Is actually a half-dozen. So, the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize was announced today, and I sheepishly admit that I haven't read a single book that made the shortlist. Considering I only read two books on the long list, I don't think that's incredibly surprising.
I intended to read the entire shortlist when it was announced, but, I feel incredibly disinclined to read Wolf Hall, which is probably this year's favorite. However, if Coetzee does win with his memoir, Summertime, it will be his third Booker Prize.
I am reading The Little Stranger at the moment, and I seriously hope it lives up to my expectations, which is a result of Fingersmith - my first Sarah Waters book, completed about a week back. Once done, I intend to read Summertime, which I did start, but, one of my friends wants to borrow the Waters book, so I had to bump that up the reading list.
Some bloggers have rated The Glass Room very highly, and I reckon that will be the third book on my Booker Shortlist TBR. I actually have incredibly high hopes for this book, so, I have my fingers crossed that the book lives up to its hype.
I was quite disappointed (although maybe not surprised) with the absence of Sarah Hall's book, How To Paint A Dead Man. I really really enjoyed the book, and thought it might just be clever enough to make the cut. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. As for Samantha Harvey's The Wilderness - I did enjoy the book, but its exclusion from the shortlist didn't have me too surprised. I don't know why.
From the long list, I still intend to read Heliopolis though. It sounds fantastic, and who can resist a little bit of Brazil?
What are your thoughts on the shortlist? Did you read many books from the longlist? Was the exclusion of any book severely disappointing? And, the million dollar question: Who do you think is going to run away with it?