Desmond Elliott Prize 2008-2013

from Desmond Elliott Prize and wikipedia, accessed 7/5/2013

The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK. The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The winner receives GB£10,000. The prize is named in honour of the "distinguished" late publisher and literary agent, Desmond Elliott.

Winners and shortlists

2008 Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith 
Sunday at The Cross Bones by John Walsh (Fourth Estate))

2009 Blackmoor by Edward Hogan (Simon & Schuster)
A Girl Made of Dust by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi (Fourth Estate)
The Rescue Man by Anthony Quinn (Jonathan Cape)

2010 The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw (Atlantic Books)
Before the Earthquake by Maria Allen (Tindal Street Press)
Talk of the Town by Jacob Polley (Picador

2011 Saraswati Park by Anjali Joseph (Fourth Estate)
Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman (Sceptre)
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (Bloomsbury Publishing)

2012 The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen (Chatto & Windus)
The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness (Seren)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Doubleday)

2013 The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber
The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

Orange Prize for Fiction (2009-2010)

2011 Longlist from The Independent accessed 3/17/11
Longlist in full

Leila Aboulela - Lyrics Alley
Carol Birch - Jamrach's Menagerie
Emma Donoghue - Room
Tishani Doshi - The Pleasure Seekers
Louise Doughty - Whatever You Love
Jennifer Egan - A Visit from the Goon Squad
Aminatta Forna - The Memory of Love
Tessa Hadley - The London Train
Emma Henderson - Grace Williams Says it Loud
Samantha Hunt - The Seas
Joanna Kavenna - The Birth of Love
Nicole Krauss - Great House
Wendy Law-Yone - The Road to Wanting
Téa Obreht - The Tiger's Wife
Julie Orringer - The Invisible Bridge
Anne Peile - Repeat it Today with Tears
Karen Russell - Swamplandia!
Lola Shoneyin - The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
Roma Tearne - The Swimmer
Kathleen Winter - Annabel

2010 info from The Independent accessed 3/18/1.  The shortlist will be announced April 20. Awards will be presented June 9.

The 2010 Orange Prize longlist in full
Clare Clark, Savage Lands
Amanda Craig, Hearts and Minds
Roopa Farooki, The Way Things Look to Me
Rebecca Gowers, The Twisted Heart
M.J. Hyland, This is How
Sadie Jones, Small Wars

Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna  --shortlist  -- Winner!

Laila Lalami, Secret Son
Andrea Levy, The Long Song
Attica Locke, Black Water Rising  --shortlist

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall  --shortlist

Maria McCann, The Wilding
Nadifa Mohamed, Black Mamba Boy
Lorrie Moore, A Gate at the Stairs  --shortlist
Monique Roffey, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle
Amy Sackville, The Still Point

Kathryn Stockett, The Help

Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger
Rosie Alison, The Very Thought of You  --shortlist


2009 Info:
The shortlist for [2009] this year's £30,000 (US$43,701) Orange Prize for Fiction has been named and chair of judges Fi Glover said, "We were right down to the wire on several of the books and choosing just six was far harder than I had imagined, but we all left the judging room proud of the list we have chosen. We have stretched our heads getting to this shortlist," the Guardian reported.

The 2009 Orange Prize finalists are:

Scottsboro: A Novel by Ellen Feldman
The Wilderness: A Novel by Samantha Harvey
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deidre Madden

Home: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson -- WINNER!

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

The winner will be announced June 3.

Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction and Legal History (2001-10)

from Langum Charitable Trust website accessed 2/22/10

David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction
A prize to encourage and reward excellent American historical fiction is a natural element in our effort to make the rich history of America accessible to the educated general reader. The David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction is offered annually to the best book in American historical fiction that is both excellent fiction and excellent history. Any press may publish the work, with the exceptions that the book may not be self-published or published by a subsidized publisher.

David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Legal History or Biography
This prize is made annually to be the best university press book in American legal history or biography that is accessible to the educated general public, rooted in sound scholarship, and with themes that touch upon matters of general concern to the American public, past or present.

2010 Winners
Ann Weisgarber for The Personal History of Rachel DuPree
Robin Oliveira for My Name is Mary Sutter -- Honorable Mention
Kelli Carmean for Creekside: An Archeological Novel -- Special Mention
Jackson Taylor for The Blue Orchard -- Special Mention

2009 Winners:
Edward Rutherfurd for his New York: The Novel
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman for In the Lion’s Den: A Novel of the Civil War -- Special Mention
Jamie Ford for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet -- Special Mention

2008 Winners:
Kathleen Kent for The Heretic’s Daughter: A Novel -- Winner
Elisabeth Payne Rosen for Hallam’s War -- Honorable Mention
Jack Fuller’s Abbeville -- Special Mention

