I have not upgraded my trial of Amazon Prime to a fully paid-up subscription. I am not to be seduced by no postal charges or the instant gratification of the buy-with-1-click button. Why not? Because a one month trial has taught me what I knew already – that I would be unable to say no. Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you, as an alternative to that other longlist doing the round this week, Lizzy’s Amazon Prime dozen.
Lizzy's Amazon Prime Dozen
A bookpile which if I say so is more balanced and rounded than the actual man booker list even if 10 of the 12 aren’t in the running for the prize! However my interest in these new purchases has been gloriously subverted by Portillo and Co.
Say what you will about the Man Booker longlist – and many have – it is a list with more appeal than for many a year. I can see myself reading them all …. eventually. Accessible too. For a start, the library has 9 of the 13. I hope they’ll acquire the two yet to be published. With two in hand, the two lying proudly on top of the pictured bookpile, I’m looking forward to participating in some of the many blog discussions over the next couple of months.
As I haven’t read any of the 13, it’s too early to predict the final outcome. However, if I were to award the prize to the novel with the most intriguing title, it would go to Mohammed Hanif’s “A Case of Exploding Mangoes”, which I’m reading and finding quite unputdownable right now. More later in the week, no doubt.
The Assassin's Song - M G Vassanji
The White Castle - Orhan Pamuk
Hysteria - Andrew Scull
Citylit London
Miss Hargreaves - Frank Baker
Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day - Winnifred Watson
Ordinary Thunderstorms - William Boyd
Fighting It - Regi Claire
Foolish Mortals - Jennifer Johnston
The Girl with the Golden Eyes - Honoré de Balzac
The Bethlehem Murders - Matt Rees
Basil - Wilkie Collins
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher
Pharos - Alice Thompson
A Cool Head - Ian Rankin
Adam Gould - Julia O'Faolain
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Fists - Pietro Grossi
Der Struwwelpeter auf Englisch - Translated by Mark Twain
Three Bags Full - Leonie Swann
Mystic Pig - Richard Katrovas
The Blue Fox - Sjon
The Latin American Challenge
1. The Blue Fox 
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
The Enchanted April - Elizabeth von Arnim
Mmmm, The Paris Review Interviews, my favourites, return to them over and again but pernickety me would love the second volume to be deckle-edged pages like the first.
That looks like a really good list! I am particularly excited to see what you think about Kertesz. I just read Fatelessness, Kaddish for an Unborn Child, and Liquidation last month and really enjoyed them. The Pathseeker is on my shelf now too!
I agree, it’s a much more accessible list than usual. I’m just about to start ‘Netherland’ and see how far I can get before they short list.
Nice stack of books there!
If you are enjoying A Case of Exploding Mangoes, I think you will very much enjoy A Fraction of the Whole (also on the Booker longlist). While the books are very different, they are somewhat similar in tone of the narrator.
White Tiger is on my TBR pile, though I doubt that I will get to it anytime soon.
Yes getting hold of books to read is the problem so something that makes it even easy to get more has to be avoided!
My Sunday Salon Post
Don’t buy a Kindle! Any time, any place…and it instantly arrives! It’s a dangerous purchase!
Hope you enjoy the Aravind Adiga, Lizzy. I was in the unenviable position, as most were, of having read none of the longlisted titles. I started with that one and really enjoyed it, which is good as I hadn’t expected to. One down, twelve to go.
Oh, and great to see Doctor Glas in that pile. One of my favourite reads from this year…so far.
For those of you with Prime memberships, here’s a good website for searching for Amazon Prime items:
amazanian.com