The Spinning Heart is quite interesting. It's about a village in Ireland and the events just after the financial collapse a few years ago. What's interesting is that it's twenty-one different stories by twenty-one different people, but there is a continuous thread. It nearly worked - but not quite. I thought it would have been better to have chosen, say, four or five people and told the story through their eyes. As it is, it feels like a bit of a gimmick, and I don't feel the story is complete. I don't think it'll be short-listed. I read the first three chapters of the first book of The Kills and abandoned it. How that ordinary, badly written thriller got long-listed, I do not know. How can you even consider a book which has this ungrammatical rubbish? Ford waited, first he leaned against the table, then he stood upright with his arms folded. But now - A Tale for the Time Being. I'm with you, Merryworld - I really enjoyed it. I'll be astonished if it isn't shortlisted - I think it's got a chance of winning. It's a story about a fifteen year old Japanese girl, who is writing a diary - and a woman in Canada who is reading the diary. There are some unpleasant scenes, but altogether it worked. I agree - I loved all the characters and really cared about them and what happened to them. Lovely book - thoroughly recommended. One other piece of news - all the books on the longlist that are not yet published have had their publication date brought forward. (At least here in the UK, that is...)

Looking forward to it...although I have been warned by DH that if I express the same opinion that I discussed with him, I will be ignomiously thrown out of RP. Even though he agreed with me! So we'll see if how brave I am.

And it's also worth mentioning a couple of firsts - Beatty is the first US writer to win the Booker, and The Sellout is the first paperback to win the Booker. The publishers, OneWorld, must be pinching themselves - they have published the Booker winner two years running, which isn't bad for a little independent publisher who were only formed in 1986.

So, the Booker Prize winner is announced tomorrow. Here's my thoughts on each one on the shortlist:- 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster (US) (Faber & Faber) I am currently re-reading this one, and loving it just as much again the second time. I would be very pleased if it won, and I quite fancy its chances. History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (US) (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) Not so good the second time. Don't think so. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan-UK) (Hamish Hamilton) Haven't managed to get into it. My daughter is reading it, and thinks is good, but... so I don't think this will win either. Elmet by Fiona Mozley (UK) (JM Originals) Not surprised it was long-listed. Very surprised it was short-listed. I'd be astounded if it wins. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (US) (Bloomsbury Publishing) Very strange, but I'm beginning to think it's something exceptional. I think this one will win. Autumn by Ali Smith (UK) (Hamish Hamilton) I love it - I'm optimistic, and I'd be very happy if it won. So - to summarize - I want Autumn or 4-3-2-1 to win, but I think Lincoln in the Bardo will win - and I think it would be a worthy winner. For what it's worth, the bookies make it nearly an even favourite to win. Interestingly, I found I could get 8/1 on both Autumn and 4-3-2-1 at the bookies. They are my two favourites, so I've put a tenner on each - if either wins, I make a seventy quid profit! (And if any other book wins, I'm down twenty quid, but still...)