Why Hulk Hogan Matters By David Shoemaker

When it comes to book covers, David Shoemaker's 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters' has possibly one of the best to come along in quite some time. After all, it has the Hulkster in all his red and yellow glory from back in the day.

That, unfortunately, is where my praise ends. Never judge a book by its cover. And all that.

I was aware of David Shoemaker before I picked up a Kindle copy of 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters'. I've found his writing style to be slick, words flow superbly. Just a few important things, though: Shoemaker's research and knowledge of wrestling history is lacking. Terribly.

There are countless inaccuracies in this work. I genuinely don't know where to begin. I've read other readers claim 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters' could have been written with the use of Artificial Intelligence. Going by how I noticed errors with AI when I used it to fact check some research I did for Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annuals (cheap plug!), I can understand that suggestion.

Giving Shoemaker the benefit of the AI doubt would mean he's a dreadful researcher and wrestling historian.

If your task is to write about Hulk Hogan's career, you should know Hogan's last major match, before heading to WCW the following year, was a losing effort to Yokozuna in Dayton, Ohio at WWF King of the Ring 1993.

Shoemaker informs his readers the loss occurred in an untelevised bout in Japan. Completely untrue. 

Then there are blips stating Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior had their  first altercation - to set up their WrestleMania bout - at the 1992 Royal Rumble. That was off by two years because WrestleMania VI occurred in 1990.

Anyone who follows the 'sport' at Shoemaker's level should know that.

Then there's little things like stating Bob Backlund returned to the WWF as a heel in the 1990s. He didn't. Backlund's 1992 comeback was as a babyface before turning heel a couple of years into that run. There's a claim 'Macho Man' Randy Savage joined World Championship Wrestling before Hulk Hogan's arrival. That's false as well - Savage's WCW debut came in late 1994. The Macho Man's opening angle for the company was whether he would slap Hogan's face or shake the WCW Champion's hand at Starrcade 1994.

The following note was equally annoying.

As you can see, it claimed Hulk Hogan returned to WWE in 2002 after the company was forced to change its name, from the WWF, following a legal dispute with the World Wildlife Fund. 

That isn't how it went. Hogan arrived back in the WWF during February of 2002. The WWF changed its moniker to WWE in May of that very same year. Not 2001.

I could go on. 

A concerning thing about such a book being out there on shelves is that it creates a false history of Hulk Hogan. Newcomers aren't going to get the accurate story. Ironically, Hogan himself would distort his own history with tall tales about himself. Shoemaker fails to sieve truth from Hogan's fiction. He piles on more through inept research and knowledge.

⭐/5

Backstage Pass By David Sahadi

If I were to rank the opening titles of WWE Monday Night Raw, from its entire thirty-three year history, high at the top of such a list would be the late-1995 open which had a ring set up on the roof of WWF's then headquarters - Titan Towers. The action-packed intro saw the top stars of that period wrestle in the abnormal setting.

Speaking of peculiar surroundings - the intro from a few years after that, with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin walking into a derelict warehouse accompanied to the sound of sirens before the Raw is War theme tune fully kicks in, would be right up there close to the 1995 sequence.

Both of those intros came from the mind of David Sahadi, who worked for the World Wrestling Federation between 1992 and 2003 as one of the main behind the scenes personnel on the production arm of the company.

Sahadi has recently published a book about his life and career in the crazy world of professional wrestling. 

Backstage Pass: Tales from Behind the Squared Circle covers Sahadi's early roots working for NBC Sports right through to his recent gig working as an executive producer for Court Bauer's Major League Wrestling.

As a huge fan of the WWF/E's content from the 1980s right through to this very day, I found the pages of Sahadi's time working for the McMahon Empire to be the most intriguing.

Before reading the autobiography, I came across a few Good Reads and NetGalley reviews which suggests Sahadi comes across as boastful of his career achievements. One went so far as to point out that he bragged about people crying at some of the videos he produced for the then WWF.

I feel it necessary to add something to those suggestions after reading Sahadi's book for myself.

Yes, I did find that Sahadi boosted himself up at certain points in his book. However, there are moments which capture a humble Sahadi. The main example is how he expresses his deep love for his father. You can see the man just by the tribute he shares of his times with his father. Those struck me.

As for the part about how Sahadi appears to make people emotional - the part in the book which highlights that the most is when Sahadi recounts Vince McMahon's reaction to the video the director produced in 1998 which contained a plethora of old school wrestlers from an age earlier. Filmed mostly in black-and-white, the promo has the old school wrestlers talk about their days contrasted with the styles of the new period. 

It truly is one of my favourite wrestling adverts ever, so I was fascinated to learn that it was Sahadi's idea. 

Sahadi writes that Vince McMahon broke down in tears after first witnessing the video. This reader wasn't in the room, but - I have a strong opinion the author was not using licence when he painted this scene of McMahon's reaction.

I believe it happened considering the people in the video are from Vince McMahon's father's era.

Another fascinating part of Sahadi's story is how he witnessed the rise of Dwayne Johnson from a humble third generation wrestler having left college football to pursue a career in the WWF to becoming a Hollywood star.

The professional relationship between the wrestler and director didn't end well.

Sahadi details how Johnson became difficult to work with once he became a movie star. Sahadi felt disrespected by The Rock's lax attitude to getting a film project shot in the limited time he was available.

Following his departure from WWE, Sahadi eventually found employment from then opposition: TNA Wrestling.

Sahadi shares his experiences with TNA. He was there for a lot of the biggest moments in that company's history.  Going from memory: the Hard Justice 2006 fire, Kurt Angle .vs. Samoa Joe, Hulk Hogan's TNA era, the failed Monday Night Wars II experiment, the Vince Russo controversies and more are all spotlighted in this memoir. 

I've grown used to reading professional wrestling content from wrestlers, promoters and others within the industry. With Backstage Pass, it was unique to read about the topic from the viewpoint of someone who worked in production.

A professional wrestling autobiography with a view from a different lens, if you will.

⭐⭐⭐/5

Thanks to ECW Press for giving me an advanced reading copy of Backstage Pass: Tales from Beyond the Squared Circle. The title was released on March 10 2026.