2007 Winner:

Kurt Andersen for his Heyday, a novel

2006 Winner:

Sheldon Russell for his Dreams to Dust: A Tale of the Oklahoma Land Rush

2005 Winner:

Madison House: A Novel by Peter Donahue

2004 Winner:

Linda Busby Parker for her Seven Laurels: A Novel -- Winner

Sanora Babb, for Whose Names Are Unknown: A Novel -- Honorable Mention

2003:

Robert J. Begiebing for his Rebecca Wentworth’s Distraction: A Novel 

2002 -- No award given

2001 -- No award given

Langum Prize for Legal History

2008 Winners:
Ernest Freeberg for Democracy’s Prisoner: Eugene V. Debs, the Great War, and the Right to Dissent -- Winner
Peter Charles Hoffer for the book, The Treason Trials of Aaron Burr -- Honorable Mention

2007 Winner:
Bruce J. Dierenfield for The Battle over School Prayer: How Engel v. Vitale Changed America

2006 Winners:
Saul Cornell for A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America --Winner
Carolyn N. Long for her Mapp v. Ohio: Guarding against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures -- Honorable Mention

2005 Winner:
To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance by Richard J. Ellis -- Winner
Griswold v. Connecticut: Birth Control and the Constitutional Right of Privacy, by John W. Johnson -- Honorable Mention

2004 Winner:
John M. Ferren for Salt of the Earth, Conscience of the Court: The Story of Justice Wiley Rutledge -- Winner
Fries's Rebellion: The Enduring Struggle for the American Revolution by Paul Douglas Newman -- Honorable Mention

2003:
Robert J. Cottrol, Raymond T. Diamond, and Leland B. Ware for their Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture, and the Constitution 

2002 (two winners):
Stuart Banner for his The Death Penalty: An American History
Lawrence M. Friedman for his American Law in the 20th Century

2001
Elizabeth Urban Alexander for her Notorious Woman: The Celebrated Case of Myra Clark Gaines

Series in Progress

Adam Dalgliesh by P.D. James
1 Cover Her Face
2 A Mind to Murder
3 Unnatural Causes
4 Shroud for a Nightingale
5 The Black Tower
6 Death of an Expert Witness
7 Taste for Death (read in 1997)
8 Devices and Desires
9 Original Sin
10 A Certain Justice
11 Death in Holy Orders
12 The Murder Room
13 The Lighthouse
14 The Private Patient

Aimée Leduc mystery novels by Cara Black
1 - Murder in the Marais
2 - Murder in Belleville
3 - Murder in the Sentier
4 - Murder in the Bastille
5 - Murder in Clichy
6 - Murder in Montmartre
7 - Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis
8 - Murder in the Rue de Paradis
9 - Murder in the Latin Quarter
10 - Murder in the Palais Royal

Albert Campion Series by Marjory Allingham
Novels
* The Crime at Black Dudley (1929) (U.S. title: The Black Dudley Murder)
* Mystery Mile (1930)
* Look to the Lady (1931) (U.S. title: The Gyrth Chalice Mystery)
* Police at the Funeral (1931)
* Sweet Danger (1933) (U.S. title: Kingdom of Death or The Fear Sign)
* Death of a Ghost (1934)
* Flowers for the Judge (1936) (U.S. title: Legacy in Blood)
* The Case of the Late Pig (1937)
* Dancers in Mourning (1937) (U.S. title: Who Killed Chloe?)
* The Fashion in Shrouds (1938)
* Traitor's Purse (1941) (U.S. title: The Sabotage Murder Mystery)
* Coroner's Pidgin (1945) (U.S. title: Pearls Before Swine)
* More Work for the Undertaker (1948)
* The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)
* The Beckoning Lady (1955) (U.S. title: The Estate of the Beckoning Lady)
* Hide My Eyes (1958) (U.S. title: Tether's End or Ten Were Missing)
* The China Governess (1962)
* The Mind Readers (1965)
* Cargo of Eagles (1968) (completed posthumously by Philip Youngman Carter)
* Mr. Campion's Farthing (1969) (by Philip Youngman Carter)
* Mr. Campion's Falcon (1970) (U.S. title: Mr. Campion's Quarry) (by Philip Youngman Carter)

Short story collections
* Mr. Campion and Others (1939, 1950)
* The Allingham Case-Book (1969)
* The Allingham Minibus (U.S. title: Mr. Campion's Lucky Day and Other Stories) (1973)
* The Return of Mr. Campion (1989)


