BA Book Prize reading list: Kate Kitagawa & Timothy Revell’s picks
Posted by Kate Kitagawa, Timothy Revell
To celebrate this year’s British Academy Book Prize, we’ve asked all of the shortlisted authors to tell us about the books they’ve been reading. Today, Kate Kitagawa and Timothy Revell, authors of the revisionist, accessible and radically inclusive history of maths The Secret Lives of Numbers, introduce us to their eclectic reading list.
From Kate:
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond: It's the Paddington Bear! It was one of the first books I read in English, and I am still charmed by it. I often buy copies in London to bring back to give out to my friends. It takes us to a super cheerful world and everyone would get a good vibe!
Levels of Life by Julian Barnes: Julian Barnes is my favourite novelist. Every book has a theme; every book has a style; and every book contains some memorable lines. ‘You put together two people who have not been put together before. And the world is changed...’ Levels of Life is expressive, powerful, and unforgettable.
And on my to-read list – Chopin’s Piano by Paul Kildea: I like playing Chopin’s sonatas, nocturnes and preludes. This book, which I saw a few years ago in Oxford, is the next book I will read. What does the piano tell me about Chopin? Will I play Chopin differently? I am looking forward to seeing how the music is incorporated in writing.
From Timothy:
Systemic: How Racism is Making Us Ill by Layal Liverpool: This book is an absolute masterclass of journalism. It forensically investigates how racism negatively affects our health and what to do about it. It’s a must read.
Julia by Sandra Newman: It's Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four from Julia’s perspective. An utterly convincing view of Airstrip One that will blow your mind like the original and also make you reconsider some of the original storylines.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler: Octavia E. Butler set the start of this dystopian post-apocalyptic novel in 2024. Reading it now is a reminder that things are certainly not as bad as they could be!
Find out more about The Secret Lives of Numbers, and the rest of this year’s British Academy Prize shortlist, here.
