This book is a must-read before the end of the year, it has been called a “perfect book for the festive season” by an expert.
Maia Snow from The Bookseller said her book of the year is Orbital by Samantha Harvey.
She said: “It might not be very original, but for me, by far the must-read book of 2024 is easily this year’s Booker Prize winner, Orbital by Samantha Harvey.
“I read it in a single day when the prize shortlist was announced and immediately my favourite to win and I was thrilled when it did.
“It’s the perfect book read over the festive season, or even to get you out of a reading slump as it clocks in at just 136 pages – easily devoured in a day, and warrants rereading to really appreciate everything the author packed into such a short book.”
This year was huge for books, with readers sharing their top picks on “Bookstagram” and “BookTok”.
Julia Donaldson, the children’s author and creator of The Gruffalo, is on track to be the top-selling author of 2024.
Ms Snow says Orbital is a short but exciting read, she added: “It follows six astronauts aboard the ISS throughout the course of 24 hours orbiting the earth, and each chapter is a different orbit – of which there are 18 in total.
“It perfectly blends the human stories of those aboard the ISS, some brief science of how the space station works, and witnessing the global events on the planet below – including tracking a typhoon as it causes chaos, particularly poignant during our climate crisis.
“It really gives some good perspective to the reader about the dangers of the climate crisis and shows its effect on an enormous scale, one that we can miss on the ground.
“It’s a science fiction book, but also not as it’s grounded in the day to day and is very easy to read and flows wonderfully.
“It is also by far the most accessible Booker Prize winner in a long time. I have always been slightly wary of Booker Prize-winning books, as they always seem complicated or too highbrow, but this book subverts that and has something for everyone.
“Orbital’s win is particularly poignant, as the author said she nearly gave up on writing it – as she didn’t know why anyone would want to read a book written by a woman who had never been to space, sitting at a desk in Wiltshire, but the fact she is just an ordinary person, not an astronaut, makes it all the more accessible and enjoyable to the reader, who more likely that not has not been to space.
“It’ll also be very easy to find in bookshops, as Penguin Random House (the publisher) announced it would be printing another 250,000 copies to keep up with demand, and has already been the bestselling book of the last week – the first Booker prize to shoot to the top of the charts.”
Another book Maia Snow said was a top contender is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors – a well-known and much-loved hit book.
This novel follows the story of three estranged siblings who return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister’s death. It is a tale of grief, identity, and the complexities of family.
The Bookseller said other contenders for the “best book this year” are:
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Under Your Spell by Laura Wood
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler