Big Books of 2026
Penny asked this question about We Need New Names:
As I interact with other readers in book clubs and online, am finding it interesting how many readers want to rate a book highly for just one or two positive attributes. A 4 or 5 star book should get just about everything perfect. This book got a few things very right, but alot of other things were below average. Wondering why it's so hard for us readers to be "critical" in the best sense of the word?
Karen I know how you feel, this book is not impressing me a great deal either! Here's what I think: sometimes books can fall into the category of being belo…moreI know how you feel, this book is not impressing me a great deal either! Here's what I think: sometimes books can fall into the category of being beloved by the "professional" literary community. Critics praise a certain book, librarians recommend it on their lists, it gets heavy notice, and perhaps the writer has already received an award for his/her previous efforts. I really feel that can get to be a bandwagon type of effect. Paid, professional critics would probably heatedly deny it, but I think they all influence each other, whether they are discussing music, art, or books. It's always interesting to me how similar they sound, praising the same elements and often ignoring the same flaws. That of course has an effect on us lesser mortals -- while you might privately think a book is fair to middling, it can be uncomfortable to be that lonely voice dissenting in the face of all the rah-rah talk from the NY Times Sunday mag or the committee that puts out the list for the Booker Prize, say. I think this book kind of fits there. It happens to be one of those debut novels that everyone seems to feel is just so profound, so it gets on the fast track for success. The librarians in my area chose it as one of their top recommendations for 2014, and I think that is a BIG reason why it is the read for my book club this month. (less)
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We Need New Names
by NoViolet Bulawayo
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