Man - That's a Lot of Books

There are two times a year when I am guaranteed a good case of eye strain - in the spring when I start my bracket for the Morning News Tournament of Books, and again through late summer and early fall with the Man Booker Prize nominees.
And today is the big day! They announced the longlist of nominees for the Man Booker early this morning in London, and it's a great baker's dozen of reads.
This year will be a tough one for me because I've only read one of the selections, The Sellout, which was part of the Tournament of Books. So that leaves me 12 books to get through before the short list of books is announced on Sept. 13, and the winner is named in October.
Spoiler alert - I never finish all 13 before the short list, and there's usually a great gnashing of teeth when I realize that I've read some that didn't make the short list. But I'm never disappointed that I've read them all. Some of my most favorite books of all time have come from the Man Booker lists, books that I probably would not have discovered otherwise. Like the one that still haunts me today: Pigeon English.
If you'd like to follow along this summer, below is the current list of nominees. Or you can watch this space for my reviews and predictions. Now I'm off to buy the 13 - it's like Christmas in July!

Man Booker Nominees

The Sellout, Paul Beatty (U.S.)
The Schooldays of Jesus, J.M. Coetzee (South Africa-Australia)
Serious Sweet, A.L. Kennedy (U.K.)
Hot Milk, Deborah Levy (U.K.)
His Bloody Project, Graeme Macrae Burnet (U.K.)
The North Water, Ian McGuire (U.K.)
Hystopia, David Means (U.S.)
The Many, Wyl Menmuir (U.K.)
Eileen, Ottessa Moshfegh (U.S.)
Work Like Any Other, Virginia Reeves, (U.S.)
My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout (U.S.)
All That Man Is, David Szalay (Canada)
Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien (Canada)

You Do You

I've always been slightly rebellious (okay, my mom just laughed at the use of the word "slightly"), so I've never been one to read something because it's a best seller, or because someone else tells me that a book is "important."
In today's New York Times Book Review section, I loved reading a debate about this very idea: Is a book good because it's "LIT-ra-ture," or because it's just fun to read?
I believe that, much like a Twinkie, the middle is where the good stuff happens. On one end you have what you're supposed to read, and almost never do. And on the other end, the things that you're slightly embarrassed to admit you read. Much like admitting that you ever ate a Twinkie.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Henry James, William Faulkner, Plutarch, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. And I also enjoy the books that I call "popcorn books," those by Dick Francis and Agatha Christie. They aren't on any classics lists, but I love them and gobble them down like popcorn. In fact, I have every single one of the Dick Francis books - 49 if you're counting.
But tell me that I have to read something just because everyone else thinks it's fabulous and I balk. Because I'm usually let down (thanks a lot, Dan Brown and Jonathan Franzen) and the attention is often not worth the blather.
Frankly, it's why I gravitate to book awards like the Man Booker and the Morning News Tournament of Books - the nominated books are usually good to fantastic, amazingly well written, and creatively entertaining (except for that John Irving thing, but more about that in another post).
The middle is occupied by wizards like Jo Rowling and Elizabeth George, who create indelible characters while pulling us completely into their worlds. Or by Jo Nesbo and Robert Harris, who paint mesmerizing visions of worlds we don't occupy.
And I've read breathtaking writing - crying (hard) over Harrison in Pigeon English, holding my breath over the pain suffered by Dorrigo in The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and sighing when Marie-Laure finally meets Werner in All the Light We Cannot See. The middle even made me change my mind over apocalyptic novels after I read Station Eleven. The middle is really satisfying.
So don't let anyone tell you that your favorite author isn't a good one. Or that you aren't intelligent enough to "get it" if you don't like James Joyce. You read what you want. You do you. And we'll meet in the middle.

Winner, Winner

LATE-DAY UPDATE: Well I'm shocked to say that I was right. That never happens. But Richard Flanagan deserved to win the Man Booker Prize for this amazing book! Congrats to him!

