Category: Book Prizes

Who will be longlisted for the 2014 Booker Prize?

Post author By Jackie
Post date July 15, 2014
38 Comments on Who will be longlisted for the 2014 Booker Prize?

The longlist for the 2014 Booker Prize will be announced on Wednesday 23rd July 2014. This year the rules have been changed to allow American authors to enter for the first time. No-one knows quite how this will affect the longlist, but I’m sure it will change the dynamics a bit. It also means that a wider pool of books are eligible, making a prediction of the longlist even harder.

For the past few months I’ve been scouring the Internet for signs of Booker potential and have chosen 13 books which I think are strong enough to make the grade.

My predictions for the 2014 Booker longlist:

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt

T he Bone Clocks b y David Mitchell

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole

The Emperor Waltz by Philip Hensher

Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

What do you think of my prediction?

Which books would you like to see on the longlist?

Update 21st July: I’ve just realised that The Shock of the Fall was originally published under a different title, earlier than the Booker cut off date, so have swapped it for Fourth of July Creek in my prediction.

Tags Booker Prize

1950s Classics Nobel Prize

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Post author By Jackie
Post date June 26, 2014
6 Comments on Lord of the Flies by William Golding

William Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983

Five words from the blurb: boys, marooned, island, transformed, savages

There are several large holes in my reading history and Lord of the Flies was one of the biggest. It is so entrenched in our culture that I felt I knew what it was about, but when I heard it mentioned twice in one day I decided it was time to fill the gap and so got a copy from my local library.

I knew that Lord of the Flies involved a group of boys marooned on a desert island, but didn’t realise it was set during a nuclear war. Most of the rest of the plot was known to me; in fact I think this might be one classic better left unread as I had a far greater opinion of it and its cultural significance before I opened the cover.

The book began well, with some good character development and wonderfully vivid descriptions of the island, but as it progressed I became increasingly frustrated with it. The depiction of life of a desert island was unrealistic and there was no real knowledge of the way the body reacts in a survival situation. I also thought the reactions of the boys was unlikely and the plot became increasingly implausible as it progressed.

I can see why it has become a classic and there are some good messages within it, but I think this is one of those books that might be best read when young as it doesn’t stand up to careful scrutiny.

Overall, it’s a good concept and there are lots of strong, enduring images, but I’m afraid I found it lacked the insight to be convincing.

2013 Non Fiction Other Prizes Recommended books

A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson

Post author By Jackie
Post date April 23, 2014
7 Comments on A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson

Shortlisted for 2013 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction

Five words from the blurb: bumblebee, expert, protect, research, dangers

I picked up a copy of this book because the author was planning to talk at my local library. I didn’t have a particular interest in bees, but Dave Goulson is an inspiring man and he’s made me look at them in a new light.

The author is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Sussex and has published over 200 scientific articles on the ecology of bees and other insects. A Sting in the Tale is a witty, accessible book that summaries most of what is known about bumblebees today.

The book is packed with amusing anecdotes about the difficulties of studying bees; whilst also giving sound scientific information about the problems facing their population in the UK today. It is one of those wonderful books that enables someone with limited knowledge on a subject to understand and become fascinated by something they’d normally overlook. I had no idea that bumblebees are necessary to pollinate tomatoes and a whole industry has been set up to produce commercial bumblebee nests, which are then shipped to tomato glasshouses around the world:

The only tomato growers left out of the bumblebee bonanza were those in Australia, where there are no native bumblebees, and where importing foreign species is strictly forbidden. Tomato growers on mainland Australia still have to hand-pollinate their plants; teams of workers are employed, each of whom is equipped with a slender vibrating wand. Every flower has to be touched with the tip of a wand if it is to set fruit. As might be imagined, this is tedious work in a large glasshouse – some commercial operations cover hundreds of acres and contain literally millions of tomato flowers – and the labour costs are substantial.

I also knew nothing about the problems this creates with the spread of disease and the hybridisation of native species. I discovered that I knew far more about the problems facing honeybees than those of bumblebees and am pleased I’ve now rectified this situation.

The only problem is that this book concentrates on bees in the UK. Much of the information will be interesting to those in other countries, but those wanting to know specific information about bumblebee species in other parts of the world will probably be frustrated.

It would also have been nice to see photos/charts to enhance the information given. The presentation at my library included a lovely selection of images and it would have been nice to see these in the book.

A Sting in the Tale is a very important book. Many species of bumblebee in the world are facing extinction and I don’t think many people realise this, or how important they are. I urge you to read this book and I hope that the Bumblebee Conservation Trust goes from strength to strength.

