Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

The Disappearers by Marlon James

Blurb from Goodreads

From Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize–winning A Brief History of Seven Killings: a propulsive novel about the murder of a gay man in 1980s Jamaica and its tragic consequences.

In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play. The men are strangers to one another and each has a different reason for being involved. But they all share one inescapable All of them are gay―a “batty man” in Jamaican argot―and all of them must contend with the dangers that such a truth lays bare.

One night a mob savagely attacks them, killing one of the men. For the survivors, their recovery is as much emotional as it is As their bodies heal, each man grapples with the violence, the hatred and the rage that the attack made plain. Some try to ignore what the attack has unearthed, while others double down on retribution.

In The Disappearers, Marlon James has written a riveting and deeply human story of men forced to make compromises to survive what the society they live in demands. It is both a dramatic page-turner and an unflinching exploration of queer life in Jamaica during the 1980s and 1990s.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Today is the first Monday of the eighth month of the year. How time flies! As always, time takes its natural course, ever flowing forward, with no regard for any of us. It does not wait for anyone. As such, I hope the year is going—and will continue to go—well for everyone. I hope the rest of the year will be kind to you all. Things are still erratic, whether at work or in geopolitics. I hope the tension in the Middle East begins to de-escalate and that peace is gradually restored. I also hope things start to slow down at work. They remain hectic, and I am hoping things will start looking up. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a good start to the workweek. I hope everyone is in a place of comfort. The new week beckons with hope and fresh starts, and I hope it unfolds in everyone’s favor. Wishing you continued success and happiness. I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

I know not many people get excited about Mondays (though I’m sure a few are out there). I, too, am not exactly a fan. Still, I hope that as the week moves forward, you gradually gain a semblance of momentum. I hope everyone’s workweek goes smoothly. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well mentally, emotionally, and physically. After spending the first two months of the year reading works by Latin American and Caribbean writers, I spent the following four months exploring the works of European authors. I chose to focus on European writers because most of the books on my 2026 reading challenge list were written by them. I am thankful that I was finally able to complete all the European books on my reading challenge list. I then pivoted toward a literary landscape closer to home: Asian literature. I commenced this journey in July, and although I have already completed the Asian works included in my reading challenge, I decided to extend the journey into August. There are still several works by Asian writers that I want to read, including my current read, Suggested in the Stars by Yōko Ogawa.

This week’s featured book, however, is not by an Asian writer. Late last week, the Booker Prize released its longlist. The prestigious award has introduced me to many outstanding books over the years. I always make it a point to read the year’s winner as soon as I can obtain a copy. This year’s longlist is particularly interesting, though that is rarely surprising. As always, it features several writers I have yet to discover. Of the thirteen longlisted authors, I have previously encountered only three, all through the Booker Prize. I was actually surprised when I came across Marlon James on this year’s list. His novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, won the Booker Prize in 2015, and it was also the first of his works that I read. It was a fascinating novel, blending history, crime, and magical realism into a compelling narrative. Unfortunately, I have yet to read any of his other works, although they have long been on my reading list.

This year, his latest novel, The Disappearers, has once again earned a place on the Booker Prize longlist. I was not even aware that the Jamaican writer would be releasing a new novel this year, as it is scheduled for publication in September. Interestingly, it is quite substantial, running to more than 600 pages. It also promises to transport readers back to James’s homeland, much like A Brief History of Seven Killings. Set in late-1980s Jamaica, the novel introduces eight men who come together while rehearsing for a play. None of them knows the others, yet the encounter proves serendipitous. As it turns out, they are all gay men. That premise alone immediately piqued my interest. It raises an intriguing question: how did Jamaican society in the late 1980s view homosexuality? There are several other elements of the story that have also drawn me in. For now, I can only hope to secure a copy once it is released.

How about you, fellow readers? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments! For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!