The reason that I love the Man Booker Prize over all other book award programs is that I always discover a book among its nominees that profoundly impacts me. A few years ago it was Pigeon English, an incredible story about a young immigrant boy in England that I still think of almost once a month - it was just that good.

This year, the book that knocked me for an emotional loop was definitely The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. More on that book - which also gets my vote to win the Prize when it's announced tonight - in just a bit. 

First, let's talk about the fact that, for the first time, the Man Booker Prize committee opened up the contest to English-language books from any country, rather than just the U.K. I had high hopes for that, imagining Hilary Mantel-like writers squaring up against Philip Roth-esque American authors. 

But the selection committee shortlisted two U.S. novels that I don't think are up for the challenge: To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris, and We Are Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

Fowler's previous novel was The Jane Austen Book Club, and her Man Booker contender is just as light and entertaining. I'm not knocking the fact that it's a less substantial book, but it doesn't offer anything new. And Ferris's book examines religion's role in today's tech-savvy world in a way that's supposed to be funny, but fell flat for me. In fact, it was an exasperating read. So these two books, out of all of the fabulous American fiction published this year, are what caught the eye of the Man Booker group? Hmmmm.

I also wasn't thrilled with Neel Mukherjee's The Lives of Others, a story of a '60s family in Calcutta that gets caught up in political uprisings. There were almost too many characters, leaving me little time or inclination to get to know any one of them well enough to engage with them.

Luckily, there are other (better) books on the short list. Ali Smith offers a really new way of telling a tale - or two - in How to Be Both. The novel centers on two characters who tell their own story, one a modern-day teenage girl and the other a female Italian Renaissance artist living as a man. Depending on which copy of the book you pick up, you will begin with one of the two characters first, and then wind your way through two stories that twist around each other. It's fabulous storytelling for a modern world.

Howard Jacobson takes on (yet another) dystopian society with his novel J. In the scary future imagined by Jacobson, no one is allowed to use words that begin with the letter J without making a motion like pulling a zipper across his or her lips. The fear of the unknown is the key to this novel, with some of the frightening shadows never fully explored. It's a good book, but I'm tiring of the "future is scary and vaguely Big Brother-ish" stories that are constantly fed to us through books, movies, and video games. The overabundance of similar story arcs kept me from really embracing this one.

And then we come to The Narrow Road, the lone Australian entry on the list. Flanagan tells the story of Australian POWs forced to build a road in Burma, a harrowing real-life event that involved some of the worst atrocities by the Japanese army. Yes, there are shades of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, but The Narrow Road goes deeper and is more visceral, giving us a visual imprint that's hard to shake off. Flanagan juxtaposes the darkness of the jungle with the bright light and sandy beaches of Australia, going back and forth between the POW camp and the love story of the central character Dorrigo Evans. It was a difficult story, but one that I could not put down. Flanagan is a master of pulling the reader in, and then never letting go. But it is a tough read emotionally; let's just say I had to have a palate cleanser of Philippa Gregory immediately after. 

So tonight, I predict that Flanagan will win the award. But if he doesn't (just as Pigeon English didn't), I'm still a winner for having read his novel.

The Fall of Man

Fall is the time of Man - the Man Booker Prize, that is. Today the famed literary award panel announces its short list for the coveted prize, and that in turn means that I have a lot of reading to do.
This is one of my two favorite book award programs - the other is the Dagger Awards, presented by the Crime Writers Association. Oddly, although the Man Booker is a British award, I find it to be less stuffy and highbrow than the U.S. awards, like the National Book Award. Or maybe it's just my Anglophilia showing.
All I know is that I always love the Man Booker selections, whether they win or not, and I quite often completely agree with the award winner. This year will be especially interesting since it's the first time that the Man Booker group has expanded its rules, allowing all books originally printed in English to be nominated, no matter the nationality of the author. Take that, National Book Award.
So here is the short list of nominees this year. I'll let you know soon which one I believe should take the top prize. And if you're going to read along, get cracking! The prize will be awarded on Oct. 14.

