Baileys Prize Longlist

The longlist has been announced for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, which celebrates "excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world." I believe it was issued yesterday, in time for International Women's Day. The Prize was previously known as the Orange Prize, and after this year will be known as something else — apparently Baileys is "re-focusing" their marketing strategies and dropping sponsorship of the book prize. The award is one of the highest-profile book prizes in the world and one of the very few specifically focused on women.

The winner will be announced June 7, and will receive £30,000 (about $36,500). The longlisted books are:

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Little Deaths by Emma Flint
The Mare by Mary Gaitskill
The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose
The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan
The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
First Love by Gwendoline Riley
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain

I've got a couple of those title on my "interesting-new-books" list (The Essex Serpent, The Gustav Sonata), but most of the others I'm hearing about for the first time. I did try to read McBride's The Lesser Bohemians last month, but had to abandon it almost immediately — I kept getting tangled up in the stream-of-consciousness confusion. (I'm confused enough on my own.)

And Good Riddance - Wrapping Up 2016

Yes, definitely goodbye and good riddance! 2016 has been one of the weirdest and most disturbing years I can remember and I'm definitely glad to see it moving along. It's also been one of the slowest reading years I've experienced in — well, years. Not only did I not make my 50-book goal (didn't even get to 40 books — pretty bad), but I also fell way behind in my reviewing and blogging. Don't know why I had such a hard time, but I'm looking forward to getting a nice fresh start in 2017.

So, anyway...time for some wrapping up, taking stock, and looking ahead.

I don't always rate books here on the blog, but I do over at Library Thing; and as I look back over the books I did get through, I realize there were quite a few 4-star books in this year's crop (no 5-stars, but I don't hand out that rating to very many books). And I suppose if I had to pick one favorite from the entire list, it would be Henry James's Daisy Miller. I guess you can't go wrong reading the classics.

And in the more recent group, I'd probably have to say my favorite was Kate DiCamillo's 2014 Newbery Winner, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Yes, I read kiddie lit, and don't mind admitting it! But Flora & Ulysses is really a treat for readers of any age.

From among the books published in 2016, I think my top picks would be Jonas Karlsson's The Invoice (although I believe it was originally issued in 2011), and Far From True, Linwood Barclay's second novel in his Promise Falls trilogy. Also very much enjoyed Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, The Girls by Emma Cline,  Miller's Valley (which was my introduction to Anna Quindlen's work), and Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler.

So, even though I didn't read as much as I'd hoped, I did read some books I really enjoyed and discovered a few new authors. Guess I shouldn't be too disappointed with myself.

For the New Year, I've been trying to come up with a list of bookish resolutions, but it always seems to come down to "read more books" and "be a better blogger." Not very helpful. I've never been very good with resolutions, anyway. I've also been trying to come up with a First Book of the Year choice. Ideally it should be something short, and involving — a book that grabs me right from the first page and doesn't let me go until that final exquisite sentence. And I don't run into many like that these days. Maybe I'll just stick with the tried and true, and pick a book from one of the many mystery series I've got going — very possibly a Mrs. Malory novel (by Hazel Holt), I only have three more of those to finish the series. Hmmm.

OK, time to shut up now. Happy New Year, everyone! And happy reading in 2017!

Hugo Awards for 2016

The 2016 Hugo Awards were presented this weekend, at MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention. Here's the list of winners:

• Best Novel: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
• Best Novella: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
• Best Novelette: "Folding Beijing" by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Uncanny Magazine, Jan.-Feb. 2015)
• Best Short Story: "Cat Pictures Please" by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015)
• Best Graphic Story: The Sandman: Overture written by Neil Gaiman, art by J.H. Williams III (Vertigo)
• Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form): The Martian screenplay by Drew Goddard, directed by Ridley Scott
• Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form): Jessica Jones: "AKA Smile," written by Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg and Jamie King, directed by Michael Rymer
• Best Editor—Short Form: Ellen Datlow
• Best Editor—Long Form: Sheila E. Gilbert
• Best Professional Artist: Abigail Larson
• Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas, Michi Trota, and Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
• Best Fanzine: File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
• Best Fan Writer: Mike Glyer
• Best Fan Artist: Steve Stiles

I don't read as much sci-fi as I once did, but I still enjoy the genre. And several of these titles look interesting enough for me to add them to my "must take a look" list. I did recently acquire one of the "Best of the Year" books edited by Ellen Datlow, but it was her horror series rather than the SF. And I've seen The Martian — excellent movie!