Books in Translation Other Prizes

The 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Shortlist

Post author By Jackie
Post date April 8, 2014
7 Comments on The 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize was announced this morning. I was lucky enough to receive the list a few days ago and was pleased to discover that I’d already read the majority of the books. A Meal in Winter was the only novel I hadn’t tried so I decided to pick up a copy from the library and read it over the weekend – an easy task since it was so short! Unfortunately I can’t comment on the short story collections, but hopefully my summaries will give you a good idea about the other books.

Translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

Five words from the blurb: romance, old, teacher, friendship, solace

A beautifully written story about the friendship that develops between a young woman and one of her former high school teachers.

Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke

Five words from the blurb: German, family, issues, revolutions, understand

Gripping novella which shows how life in a repressed state mirrors that of a family living under the power of a tyrannical father. It’s amazing how much complexity is crammed into such a small book!

Translated from the French by Sam Taylor

A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mingarelli

Five words from the blurb: soldiers, capture, Jewish, prisoner, choice

Simple, atmospheric story about German soldiers who have been asked to track down Jews for execution. I can’t fault the writing, but I’ve heard a similar stories many times before.

Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett

A Man in Love by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Five words from the blurb: father, life, holidays, neighbours, children

This book was much lighter than A Death in the Family, the first in the series. I found it lacking depth and became bored by its ordinariness. I’m afraid I abandoned it, but others love its honesty.

DNF

Translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder

Revenge by Yoko Ogawa

Five words from the blurb: woman, bakery, disconnected, chaos, cruelty

I enjoyed The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa, but I’m afraid my dislike for short stories means I haven’t tried this one. I you enjoy the short form then I’m sure you’ll find a lot to appreciate in this one.

Translated from the Arabic by Jonathan Wright

The Iraqi Christ by Hassan Blasim

Five words from the blurb: surreal, absurdities, Iraq, human, war

This collection of stories has been described as ‘Arabic Gothic’. It sounds so different from anything else I’ve read that I’m tempted to try it, despite the short story format!

Who should win the IFFP?

Obviously I can’t comment on the quality of the short story collections, but I think The Mussel Feast will be hard to beat. For such a short book it combines a staggering amount of information. It has everything from emotion and tension, through to complex ideas about power and communism. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for it!

Who do you think should win?

For other opinions on these books read the reviews of the Shadow IFFP Jury, a group of bloggers who’ve read the entire IFFP longlist:

Dolce Bellezza (twitter @bellezzamjs)

Follow the Thread (twitter @David_Heb)

Tony’s Reading List (twitter @tony_malone)

Winstonsdad’s Blog (twitter @stuallen)

Messengers Booker (twitter @messy_tony)

and the blog free Jacqui Wine ( twitter @jacquiWine)

Orange Prize Other

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist

Post author By Jackie
Post date April 7, 2014
11 Comments on The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist has just been announced.

The shortlisted books are:

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Undertaking by Audrey Magee

I predicted three out of six correctly, but am quite shocked that Booker Prize winning The Luminaries didn’t make the cut. It is also disappointing that my two personal favourites, The Signature of All Things and Eleven Days, failed to make it through.

Overall it’s a strong list, but I expect A Girl is A Half-Formed Thing to take the winning spot.

Orange Prize Other

Who will be shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction?

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 26, 2014
13 Comments on Who will be shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction?

I’ve now tried all the books on the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for fiction longlist and overall I was very impressed by the quality of the books. It is probably the strongest year I’ve ever seen and narrowing it down to six books is a tough job. I cut it down to 11 books very easily, but deciding which 5 extra ones to remove was more science than judgement – something that probably doesn’t exist on a judging panel!

Here’s my prediction for the 2014 shortlist:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Reasons for my selection:

Eleven Days is outstanding and deserves to be put through, no questions asked.
Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies wouldn’t be out of place on the shortlist, but I don’t think they’ll pick two experimental books and I think A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing is the stronger of the two.
The Signature of All Things is the best piece of historical fiction on the longlist.
The Luminaries will glide onto the shortlist without any disagreement because of its ambition, scope and writing quality.
I don’t think they’ll put two books about immigration/identity through. Americanah is a fantastic character study, but I think The Lowland will pip it at the post.
The Goldfinch is loved by the majority of readers. I think several members of the judging panel will be rooting for it.
Burial Rites would probably have made the cut in previous years, but I think it is sadly outclassed this year. The Luminaries and The Signature of All Things take up all the historical fiction quota.
The Flamethrowers and All the Birds, Singing are also strong contenders. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either on the list, but I couldn’t justify removing any of my six to include them.
The longlist contained a few odd choices so I predict that I’ll be wrong and at least one left field book will make the cut. Possibly switching The Goldfinch for Still Life with Bread Crumbs?

Who do you think will make the Baileys Women’s Prize for fiction shortlist?