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, by Joshua Ferris (US)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, by Richard Flanagan (Australia)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler (US)
J, by Howard Jacobson (UK)
The Lives of Others, by Neel Mukherjee (UK)
How to Be Both, by Ali Smith (UK)

The Long and the Short of It

If I didn't know better (and perhaps I don't), I would swear that my two favorite book awards are trying to one-up each other.
First came the news in January that the National Book Award was "re-examining its rules" and would for the first time ever introduce four long lists for each of its award categories - Poetry, Young People's Literature, Fiction, and Nonfiction. This would allow room for more nominees, and would also mirror what another British award program just happens to do already.
That was followed yesterday by the announcement that the Man Booker Prize had also done some soul-searching. They have long had a long list (sorry), but have now decided to open the contest up to all "writing in English," not just English writing. That may seem like hair-splitting, but the Man Booker previously was open only to UK citizens. Now this "global expansion" opens the award to writers from "Chicago to Sheffield to Shanghai."
Here is my color commentary on this one-on-one game: NBA knocked the ball out of the MBP court with its new long lists. Then MBP said, "oh no you didn't," stole the ball back, and took it right to NBA's own home turf. Boom.
If you think I'm making a Jets vs Sharks thing out of nothing, let me also point out that there was a little matter of dates. The National Book Award had said it would announce its long list right on top of the Man Booker's announce date for its short list (see the NBA long lists below). And, coincidentally, the short list for the NBA will be only one day after the Man Booker names its winner in October. Hmmmm.
But after this major change to the Man Booker, I think the ball is in your court, NBA. Play nicely, everyone.

National Book Award Long Lists

Fiction
Pacific, by Tom Drury
The End of the Point, by Elizabeth Graver
The Flame Throwers, by Rachel Kushner
The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri (shortlisted for the Man Booker)
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, by Anthony Marra
The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride
Someone, by Alice McDermott
Bleeding Edge, by Thomas Pynchon
Tenth of December, by George Saunders
Fools, by Joan Silber

Nonfiction (evidently the rules say the title must include a colon)
Finding Florida: The True Story of the Sunshine State, T.D. Allman
Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami, by Gretel Ehrlich
The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA, by Scott C. Johnson
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin, by Jill Lepore
Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields, by Wendy Lower
Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States 1861-1865, by James Oakes
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, by George Packer
The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia 1772-1832, by Alan Taylor
Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, by Terry Teachout
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief, by Lawrence Wright (see my review here)

Poetry
Metaphysical Dog, by Frank Bidart
Bury My Clothes, by Roger Bonair-Agard
Stay, Illusion, by Lucie Brock-Broido
So Recently Rent a World, New and Selected Poems 1968-2012, by Andrei Codrescu
Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire, by Brenda Hillman
The Big Smoke, by Adrian Matejka
American Amnesiac, by Diane Raptosh
Black Aperture, by Matt Rasmussen
Transfer of Qualities, by Martha Ronk
Incarnadine: Poems, by Mary Szybist

Young People's Literature
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo
A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff
The Summer Prince, by Alaya Dawn Johnson
The Thing About Luck, by Cynthia Kadohata
Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Far Far Away, by Tom McNeal
Picture Me Gone, by Meg Rosoff
The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu
Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang

And Then There Were Six

I made a bit of a veiled threat last week about the Man Booker Prize - and it worked. Obviously my power knows no bounds since We Need New Names was right there at the top of the Man Booker short list, announced today. 

Luckily, the books I have already read are the ones that made the list as well, including The Luminaries, Harvest, The Lowland, A Tale for the Time Being, and The Testament of Mary. 

At this point, my money is on either We Need New Names or The Testament of Mary. But I'll reserve final judgement after I've read them all - and I'll give you my review of all six before the official winner is announced on Oct. 15. 