Order Backstage Pass by David Sahadi from Amazon UK

Super Nintendo By Keza MacDonald

I read a really cool book over the festive period. 

Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped The World Have Fun by Keza MacDonald is a thorough look at the gaming juggernaut which started its life - in the late 19th Century - as a playing card company and has evolved into one of the most iconic worldwide brands.

MacDonald knits her book together by introducing us to Nintendo's main players behind games like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda all the way through to some of the modern products and games like Nintendo Labo and the Splatoon series.

I can genuinely say I learned a lot from Super Nintendo. Even though it was quite an obvious thing in hindsight, I wasn't aware of the story about Universal Pictures - owners of the King Kong property - attempting to sue Nintendo for the likenesses used in 1981's Donkey Kong. 

My eyes were opened further, a little later in the book, when I learned that the pink game character Kirby (my youngest nephew's favourite Nintendo character, by the way!) is named after John Kirtby - the attorney who successfully defended Nintendo in Universal City Studios, Inc .vs. Nintendo Co. Ltd. 

With over twenty years working as a games journalist, MacDonald is unquestionably one of the most appropriate persons who can tell the story of Nintendo. She was able to introduce quotes from Nintendo's major names she was able to meet through her career.

There's more, however. 

Some parts of MacDonald's book details her own experiences with Nintendo as a consumer. I found there to be a fair balance between telling the story of Nintendo and peeling the curtain back to share her own stories as a player. It's from those anecdotes the writer allows us to see her as one of us: fans having fun.

If you enjoy Nintendo products in any way, I urge you to see this out once it has been published.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to Net Galley and Faber for giving me an advance reading copy of this title.

Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped The World Have Fun by Keza MacDonald is set to be published on February 12th 2026. You can preorder a copy from Amazon UK by following the affiliate link below.

Check Out Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald

The 2025 Booker Prize Marathon

If all goes to plan, this post - the one you're currently reading! - will go live sometime close to Monday November 10th. For that will be the date when we find out the winning book (or books in the case of joint-winners) of the 2025 Booker Prize. 

As has been a tradition on this blog for five years, I have set out to read every shortlisted book with the aim of betting on what I believe could end up becoming the winner. I use some unconventional methods to decide the order I read the titles and keep a diary throughout the entire journey or, as I call it: marathon.

The preparation began on Tuesday 23rd September. Once I knew the shortlist, I printed out a sheet of paper with the covers on. Then, I woke up on Wednesday and began the journey...

Wednesday 24 September

I have now cut all the book covers into squares so I can place them into Spiky's old bowl. For those new to this, Spiky was my sister's family's dog. He passed away in 2022 and I have used his bowl as a tribute to him for these posts.

Oh, and below is Oreo. He was watching me as I cut the covers out of the sheet of paper with a 'what are you doing?' curious expression.

I have finally cut all of the covers out and have taken individual photos of each one to use once they're drawn. They've all been folded and placed into Spiky's bowl.

Okay, it's time to find out what I'm starting off with.

The first book I'll read, from the 2025 Booker Prize shortlist, is....

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. 

The blurb on the Booker Prizes website states that this novel is 'a spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years - an epic love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity.' 

Wednesday 1 October

It has been exactly a week since I began reading the first book I pulled out of the bowl. 

As of the time of writing this entry, I have read only 36% of the novel. I don't want to be negative before I've completely finished, but it seems that - despite spending a lot of time reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - I am struggling to get anywhere with it.

There are a lot of characters and the two titular ones have still not met. 

Tne frustration at not seeming to be getting anywhere with this book has led me to check out the page counts for each title on the shortlist.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the longest with six-hundred and eighty-eight pages.

Knowing that has been of some relief. Getting the largest book out of the way could be a blessing. Even if it doesn't seem like it right now.

I'll return in a week or when I finish this novel. Whichever comes first. At this rate, I'd bet on the former.

Wednesday 8 October

I still haven't finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. 

As of the time of adding this entry to the diary, I have read eighty-five percent of the book. So, I'm getting there. Slowly!

This marathon has become a mountain. I don't know if I'll be able to finish reading all six titles by the ceremony. 

Thursday 9 October

I have finally finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai.

If you've followed along this far, you'll know I struggled with this one. To get to the point: I detested it. 

In the blurb I quoted on Wednesday 24 September, the novel is regarded as 'an epic'. I agree with that. It's an epic made up of countless Indian tropes thrown together to make a narrative. Actually, that should be 'narratives'.

I am aware that Kiran Desai is a former Booker Prize winner, so respect for that. But, I genuinely found this story of two lonely people linked, and mostly unlinked, to each other to be a chore to get through. 

As I noted, it's packed with tropes. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny felt like those themes were just being thrown willy-nilly hoping for something to stick. We get it all - class structure, family structure, arranged marriages, Indians becoming Westernised, old India vs New India, Indian magic, interracial coupling, mental health, domination, gangs and more. Much more.

It had far too much going on in which ultimately made it seem like it was a whole lot of nothing.

⭐

Friday 10 October

Time to select the next book. It's going to be.....

..Flesh by David Szalay. 

The Booker Prizes website states that Flesh is 'a propulsive, hypnotic novel about a man who is unravelled by a series of events beyond his grasp.'

Tuesday 14 October

Yes! This is more like it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Flesh by David Szalay.

It's a novel about the life of a Hungarian named Istavan. The story starts off in his home country where we see him as a young boy. He comes across as awkward and ends up in a relationship with a much older woman. That results in Istavan being somehow involved with the death of the woman's husband. 

Each chapter jump is like a skip button, so we see Istavan removed from the previous situation and we learn - from little clues in the form of Szalay's narrative - how far we've moved on in Istavan's life.

To cut to the chase, Istavan finds himself working in London for a rich family. He then ends up married to the wife of that rich family and, by the novel's close, back home - alone - in Hungary.

The flow of this story was brilliant. I was gripped following the evolution of Istavan. It turned into a rise and fall kind of story, but I obviously didn't know that until its conclusion.

One thing I am sure will be criticised, but not by me - I should add, is the dialogue in this story. 

