Giller Prize longlist

Well, Tuesday morning are usually much less eventful. But, this is Sept. 6 and that means not only the Man Booker Prize shortlist, but also the Giller Prize longlist. It's a good day to be a reader, is what I'm saying. So, without further ado, here are the longlisted titles for Canada's largest fiction prize:

• David Bezmozgis, The Free World (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Clark Blaise, The Meagre Tarmac (Biblioasis)
• Michael Christie, The Beggar's Garden (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Lynn Coady, The Antagonist (House of Anansi Press)
• Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers (House of Anansi Press)
• Myrna Dey, Extensions (NeWest Press) – Readers' Choice Winner
• Esi Edugyan, Half-Blood Blues (Thomas Allen Publishers)
• Marina Endicott, The Little Shadows (Doubleday Canada)
• Zsuzsi Gartner, Better Living Through Plastic Explosives (Hamish Hamilton Canada)
• Genni Gunn, Solitaria (Signature Editions)
• Pauline Holdstock, Into the Heart of the Country (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Wayne Johnston, A World Elsewhere (Knopf Canada)
• Dany Laferrière, The Return (Douglas & McIntyre)
• Suzette Mayr, Monoceros (Coach House Books)
• Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table (McClelland & Stewart)
• Guy Vanderhaeghe, A Good Man (McClelland & Stewart)
• Alexi Zentner, Touch (Knopf Canada)

Having just looked at the Man Booker shortlist, there are two repeating titles: congrats on the double nominations for both Patrick deWitt and Esi Edugyan, both of whom are from British Columbia. Congratulations are also due to the small publishers on the list: House of Anansi Press has two nominated titles (deWitt's being one of them), Coach House Books, and NeWest Press. Many of these books have been on my to-read list for a while, so now it's time to move them up to the top, I suppose.

The shortlist of five books will be announced on Oct. 4 and the winner will be named on Nov. 8. Besides getting a whole lot of prestige, the winner of the Giller receives $50,000 and each of the other four finalists receive $5,000.