Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Guardian First Book Award - Shortlist

This is the shortlist for the Guardian's First Book Award:
  • A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammad Hanif (Pakistan): also longlisted for the Booker Prize
  • A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Australia): also shortlisted for the Booker Prize
  • God's Own Country by Ross Raisin (UK)
  • The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross (USA): non-fiction
  • Stalin's Children by Owen Matthews (UK): non-fiction

My bet is on one of the first two titles, even though I haven't read them yet (They are never available at the library, guess why?).

8 comments:

  1. io voto "A Case", ma gli altri non l'ho letti, anche se il secondo e' nella mia reading list...

    go, Hanif, go!

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  2. I have to say, go exploding mangoes!

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  3. OK, random funny story for you...

    My son and I are trying to learn Italian (pronounced eye-talian in this small part of the world... eesh). I downloaded a free guide to my iPod and we turned it on.

    First, the gentleman went through the alphabet. We dutifully followed suit, saying the letters. It's very similar to Spanish, so I began to get excited, thinking, "I can do this!"

    Then, the speaker says that he will teach some short phrases, "Repeat after me, 'Take your hands off me.' 'I will call the police.' 'Do not take my purse.'"

    By the last one, my son and I were just giggling our heads off. What happened to, "Where is the bathroom?" or "Can you help me find the hotel?"

    Obviously, I'm looking for another seminar.

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  4. CLAUDS AND KRISTIN: Is the case gonna explode or not? :)

    GIO: Grazie per il link!

    KRISTIN: Oh, my god! It looks like a mock Czech phrase book I had found on the web (how to sleep with a Czech girl or something). But you're saying that this is real! I can't believe it!!! I've never been mugged in Italy, that's just a stereotype for people who are not able to keep an eye on their handbags!!!

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  5. Molto intrigante il tuo blog, complimenti. Ti linko se non ti dispiace. Enjopy. Saba

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  6. ue' Stef, tanti auguri!
    e scusa se te lo scrivo in modo cosi' pubblico e grezzo, ma mi faceva piacere condividere con altri!
    sara' un compleanno un po' strano lassu' sola soletta, ma noi ti pensiamo.
    forza e coraggio Stef, che quello che fai e' da grandi!

    una torta al cioccolato (virtuale, sigh sigh)

    clauds

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  7. Grazie per gli auguri ragazzi! E... sì, è stato un compleanno un po' strano ma la gente a casa e in giro per il mondo non mi ha fatto sentire sola!

    PS: C'mon Obama!!!

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