It has been a great week so far with the announcement of this short list and the amazing Bookmarks festival on Saturday. See my photos below. Really looking forward to the next Bookmarks event in October when I'll get to meet Lemony Snicket. Hey, don't judge. His books are awesome. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Forget those overblown winter holidays. If you're any kind of book lover, fall is the season that we dream about, thanks to new books, fab festivals, and lots of prizes and awards.
This Saturday, I'll be heading to one of my favorite book festivals, BookMarks, held in nearby Winston-Salem. Last year, I had a blast meeting authors like Michael Malone and Gillian Flynn. Gillian even signed my book with an nod to our weird names and the constant mispronunciations we both endure (hers is pronounced like Gilligan, not like Jillian).
This year's line-up is just as promising, and includes Jill McCorkle, Debbie Macomber, Carl Weber, Ann B. Ross, and Craig Johnson. I will also be volunteering at a table for the Bienenstock Furniture Library, the largest furniture specialty library in the world. That library is based in High Point, NC, and has over 5,000 furniture and design books in its collection. I've had a sneak peek at what they will sell at the festival, and let me just say that I already know I'll be dropping some serious dollars at that table.
It isn't just the one-day festival that I love, though. BookMarks hosts Lit/Flix, a showcase of movies made from novels, and Eat & Greet events that showcase why food and books make such a delicious combination. If you're going to be in the area this weekend, be sure you head to their website to see what's coming up (http://bookmarksnc.org).
In just a few days, the Man Booker Prize will announce its short list of finalists. I've been plowing through the long list, and I'm not sure I'll make it through all of them before the short list comes out on Sept. 10, but I do have some favorites already. We Need New Names had better be on that short list.
On Sept. 12, the National Book Award announces its long list - which means it's time to add to my ever-growing list of books I must read immediately. The new long lists for the NBA will include 10 titles now, in the same four categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. That is 40 books, in case you don't want to do the math. While I appreciate that the National Book Award execs believe this will allow them to recognize more fantastic books, I'm not sure they realize what they are doing to me.
Look for a post from me about Bookmarks next Monday, and the short list from Man Booker Prize on Tuesday, and the National Book Award long lists on Thursday. And then don't look for me anywhere else; I'll be cocooned in my house with thousands of books.

Do Not Disturb - I'm Reading, Man

It's that time of year again, and I am equally giddy and nervous. Today, the longlist of nominees was announced for my favorite awards: The Man Booker Prizes. Awarded to the "best novel" of the year that was written by an author from the United Kingdom, these prizes have been my introduction to books I would not otherwise have heard about.

Last year's winner was the very well-known Hilary Mantel for one of my favorite books, Bring Up the Bodies. But the longlist included some of the most amazing books I'd never heard of: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Teleportation Accident, The Lighthouse. So good.

These are books that haunt me, to be honest, and that I call to mind often. In 2011, Pigeon English was on both the shortlist and the longlist. There is not a month that goes by that I don't at some point think of 11-year-old Harrison Opoku, the hero of that novel. The selection committee and the judges for these awards very rarely disappoint.

Therefore, I am putting you on notice: I am about to read these 13 books in a frenzy and I may not look up for weeks. You'll probably find many of the selections in my reviews later this year, if the past nominees are anything to go by.
At least I have until Sept. 10 to read them all. That's when the judges - who read 131 books to determine this list - will name their shortlist for the prize. The actual winner will be announced on Oct. 15.

Meanwhile, here is the longlist, just in case you want to put your eyesight in jeopardy, too. You can also find a Pinterest board of the nominees here.

Almost English, Charlotte Mendelson

Five Star Billionaire, Tash Aw

Harvest, Jim Crace

The Kills, Richard House

The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, Eve Harris

The Spinning Heart, Donal Ryan

A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki

The Testament of Mary, Colm Tóibín

TransAtlantic, Colum McCann

Unexploded, Alison MacLeod

We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo 

My Eyes!

There are two times during the year when I know I'm going to need a trip to the optometrist. Spring and fall are notorious for heaping books on me. I know it's partially my own fault. Why I feel the need to read all the books on an awards nomination list is beyond me. But it's a compulsion.