Whenever Istavan talks to other characters, his speech comes off as dull. Often one-worded. I sense that those who may dislike Flesh will point that out. I saw it as a device used by Szalay to allow the reader to see the character as retaining his youthful awkwardness but shielded from the things he has lived through.

I don't even know if I'm doing enough justice. Let me put it like this - the critics will likely say that the dialogue in the book could make Istavan monotonous, but I don't. 

It simply made him human. 

Flesh is definitely the best Booker shortlisted book I've read so far. It didn't have a high bar to beat, obviously.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 15 October

I watched a couple of YouTube reviews of Flesh this morning when I was killing some time before getting out of bed.

My assumptions turned out to be almost accurate. Both videos brought up the dialogue for Istavan and how his use of 'Okay' was almost as far as he would go when he talked to other characters. With that stated, they also - just like me - felt it added to the character even if it didn't add to the character (if that makes sense!).

Anyway, I have to move on now. It's time to choose the next book to read. 

Here we go....

..it's going to be The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits.

According to the Booker Prizes website, this is 'an unforgettable road trip of a novel about a middle-aged academic whose marriage, career and body are failing him'.

My immediate thought after reading that blurb was 'David Lodge' who wrote a series of books about academics. Small World and Nice Work - two novels from Lodge's 'Campus Trilogy' - were shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and 1988 respectively.

Lodge passed away earlier this year, hence why he came to mind first.

Saturday 18 October

Well, The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits was another enjoyable read from this year's shortlist. Two out of three isn't bad so far, is it?

Tom is a middle-aged lawyer whose wife - Amy - had an affair many years previous to our introduction to the characters. He had vowed to part ways with Amy once both their children had left home. We meet Tom, and the rest of his family, as their youngest child - Miriam (Miri) - is on her way to university, so Tom - now that in his mind is almost free - drives his daughter to her new life and then embarks on a road trip of his own meeting up with old friends and a girlfriend along the way.

The story circles back spectacularly by the end when Tom is diagnosed with cancer during one of his stops across America.

So, were we really seeing a guy have a middle-life crisis after all?!

I found the narration to be superb. It's written in the first person, but it comes across very cerebral as the character is conscious of his surroundings and tends to gently move away in a direction before immediately pulling back into focus. It felt like, to me, we were swimming in Tom's thoughts. 

Very good, and the end was touching with Tom and Amy together again although it's open-ended as we're left with three potential ways it could turn out for the character following his diagnosis.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

***

Next up is...

...The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller.

On the Booker Prizes website, the blurb for this novel reads that it's 'A masterful page-turning examination of the minutiae of life and a dazzling chronicle of the human heart'.

I am officially halfway through the marathon mountain now.

Friday 24 October

Bearing in mind I have read four out of the six novels, so this opinion could change, I have a feeling The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller could be the winner.

The novel is a story about two neighbouring couples living in the West Country of England during the 1960s. One couple has a doctor as the patriarch while the other is a farmer. That kind of shows a difference between the couples already. However, the two ladies - in the respective relationships - build a bond of friendship over the fact they're both about to become mothers.

I suppose the main theme of this novel is isolation because of how the females find friendship from the isolation they encounter in their marriages. However, the overall isolation comes in the form of when the book is set: during the Big Freeze of 1963.

A lot happens in this story, but the atmosphere that Andrew Miller sets is quite stunning, to be fair. I know it might come across as hyperbole, but I did feel a chill at times as I saw how some of the characters were exposed to those temperatures.

Speaking of the characters - I found every single one to be interesting in their own unique ways. With dark pasts - and presents - that haunt them at key parts.

So, yes, I strongly believe this could be the one which wins out. The stronger characters and atmospheric sensation does it for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With all that said, I still have two novels to go. 

* * *

We'll obviously know which books are fifth and sixth once this one is picked. Here's number five...

Susan Choi's Flashlight. The Booker Prizes website states that it's 'a thrilling, globe-spanning novel that mines questions of memory, language, identity and family'.

I shuddered when I read that blurb. It must be the PTSD after reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sammy.

Monday 27 October

As you can witness directly above,  when I read the blurb for Flashlight by Susan Choi, I couldn't help but consider it an equal, of sorts, to its shortlist competitor - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.

In a way, there are similar themes in that both could be considered 'epics' spent crossing different periods of time, passing over different continents even, and also about identity.

With that said, Flashlight is superior. 

The novel focuses on the family of Serk, who vanishes whilst going on a walk across a beach with his daughter - Louisa. Through the narrative, we learn that Serk is originally from Korea, but finds himself moving to Japan and then the US. His nationality becomes critical to the plot.

The other main characters are Louisa (obviously!), Anne (Louisa's mother) and Tobias (Anne's son and half-brother of Louisa). 

As noted, the story covers a depth of time. It starts in the 70s, but then jumps back to the 40s and - by its conclusion - is close to modern day. 

Unlike the first novel I read from the shortlist, I found the characters to be more likeable even though - at times - I felt the story to be equally slow in comparison to Kiran Desai's work. 

So, yes, Flashlight is the better of the two, but not by much.

With that said - even though I thought the execution to be plodding at certain points, the subject matter is fascinating. It is provoking enough to be something I could see winning in a fortnight.

⭐⭐

***

If you've been paying attention, you'll know what's next. The last book I'll read from the shortlist will be....

..Audition by Katie Kitamura.

I believe this is the shortest book on this year's list consisting of two hundred and eight pages. Therefore, I pulled out the longest (688 pages) in the first draw and book-ended it with the shortest.

We also closed (or will close) with the two books featured in the photo with Oreo above. They were the first two covers I cut out of the printout for the draws.

As for the Booker Prizes' website's blurb - it reads that Audition is an 'exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love'.

Thursday 30 October

I found Audition by Katie Kitamura to be quite strange. Not in a bad way, though. I found it peculiar in a good sense.

The novel is about an actress. When we first meet her, she is at a restaurant for a rendezvous with a younger male who believes he is her son. To cut to the chase, the narrator makes it clear to both Xavier and the readers that there is no way she could have birthed him. 

Along with Xavier, another main character - introduced early to the story - is the narrator's husband, Tomas.  

