Recommendations from the Costa

There are two reasons why I was delighted to see that the Costa Novel Award has gone to Maggie O'Farrell for The Hand That First Held Mine.  First, because I bought the book a couple of months ago and it has since been languishing on the pile by the bed; I had thought that O'Farrell was a bit of a guilty pleasure, but presumably not if the Costa judges rate her. Secondly, because I recall the delight we shared when we read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (which my little lilac leather book book tells me was in January 2007) and our interesting conversation about the appropriateness (or not) of the ending.

Incidentally, there is a Q&A with O'Farrell on Amazon at the moment which is worth looking at.  She says that whilst researching The Hand etc she read Iris Murdoch, Muriel Spark, Jean Rhys, Margaret Drabble and Margaret Forster in order to immerse herself in the culture and language of the 1950s and 60s. Ian would find this list interesting - where are the men?

I would also like to read The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal which won the Costa biography award.  Everyone who has read it raves about it ....... although I need to get my head around the idea of a biography based on 264 inherited Japanese carvings.

The Costa book of the year award, chosen from the finalists of each category, is to be announced on 25th January.  For completeness, there is a first novel by Kishwar Desai (who, according to the Standard, is the wife of the Labour peer, Lord Desai; she is 54 so there is hope for us all!), a book of poems and a rather fascinating sounding children's book (sounds like one for young teens) inspired by the author living through the aftermath of the war of independence in Zimbabwe.

Can anyone remember if our group has read any first novels? How about Brick Lane by Monica Ali? Any since then?