As you may know, I am already in the throes of reading all the contenders for this year's Tournament of Books, hosted by The Morning News.
There are 15 books on the list at this point, and I have read six. Don't worry...with five weeks to read the rest, I have "plenty" of time. Sigh.
I have also done my civic duty and voted in the Tournament of Books Zombie Round. Just in case you haven't been reading my blog (sigh again), the Zombie round gives eliminated books a chance to rise from the dead. I voted for my favorite book to date, Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (READ IT).
But back to the issue with my eyes. The Edgar Award nominees were just announced by the Mystery Writers of America, giving me roughly 20 more books to read by May. I have read five of the nominated books already.
That's a lot of pressure. After all, how can I give you my opinion on the sanity of the judges if I have not read the books myself? Exactly.
To add even more tiny print for my optical pleasure, the National Book Awards have changed their rules for the first time in forever, stating that they will now announce a "long list" of 10 nominees per category. I applaud the changes, which were inspired by my favorite book award, the Man Booker Prize. However, that now means I'll have about 80 books to read for those fall programs.
So look for me at the local pharmacy, trying on reading glasses in ever-increasing intensity.
Meanwhile, here is the list of the nominees for the Edgars. Note that I don't include the short story or juvenile prizes. I have to draw the line somewhere.

Best Novel

The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (you go, Girl)
Potboiler by Jesse Kellerman
Sunset by Al Lamanda
Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley

Best First Novel

The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay
Don't Ever Get Old by Daniel Friedman
Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
The Expats by Chris Pavone
The 500 by Matthew Quirk
Black Fridays by Michael Sears

Best Paperback Original

Complication by Isaac Adamson
Whiplash River by Lou Berney
Bloodland by Alan Glynn
Blessed Are the Dead by Malla Nunn
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Best Fact Crime

Midnight in Peking by Paul French
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
More Forensics and Fiction by D.P. Lyle, MD
Double Cross by Ben Macintyre
The People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry

Best Critical/Biographical

Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe by John Paul Athanasourelis
Books to Die For edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke
The Scientific Sherlock Holmes by James O'Brien
In Pursuit of Spenser edited by Otto Penzler

Zombie Sisters Rule

As you know if you've been reading this blog over the last few weeks, The Morning News Tournament of Books has been enthralling me. It is interesting to me to see how people read and review (and disagree on) certain "top shelf" titles.

Today, the winner was announced for this year's tournament. And it's The Sisters Brothers, a book that has been in award announcements and reviews all year. It's also a "zombie book," which means it was originally knocked out of the tournament by a judge, but the fans voted it back into contention.
I first noticed this book last fall when I wrote about the Man Booker competition (click here). I don't always like to read the books that everyone is talking about because they often don't deliver for me.
The Sisters Brothers is particularly hard for me to pick up because it's a genre I don't normally find interesting (Westerns), it has been compared often to Cormac McCarthy (not my fave), and it is often described as incredibly violent (which is neither a con nor a pro for me).
The interesting thing for me about this year's Tournament of Books, though, has been the very thoughtful and thought-provoking reviews by the judges. Today, all of the judges weighed in on The Sisters Brothers, and I have to admit that their views have changed my mind about the book.
I'm intrigued by the humor that is often referenced, by the idea that the author is "an amazing storyteller" with a "stellar future ahead of him." And who couldn't love that incredible cover design?
So, okay Morning News, you hooked me with your zombie by going right for my brain. I'll let you know what I think about the book after I read it.
And I know how you love lists (well, I do and I hope you do). The tournament commentator John Warner has provided readers with his list of "books to watch" this year for the 2013 tournament.
Even though it's only March, John? Oh well, I do like to see what's on a list like that, so here you go. And note the Zombie book. Probably has an unfair advantage with a title like that:

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

Threats by Amelia Gray

Brain on Fire by Susanna Cahalan

Canada by Richard Ford

The Master Blaster by P.F. Kluge

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Arcadia by Lauren Groff

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus

The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits

Flatscreen by Adam Wilson

The Angry Buddhist by Seth Greenland

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison

You and Me by Padgett Powell

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

In One Person by John Irving

Home by Toni Morrison

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

The Cove by Ron Rash

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Dead Low Tide by Bret Lott

The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

How Should a Person Be by Sheila Heti

Zombie by J.R. Angelella

That’s Not a Feeling by Dan Josefson

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Dogma by Lars Iyer

Gorilla Beach by Nicole Polizzi

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Mountains of the Moon by I.J. Kay

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The Sugar Frosted Nutsack by Mark Leyner

Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

My Pick for the Man Booker Prize

Pigeon English

by Stephen Kelman
When adults write in the voice of a child, it can come across as either patronizing or precious. Pigeon English, my pick for the Man Booker Prize, avoids either pitfall and instead captures all the innocence and cleverness of a young boy named Harrison, an 11-year-old Ghanaian refugee who lives in a housing estate in England (what we would call public housing).
Harri's voice is compelling and infectious as he tells his story with the patois of Africa mixed with the street slang of south London. After emigrating to his new home, Harri tries to decipher the strange surroundings. Some things are unfamiliar, like bullies, gangs, very tall buildings, and ultra-cool cell phones. Other things are only too familiar, like the bloodshed he witnesses after a teenager in his council estate is killed, which reminds him of the war at home.
Just like any other boy, Harri is a little frightened by the killing, but is also fascinated. He and his best friend decide that they will investigate and discover the killer, just like the TV show CSI.
Along the way, Harri talks to his guardian angel of sorts, a pigeon that lives in his neighborhood and watches him as he runs through the estate, dreams of being a superhero, and argues with his friends about "dope fine" trainers.
Kelman's writing often comes close to poetic, particularly when he describes Harri in the rain, or his complicated relationship with God. It's the type of writing that literally moved me to tears more than once.
But there is also a lot of gross-out humor, of the type that appeals to young boys, and many adults too. I will warn you that there also are some very adult subjects addressed, just as there are for too many children today, and the language can be rough-and-tumble, just like Harri's neighborhood.
But more than anything, this is the story of a young man right on the precipice of boyhood and manhood, of right and wrong, of home and away. (2011 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Take It or Leave It

The Man Booker Prize will be awarded one week from today in England. It is presented to "the best novel of the year by a citizen of the United Kingdom." Well that's just a recipe for a fight.

Every literary prize, and prize winner, seems to spark fierce debate. Use the news about the Nobel Prize for literature this year as the perfect example.
But what was different about the announcement of this year's shortlist (aka nominees), was the quote from the judging panel's chair Stella Rimington. In true no-nonsense Brit fashion, she told the world to "take it or leave it." I love that. She followed that up with the comment that "there have been weirder judges than me." Oh Dame Stella, I am now a fan.
There are six books on the Man Booker Prize shortlist:

• The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes
• Jamrach's Menagerie, by Carol Birch
• The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
• Half Blood Blues, by Esi Edugyan
• Pigeon English, by Stephen Kelman
• Snowdrops, by A.D. Miller (see my review here)

The money seems to be on Barnes, who has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize three times before and is one of Britain's most beloved writers. At the very least, being on the shortlist has definitely been beneficial to all of the nominees. According to Bookseller, the books on the list have broken sales records since the announcement (click here for the story).
I do have a favorite on the list. Tune in tomorrow for a review of the book that gets my vote ― take it or leave it.

CWA Nominee - Crooked Letter

The third shortlisted book for the CWA Gold Dagger Awards is Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, which was also an Edgar Award nominee.

