I appologise again if this is the wrong forum for this, but I can't find anywhere else that it would be more apt, so I thought I'd post this years Booker Prize Long-list here.
Peter Carey - Theft: A Love Story Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss Robert Edric - Gathering the Water Nadine Gordimer - Get a Life Kate Grenville - The Secret River MJ Hyland - Carry Me Down Howard Jacobson - Kalooki Nights James Lasdun - Seven Lies Mary Lawson - The Other Side of the Bridge Jon McGregor - So Many Ways to Begin Hisham Matar - In the Country of Men Claire Messud - The Emperor's Children David Mitchell - Black Swan Green Naeem Murr - The Perfect Man Andrew O'Hagan - Be Near Me James Robertson - The Testament of Gideon Mack Edward St Aubyn - Mother's Milk Barry Unsworth - The Ruby in her Navel Sarah Waters - The Night Watch
I've only read two of these, Black Swan Green and Kalooki Nights both of which I would recommend (though not being Jewish I did struggle with some of the terminology in Kalooki), and was looking for the next one to try.
The Testament of Gideon Mack appeals, as does Gathering the Water, but I was wondering if anyone else had read any of the others and had any recommendations?
After the deluge of responses that is this thread, I dediced to plump for James Robertson - The Testament of Gideon Mack, mostly because my local bookshop is so crap it's the only one I hadn't read that they had.
I'm about 150 pages in and it's a great read about Scottish priest who doesn't actually beleive in god but has a close encounter with the devil. It's not a hard read in any way and an intreaguing premise.
Next I'm going to try MJ Hyland - Carry Me Down which is about a young boy of disproportionate size whose height means he has a hard time remaining a child in a world where most people treat him like an adult.
lol, teddy soldiering on in the face on indifference...
i'm embarrassed to say that i haven't read any of those shortlisted books...i used to read lots of modern novels but i find myself left unmoved by the vast majority these days.... mostly i read history, popular science, politics etc, but i am always looking for a good novel so i'll read your comments with interest.
the last novels i read were ishiguro's one about the clones (can't remember what it was called), ali smith's the accidentals and faulks' human traces. i did enjoy all of those, but there were probably several abandoned half or a quarter of the way through amongst those....
the last novels i read were ishiguro's one about the clones (can't remember what it was called), ali smith's the accidentals and faulks' human traces. i did enjoy all of those, but there were probably several abandoned half or a quarter of the way through amongst those....
Never Let Me Go was the Isiguro. It made the short list last year and was favourite to win but lost out to John Banville's description-fest The Sea.
Personally I like to vary my reading between classic and more modern stuff but if you want a tip. David Mitchell's Black Swan Green is favourite to win this year and after the uproar when Cloud Atlas lost out the The Line of Beauty in 04, he probably will.
I'm afraid that I have read none of the above titles. I tend to read non-fiction although I keep intending to start reading novels again.
Have You Tried Freakanomics? I can't rmrmber the names of the two guys that wrote it, but it's out in paperback now.
Basicly an economist wonder kid appleis economic theroies and principles to answer such issues as; Does your name have an effect on your earning capacity? How did abortion law stem the rise in crime un the US in the 1980s? Does the number of books in a childs house have an effect on their accademic achievement?
Some if it strerached the envelope beyond credability and it can be a bit sycophantic but is woth a look.
Ok well tonight's decision time and from the less than inspiring short list my vote would go to M. J. Hyland's Carry Me Down. I wish I could say that it's a great work that everyone should read, but I can only proffer it as a winner as I was distinctly unimpressed by the rest of the offerings.
Sarah Waters will probably win but that's my 10p worth.
