I’m curious, why wouldn’t you read Forna? My husband said it sounds “girly” but I assured him it is not (though I admit the name does make it sound like it might be).

We can blame KFC, Colette. I had just finished reading and struggling with White Masks, a book I admired but didn’t enjoy, when I read Kevin’s review of The Memory of Love. Kevin’s reading experience with the book sounded a great deal like the one I’d just had with White Masks, a book of density and gravity — of importance — but not of pleasure. I was exhausted when I finished White Masks, and as much as I value that type of reading experience, I haven’t felt up to it since.

All of this is fairly baseless. No other book on the Booker longlist strikes me this way, even though I know some of them are dense and grave. It’s funny how things influence what we want to read at a given time of year, month, or day, isn’t it?

At any rate, it had nothing to do with the title of the book making me think it was girly — at least, nothing that I’m aware of :)

I’m curious, why wouldn’t you read Forna? My husband said it sounds “girly” but I assured him it is not (though I admit the name does make it sound like it might be).

And (as soon as one more edit is done) I’ll be posting thoughts on why I was so disappointed with The Thousand Autumns, for my money his weakest book so far by a mile.

And thank you for noticing the avatar. I think most people think they’re more complicated to make then they actually are (which is why it took me so long to get one).

Lee, I agree about the Rachman, though I’m not surprised to see it off the list. As for the rest, there are a few I’m not excited for but none I dread. Had the Forna made it, I would say there was one on the list I dreaded to read — and probably wouldn’t have.

Tolmsted, first off, glad to see your new (to me) avatar! And I agree that The Stars in the Bright Sky looks strange on this list. I think the cover makes it look like a seventies sci-fi book, though I see that it is not when I look close.

As for the Booker being random year to year, it is. They panel of judges changes each year, and each year they come from a variety of backgrounds. Some years there is no evidence they read in their spare time. Other years they tend to be highly academic — I like those years, honestly. Despite all of that, the Booker has a distinct personality, and books are frequenly categorized as Booker-like. Sadly, this often means they are derivative.

I’m a bit more excited about this year than I was about last year, and I already like both of the books I’ve read (though I didn’t particularly value either of them) more than I liked most of the longlist in 2008. I’ll probably end up reviewing a handful. If I get ambitious, I’ll impulsively get the rest from the Book Depository and make a game out of it :).

Now, down to the real question: The Thousand Autumns or Cloud Atlas? If by “should I start” you mean “should I start getting to know David Mitchell,” I wouldn’t bother with The Thousand Autumns. To me it is so different from Mitchell’s other works, lacking much of what made them so wonderful, that if you want to get to know Mitchell, you should read the others, Cloud Atlas in particular. Still, many people love The Thousand Autumns . . .

I did a quick look up after the long list announcement yesterday and my initial thoughts were that Room by Donaghue and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet both looked interesting. I can’t figure out why The Stars in the Bright Sky is on there – the description looks like a rehash of some type of Gossip Girl meets younger versions of Sex in the City plot line.

Is it me or does the Booker seem completely random from year to year? Last year I Am Cheetah made the longlist – which demonstrates that the judges are willing to think outside of the box. But this year no mention of The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog – which got excellent reviews in the UK and on the whole sounds as if it was much better written than I am Cheetah (I can’t wait until we get it here!).

So my question for you – should I start with The Thousand Autumns or Cloud Atlas for my first Mitchell book? You seem to be a bigger fan of the latter, but perhaps I’ll enjoy The Thousand Autumns more if I work my way up to Cloud Atlas?

Apologies for the long comment!