Franklin weaves a mesmerising tale of two childhood friends who take very different paths in rural Mississippi (hence the Crooked Letter title ― if you don't know what I mean, Google it).
Silas Jones leaves his impoverished youth behind thanks to his skill at sports, returning to his hometown as the local constable. Larry Ott isn't so lucky. On his one date in high school, the girl he took to the movies disappeared, never to be seen again. Without any proof that he was involved a crime, Larry is never charged, but he becomes an outcast and the person the town loves to hate. Now another girl has disappeared. When Larry is shot by an unknown attacker, Silas finds himself dredging up the past while sifting through the present evidence.
In Crooked Letter, Franklin steeps an intoxicating brew of friendship and menace, capturing the small-town rural South, where a mirage of shimmering heat and the drone of insects lulls you into a a false sense of security so you don't see the snake in the grass (or the mailbox).

The true heart of this fantastic book, though, resides in the characters, who are so vibrant that I find myself thinking about them weeks after finishing the book. (2011 - HarperCollins)

Honey Popcorn
When thinking of a snack to enjoy with Crooked Letter, I kept coming back to something with honey. Franklin's characters are right out of the rural South, where a honeyed drawl can hide the sting of painful words.
3/4 cup popcorn
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 quarts popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups peanuts
Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and let boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and soda. Place popcorn in a large bowl, then pour syrup over popcorn. Add peanuts and stir thoroughly. Turn onto 2 greased baking sheets. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes with a spatula. Remove from oven and cool before serving. (Recipe from the National Honey Board)

CWA Nominee - The Lock Artist

The second in my series of CWA Gold Dagger Award reviews is for The Lock Artist, a book that is also shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, which is specifically for thriller/adventure novels. The book also has won The Edgar Award for Best Novel of the Year. Accolades like that give a book a lot to live up to, but that isn't a problem for author Steve Hamilton.

Michael Smith is a young man with a past, a very traumatic past. At the age of 8, he became an unwilling celebrity, alternately named in the press as the Miracle Boy, the Boy Wonder, or the Terror Tyke.
The event that gave him those monikers also left him speechless...literally. Though he no longer speaks, Michael has developed his senses of touch and hearing to such a fine point that they provide him with a career path no high school counselor would recommend.
Now a freelance lock picker and safe cracker, he finds love, money, and a group of people that are as close to friends as he's ever had. As Michael's story unfolds, the tumblers begin to tick over on the locks that hold the secrets to his past.

Hamilton gives The Lock Artist a fast pace, heightening the suspense by dropping back a few years to offer clues to Michael's childhood, and then shooting forward again to his nerve-wracking present. It's a wild ride with a damaged young man that wants desperately to escape. (2011 - St. Martin's Press)

Quick Crackers

These aren't necessarily the healthiest snack, but then Michael's life in The Lock Artist isn't all that healthy, either. But the crackers are really good and can be eaten on the run, which fits the book perfectly.

1 12-oz. package of oyster crackers

1 1-oz. package of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk together the seasonings with the dressing packet and the oil. Add the crackers and then toss until the crackers are evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, stir them and then bake another 10 minutes. (Recipe from Hidden Valley dressing packet)

CWA Nominee - Snowdrops

This week I'm reviewing the four nominees for the Crime Writers Association's Gold Dagger Award, which will be announced on Oct. 7. First up is a book that is also nominated for the Man Booker Prize, the UK's award for the best novel of the year. That award will be announced on Oct. 18.
And don't think I've forgotten the food...a suggested recipe for Snowdrops is listed below.

Nominee: Snowdrops

by A.D. Miller
We all have times in our lives when we convince ourselves that things are exactly as they appear, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. When Nick Platt meets two gorgeous young women in the Moscow metro, he finds himself in just that situation.
A British lawyer trying to untangle the strange Russian mix of corporate law and disorder, Nick is drawn into the lives of the two sisters. Masha and Katya are vulnerable, lovely, and almost naive...or so they seem. Nick begins to fall hard for Masha and believes that she loves him, too. So when she asks him for a small favor he is quick to oblige.
The true key to this novel (and it's best quality as well) is the evocative description of modern-day Moscow, bringing the city to life on the page. The winter snows deepen the mystery, blanketing the city in velvety pure white, hiding the ugliness of Russian life while covering a few truths. Miller does such a good job of describing the bitter cold of a Moscow winter that I felt the same shiver up the spine that I get when I watch Dr. Zhivago.
As spring approaches, the snows melt and many things are revealed, giving Nick a jolt of reality he doesn't necessarily want. Moscow and the girls begin to give up their secrets, some of which are the "snowdrops" from the title. That's the Russian term for bodies that are uncovered in the spring melt every year.
My only quibble with this book is that I don't like the trick of having the narrator speak to a supposed fiancee. It's distracting and the only false note in Snowdrops. (2011 - Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

