Podcast #7: The 2013 Longlist

We’re baaaaaaaack!  After what feels like a year hiatus, because, well, it was, half of the BookerMarks gang (or as we like to call ourselves, BookerMarkers) finally get back together to discuss this year’s crop of nominated titles.

In this episode Aaron talks cat ass and dog balls and gushes about Richard House’s Sutler and The Massive, Michelle mispronounces the names of at least 4 book titles and one website, Penny accepts a 2013 wager that could turn out to be far more costly than TripeGate 2012, and Mike reveals that he’s Jewish.

Karli’s Longlist Predictions for the 2013 Man Booker Prize

I can’t believe it’s already time for another round of The Man Booker Prize.  With last year’s groundbreaking results and the surrounding controversy, we have high hopes for MBP activity in 2013.  But before that can happen, we have to know a little more about the nominees.  The official longlist titles will be revealed tomorrow (July 23), but in the meantime, here are a few of my predictions about what may appear on the longlist announcement.  I have not yet read many of the potential nominees, but for a more complete list of possibilities, check the goodreads list of eligible titles.

man booker prize predictions from a very reliable fish.

Based on scientific evidence*, I provide my predictions for the books to be listed for the Man Booker Prize.

In no particular order, here are The Well Read Fish’s chosen:

Americanah – Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia – Mohsin Hamid
Life After Life – Kate Atkinson
The Woman Upstairs – Claire Messud
MaddAddam – Margaret Atwood
The Childhood of Jesus – J.M. Coetzee
TransAtlantic – Colum McCann
The Testament of Mary – Colm Toibin
The Guts – Roddy Doyle
Ghana Must Go – Taiye Selasi
Harvest – Jim Crace
Oleander Girl – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
We Need New Names – NoViolet Bulawayo – I know this brings me to 13, but I just get this book and it looks great!

Now, I haven’t (sadly) read these yet, but I just have a feeling – a scientific feeling, of course. But most of these have been on my wanna-read list (which in itself is very official scientific documentation). I also like to hope that the diverse cultures represented on this list would make our Old Man Booker proud.

*I am in no way a scientist. I stopped taking science in 12th grade. So . . . this post actually has no real validity whatsoever.

2013 BookerMarks Long List Projections

I would like to take a stab again to guess a few titles that might make the long list.  A compilation of 2013 eligible titles can be found on Goodreads.

First on my list of hopefuls for the longlist would be Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life.  Life After Life has already been short listed for the 2013 Women’s Prize and lost to AM Homes’ May We Be Forgiven. 

The main reason I would like to have it appear on the long list is that I have already finished 25% of it.  Shallow reason, I know, but my reasoning none the less.  So far it is an intriguing read in which 4 of my Goodreads friends have read and rated 4 stars or better.   It is also “leading” the voting on the  Goodreads Man Booker 2013 Eligible list.