On the Shelf

It8217;s that time of the year once again, when reading lists are altered to be in alignment with the Booker longlist. There are 22 novels in the fray for the prize, and the competition8217;s website cites bookmakers William Hill to position David Mitchell8217;s Cloud Atlas as the outright favourite with odds of 3/1. Nicola Barker, Susanna Clarke, Alan Hollinghurst and Nicholas Shakespeare are joint second favourites. Do, however, keep at least two other books firmly on your to-read list. Colm Toibin8217;s lyrical reconstruction of Henry James8217;s life. And Nadeem Aslam8217;s 11-years-in-the-writing novel about a Pakistani enclave in England. Here8217;s the longlist:

8226; Alan Hollinghurst: The Line of Beauty
8226; Louise Dean: Becoming Strangers
8226; David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas
8226; Colm Toibin: The Master
8226; Nicola Barker: Clear: A Transparent Novel
8226; Chimamanda Ngozi: Purple Hibiscus
8226; James Hamilton-Paterson: Cooking with Fernet Branca
8226; Gail Jones: Sixty Lights
8226; Gerard Woodward: I8217;ll Go To Bed at Noon
8226; Susanna Clarke: Jonathan Strange 038; Mr Norrell
8226; Neil Cross: Always the Sun
8226; Achmat Dangor: Bitter Fruit
8226; Lewis Desoto: A Blade of Grass
8226; Sarah Hall: The Electric Michelangelo
8226; Justin Haythe: The Honeymoon
8226; Shirley Hazzard: The Great Fire
8226; Nadeem Aslam: Maps for Lost Lovers
8226; John Bemrose: The Island Walkers
8226; Ronan Bennett: Havoc, in its Third Year
8226; Sam North: The Unnumbered
8226; Nicholas Shakespeare: Snowleg
8226; Matt Thorne: Cherry