You can see the full line-up of nominees and list of winners on the Hugo Awards website.

Reading Update: April Wrap-up

While I was getting this update done, I read the news that Ruth Rendell has died.  She was 85 and had suffered a stroke in January.  I've read several of her Inspector Wexford books over the years, and always enjoyed them.  She also wrote "stand-alone" suspense novels under the Barbara Vine pseudonym.  Very sad to think that there won't be any more new Inspector Wexfords, but I've still got more than half the series to read, so I can console myself with that.

So...another month has winged its way outta here.  This year is really rushing by, isn't it?  But I did manage to read six books, which is quite a lot for me in one month.  Here's what I read in April:

The Witch of Painted Sorrows. M.J. Rose (2015)

The Fifth Gospel. Ian Caldwell (2015)

A Fine Summer's Day (Inspector Ian Rutledge #17). Charles Todd (2015)

Wylding Hall. Elizabeth Hand (2015)

As the Crow Flies (DI Nick Dixon #1). Damien Boyd (2013/2015) 

Fear the Darkness (Brigid Quinn Thriller #2). Becky Masterman (2015)

Now I need to spend some time taking stock of how I'm doing with all my reading challenges.  Also (of course) need to work on getting more reviews written and posted -- but that's a never-ending battle with me, I'm afraid.  

Reading Notes

"I love bookstores. I love independent bookstores. I think heaven is an independent bookstore, or I hope it is." 

--Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan's Inheritance 

(reported in today's Shelf Awareness newsletter)

Reading Notes

According to an article in today's Shelf Awareness newsletter, readers between the ages of 18 and 34 (the so-called "Millennials") prefer print books to e-books, and still value the bookstore experience. That bit of info is based on a Publishing Technology survey of 1000 millennials in the U.S.

The Shelf Awareness report goes on to say:

Millennials prefer to acquire print books from physical bookstores: 52% of respondents said they preferred to buy from chain bookstores, while 45% said they preferred used bookstores, and 53% said they preferred to check out books from libraries. Only 40% of respondents, meanwhile, said they preferred online retailers.

I've read that other studies have found e-book preference is rising in the group of readers who are over 55. Not sure this means anything, but I think it's interesting and encouraging that the younger generations still seem to love libraries and book stores.

Born This Day...

The Grand Dame of Mystery

Agatha Christie
Born 15 September 1890

Organizers

Yes, organizers. Day planners. Engagement calendars. Agendas.

Do you use them?

I'm specifically thinking about Filofax "systems" and their ilk. I've got this sudden itch to own one, but they're rather pricey and I'm wondering just how useful it would really be.

I've always kept a personal diary or journal, and I'll continue to do that. I'm not thinking that the Filofax would replace that. I also keep a reading journal, just to keep track of what I'm reading and the number of pages I read per day. This year I'm using one of the Reading Woman engagement calendars by Pomegranate.


It's lovely, with nice smooth, heavy pages for writing, and reproductions of thirty-two paintings that show women reading. And it helps keep this woman reading – the days I don't do any reading are left blank, and I really hate seeing those empty spaces.


But I'm thinking the Filofax would come in handy for organizing more than just my reading life. This year is likely to be a big one for me: hubby retiring, selling the condo (I hope!), buying a new home, moving, and exploring a new area. My year will almost certainly be exciting, but also hectic and chaotic: lots of work and planning and travel and appointments to keep. So you can see I really need that little leather notebook with all those cute – I mean useful inserts and accessories.

