For the next two months my primary reading will be from the list below, the Man Booker Prize longlist for 2011. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised, after following the at-times rousing discussion over at the general debate page for the Booker Prize, to have found books that weren't ever mentioned. Luckily, I hadn't ordered many of the books being speculated upon in that forum.
Of these, I've already read Snowdrops, which actually, I thought was just okay, not great, although I did like the wild-west like atmosphere of Moscow. So that brings the list down by one, at least, and believe it or don't, I actually had purchased a few that showed up on the list. How good is that? No rush to buy every stinking book on the list!
In other parts of the reading world, I have two or three more books for the Europa Editions Challenge I want to read, and as far as the Crime Segments goes, I'm starting a fun reading month of books read by Inspector Salvo Montalbano in Camilleri's awesome series. And if time permits, I have a LOT of books stacked on the floor that are crying to be read, like Ann Patchett's new one, State of Wonder. I will be offering this book as a giveaway (not a huge Patchett fan, so someone else should enjoy it) after I've finished. So stay tuned.
that's it: the Booker Prize longlist is below. Wish me luck. I'm always so drained after August and September each year.
Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape - Random House)
Sebastian Barry On Canaan's Side (Faber)
Carol Birch Jamrach's Menagerie (Canongate Books)
Patrick deWitt The Sisters Brothers (Granta)
Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues (Serpent's Tail)
Yvvette Edwards A Cupboard Full of Coats (Oneworld)
Alan Hollinghurst The Stranger's Child (Picador - Pan Macmillan)
Stephen Kelman Pigeon English (Bloomsbury)
Patrick McGuinness The Last Hundred Days (Seren Books)
A.D. Miller Snowdrops (Atlantic)
Alison Pick Far to Go (Headline Review)
Jane Rogers The Testament of Jessie Lamb (Sandstone Press)
D.J. Taylor Derby Day (Chatto & Windus - Random House)
I haven't heard of Camilleri before but I'm going to borrow one of his mysteries from our library. I enjoy mysteries set in locations all over the world!
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely in for a treat. The books are not as edgy as I generally like in crime fiction, but it's the characters and sense of place that make the books.
ReplyDeleteI've found a lot of OK reads in the list so far. I hope that you enjoy them more than I am, but either way I look forward to comparing notes on them all. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see I am not the only one exhausted from trying to keep up with all the great reading coming out. But how great is that?
ReplyDeleteThe Camilleri series is truly special. I think I might like that best on audio, just like I prefer Aurelio Zen (from Michael Dibdin's series) on film. What a gorgeous cast they've chosen--and all on location in Rome. Did you happen to catch it on PBS/Masterpiece Theatre? If not, do...it's a real treat.
Thanks for the list, by the way. Pigeon English is on my shortlist.
ReplyDeleteJackie: I always look forward to your reviews on the Booker longlist!
ReplyDeleteTrish: It is great indeed! I did see the Zen series on television, read the books a number of years ago and I loved the cast on Masterpiece. But the music -- at times it sort of reminded me of music you might hear in a porn film (although I must confess to not having seen one).
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome for the list. It seems to be a bit controversial!