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

Is It March Yet?

Last year's Tournament of Books bracket.

This week, it's felt too much like March in my area of the country. The downside is that it brings to mind disturbing thoughts of global warming. The upside is that it reminds me that the 2013 Tournament of Books is just two months away. Let's focus on the upside.
Last year, I wasn't able to read all of the finalists before they squared off in a head-to-head showdown. I plan to read every one before this year's contest kicks off.
If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, let's review.
Brought to you by The Morning News, and sponsored this year by Nook from Barnes & Noble, the Tournament of Books is a March Madness-style contest that takes 16 of the year's top books and has them face off in pairs on a bracket, with each contest judged by a member of an esteemed panel.
Or, as TMN says, it's the "granddaddy of highbrow bracketology."
I've read quite a few of the books on the list of 16, so I want to get the rest in before the contest kicks off. There also is a new twist this year, with a Pre-Tournament Playoff Round between Fobbit by David Abrams, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain, and The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. Once that round finishes, I'll read the book that's left standing. Hey, I'm already committed to reading roughly 12 books in 6 weeks, so forget about going for 2 extras, ok? Do the math.
If you want to play along, here are the other 15 books that are ready to rumble. The ones with asterisks are those that I've finished already:

• HHhH by Laurent Binet
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich (not a fan, so this one will be tough)
• * Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (met her this year!)
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• * Arcadia by Lauren Groff
• How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
• May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
• The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (reading this now)
• Ivyland by Miles Klee
• * Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (I'm getting pom-poms to lead the cheerleading squad for this one)
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Dear Life by Alice Munro
• Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
• * Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
• Building Stories by Chris Ware

New Year, New Books

Well, I did it. I read the 50 books in 2012 that I said I would. Actually, I read over 80 books, but who's counting? And to tell the truth, if you add in all the books in the huge Dickens anthology I read, then it's more like 100 books.
The hardest part of the process was keeping track of what I read. Pinterest helped immensely...when I could remember to pin the books that I'd read. To see (most of) what I read, click here.
So now comes the fun part: I get to tell you which were my favorites, and I get to set a new goal.

Favorite Reads in 2012

You know how hard it is for me to choose just one top book, so here are a few that really made an impression this year - but in no particular order:
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. Spooky, kooky, and impossible to put down, it will make you shiver in more ways than one. Click the title to see a review.
Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller. Well thanks a lot, Mueller. Now I look at all olive oil with suspicion. But this was a fun, fact-filled read. Click the title to see a review.
Bossypants by Tina Fey. All hail the next President of the United States. Okay, maybe just the Queen of Laughter then.
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. Why did it have to end? There is a reason that Mantel has won the Man Booker Prize twice.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. A heart-wrenching book that makes you wish the story wasn't true. But it is.
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. What if the spinning Earth just ... stopped? The resulting story by Walker won't let you out of its gravitational pull.
The Black House by Peter May. If you read this blog, you know I read a lot of mysteries. Set on a remote Scottish island, this is one of the best I read this year.
Sutton by J.R. Moehringer. A fictionalized tale of a real-life bank robber in the '30s who fancied himself to be a 20th-century Robin Hood.
The Yard by Alex Grecian. A novel that imagines the earliest days at Scotland Yard. And there had better be a sequel in the works.
Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington. Full of fun drawings by the author and photos of her early modeling days, this book is a very refreshing look back at a creative and fashionable life.

Goal for 2013

Duh. I will read more books.
Let's see...this year I will set my goal at an even 100.
Wishing you many good books in 2013!

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Have you ever had that feeling that your favorite author is a slacker? There are times when I want to email some of my favorite writers and ask them why their newest books are taking so long. What could they possibly be doing? Don't they understand that I'm here waiting for the books? How hard could it be?

I just received the latest book by one of my all-time favorite authors, Elizabeth George, and now I know why it's been so long since her last publication. Believing the Lie is a whopping 600 pages, enough to keep me happy for two days or so. Kidding (or am I?).

Only have to wait till next week for this one!

Besides the second book in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy (hurry up already!), here are three titles that I am eagerly awaiting: 

This sequel to Wolf Hall will be out in May (love the title).

May is going to be a good month for books. Sigh.