Of course, I could use my iPad for all that. Or my "smart" cell phone. They've both got calendar and planner capacities. But I guess I have to admit that, for all my fascination with the new technologies, I'm really a pretty confirmed pen-and-paper type. There's just something about a hand-written list on a real sheet of paper – something visceral that electronic devices just don't provide.

Basically, of course, it's just that I've been bitten by the Filofax bug and I've just got to get my hands on one. And I find I'm not alone in my fascination. I had sort of assumed the non-electronic organizer was a thing of the past. Not so. After doing a little googling, I found there are still loads of people devoted to their Filofaxes, Day Runners, Day-Times, or Franklin Coveys. There are "fan" groups on Facebook and Twitter. There are even Flickr groups, with hundreds of members who've uploaded thousands of photos of their beloved (and lovingly customized) planners. (See Philofaxy, Filofax Joy, For the Love of Filofax, Filomaniac, and Filofans.)

So, after much dithering and hair-pulling, I've finally decided to take the plunge. Now, of course, comes all the dithering and hair-pulling while I decide on style, size, color, where to buy, etc. That's going to be a problem because there's a lot to choose from and I don't do well when I have too many options. Looks like I've got a little more googling to do.

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Cross-posted at Joysweb.

Return to Yesteryear

Even though I've always been a pretty devoted bookworm, for some reason I always experience a bit of a reading slump in January. I guess it might be the result of all that frenzied holiday-ing in December, or maybe just midwinter blues or something. Don't know. But I do know that the first of every new year usually means a slowdown in my reading schedule.

This year, though, I think I've found the solution. Children's books! Kiddie lit (and the Young Readers Challenge) seems to have perked me right up. So far, I've read four of these wonderful confections, and I've got another going now. Haven't gotten any reviews up yet, but I hope to do that soon (must remember my resolution about reviews this year).

Random Notes: Awards and Prizes

Saw a notice in this morning's Shelf Awareness newsletter – this year's Man Booker Short List has been issued:

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey (Knopf)
Room by Emma Donoghue (Little, Brown)
In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut (Atlantic Books)
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (Bloomsbury UK)
The Long Song by Andrea Levy (FSG)
C by Tom McCarthy (Knopf)

I'm not sure how many of those have been released here in the US. The news caught my attention because I just received a copy of Room, which I haven't started yet (but it sounds really intriguing). The winner will be announced October 12. You can read more about the list here.

And the Hugo Award winners for this year have been announced. I don't read as much sci-fi as I once did, but I still like to keep up with the major publications in the genre. This year there was a tie for the Best Novel award, between The City & The City by China Miéville and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.

The award for Best Novella went to "Palimpsest" by Charles Stross; "The Island" by Peter Watts won the award for Best Novelette; and the Best Short Story award went to "Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh. Read about the rest of the winners and the Hugo Awards in general here.

Dorothy Parker

My land is bare of chattering folk;
the clouds arc low along the ridges,
and sweet's the air with curly smoke
from all my burning bridges.
(-- "SANCTUARY")

Dorothy Parker
August 22, 1893-June 7, 1967

Time Out for TV: Land of the Lost

So they were dead the whole time? Or did they die in the final episode? Or what?

I was never a fan of the series Lost. I saw the pilot episode and bits of a few others, and then just couldn't stay interested in it enough to stick with it. But I know it had a huge worldwide following, and you'd have to be marooned on a tropical island yourself, not to have noticed at least some of the hype about the final shows this month.

I'm not going anywhere with this. Just wondering.

I try not to watch too much TV, so I miss out on a lot of popular culture, I suppose. My new favorite show is Selling New York, on HGTV. I always wanted to live in the Big Apple, and if I ever did live there, one of those twenty million dollar penthouses would be just perfect. The show is the only "reality TV" I follow. Or actually, I guess it's more of an un-reality show. For one thing, I'm convinced all those agents and brokers have to be actors. They're always so beautifully put together. And nobody but a seasoned performer could deliver with such wonderful nonchalance a line like "My client's looking to spend around eight million, so of course he has to expect a very limited amount of space." It may not be reality, but it's great fun.

