The Orange Prize is nearly upon us

2 days until the Orange Long List comes out. I can hardly contain my excitement.

Some of the Londoners are meeting up on Thurs to have a look at the long list & then choose a few to pick (good way of dividing up the purchasing of potentially expensive new hard backs, methinks).

Then, we'll probably share them around.

For our non- London based members- I'll post a list & links for the books we choose & you're welcome to join us. I'll also start individual discussion topics (see above) so we can get the online club thing happening. Usually there is a good mix of English, Irish, Canadian & Aussie writers so hopefully something for everyone (or at least accessible).

Facebook, a Better option?

I'm thinking about moving this blog over to Facebook and changing it to a group- apart from Gill, we are all on FB these days and seem to check that more regularly (if at all!!)

If anyone has any objections, let me know!

orange prize 2009

there seems to a theme on this blog. blah blah blah, year goes on...no developments....blah blah blah, hit March and suddently a "flurry" (relatively speaking) of activity happens.

So, I ask the annual question- anyone up for reading the Orange Prize for fiction again this year??

and, I know it's a ways off, but there will be the Shortlist writers event (we went last year to this and it was inspiring) in London on Jun 2nd so if anyone is interested let me know ASAP & I'll keep an eye out for when the tickets are released.

Time to hang up the online Scrabble and dust off them reading glasses!!

(Elena- I know you are up for all of this & you know the long list is released March 18th!! Just a thought!)

And the race is on...

The short list for the Orange Prize for Fiction has been released & amazingly Anne Enright's the Gathering is not on there! Apparently there has been quite a lot of controversy this year (not only because it's a women's only prize-that creates a backlash every year) but also because it seems that The Orange prize has almost deliberately avoided books that have been chosen for other awards...

Hmm, anyways, controversy aside, those of us who are setting ourselves the task of reading all 6 nominees before the winner is announced better get our skates on. The deadline is June 4!

Shortlist is:

Nancy Huston Fault Lines find out more
Sadie Jones The Outcast find out more
Charlotte Mendelson When We Were Bad find out more
Heather O’Neill Lullabies for Little Criminals find out more
Rose Tremain The Road Home find out more
Patricia Wood Lottery find out more

Apparently Borders & Books etc are doing a 2 4 1 deal for Orange mobile customers (I'm one!) on all nominees so I'm going to try and get a copy of each one. I already have charlotte Mendelson's When we Were Bad if anyone wants to borrow it.

For London members, as you know, I've booked us tickets to the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction shortlist readings at the Southbank Centre, London on June 2nd- £13.50 including the booking fee. I notice it is all sold out now so we were lucky to get in so quickly. Should be a great night out for us book worms

Orange Prize 2008- Long List


Anita Amirrezvani The Blood of Flowers find out more
Stella Duffy The Room of Lost Things find out more
Jennifer Egan The Keep find out more
Anne Enright The Gathering find out more
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs find out more
Tessa Hadley The Master Bedroom find out more
Nancy Huston Fault Lines find out more
Gail Jones Sorry find out more
Sadie Jones The Outcast find out more
Lauren Liebenberg The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam find out more
Charlotte Mendelson When We Were Bad find out more
Deborah Moggach In the Dark find out more
Anita Nair Mistress find out more
Heather O’Neill Lullabies for Little Criminals find out more
Elif Shafak The Bastard of Istanbul find out more
Dalia Sofer T he Septembers of Shiraz find out more
Scarlett Thomas The End of Mr. Y find out more
Carol Topolski Monster Love find out more
Rose Tremain The Road Home find out more
Patricia Wood Lottery find out more

Orange Prize Long List

The orange Prize for Fiction long list has been announced...and no surprise that Anne Enright's The Gathering is on the list. If it gets shortlisted we will have already read one! here is a link to the long list

Also, thinking of organising a London based get together to discuss the Poisonwood Bible- some time in April perhaps?

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

I read this book during a brief hiatus from the strict reading regime of our book club (haha) and what a little gem of a book it is. It was one of the shortlisted books for the Man Booker last year and sure enough, that means I've enjoyed it far more than the winner. It was so lovely to read, a bit like breathing. You don't even notice that you're doing it until you stop. And then you keep thinking about it. Anyone else read it?

Now, on to the Poisonwood Bible.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

If you have read this book & would like to discuss it then comment on this blog entry

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

If you have read this book & would like to discuss it then comment on this blog entry

The Gathering by Anne Enright

If you have read this book & would like to discuss it then comment on this blog entry

So to get us going...