Alex Delaware by Jonathan Kellerman

#1 When The Bough Breaks

#2 Blood Test
#3 Over the Edge

#4 Silent Partner

#5 Time Bomb

#6 Private Eyes

#7 Devil's Waltz

#8 Bad Love

#9 Self-Defense
#10 The Web

#11 The Clinic

#12 Survival of the Fittest
#13 Monster
#14 Dr. Death
#15 Flesh and Blood
#16 Murder Book
#17 Cold Heart
#18 Therapy
#19 Rage
#20 Gone
#21 Obsession
#22 Compulsion
#23 Bones
#24 Evidence

Alex(andra) Cooper series by Linda Fairstein:
* Final Jeopardy (1996)
* Likely To Die (1997)
* Cold Hit (1999)
* The Deadhouse (2001) (Nero Award winner)
* The Bone Vault (2003)
* The Kills (2004)
* Entombed (2005)
* Death Dance (2006)
* Bad Blood (2007)
* Killer Heat (2008)
* Lethal Legacy (2009)
Hell Gate (2010)

Ali Reynolds books by J.A. Jance
* Edge of Evil (2006) ISBN 0727863827
* Web of Evil (2007) ISBN 9781416537731
* Hand of Evil (2007) ISBN 1416537538
* Cruel Intent (2008) ISBN 1416563792

Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr

Track of the Cat Guadalupe Mountains NP 1993

A Superior Death Isle Royale NP 1994
Ill Wind Mesa Verde NP 1995
Firestorm Lassen Volcanic NP 1996
Endangered Species Cumberland Island National Seashore 1997
Blind Descent Carlsbad Caverns NP 1998
Liberty Falling Statue of Liberty 1999
Deep South Natchez Trace Parkway 2000
Blood Lure Glacier NP 2001
Hunting Season Natchez Trace Parkway February 2002
Flashback Dry Tortugas NP February 2003
High Country Yosemite NP February 2004
Hard Truth Rocky Mountain NP March 2005
Winter Study Isle Royale NP April 2008
Borderline Big Bend NP April 2009

Annals of the Western Shore is a childrens (teen?) book series by Ursula K. Le Guin
* Gifts, 2004
* Voices, 2006
* Powers, 2007

Benjamin Justice Mystery by John Morgan Wilson
#1 Simple Justice

Bernie Rhodenbarr novels about antiquarian book dealer by Lawrence Block
1. Burglars Can't Be Choosers (1977)
2. The Burglar in the Closet (1978)
3. The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (1979)
4. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (1980)
5. The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian (1983)
6. The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (1994)
7. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart (1995)
8. The Burglar in the Library (1997)
9. The Burglar in the Rye (1999)
10. The Burglar on the Prowl (2004)

Bryant & May by Christopher Fowler
1. Full Dark House
2. Water Room
3. Seventy-seven clocks
4. Ten Second Staircase
5. White Corridor
6. Victoria Vanishes
7. Bryant and May on the Loose

Cliff Janeway novels by John Dunning
* Booked to Die (1992) ISBN 0-684-19383-3
* The Bookman's Wake (1995) ISBN 0-684-80003-9
* The Bookman's Promise (2004) ISBN 0-7432-4992-5
* The Sign of the Book (2005) ISBN 0-7432-5505-4
* The Bookwoman's Last Fling (2006) ISBN 0-7432-8945-5

Courtney Series, South Africa Historical by Wilbur Smith
[Listed Chronologically]
Birds of Prey
Monsoon
Blue Horizon
Triumph of the Sun
Assegai
When the Lion Feeds
The Sound of Thunder
A Sparrow Falls
The Burning Shore
Power of the Sword
Rage
Golden Fox
A Time To Die

The Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory
1. The White Queen (2009)
2. The Red Queen (TBA)
3. The White Princess (TBA)

Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke
#1 Neon Rain

Deborah Knott mysteries by Margaret Maron
#1 Bootlegger's Daughter

Discworld by Terry Pratchett
1. The Colour of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Equal Rites
4. Mort
5. Sourcery
6. Wyrd Sisters
7. Pyramids

8. Guards! Guards!

9. Eric (illustrated by Josh Kirby)
10. Moving Pictures
11. Reaper Man
12. Witches Abroad
13. Small Gods
14. Lords and Ladies
15. Men at Arms
16. Soul Music
17. Interesting Times
18. Maskerade
19. Feet of Clay
20. Hogfather
21. Jingo
22. The Last Continent
23. Carpe Jugulum
24. The Fifth Elephant
25. The Truth
26. Thief of Time
27. The Last Hero (illustrated by Paul Kidby)
28. The Amazing Maurice & his Educated Rodents (for younger readers)
29. Night Watch
30. The Wee Free Men (for younger readers)
31. Monstrous Regiment
32. A Hat Full of Sky (for younger readers)
33. Going Postal
34. Thud!
35. Wintersmith (for younger readers)
36. Making Money
37. Unseen Academicals

