Wow good luck! I can’t wait to hear how you get on! I agree with your point that following prize lists can be very welcomed when as a reader we always have complete reign of choice. I’m considering reading the whole Booker prize shortlist this year (the longlist feels a bit....long haha)
Maybe it seems audacious to read Chernow’s biographies, but I love historical biographies. You get a glimpse into life at the time while learning about the people. I must admit that the Grant biography seems a little daunting - I’ll see how it goes!
In the meantime, there is always something else to read :)
Wow, you never cease to amaze, Jeremy! What a great example of choosing a goal and then working to accomplish that goal - and having fun at the same time! I hope you can keep us posted. Best of luck!
I love biographies, so I have been reading Ron Chernow's biographies. So far I've read: Hamilton, Washinton, The Warburgs, The House of Morgan, with Titan (J.D. Rockefeller), and Grant yet to read.
Thank you for having this forum for book lovers. Love your insights and commentaries, which inspire to keep reading.
I love this! I embarked on this project a few years ago and decided to read all the Pulitzer Prize Novels for fiction. I Started with 1918 and am up to 1981, enjoying the books at a leisurely pace. It is like a history lesson! I am reading each current year as it comes out so my finish line is 2020; then I will read each year as it is awarded. I just finished the 2024, Nightwatch by Jayne Ann Phillips. I have a special bookcase just for those Pulitzer novels and it’s so fun to look at them and add a new one as I finish it. I order the next one when I hit the halfway mark in the book. Fun!
I generally am drawn to British Victorian literature so this forcing me to branch out.
What an endeavour! I once decided to watch all the best picture winners from the Oscars. I haven't completed that, and most of them would only take 2 hours! Good luck on working through the list!
What a fun project! I've read quite a few of the fiction, but not many nonfiction at all. I will second others' eagerness to read along if possible. Two observations looking at the spreadsheet: (1) I had forgotten how much I enjoyed those fiction winners from the 90s (I'm older than you haha) and (2) that I had actually worked on a couple of those books back in the early 2000s, when I was a production editor at OUP. Also interesting that there is an "Interpreter of Maladies" and an "Emperor of All Maladies" on the list.
"I had actually worked on a couple of those books back in the early 2000s, when I was a production editor at OUP" → Oh, cool! Glad to count you as a reader. :)
I noticed one of the biography Pulitzer winners was The Black Count (2013). That might be an interesting read as we are reading The Count of Monte Cristo in the online bookclub.
Awesome goal! Good luck! Thanks for sharing your spreadsheet. Under the fiction, I see that I've read a handful and also have an additional handful on my book shelves. I'm definitely going to focus on these.
I was just looking at the Pulitzer Prize list this week! What a fun goal. If you’re ever interested in sci-fi and fantasy, I recently put together a spreadsheet of the top “100 best of all time” recommendations from the Internet. I was interested to see how many books showed up on multiple lists. The answer was, not as many as I thought! There were only two fantasy books that were recommended by everyone, and about a dozen sci fi ones. Happy to swap for your list of Pulitzer Prize books already in the spreadsheet form, ha!
Interesting! I mostly look to the Nebulas and Hugos. Sci-fi and fantast, interestingly, seems to come down to *taste* a lot more than with other genres. You either like the vibe or you don't. (At least that's how it is for me!)
Cross-correlating with the Nebulas and Hugos would be interesting too, I may add that as another variable. I agree, I've not found a strong correlation between recommendations and my personal enjoyment, which can be frustrating! I've also struggled with non-fiction science in the same way - some highly-praised books I find to be poorly written, and others that get meh reviews I actually think are pretty decent. Who knows!
You should start a Pulitzer Prize reading book club!
count me in!
Ha, good to know! Maybe I'll at least announce what's coming up in my pipeline to allow folks to read along with me.
What you do is amazing and if you let us know beforehand, I would happily buddy read some of the books with you.
Will do!
Let’s. Go. Gnarly and ambitious. Can’t wait. Also do you plan to share this spreadsheet? I started drooling when you mentioned it.
The spreadsheet is linked above! Here it is again: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zS_ihpdt4thO88viIbpIjSjlnOUtWR6gMSth0H3judw/edit?usp=sharing
Wow good luck! I can’t wait to hear how you get on! I agree with your point that following prize lists can be very welcomed when as a reader we always have complete reign of choice. I’m considering reading the whole Booker prize shortlist this year (the longlist feels a bit....long haha)
The Booker is always fun to follow and feels really eclectic compared to the other big awards. Reading all the Booker winners would be a fun one too.
