The week of April 11 promises to be an interesting one – it is the week of shortlist announcements.
April 11 International Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist announcement
April 12 Orange prize and the IMPAC Dublin shortlist announcements
Inbetween literary festivals and overtime (imposed by another altogether more prosaic deadline), I have been reading from the associated longlists. My last 3 reads have been longlist reads (Wolf Hall – IMPAC, Fame and Dark Matter – International Foreign Fiction Prize) and I hope to catch up on reviews soon. The short story is that I have been having a fantastic time and I want to keep that going for the next 3 weeks until the shortlist announcement. I’ve rummaged through the TBR and come up with the following candidates.
From the IFFP and IMPAC longlists: Red April -Santiago Roncagliolo
More IMPAC candidates: The Library of Shadows – Michel Birkegaard, Brodeck’s Report – Philippe Claudel, The Lacuna – Barbara Kingsolver, This is How – M J Hyland, Let The Great World Spin – Colum McCann, In A Dark Wood – Marcel Moring, Brooklyn – Colm Toibin (The longlist is 126 titles long – I’m sure there are a few more of these in the house somewhere.)
From the Orange Longlist: The Memory of Love – Aminatta Forna, Great House – Nicole Krauss, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives – Lola Shoneyin
Any recommendations on where to start?
Effi Briest - Theodor Fontane (Readalong 
The Beauty Room - Regi Claire
My Mother's Lover - Urs Widmer
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Rule of Four - Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
Noir - Robert Coover
The Taint of Midas - Anne Zouroudi
Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
The Duel - Anton Chekhov
The Duel - Heinrich von Kleist
Gillespie and I - Jane Harris
State of Wonder - Ann Patchett
Titus Groan - Mervyn Peake
CIty of Dreadful Night - Peter Guttridge
Shadow Sister - Simone van der Vlugt
A Far Cry From Kensington - Muriel Spark
The Assault - Harry Mulisch
Next World Novella - Matthias Politycki
The Water Theatre - Lindsay Clark
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen
The Liberation of Celia Kahn - J David Simons
Nocturnes - Kazuo Ishiguro
Hotel Du Lac - Anita Brookner
I read the secret lives…. Today and enjoyed it immensely! Notsure if it’s shortlist material but a good read.
I’ve only read The Library of Shadows which had an interesting premise but didn’t quite deliver. I’ve heard lots of good things about Brodeck’s Report and I really want to read Great House:)
I’m looking forward to seeing who makes all those short lists. I have heard great things about Let the Great World Spin and you have reminded me that I really should read the copy I own. I think you’ll enjoy Red April too. Have fun with all your long list reading!
I have not read any of Barbara Kingsolver’s books but have heard they are really good.
Ann
Start with Great House for Sure. It is brilliantly written and you will love the writing. It is no doubtfully a beautiful book. And it has something that I’ve never seen before: sentence by sentence of this novel are thoroughly poetically contemplated and moving. It is one big explosion of wonder, how did Krauss do it? I was overwhelmed with her writing style and so will you, it is that well done.
I liked Brodeck’s Report by Phillippe Claudel, but gave up on Great House. I am currently reading “Swamplandia” by Karen Russell which is up for the Orange Prize and am enjoying it a lot.