Let Us Now Praise Older Women Readers

Found this very interesting quote in today's edition of the Shelf Awareness newsletter. It's by Canadian writer Katherine Govier (whose latest novel is The Ghost Brush), and the full National Post article can be found here.

"You do hear, in publishing circles, the occasional complaint that the audience is 'graying.' Yep, it is. It is also loyal, intelligent, informed...opinionated, and not going anywhere. These women have years of reading ahead of them. They will not be switching their allegiance to video games or social media. They will read, and discuss what they read, as long as they have eyes in their head. Anyway, they’re not all gray.... The audience is a bigger mix than it first appears to be. But yes, it is mainly older women. These are the buyers, the ones who get the ball rolling. Let’s face it, they are the mainstay and the lifeblood of books in our country. Maybe in most countries.... So let’s hear it for older women who read. Without their wisdom, curiosity and lust for life, their humour, loyalty and pride of place, we would be nowhere."

Nice that somebody has noticed.

Random Notes: The Lost Man Booker Prize

Today's Shelf Awareness newsletter has this announcement about the "Lost Man Booker Prize":

The 22 authors on the Lost Man Booker Prize longlist have waited a long time to contend for the best novel published in 1970. . . .

The Guardian reported that the new award "aims to commemorate the works that 'fell through the net' in 1970 after changes to the Booker rules. In 1971, two years after the prize was first given, it ceased to be awarded retrospectively and became, as it is now, a prize for the best novel in the year of publication. The date on which the award was given was also moved from April to November, creating a gap when a wealth of 1970 fiction could not be eligible." The shortlist will be announced in March and the winner named in May. The longlist:

• The Hand Reared Boy by Brian Aldiss
• A Little of What You Fancy? by H.E. Bates
• The Birds on the Trees by Nina Bawden
• A Place in England by Melvyn Bragg
• Down All the Days by Christy Brown
• Bomber by Len Deighton
• Troubles by J.G. Farrell
• The Circle by Elaine Feinstein
• The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard
• A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill
• I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill
• A Domestic Animal by Francis King
• The Fire Dwellers by Margaret Laurence
• Out of the Shelter by David Lodge
• A Fairly Honourable Defeat by Iris Murdoch
• Fireflies by Shiva Naipaul
• Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
• Head to Toe by Joe Orton
• Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
• A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell
• The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark
• The Vivisector by Patrick White

I haven't read any of the books listed, and several of them look really intriguing, so this is a bit of good news.

Here and There in Bookland

Just catching up on my journal reading.

On expensive reading matter, from the New York Times Book Review, 12/27/2009, p. 18:

"Big Spenders: Every month, the used-book Web site AbeBooks.com releases a list of its most expensive sales. The list is often dominated by specialty items and antique works.... But in November, with the holidays approaching, things took a distinctly literary turn. Did the person who spent $12,500 for a set of Charles Dickens's works (and a signed note from the author) plan to give them to someone special for Christmas? That sale topped the list, followed by a first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender Is the Night,' for $11,000, and a signed, limited-edition copy of Helmut Newton's gargantuan photography book 'Sumo,' for $10,867. The Newton book is 20 inches wide and more than 2 feet long, but for that kind of money you don't need to worry about finding a place for it on your coffee table: it comes with a custom display stand designed by Philippe Starck."

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On the reaction to the Twilight series, from "Girls Just Wanna Have Fangs," by Sady Doyle, in The American Prospect, 11/19/2009:

"As Twilight demonstrates, not everything girls like is good art -- or, for that matter, good feminism. Still, the Twilight backlash should matter to feminists, even if the series makes them shudder."

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On the moral teachings of Jane Austen, from "What Would Jane Do?," by James Collins, in the Wall Street Journal, 11/14/2009:

"I find that reading Jane Austen helps me clarify ethical choices, helps me figure out a way to live with integrity in the corrupt world, even helps me adopt the proper tone and manner in dealing with others. Her moralism and the modern mind are not, in fact, in direct opposition, as is so often assumed."

Random Notes: Today in Bookish History

Several of my favorite people were born on this day, including a couple of great writers. H.G. Wells was born on September 21st in 1866, and Leonard Cohen in 1934.