In the second part, things are thrown all over the place because it begins with the couple welcoming Xavier into the apartment. We see that Xavier is the narrator's son after all. 

And then - as if Xavier is the narrative's disruptor of sorts - we are welcomed to Hana, who is Xavier's partner.

The introduction of Hana made this even more of a surreal novel because it increased how anarchic the story had twisted between parts one and two. 

With this being a book set around an actress and her surroundings, added in that the novel is structured in two parts (like a play), it made me wonder what is meant to be real and what is meant to be a performance.

Or was it all a performance?!

I might even be way off with how I interpreted it. That's not a negative, in my opinion. It makes the novel all the more intriguing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

* * *

Now that I've read all of the books on the shortlist, it's time to do a ranking before I attempt to visit the betting markets for the first time..

With five stars, the top book on the list is Andrew Miller's The Land in Winter. As I wrote in the review, I felt it was extremely atmospheric and closed in. Reading it was an experience. That sensation was enough for me to give the full amount of stars I could give it on Good Reads.

David Szalay's Flesh is a very close second. The structure, with each chapter passing significant time and with the readers' job to piece things together what has happened in the interim was a brilliant technique. I also loved how guarded the character of Istavan is. It seems like he's a one-dimensional character but, as I said above, that was enough to make him layered. 

I feel it's close between Audition and The Rest of Our Lives. Of the two, I'd have to side with Audition because of how it left me thinking it could be interpreted in different ways. The Rest of Our Lives had an open-ended conclusion, so us readers also left that one with our own ideas, though.

As you can see in the table, both of the lowest scoring titles have the better Good Reads averages with The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny currently holding 3.95 while Flashlight is the closest with 3.91.

I see two bottom novels as somewhat similar in minor ways. However, I thought The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny was the most obnoxious of the two because it dragged and dragged. Then dragged some more. 

Now, I'll visit the betting to see where things currently stand. 

OH MY GOSH.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sammy is the favourite. Wow. 

It's good to see The Land in Winter as the second-favourite, though. Flesh, with a best price of 7/1, appeals to me.

Saturday 1 November

I haven't bet on any of the books. I'm unsure whether I will this year. Once again, I'm burdened by the fact that I have trouble with Ladbrokes/Coral and they are offering the top price for The Land in Winter. I don't want to place a 2/1 bet knowing I could get it for 3s with other firms. So, I'm going to sit it out.

Flesh at 7/1 is a bet I could make, if I wished. However, I would prefer to also have a wager on The Land in Winter as well because those are my top two.

If I end up gambling, I'll publish an update. It'll be on both of those titles. 

This post has now gone live and will float around through to the day/night of the ceremony. Keep checking back for more updates.

Friday 7 November

William Hill's shortlist market was published yesterday. The firm lists The Land in Winter as its favourite with a price of 15/8. The consensus favourite - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - is 2/1. Those titles are followed by Flesh (4/1), Flashlight (5/1), The Rest of Our Lives (6/1) and Audition (8/1).

Here's how the top prices have changed with the new addition to Booker Prize betting coverage.

Sunday 9 November

I have taken another look at the odds now that we're over a day before the ceremony. As of 9:45AM GMT today, a few of the top prices have shortened.

For example, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is now 15/8. That's down from the previous 2/1. Also moved in are the two titles I have spotlighted in The Land in Winter (now 5/2, but you could have found it at 4/1 for the past few days) and Flesh (now 9/4 from 7s).

With those novels having their odds shortened, a couple have drifted with Flashlight returning to 8/1 after a spell at 7/1 as the top available odds. Then there's  The Rest of Our Lives which has risen to 9/1 from 8/1.

Audition is still available at the 8/1 from a a couple of days ago.

I might visit Oddschecker a few more times across the next day, so there's potential for further updates to this post by the end of Sunday. 

4:07PM GMT: The Coral/Ladbrokes market is now off the board. Here are the updated best prices:

10:05PM GMT: Here are the latest top prices for each title.

Monday 10 November

The date of the ceremony has finally arrived. This post will now be updated through to the point where we know the winner. 

Or winners!

10:42AM

As far as I'm aware, it seems that all but one of the markets have been closed ahead of today's announcement.

William Hill being the only game in town means that The Land in Winter is the sole favourite, with a price of 9/4. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - which, as you saw, was favourite almost everywhere else, is 2/1 with the bookmaker.

One of my other preferences, along with Miller's The Land in Winter, Flesh is in third-place.  It's 9/4. The other titles come along in the following order: Audition (6/1), Flashlight (8/1) and The Rest of Our Lives (10/1).

10:02PM

The winner is....

Flesh by David Szalay!

As you've seen, if you've made it all the way through, Flesh was one of my top two favourites to win. Therefore, I am happy to see it win. 

Life Is Fighting By Kevin Robert Kesar (AKA Karrion Kross)

There's a new professional wrestling autobiography making its way to a bookshelf near you from today.

Life Is Fighting is written by Kevin Robert Kesar. He is best known, in the professional wrestling world, as Killer Kross or - as he is known nowadays, through his current tenure in WWE:  Karrion Kross.

As a follower of Kesar's work before and during his times in WWE, I was aware of his combat sports background. I was mainly clued in - to a degree - of Kesar's martial arts pursuits. I didn't know he fought in actual bare knuckle contests early in his life. It was interesting to read of his experiences in that world as well as his interactions with the shady promoter who was likened to Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin) by the author.

The Penguin wasn't the only comic book character mentioned in the memoir. A plethora of other names were brought up along the way. I found that to showcase Kesar as a comic book fan like myself, which kind of humanised the writer. 

One of the early stories detailed Kesar travelling to a boxing gymnasium with his father. Kesar witnessed an incident between his dad and another shady character. My comic book mind made me think of Kesar as a young Matt Murdock with a boxing father getting himself into a scrap in an area of New York City. Just like in the comics. Kesar didn't even draw that similarity, but I am sure he must have because - a few pages later - he mentioned Daredevil as being one of his favourite TV programmes!

