout the world.
The winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2016 was announced in June as Irish author Lisa McInerney for her debut novel The Glorious Heresies.
The Glorious Heresies
One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland’s post-crash society. Ryan, a fifteen-year-old drug dealer, and his alcoholic father Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie, a prostitute, Maureen, an accidental murderer, and her son Jimmy, the most fearsome gangster in the city. In seeking atonement for the murder, Maureen’s actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight…
12 of our reading groups shadowed this year’s Prize – here’s what Much Ado About Books had to say about the winner:
“This is not a book that any of us would have read personally or as part of a book group and despite the strong and unrelatable subject matters, we found this book strangely readable and enjoyable. The writing style is unique and full of dark humour…This book will make you cry, gasp with horror and fill you with hope that this group of misfits will all be okay. I can see this as being the winner of the Baileys Prize 2016!"
Man Booker International Prize
The Man Booker International Prize celebrates translated fiction at its finest. Both the writer and the translator are rewarded equally for their contribution, showcasing the crucial role they each play in the finished book.
The winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2016 was announced in May as The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith and published by Portobello Books.
The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian is a three-part novel that follows the story of Yeong-hye, a dutiful Korean wife who, spurred on by a dream, decides one day to become a vegetarian. This subversive act fractures her familial life and, as Yeong-hye’s rebellion manifests in increasingly bizarre and frightening forms, turns seemingly ordinary relationships into those driven by violence, shame and desire.
Six of our reading groups shadowed this year’s Prize – here’s what Whitegrove Library Book Club had to say about the winner:
“The content of the book is one of the darker and more desolate books we’ve had in our ten year existence. This was reflected in our discussion. It was interesting that some saw the ending as a sign of hope. Universally, we applauded Deborah Smith’s translation of the novel. The darkness of the novella left some unsatisfied but others predicted that we would long think back on the themes and images of the book. Therefore, Han Kang’s harrowing novel provided us with a deep and fluid discussion and a further interest in Korea and her literature.”
Wellcome Book Prize
The Wellcome Book Prize celebrates the best new books that engage with an aspect of medicine, health or illness, showcasing the breadth and depth of our encounters with medicine through exceptional works of fiction and non-fiction.
The winner of the Wellcome Book Prize 2016 was announced in April as consultant neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan, for It’s All in Your Head published by Vintage.
It’s All in Your Head
This is Suzanne O’Sullivan’s first book, a focused look at the range of debilitating illnesses that are medically unexplained. We all exhibit physical responses to emotion – from blushing and laughter, to palpitations and stomach-ache – yet sometimes these expressions can be much more debilitating, causing seizures, paralysis, and even blindness, and the stigmatization associated with such a diagnosis is profound.
As many as a third of people visiting their GP have symptoms that don’t appear to have an obvious medical cause. Merging autobiography with absorbing case histories taken from her clinical experience, O’Sullivan’s work spotlights an area of increased attention in medical science – the boundaries between what afflicts the body and the mind and how deeply related the one is to the other.
Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004. She has developed an expertise in working with patients with psychogenic disorders alongside her work with those suffering with physical diseases such as epilepsy.
Lots of libraries around the UK celebrated the Wellcome Book Prize – take a look at their creative and eye-catching displays.
Get involved
This Saturday is National Reading Group Day – find out how your group can celebrate.
To make sure your group gets the chance to take part in future book prizes and other exciting opportunities, make sure all of your group members are signed up to Reading Groups for Everyone.
Get the best offers straight to your inbox with our reading groups newsletter, launching this month.
Have you read any of the books listed above? Share your thoughts on Twitter. How does your group choose their books? Are you inspired by prizes and awards? Leave your comments below.
