And here it is.

* Barker, Nicola - Darkmans - Fourth Estate
* Docx, Edward - Self Help - Picador
* Eng, Tan Twan - The Gift Of Rain - Myrmidon
* Enright, Anne - The Gathering - Jonathan Cape
* Hamid, Mohsin - The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Hamish Hamilton
* Ho Davies, Peter - The Welsh Girl - Sceptre
* Jones, Lloyd - Mister Pip - John Murray
* Lalwani, Nikita - Gifted - Viking
* McEwan, Ian - On Chesil Beach - Jonathan Cape
* O'Flynn, Catherine - What Was Lost - Tindal Street
* Redhill, Michael - Consolation - William Heinemann
* Sinha, Indra - Animal's People - Simon & Schuster
* Wilson, A.N - Winnie & Wolf - Hutchinson

Hmmmmm...

Flamin' Ian McEwan is there again. I'm ashamed to admit I've read none of these, and I've only heard of two of the authors.

Anyone know anything about of these?

The only one I have already on my TBR shelf is What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn. Of the rest, I've heard of:
The Gift of Rain (via Amazon)
The Welsh Girl (via BBC 5 Live review)
Gifted
On Chesil Beach
but only really tempted to read the first of these....

I read part of The Welsh Girl but didn't finish it - no reflection on the book, I just set it aside for something a bit more upbeat. I'll have to check into the others. Any guesses as to the winner? When will it be announced?

The only one I've read is On Chesil Beach, but I've heard about The Reluctant Fundamentalist and want to to read it.

I read The Reluctant Fundamentalist -- very intriguing, but not sure it's award-worthy. I would recommend it, however. The whole book takes place at a small table at a care in Pakistan. The book is written in the first person, and he is the only character we hear/read ... a unique style. In spite of this, you get a sense of what the other character is doing/thinking.

I went for a trip to my local bookshop. Disappointed to see no "Booker Prize Longlist" shelf, so I had to look for each one separately.

They had about eight, of which only two (The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Self Help) appealed from the blurbs and first pages. Particularly as they were ALL full price. So, with Sarah's positive review too, I've got TRF and I'll let you know.

Darkmans is a massive brick - 800+ pages. I won't read that unless it makes the shortlist.

Well I've heard of King of the Old Fogies A N Wilson and read some of his pieces in the Daily Telegraph, and the Irish writer Anne Enright is sometimes recommended on the BBC's 'Woman's Hour'. On Chesil Beach is claimed to be a long short story rather than a full-scale book . . .perhaps no bad thing. Heard on the radio last night that a couple of these works are not actually 'quite out' yet.
Martin why do you torture yourself like this each year. ;-)

I don't know. But it's fun.

Actually, I've read some brilliant books I otherwise would never have found as a result of the Booker. It's as good a way as any of selecting between the hundreds of new books that come out every year.

And yes, I have to say I was a little surprised to see A N Wilson there. The Guardian review was mixed, to say the least. I suspect it won't be shortlisted.

Right - one down. I really enjoyed The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid - a really tense book with a great ending. Might be shortlisted - I'd be surprised if it won, though.

The only one I've read is McEwan's " On Chesil Beach", which I thought was outstanding. But, then, McEwan has long been one of my favorite contemporary authors....

Martin - Glad you liked The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I'd be interested in discussing your interpretation. I wonder if anyone else here has read it or plans to read it.

I started The Welsh Girl but it was slow and I, too, put it down for something else.

I'm interested in reading the RF but need to find it at the library. Go ahead and start without me as who knows how long it will take to get to the library..... It sounds like a very good book though.

I've now started reading Self Help by Edward Docx. (Can that be his real name?) Only twenty pages into it, but enjoying it so far.

The short-list (six books) comes out on September 6th. I don't think I'll read ALL of the long-list by then - but as always, I'll be reading and reviewing the shortlist.

(Like anyone cares about my opinion. But I enjoy it.)

Ah, but we do Martin. I wouldn't have read The Life of Pi when I did without having read your review.

Finished Self Help. It didn't enthrall me, but I enjoyed it. I have a feeling it's one that I might enjoy more on a re-read. If it's short-listed, I'll try it again.

Now moving onto Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. I've got high hopes for this one - the reviews seem to have been universally excellent. The premise appeals too - a bunch of children in a war-torn island in the South Pacific are taught about Great Expectations and use it to help them escape from the horrors of their real life.

Here is a link that might be useful: Guardian Review of Mr Pip

Well, I really did enjoy Mr Pip. Not as much as would have liked to - it's in two parts (not literally part 1 and part 2, but before and after a major event), and I felt the second part was a bit weak compared to the first part. But if it's short-listed - and I'd like it to be - I'll certainly be happy to re-read it.

Now reading, reluctantly, On Chesil Beach - can't find any of the others in the bookshops at the moment. The reluctance stems from a slight distaste of Ian McEwan - he's a marvellous writer, but there always seems to me to be a sort of slightly smug feeling about the way he writes - "I'm a great writer, and I know I am" sort of thing.

But I have to admit I'm enjoying this one more than I expected to, so far.

Finished it. Very short novel. You have to wonder whether there ought to be a minimum length for a book to qualify for the Booker.

But - OK, I admit it - a very fine book. Don't take to the subject matter, and I got a bit exasperated with both our heroes, but I have to admire the book. Still, I hope it doesn't win.

Reading The Gathering by Anne Enright. Liam commits suicide. His sister tells the story of the family. Middle-class angst with Irish guilt thrown in for good luck. I'll finish it, but I can't say I'm desperately impressed - be surprised if it's shortlisted.

The shortlist is released on Thursday. I'll start a new thread when it comes out.

Martin, like Astrokath, I appreciate hearing what you think about these novels. I just don't have much to say in response.

Don't worry - I don't feel that I'm posting into space here...! But thanks for reassuring me.

Short-list comes out today!

Exciting, isn't it? ;-)

I just love a bit of hype. I'm exactly the same over things like the FA Cup draw.

(For non-Brits or people who just don't care about football (OK, soccer, if you will) - the FA Cup is England's most important annual knock-out tournament, and the draw for each round is random - it's literally done, live on TV, by people pulling balls out of a bag.)