Also, according to Wikipedia, today marks the anniversary of the first publication of Tolkien's The Hobbit in 1937. Frodo Lives!

And the New York Times tells us that on September 21, 1897, The New York Sun ran an editorial that answered the famous question from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, "Is there a Santa Claus?" So little Virginia was already thinking about Saint Nick in September. What a retailer she would have made!

Tony Time

OK, I'm not going to try to blog the Tonys or anything. But I am watching. And Angela Lansbury just won the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. I'm so happy about that. I was pulling for Angela Lansbury. And she won for playing Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit," which makes me happy, too. I always wanted to play that role. Came close in high school, but got beat out by a girl named Peggy Jacobs who was a grade ahead of me and much weirder than I was, so a natural for the part. I played Ruth, a thankless task. Had to paint my entire body blue for the ghost scenes. Ah, the roar of the greasepaint!

OK, that's enough of that.

Oh, Liza Minnelli just won for something! That makes me happy, too. For some inexplicable reason.

Anyway, back to the show.

Existentialism Is Alive and Well and Living in K-Mart

Now and then I run into moments that really do seem like fodder for that novel I still hope to write someday. I never know when or where they're likely to crop up, so I try to stay alert to all possibilities.

Last Saturday, I found myself (much to my surprise) shopping for Christmas tree ornaments at K-Mart. And, as you might expect, there were several dozen tots running around, savaging the artificial trees and crunching the fragile glass decorations underfoot. Well, four-year-olds can be adorable but deadly, as we all know.

So there really wasn't anything unusual about seeing this little kid clinging to his mother's jeans and yelling at full throttle. It was just the sentiment he was expressing that made the whole thing seem just slightly bizarre. The little dear was screaming "I want something! I want something! I want something!" over and over and over and over and over…

Nothing else. Just, "I want something! I want something! I want something!"

His mother kept showing him things, trying to distract him with the shiny tinsel and colorful baubles. But he was having none of it – just went on shouting "I want something! I want something! I want something! I want something!"

He was still screaming when I left the store. And he never said what it was he wanted.

Just a spoiled pre-schooler with an over-indulgent (and possibly deaf) parent? Or a runny-nosed metaphor for ourselves at this point in time? (Wow! And somewhere Rod Serling spins in his grave.)

Random Notes on Wednesday

Noticed this on the Shelf Awareness website:

Tonight on the Charlie Rose Show: John Updike whose new book is The Widows of Eastwick (Knopf, $24.95, 9780307269607/0307269604). The show also offers a tribute to the late Michael Crichton.

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Bookreporter.com has a bunch of new weekly contests starting this holiday season:

From November 7th through January 5th we will spotlight a different title or collection of titles, and readers will have the chance to win one of five holiday baskets filled with winter-themed items as well as two copies of the featured book(s). Why two? One is to keep, of course, and one is for someone on your holiday gift list. We will also include festive wrapping paper to make the gift-giving hassle-free.

This week’s giveaway is featuring The Spy Who Came for Christmas by David Morrell; next week it’s Rita Mae Brown’s Santa Clawed.

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Also in today’s issue of Shelf Awareness, there’s an offer for an advance reading copy (while supplies last) of The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution by Denis Dutton. It’s due out in December, from Bloomsbury Press (“. . . overturns a century of art theory and criticism and revolutionizes our understanding of the arts”).

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Mark your calendar (if you live in the Washington, DC area): On December 4th, 7PM at Politics & Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW), Toni Morrison will be the evening's guest author, discussing or reading from her new novel, A Mercy. From the Politics & Prose website: This is a ticketed event. Tickets are $12, or receive 2 free tickets with the purchase of a book ($23.95). Call P&P at 202-364-1919 for ticket and book purchase.

Random Notes: In Memoriam

"You cannot escape Fate, and Fate, I have always felt, is not in the future, but in the past."
-- Leonard Woolf (born 1880 / died 14 August 1969)

"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
-- Oscar Levant (born 1906 / died 14 August 1972)