Man Booker - great minds think alike!

The Man Booker longlist was announced yesterday and I'm feeling a just tiny bit chuffed as I had already "Kindled" three of the longlisted books for my summer holiday reading. How could I resist Alan Hollinghurst's new novel The Stranger's Child after the seductive pleasures of A Line of Beauty and such a lengthy wait? Likewise, recalling the enjoyment of immersion into the Victorian lives of Arthur & George (a book group read in 2006?) I had to get Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending (and it's a short novel!). Finally, I have downloaded On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry following my (unfulfilled) good intentions to read the Secret Scripture which is still languishing in a pile by the bed.

Brief reflections on this convergence of literary views? Well, first, the power of the prize. All three authors have been shortlisted at least twice before (and Hollinghurst won) so perhaps that's why I read their previous novels and have an awareness of their new. Secondly, the power of the Kindle. All three books are still in hardback and hardbacks seem very much cheaper in download - I don't suppose I'd have bought them otherwise until they went into paperback and I certainly wouldn't haul three hardbacks around California. And finally, there's some excitement about the fact that the other books on the list include some by unknown (and first) authors with the potential of much to explore. The complete list is here: Man Booker longlist 2011