Maybe it seems audacious to read Chernow’s biographies, but I love historical biographies. You get a glimpse into life at the time while learning about the people. I must admit that the Grant biography seems a little daunting - I’ll see how it goes!
In the meantime, there is always something else to read :)
Thanks, Jeremy!
Wow, you never cease to amaze, Jeremy! What a great example of choosing a goal and then working to accomplish that goal - and having fun at the same time! I hope you can keep us posted. Best of luck!
I love biographies, so I have been reading Ron Chernow's biographies. So far I've read: Hamilton, Washinton, The Warburgs, The House of Morgan, with Titan (J.D. Rockefeller), and Grant yet to read.
Thank you for having this forum for book lovers. Love your insights and commentaries, which inspire to keep reading.
Keep up the good work, and happy reading!
Thanks Nancy! Reading all of Chernow's bios is rather audacious. :)
I love this! I embarked on this project a few years ago and decided to read all the Pulitzer Prize Novels for fiction. I Started with 1918 and am up to 1981, enjoying the books at a leisurely pace. It is like a history lesson! I am reading each current year as it comes out so my finish line is 2020; then I will read each year as it is awarded. I just finished the 2024, Nightwatch by Jayne Ann Phillips. I have a special bookcase just for those Pulitzer novels and it’s so fun to look at them and add a new one as I finish it. I order the next one when I hit the halfway mark in the book. Fun!
I generally am drawn to British Victorian literature so this forcing me to branch out.
Oh that's great! Love to hear it Suzy!
Wow thank you Jeremy; so excited to have found your site!
This is how my boyfriend picks novels to read (Pulitzer Prize, that is). I’m going to show him your spreadsheet!
Wonderful! Please share — he could make a duplicate and then use it for himself as well. :)
What an endeavour! I once decided to watch all the best picture winners from the Oscars. I haven't completed that, and most of them would only take 2 hours! Good luck on working through the list!
Thanks Rhiannon!
What a fun project! I've read quite a few of the fiction, but not many nonfiction at all. I will second others' eagerness to read along if possible. Two observations looking at the spreadsheet: (1) I had forgotten how much I enjoyed those fiction winners from the 90s (I'm older than you haha) and (2) that I had actually worked on a couple of those books back in the early 2000s, when I was a production editor at OUP. Also interesting that there is an "Interpreter of Maladies" and an "Emperor of All Maladies" on the list.
"I had actually worked on a couple of those books back in the early 2000s, when I was a production editor at OUP" → Oh, cool! Glad to count you as a reader. :)
I love this! Thinking of starting my own project (with just the novels, though). Keep us posted if you start a book club!
Will do, thanks Meredith!
Great idea for a project. The Orphan Master’s Son is one of my all-time favorites, hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
Good to know!
I noticed one of the biography Pulitzer winners was The Black Count (2013). That might be an interesting read as we are reading The Count of Monte Cristo in the online bookclub.
Yes, it's definitely going to be among the next few that I read. It's waiting on my shelf for me. :)
This is great. I love an audacious project and this one is in your wheelhouse.
Awesome goal! Good luck! Thanks for sharing your spreadsheet. Under the fiction, I see that I've read a handful and also have an additional handful on my book shelves. I'm definitely going to focus on these.
Any favorites from what you've read so far?
I was just looking at the Pulitzer Prize list this week! What a fun goal. If you’re ever interested in sci-fi and fantasy, I recently put together a spreadsheet of the top “100 best of all time” recommendations from the Internet. I was interested to see how many books showed up on multiple lists. The answer was, not as many as I thought! There were only two fantasy books that were recommended by everyone, and about a dozen sci fi ones. Happy to swap for your list of Pulitzer Prize books already in the spreadsheet form, ha!
Interesting! I mostly look to the Nebulas and Hugos. Sci-fi and fantast, interestingly, seems to come down to *taste* a lot more than with other genres. You either like the vibe or you don't. (At least that's how it is for me!)
Cross-correlating with the Nebulas and Hugos would be interesting too, I may add that as another variable. I agree, I've not found a strong correlation between recommendations and my personal enjoyment, which can be frustrating! I've also struggled with non-fiction science in the same way - some highly-praised books I find to be poorly written, and others that get meh reviews I actually think are pretty decent. Who knows!