It's impossible to detail Karrion Kross' career, especially the current portion of it, without addressing his valet - Scarlett. The on-screen sidekick is Kesar's real-life wife: Elizabeth. Their first interactions through to their eventual marriage (and a bit beyond that) is detailed. Once again, Kesar becomes more human to me through the words he writes about how their love blossomed. It was very charming.

When I first became aware of this book, one of the things I was intrigued to see covered was Kesar's coverage of his debut on the main WWE roster. It - to me - was quite a baffling experience as a fan, so I wondered whether the author would address how he was booked to lose on his introduction to the main WWE audience whilst being on a hot winning streak on the company's developmental brand: NXT.

Kesar actually did write about that moment in his career. He does so with the gloves off, which - again - made me more respectful of the human behind the character.

There are a lot of fun stories about Kesar's life in this memoir. Without giving too much away, I found myself laughing out loud at an incident he had inside a Pizza Pizza restaurant during early adulthood. As for Kesar's childhood recollections - the one I loved reading about was how he found himself eating at a table with Eddie Guerrero during Guerrero's time working for World Championship Wrestling.

Fans have been rooting for Kross to receive a huge push from the WWE vehicle of late. Those people are bound to find this book a pleasure to read because it's sure to strengthen their belief in having chosen the right horse to back.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Life Is Fighting by Kevin Robert Kesar is available from Amazon and other online book retailers from today - Tuesday August 5 2025. 

Thanks to ECW Press for supplying me with an advance reading copy for this review. 

Bigger! Better! Badder! By Keith Elliot Greenberg

A new pro wrestling book is on the horizon. I have been fortunate to get my hands on an advance reading copy thanks to its publishers - ECW Press.

With it currently being WrestleMania season, it seems like an opportune time for Keith Elliot Greenberg's latest pro wrestling title - Bigger! Better! Badder!: WrestleMania III and the Year It All Changed - to hit the shelves.

As the title states, Greenberg focuses his latest work on what is arguably one of the most important professional wrestling events in history - WrestleMania III - which took place from the Detroit Silverdome in front of, well - in front of a lot of people, on March 29th 1987.

The author does a lot more than take a historical look at that one event, though.

To convey how important WrestleMania III is, Greenberg spends half of the book with as thorough a job on the history of American professional wrestling leading into the '87 showcase. To do this, Greenberg evidently obtains a lot of sources to help with this narrative. And it is perfectly sewn together by the writer.

Anyone who has followed WWE for a fairly decent length of time are sure to have came across the legends of the two major bouts on the '87 card. First, the show-stealing contest between 'Macho Man' Randy Savage and Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat as well as the main event which saw Hulk Hogan bodyslam Andre the Giant to retain the WWF Championship.

Greenberg details everything about those two contests and their legacy in WrestleMania history. 

I was curious to see if the announced attendance of the event would also get a spotlight in this book. I can report it is a topic in one of the chapters about the event.

World Wrestling Entertainment still boasts Mania III had an attendance of 93,173. However, there has been conjecture - even to this very day - which has strongly argued that the number was heavily inflated. Greenberg covers all angles on this controversial note.

Bigger! Better! Badder! does not end with the conclusion of WrestleMania III. The final few chapters cover how the WWF (now WWE) operated in the years beyond Mania III. One of the things which stood out to this European wrestling fan, was seeing how WWF kind of became a 'World' product following March 29th 1987's extravaganza.

Leading into his coverage of WrestleMania III, Keith Elliot Greenberg details Vince McMahon Jr. and the WWF's expansion across the USA. There's also the moves into Canada. However, once the Mania III portion ends, we witness how the WWF/E machine then begins its assault on more foreign soil with its first show in France. That was followed by the company's move across to other countries like the UK and Ireland.

WrestleMania III sure was a springboard to what had become the norm for pro wrestling: events held in huge stadiums fairly regularly. To punctuate the point, consider this: tonight's WWE Elimination Chamber event is expected to hold thousands inside  a domed stadium in the form of Toronto's Rogers Centre.

Bigger! Better! Badder! is a strong book for anyone with an interest in professional wrestling. I've thought hard about who would enjoy it the most, and I believe the perfect audience would be those keen to learn about the WWF's expansion years especially those who may be starting out as wrestling fans thanks to WWE's expansion into Netflix and other streaming platforms across the world. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to ECW Press for allowing me to read an advance reading copy of Bigger! Better! Badder!: WrestleMania III and the Year It All Changed by Keith Elliot Greenberg. Amazon UK customers can purchase a copy below:

Buy Bigger! Better! Badder! From Amazon UK

Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus By John Little

A few weeks ago, ECW Press reached out to see if I had interest in reading a biography about a bodybuilder named Mike Mentzer. I was chosen to do so because the soon to be published title is written by John Little, whose Bruce Lee biography - Wrath of the Dragon - was received well by myself when I reviewed it in August of 2023.

Other than being a passive viewer of Vince McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation and receiving a few old 1970s muscle mags from my father - both in and around 1992 - I had no interest in accepting the invitation to read an advance reading copy.

That was until I came across part of the blurb about the book. It read: 'Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus reveals the true story of a man who stood up to an industry - and paid the ultimate price.'

I was intrigued. 'Okay,' I thought. 'I'll give it a go.'

I'm glad I did.

Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus by John Little chronicles the life of a maverick bodybuilder.. I believe the best way to describe the man in a few short words - other than a 'maverick bodybuilder' - is as a person who dreamt big and achieved almost all of his goals in the evidently suspect world of bodybuilding.

The biographer was a fan, friend and colleague of Mike Mentzer. That made me confident to know I would get a thorough spotlight on the book's subject. John Little did an excellent job here. His own knowledge and research is backed up with a plethora of sources. A twenty-one year friendship with Mentzer sure was a bonus because Little was able to quote email exchanges the pair had over the latter part of Mentzer's life.

As mentioned above, I consider Mentzer to be a 'maverick' because he took an approach to bodybuilding which was against what would have them been considered the norm. Mentzer's use of one of his mentor's - Arthur Jones - Nautilus training machines, and for shorter periods in contrast to the heavy sessions executed by other bodybuilders at the time, was one of the first of a handful of things which stood Mentzer out from tradition. And it resulted in success. Along with criticism from certain people with their own agendas.

