The Exclusive Books Boeke Prize shortlist
Every year (since 2005), I have the privilege of being part of the judging panel for the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize. The shortlist arrived in my mailbox yesterday but for some reason the titles don’t make sense or sink in until I have the books in my hand and can open the pages, smell them, critique the covers and decide which of the eight titles to read first. And read them all we must… so we can vote for our best read, the most unputdownable. All the participating judges have until September 30 to submit their score sheet. And you as readers can vote for your favourite too as there are two winners: Judges’ Choice and Readers’ Choice – to be announced in October. Let’s get reading!
Here are the contenders for 2011:
• Secret Daughter, Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Jonathan Ball, R134)
• Matterhorn, Karl Marlantes (Penguin, R134)
• Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese (Random House, R129)
• The Glass Room, Simon Mawer (Penguin, R143)
• Thirteen Hours, Deon Meyer (Jonathan Ball, R104)
• The Slap, Christos Tsiolakis (Penguin, R134)
• The Whisperer, Donato Carrisi (Penguin, R144)
• When God was a Rabbit, Sarah Winman (Jonathan Ball, R110)
Previous Winners:
2010 One Day – David Nicholls
2009 The Help – Kathryn Stockett
2008 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Steig Larsson
2007 The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
2006 Q & A – Vikas Swarup
2005 The Time-Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
2004 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon and The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
2003 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
2002 Atonement – Ian McEwan
2001 Eddie’s Bastard – William Kowalski
2000 The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
1999 The Reader – Bernhard Schlink
1998 Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier
1997 Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
1996 Behind the Scenes at the Museum – Kate Atkinson
1995 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
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