Two small comments: (1) If I counted right, 3 of the 10 books are collections of short stories. I always find it a bit odd that novels and short story collections get lumped together in one award. The National Book Awards have so many (and poetry gets its own category) so splitting these two types of books would make sense.

(2) I could not help but notice that on the covers of 5 of the 7 novels the words “a novel” appear in the middle of the cover. Are they worried people won’t know the book is a novel if it doesn’t say so on the cover? I wonder how long this has been a trend.

David: it’s an important distinction, although you’d think opening up the book and having a little read, or maybe even already knowing what the book was before you bought it…I can think of many people who, had they bought a book of stories, thinking what they had was a novel, would be outraged. The very idea! That someone might waste their time on stories! These same people tell me there just isn’t enough ‘payoff’ for the ‘investment’ in a story.

“I get involved in these people, and then it’s all over!”

I guess the publishing houses feel they have to pander to ‘readers’ as well as ‘book lovers’. For me, if I pick a book off the shelf and it looks interesting and well written, that promises enough of a ‘journey’ for me. I’m in. If it turns out I’ve got some stories, wonderful. Or a travelogue, or a memoir, or whatever.

Short version: I see what you mean David.