Hot Spiced Wine
There are a lot of variations on mulled wine recipes. I received this one years ago from my aunt, and modified it to fit my taste. It is perfect for sipping while reading Snowdrops. When I say this book really captures the feeling of a Moscow winter, I'm not kidding.
2 bottles of red wine
2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
12 cloves
5 whole allspice
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
Combine all in a pot. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer. Strain to serve.

Review and Recipe

For today's Review and Recipe, I'm going to step out of the Read.Eat.Think box a bit and highlight a food event for the "recipe," rather than an actual step-by-step procedure. Think of it as a recipe for fun for this weekend.
And speaking of doing things differently, since it's a major book award season, for the month of October I am going to give you more reviews:
CWA Daggers
On Oct. 7, the Crime Writers Association will announce the Dagger Awards. Starting on Monday, each day I will highlight one of the nominees for the Gold Dagger award. Since there are only four nominees, on Friday I will write about one of my favorite mystery writers, who won last year's CWA Diamond Dagger Award for a lifetime of mystery writing. She has written over 20 books in one series, and I adore her. But no more hints.
Man Booker Prize
This award honors the best novel of the year by a citizen of the United Kingdom. The winner will be announced on Oct. 18, and I will highlight the shortlist nominees the week of Oct. 10.
Mysterious and Spooky
Since I will hit a bit of a black hole at the end of October, thanks to my day job, I'll give you two weeks of seasonal suggestions. The week of Oct. 17, we'll start out gently with spooky and kooky books and then hit my list of the five scariest books I've ever read the week of Oct. 24. On Halloween, we'll return to the treats instead of the tricks. Now back to the Review and Recipe:

Review: New York
by Edward Rutherfurd
Historical fiction can be tricky, but the thing I have always admired about Edward Rutherfurd's extensively researched books is the seamless blend between historical facts and fictional characters that you think about even when you've finished the book.
Known for novels that stretch across centuries, Rutherfurd has only ventured off the British Isles once before, with the book Russka. So I was intrigued to see how he would approach the long history of the New World.
He begins as he always does, by drawing you in to the earliest days of the location, and beginning to build the land into the real central character of the book. With New York, those early days did not include the Europeans, of course, but rather the indigenous tribes who called the island Manna hata. Once settlers arrive, the forested island almost overnight becomes the bustling city of immigrants that it still is today, moving from a Dutch settlement to a British city to the center of revolution.
Interwoven into the history of New York City is the fictional story of families based on the real immigrants who came here for a new life. Some succeed and begin great empires, some are ground down by hardship and challenges. New York is an engrossing book that captures the can-do spirit that became the signature for the city that never sleeps. (2009 - Random House) 
Other Recommended Books By Edward Rutherfurd: Sarum, London, The Forest

Recipe for Fun: New York City Wine & Food Festival
Autumn is the time for some of the best food festivals in the country. I plan to indulge a bit myself this weekend at the Dixie Classic Fair. In keeping with the theme of today's book, this weekend also kicks off the New York City Wine & Food Festival (click here). This year, the theme seems to be all about food that's easy to carry.
Tonight, burgers are on the menu and chefs will create 21 varieties on the all-American classic. On Saturday, chefs like Bobby Flay will serve up 30 takes on tacos. Sunday's theme is meatballs, made of more unusual ingredients like crab, mushroom, or lamb.
All of the cooking, and the accompanying wines, are for a good cause, with proceeds from the event going to the Food Bank for New York City. So enjoy the crisper temperatures and find your favorite foodie event this weekend.