In that era, the industry was Godfathered by the Weider Brothers, Joe and Ben, who co-founded the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). The brothers had their hands in a lot of pies in that industry. Joe was of the pioneers in using his bodybuilding magazines to market his nutritional supplements.

Mentzer's approaches to bodybuilding contradicted the vertical integration of the Weider magazines plugging Weider products because his strategies - using the machines - conflicted with the teachings of the Weider models.

One major thing I took away from Little's coverage of the bodybuilding world, especially with the Weiders running the show, is that it was not too dissimilar to a world I believe I know fairly well - Professional Wrestling.

The history of pro wrestling will cover a number of double crosses here and there. Coming out of reading John Little's biography, I get the sense the story of bodybuilding cannot be told without covering the controversy which was the Mr. Olympia event from 1980.

On that occasion, Arnold Schwarzenegger - who had been retired from competition for years - was a surprise entrant and ended up being voted as the winner. 

The events leading into the contest had me shaking my head as Little played out what happened. Mentzer was one of the favourites entering the contest because he had Mr America and Mr. Universal wins on his resume. He was seen as one of Schwarzenegger's rivals at the time. I think it's safe to conclude that Mentzer finishing in fifth place was not by design. Little allows the reader to draw their own conclusion, but I came away from that section of the book feeling everyone was robbed that day.

To further point out just how much of a questionable contest the Mr. Olympia '80 was - CBS travelled to Sydney Opera House to film the event, but its decision makers chose not to air any of the footage because they felt shenanigans were at play.

Through reading the biography, it becomes clear that Mentzer's mind itself suffers from the body's wins and downfalls. The bodybuilder was well-educated and applied his psychology knowledge in his bodybuilding training and teachings (through certain parts of his life Mentzer shared his methods through writing articles, mail order programmes and as a gym instructor). We learn during the early part of the biography that Mentzer's mother had a mental illness. By its close we see Mike himself have his own battles with psychological disorders.

It's the latter part of the book which, even though was very sad for most of it, was what I thought was the strongest. That's because John Little is able to share with you his own interactions with Mentzer in what was then Mike's last years. I believe the best books about about people are first, and foremost, autobiographies. However, the next - in the order of preference - are biographies by people that actually knew their subject on a personal level. You can tell John Little was a good pal to Mike Mentzer especially in those later years. Little's experience as a friend allowed this reader to see more about Mentzer than any other biography focused on the bodybuilder.

I've purposely left Mike's little brother - Ray - until now because I wanted to share something about him to close out my thoughts on the biography. 

We're introduced to Ray at the start of the book. Ray is there throughout always behind Ray right through childhood. We witness Ray follow in his brother's footsteps as he made his own career in bodybuilding. Little was able to explore a dynamic between Ray and Mike which put a spotlight on Ray wanting to compete with his brother in life whether it be as the better son in their father's eyes or as the equal (or more) to Mike in bodybuilding. 

When we see Mike pass away in 2001, we also witness Ray die two days later. Ray following his brother in death, just like he did in life, was not lost on me.

I came away from Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus knowing a heck of a lot more about the bodybuilding world than I did before opening the book.  I learned all about Mike and Ray Mentzer and their unique, and ultimately - tragic, lives.

John Little has gone one better than Wrath of the Dragon with this title. Back in 2023, I gave the Bruce Lee biography four stars. Therefore, I have to go one better.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for choosing me to read an advance copy of Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus by John Little.

This title is expected to be published in the UK on May 20th 2025. You can preorder/order a copy below.

Buy Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus by John Little from Amazon UK

 * * *

By the way, the last few pages of the eBook contains a collection of photographs of Mike Mentzer. A few of the pics are of Mike appearing on the cover of fitness magazines. Remember how I noted at the start of the post that my dad gave me a few old Weider mags he had left over from the 70s? Well, one of those magazines appears in the book. So, I had been introduced to Mike Mentzer in 1992 even though it didn't register with me when ECW Press contacted me earlier this year.

The Trillion Dollar Conman

When Sven-Goran Eriksson passed away a few months ago, my father and I conversed about the clubs the Swede had coached. After mentioning the obvious ones I could recall like Manchester City, Leicester City and the England and Ivory Coast national teams, my father added 'he was also involved with a lower division club, wasn't he?'

I had actually forgotten all about Sven's time as director of football at Notts County. My dad triggered a memory of being stunned at the appointment and the controversy which occurred after it.

And then I moved on from reminding myself about back in the day.

Last week, I once again found myself facing the 'Sven at Notts County' story whilst looking for a book to read from Net Galley. I came across a title in the sports section which intrigued me. I instantly asked to be able to read a copy.

The Trillion Dollar Conman: The Astonishing True Story of the Most Audacious Fraud in Sport by Ben Robinson covers Notts County's sale to a consortium which included Russell King - a businessman who had spent time in prison for fraud.

King was able to bring Eriksson to Notts County as director. This move ultimately led to the club signing Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel. All three, in their own way, were newsworthy signings considering Notts County - even though a historic club - was playing its games in the English League 2.

Robinson's work documents everything that went down with the Magpies during that period. But, there is a lot more to the story than that.

A heck of a lot.

The Trillion Dollar Conman spotlights all the scams Russell King was involved with. These range from trying to get himself involved with Formula One racing as an owner, being behind a failed bid of Newcastle United and then - in his last batch of cons - fleecing a bunch of companies overseas to advertising revenue by falsely claiming to publish culture and travel magazines in the Middle East.

And more.

I was stunned at the chutzpah which was displayed by King in all of the schemes he carried out. Every few page turns resulted in me either shaking my head or having to lift my jaw after it dropped. There were so many twists unravelled by the author. I was particularly stunned to read a part where Eriksson was whisked off to North Korea with the Notts County people in an attempt to seek funds for the club. The football man was unaware of the con going on at the time, of course.

Robinson has done an excellent job with concise research into this stunning story. It truly was, as the subtitle indicates, audacious.

And then some.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Net Galley and Icon Books for allowing me to read The Trillion Dollar Conman in return for a review of the title

Order a copy of The Trillion Dollar Conman from Amazon.co.uk

The 2024 Booker Prize Marathon

It is that time of the year again. 