There has been an enormous* response (ahh the power of Facebook) to the book club resurrection. Unfortunately, the response coincided with me having to go back to work and therefore losing the time to 'strike while the iron was hot' so to speak. Well, kind of. I suspect it's still warm.

So, after discussions with the lovely, wonderfully well-read Elena we think the best thing is to pick a couple of books from the BBC book club (we're thinking 2007/8 list) to keep us going until March when the Orange Prize shortlist gets announced and then the race is on to finish the 6 nominees before the award ceremony.

Personally I am suggesting 3 books which I hope will be easily accessible to our global members:
1. The Gathering by Anne Enright (winner of the Booker Prize 2007)

2. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (BBC book club read from Nov 2007- you can listen to the interview with the author from Radio 4 here) and

3. The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad, which is the BBC March 2008 read so there's a possibility of some of us London members being able to go to the radio recording with the author on March 4th. (Let me know ASAP if you're interested & I'll get us free tickets)

I will put three individulal blog entries up for these books and when and if people read them add your comment to that blog entry.

If anyone has any other suggestions please feel free to make suggestions by commenting on this post.

Similarly if you find you have trouble posting on this blog let me know and we'll see if we can fix the problem!

Happy Reading

*9+ people!! (okay, that's including myself)

Resurrecting the Book Club 2008

Some of you may know about my 50 things to do list. Well, this year, I have quite a bit of emphasis on books I'd like to read. Wondering if any of you would care to resurrect the book club either online or in person and join me with any of the following?

1. Read the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007 (The Gathering, Anne Enright) & the runner's up. (See post below)

2. Read the 6 books shortlisted for the Orange Prize for fiction before the winner is announced!! (Usually announced in March and awarded some time in June) Try and get tickets to the final award ceremony (in June)

3. Read 12 out of the BBC's bookclub previous (& current) reads- at least 2 before the BBC radio show is on and possibly even attending a recording

4. Meet at least 4 times through out the year- that's once every 3 months- surely we can do that!!?!! (London members)

Anyone in?

And the winner is...

The Gathering by Anne Enright

Man Booker alert

Just so you all know- the shortlist has been announced and the winner will be announced Oct 16th. couple of good ones on there this year I think...

Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton)
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)

Books for the summer read:

Hi all. Well done everyone for doing their homework reading Half of a Yellow Sun & The Observations, (except one, you know who you are)! I must confess, there was a bit of Kath & Kim speed reading going on towards the end on my part. Ending is a bit fuzzy. Could be connected to the amount of alcohol consumed the night before too.

Some books we thought about reading over the summer are:

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom
The Little Friend by Donna Tart

Other suggestions are welcome if people read good things over the holidays!
Happy travels & reading to all- let's keep in contact over the summer.

Books for June decided:

Well, we had our book club meeting and have chosen 2 books to read before the meeting on July 14th

the first is the Orange Prize for Fiction winner 2007 and the second is one of other nominees.

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun Find out more >>

2. Jane Harris, The Observations Find out more >>

Happy reading.

Drat. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did win.

The only book I hadn't read. What are the chances??!! Kieran says 1 in 6. He is such a smarty pants.

Still, it does mean this could be a good contender for the next Book club read and possibly none of us have read it yet... London members decide tomorrow.

Adichie's the favourite

I can't believe that Adichie is the favourite to win the Orange- hers is the only book of the 6 that I haven't read!! (Currently half way through Rachel Cusk's Arlington Park).

Something tells me I won't get it read before the winner is announced tonight!!

Ah well, it was worth a shot, and there's always next year.

For all London members.

We are planning on having a quick meeting in Victoria on Thurs 7th June, probably just after 6. Location to be decided. At this 'meeting' we will decide on the next book to read before Elena's garden meeting.

look forward to seeing you there fellow bookworms.

!!6th June Deadline!!

Gasp- just realised the Award ceremony for the Orange Prize is the 6th Jun. I'd better get a move on in my (and Elena's) quest to read the 6 shortlists! (3 down, 3 to go). So far my pick is The Observations by Jane Harris, but I wouldn't be surprised (or disappointed) if the prize goes to Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss as it is a beautifully written piece. Ofcourse, who knows what treasures lie in store with the other three.

Well, can't stay around blogging too long, I've got books to read!