How to Read the Booker Prize Longlist (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

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The Booker Prize 2025 longlist is here — and we’ve got the perfect guide to diving in.

In this episode, I sit down with bookstagrammer and Substack writer Deedi Brown to talk about her book club Booker of the Month, her favorite reads from the 2024 Booker Prize, and predictions for this year’s longlist. We also chat about how to approach literary fiction, tandem reading with audiobooks, and making the Booker list feel like a fun reading project instead of homework.

✨ If you’ve been curious about reading the Booker longlist but felt intimidated, this episode is your friendly entry point.

📖 Here is a link to the Booker Prize 2025 Longlist.

📚 Want more book recommendation lists? Join us on Substack.

📚 Books Mentioned

James by Percival Everett — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Orbital by Samantha Harvey — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction / Speculative | Audio ✅

My Friends by Hisham Matar — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Held by Anne Michaels — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Playground by Richard Powers — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio✅

Audition by Katie Kitamura — Buy on Amazon | Experimental Literary Fiction | Audio✅

Flashlight by Susan Choi — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny by Kiran Desai — Buy on Amazon | Family Saga / Literary | Audio  ✅

Flesh by David Szalay — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Endling by Maria Reva — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

Universality by Natasha Brown — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Audio ✅

🕒 Time Stamps

• 00:00 – Meet guest Deedi Brown & her bookish journey
• 03:00 – Founding the Booker of the Month book club
• 06:00 – Reading taste: literary fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction
• 09:00 – Tandem reading & how audiobooks fit into big reading projects
• 12:00 – Libraries, Libro.fm & breaking up with Amazon
• 13:00 – Standout books from the 2024 Booker Prize longlist
• 15:00 – Predictions and buzzy picks from the 2025 longlist
• 17:00 – Audition by Katie Kitamura and why it’s perfect for discussion
• 19:00 – Anticipating Flashlight by Susan Choi
• 20:00 – Deep dive into The Loneliness of Sonia and Sonny
• 21:00 – Other exciting titles: Endling, Flesh, Universality
• 22:00 – What’s next for the book club & how to join

Looking for more Literary Fiction book recommendations? Check out our previous podcast Spotify playlist for even more book recommendations.

Mentioned in this episode:

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