Yes, it's Booker Prize season and a time when I embark on a mission to read all of the shortlisted books in the weeks leading to the ceremony.

Just like in previous years, I will draw a book randomly, read it, write about it and then draw another name out of the hat Spiky's bowl. This will repeat until I have completed the entire shortlist. Once I have done that, I'll take a look at the betting odds (if any are available) and have a small punt on which title - or titles, if the odds are good -  I believe will win.

The winner will be announced on November 12th. My reading of all the titles began in mid-September when the shortlist was revealed. Here's how it went.

Monday 16 September

The six books have just been announced. I've printed off the six covers to place inside the bowl once the marathon begins sometime tomorrow.

What I'd like to state from the start is I am very happy to see that Percival Everett's James has made the list. 

I was given an advance copy of the novel earlier this year. At the time, I wrote about thinking it was 'award worthy'. I still do. So, this is the first year of doing the marathon where I've already read one of the books.

As of right now, I don't know whether I will reread James for this marathon. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Tuesday 17 September

I have printed off the covers for the draws. Here's how they looked after I cut them up.

In the bowl they go for the first drawing.

As I was jumbling them around to make my first selection, one of the pieces of paper jumped out at me. I decided that would be the first book. Therefore, it's....

...Held by Anne Michaels.

Going by the Booker Prize website, Held's narrative 'spans four generations' seeing 'moments of connection and consequence ignite and re-ignite as the century unfolds'.

Saturday 21 September

I did not enjoy Held by Anne Michaels.

The novel focuses on loss from generation-to-generation and does so by jumping backwards and forwards.

Michaels' talent as a poet is clear in the way the way her words build an atmosphere in a lot of scenes of the story. Yet, that's all they come across as: scenes. It felt like I was reading words on a treadmill. 

There was one part in the early part of the novel where I thought 'oh, it looks like it's going somewhere now' only to find a figurative cul-de-sac. At that point, I felt lost or that I had missed something important. By then, I was too far gone to retrieve any sort of footing. 

Here's something I wrote in my journal when I was hovering around the 60% mark of the book:

I'm not sure about this (book) at all. It started off okay then picked up, but it has now dropped a bit. I don't know how some of these characters are related across the generations. Are they even meant to be related?

I feel like I've missed something important.

Or have I?

As noted, I didn't find my way back by the time I reached the end. 

⭐⭐

* * *

The next book on the list is about to be selected.

Out comes...

Orbital by Samantha Harvey. 

The blurb about Orbital on the Booker Prize website reads 'Six astronauts rotate in the International Space Station. They are there to do vital work, but slowly they begin to wonder: what is life without Earth? What is Earth without humanity?'

Monday 23 September

'That's more like it'.

Those was the first words which came to mind as soon as I finished Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

The book sees a combination of characters living together on a space station. They're comprised of four astronauts and two cosmonauts. All from different parts of the World. In fact, it could be said that Planet Earth itself is a character of this story.

Orbital is somewhat similar to Held in that there was atmosphere built by both authors yet there was little in the way of a plot. 

I never once felt lost reading Orbital, though. I loved the use of Diego Vasquez's painting - Las Meninas - which appears in the story. The painting is one of the most analysed bits of art of all time and raises questions about 'reality and illusion' which is just like what Harvey does with Orbital by having her characters view earth from their own views and backgrounds. Are the spacepersons the artists or the observers?

Orbital is claustrophobic yet agoraphobic, shows nature at peace and at its most devastating. It definitely has a right to win because I believe, just like Las Meninas, it can be construed in numerous ways.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tuesday 24 September

I will start the next book today. I pulled it out of the bowl yesterday afternoon.

It is Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake.

To steal a blurb, yet again, from the Booker Prize website - in Creation Lake 'a woman is caught in the crossfire between the past and future' in what is 'part-spy novel, part-profound treatise on human history'.

Sunday 29 September

I finished reading Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner this morning. I thought it was mostly enjoyable.

It's about a female mercenary spy who has been assigned a job to infiltrate a group of eco terrorists and has to prompt this cadre of people to commit an act of terror during a demonstration.

There's more to Creation Lake than that, but that's the main story.

I found the main character to be.. I don't know how to describe her.. but she was absolutely not your conventional spy from literature (that's more than likely the point!). 

Throughout the book, we see 'Sadie Smith' (we don't find out her real name) read a plethora of essays she has managed to hack into from the email account of the group's leader who has gone to ground by, err..  living underground. These emails are very philosophical and, by the novel's end, it could be argued has impacted the unnamed spy even once her job has been done.

The emails were initially about neanderthal and their contrast with homo sapiens. It led me to believe - at certain points in the story - that the reason why 'Sadie' has been asked to disrupt the group is because the Government was aware that the leader of the group had found ways to unleash the entities from where he is bunkered. The title 'Creation Lake' made me even more sure that was where the story was going.

Nothing like that happened. Score that as a loss for my pre-emption skills. Or lack thereof.

As I wrote at the start of this entry, I found Creation Lake 'mostly enjoyable'. I found it way better than Held (unsurprisingly) yet not as equal to Orbital. 

⭐⭐⭐

* * *

The next title pulled out of the bowl is..  

James by Percival Everett.

I'm pleased this one came out next because the elephant in this year's diary can finally be addressed.

As I wrote on February 14th, I was given an advance reading copy of this novel - set around the events of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn but through the words of Jim the Slave - and felt that it was 'award worthy'. 

I was happy to see James had made the longlist and was ecstatic to see the book had made the final six. 

Back in February, I gave Percival Everett's novel four stars. I stay by that score. Of the four titles I have read on this year's shortlist, it is the one to beat. It always has been.

Here's the main part of February's post:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The next selection will be drawn tomorrow. With that pick, we'll also know which book goes last.

Monday 30 September

I have pulled out the penultimate book cover out of Spiky's bowl and it's..

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

The Booker Prize website states that this novel is about a 'fearless exploration of forgiveness, grief and female friendship.'

Friday 4 October

I regard Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood to be one of the better books on this year's Booker Prize shortlist.

The book is written in the first person with the narrator a female who has left her husband and her home life to spend time at a retreat inside a nunnery. There is a short jump in the narrative and we find that the lady has stayed at the convent permanently.

As the story progresses, we see the narrator have to deal with outside forces that open up reflections of her own previous life and she addresses those themes. One of the most prominent themes is dealing with long-term grief.

Something which makes me very fond of a book is if it manages to make me feel for any of the characters. There is one character who shows up inside the nunnery who had known the main voice in their previous lives. I felt quite sorry for that person in certain parts of the novel. I had a sensation of sympathy towards them. Whenever a work of fiction draws me in like that, I have to score it highly.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stone Yard Devotional is a strong number two behind James.

* * *

There should be no surprise as to what I have to read next. The final book on this year's shortlist is The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.

As usual, I have taken a look at a blurb on the Booker Prize website. For The Safekeep, the websites states the book is 'an exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes - and the legacy of one of the 20th Century's greatest tragedies'.

Tuesday 8 October

Okay, well..

You know from the start of this year's Booker Prize Marathon I have been claiming - from the jump - that James by Percival Everett is the one to beat? I have finished with the strongest contender it has faced in The Safekeep by Yael van Der Wouden.

This novel is stunning. It's set in the Netherlands in the years following the Second World War and focuses on a home which had been lived in by a trio of siblings and their mother. We meet the three children, now older and in the years following the passing of their mum, with all but one having left the property to lead their own lives. The house plays a huge part in this story and I am reluctant to write more about it because this is a story which deserves to be read and not spoiled. All I can state is I had one of those 'WOW!' moments when the narrative began to piece together in such a perfect way. It has a lot of themes - obsession, desire, subterfuge and more.

If I gave James four stars and set it out as the benchmark to beat on this year's shortlist, then The Safekeep has to easily score one higher because it is, in my opinion, the top book on this year's shortlist.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* * *

Before I hunt for any betting markets for this year's Booker Prize, I thought I would do what I have done in previous years and create a table comparing my grading of the books with the average scores each title has received from Good Reads members.

As you can see, James is the readers' number one title with an average of 4.53 stars (out of five). The Safekeep is next up with an average of 4.11.

Looking at my scores, it seems fair to say that this has been a good year for the shortlist. I consider Creation Lake to be a high three and then we have three books with four and then The Safekeep scoring highest than all of them.

Creation Lake is, if we're going by the averages, the least liked of the six. The next one after Creation Lake - from the bottom up - is my least liked work in Held by Anne Michaels.

* * *

I have found one betting market as of the time of writing this entry. It is from Coral/Ladbrokes and is in the following order:

James by Percival Everett 2/1

Orbital by Samantha Harvey 5/2

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood 5/1

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner 5/1

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden 6/1

Held by Anne Michaels 8/1

* * *

Wednesday 16 October

I notice William Hill is now offering betting. The company has Orbital and James as joint 2/1 favourites. The Safekeep is 11/2.

Orbital 2/1

James 2/1

Creation Lake 9/2

The Safekeep 11/2

Stone Yard Devotional 11/2

Held 7/1

I believe it's fair to see those two books at the top. I strongly believe The Safekeep is misplaced. It should be further up the board.

Thursday 24 October
Another market has been published. This one is from Unibet.

Here are the prices: James 6/4, Orbital 2/1, Stone Yard Devotional 4/1, Creation Lake 5/1, The Safekeep 5/1, Held 13/2

Sunday 10 November

It is now a couple of days before the winner is announced, so I have taken another look at the market from Coral/Ladbrokes to compare their current odds to when I first found them early last month.

James 2/1 (No apparent change)

Orbital 5/2 (No apparent change)

Creation Lake 5/1 (No apparent change)

Held 5/1 (In from 8/1)

Stone Yard Devotional 6/1 (Up from 5/1)

The Safekeep 7/1 (Up from 6/1)

Monday 11 November

It's a good job I had a look over the Coral/Ladbrokes odds last night because they have been taken off the board as of the time I am writing this entry (15:45 GMT).

William Hill's markets are still active. The selections' prices are:

James by Percival Everett 13/8

Orbital by Samantha Harvey 9/4

Held by Anne Michaels 5/1

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner 5/1

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden 11/2

Stone Yard Devotional 6/1

When I last wrote about this particular market, James and Orbital were 2/1 joint-favourites. As you can see, James has been moved down into a 13/8 sole-favourite with Orbital up slightly to 9/4. Just like with the Ladbrokes/Coral market, Held by Anne Michaels is showing shorter odds because that novel was 7/1 on October 16th, but is now into 5s. Creation Lake (9/2 to 5/1) and Stone Yard Devotional (11/2 to 6/1) have both moved up slightly while The Safekeep has stayed at 11/2.

The Unibet market I mentioned on October 24th is also off the board as of 15:45 GMT today.

Tuesday 12 November

11:00

I have just reread everything I've written above because I am about to publish this post. It's clear that I am in two minds over my prediction. I believe The Safekeep should be the surprise winner (going by the odds, it would class as a 'surprise'!) while Percival Everett's work would be, as funny as this comes across, an unsurprising winner. And the 'unsurprising' bit does not factor in the odds. Well, not entirely. I had a feeling way back in February - upon reading an advance copy of James - that it could be this year's winner.

I am drawn to the fact that Everett is the only male author on the shortlist. Is there something to be read in that? The last time a female won the Booker Prize was five years ago when Margaret Attwood (The Testaments) and Bernadine Evaristo (Girl, Woman, Other) were joint-winners. I cannot shake off the feeling that this year's winner will be female. Or maybe that's because I am leaning more toward The Safekeep than I am on James.

21:30

I looked at the YouTube page, where the livestream will be aired, earlier and looked at the chat room.

The users were asked which book they think will win tonight. Going by the few responses I caught, it seemed strong for either James or Orbital. Not long to go now.

22:02

Samantha Harvey won for Orbital. Not the result I was expecting, but - don't forget - I did think Orbital was good enough for four stars.

To be frank, this was a strong shortlist in 2024. I look forward to doing this all again in 2025.