Dragon Prince by Melanie Fawn
#1 Dragon Prince

Enders Saga by Orson Scott Card
#1 Enders Game

Hannah Swensen Mystery by Joanne Fluke
#1 Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly
#1 The Black Echo

J. P. Beaumont series by J.A. Jance
* Until Proven Guilty (1985) ISBN 0-380-89638-9
* Injustice for All (1986) ISBN 0-360-89641-9
* Trial by Fury (1986) ISBN 0-380-75138-0
* Taking the Fifth (1987) ISBN 0-380-75139-9
* Improbable Cause (1987) ISBN 0-380-75412-6
* A More Perfect Union (1988) ISBN 0-380-75413-4
* Dismissed with Prejudice (1989) ISBN 0-380-75547-5
* Minor in Possession (1990) ISBN 0-380-75546-7
* Payment in Kind (1991) ISBN 0-380-75836-9
* Without Due Process (1993) ISBN 0-380-75837-7
* Failure to Appear (1994) ISBN 0-380-75839-3
* Lying in Wait (1995) ISBN 0-380-71841-3
* Name Withheld (1997) ISBN 0-380-71842-1
* Breach of Duty (2000) ISBN 0-380-71483-X
* Birds of Prey (2002) ISBN 0-380-71654-2
* Partner in Crime (2003) ISBN 0-380-80470-0
* Long Time Gone (2005) ISBN 0-688-13824-1
* Justice Denied (2007) ISBN 0-006-05492-3

Jack Reacher can be found in the following books by Lee Child:
1. Killing Floor (March 1997)
2. Die Trying (July 1998)
3. Tripwire (June 1999)
4. Running Blind/The Visitor (The Visitor in the UK and Australia) (April 2000)
5. Echo Burning (ISBN 0-515-13331-0) (April 2001)
6. Without Fail (April 2002)
7. Persuader (April 2003)
8. The Enemy (Prequel, time frame occurs before Killing Floor) (April 2004)
9. One Shot (ISBN 0-385-33668-3) (April 2005)
10. The Hard Way (ISBN 0-385-33669-1) (May 2006)
11. Bad Luck and Trouble (ISBN 0-385-34055-9) (April 2007)
12. Nothing to Lose (ISBN 978-0593057025) (March 2008)
13. Gone Tomorrow (April 2009)
14. 61 Hours (2010)


Joanna Brady by J.A. Jance
#1 Desert Heat
#2 Tombstone Courage (1994) ISBN 0-380-76546-2
#3 Shoot Don't Shoot (1995) ISBN 0-380-76548-9
#4 Dead to Rights (1996) ISBN 0-380-72432-4
#5 Skeleton Canyon (1997) ISBN 0-380-72433-2
#6 Rattlesnake Crossing
#7 Outlaw Mountain (1999) ISBN 0-380-79248-6
#8 Devil's Claw (2000) ISBN 0-380-79249-4
#9 Paradise Lost (2001) ISBN 0-380-80469-7
#10 Exit Wounds
#11 Partner in Crime
#12 Dead Wrong (2006) ISBN 0-06-054090-7

Kate Brannigan series by Val McDermid
* Dead Beat (1992)
* Kick Back (1993)
* Crack Down (1994)
* Clean Break (1995)
* Blue Genes (1996)
* Star Struck (1998)

Kate Fansler Mysteries by Amanda Cross, (Pseudonym of Carolyn G. Heilbrun).
* In The Last Analysis (1964)
* The James Joyce Murder (1967)
* Poetic Justice (1970)
* The Theban Mysteries (1971)
* The Question of Max (1976)
* Death in a Tenured Position (1981, Nero Award winner)
* Sweet Death, Kind Death (1984)
* No Word From Winifred (1986)
* A Trap for Fools (1989)
* The Players Come Again (1990)
* An Imperfect Spy (1995)
* The Puzzled Heart (1998)
* Honest Doubt (2000)
* The Edge of Doom (2002)

Kate Martinelli by Laurie R. King

#1 A Grave Talent

#2 To Play the Fool

#3 With Child

#4 Night Work

#5 Art of Detection 

Kinsey Millhouse Mystery by Sue Grafton
A is for Alibi #1

Lindsay Gordon series by Val McDermid
* Report for Murder (1987)
* Common Murder (1989)
* Final Edition (1991) US Titles: Open and Shut, Deadline for Murder
* Union Jack (1993), US Title: Conferences are Murder
* Booked for Murder (1996)
* Hostage to Murder (2003)

Logan McRae by Stuart Macbride
#1 Cold Granite (2006)

Lucas Davenport by John Sandford
 #1 Rules of Prey

Mary Hervey series by Storm Jameson

#1 Lovely Ship

#2 Voyage Home
#3 A Richer Dust

Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King

#1 Beekeeper's Apprentice

#2 Monstrous Regiment of Women
#3 Letter of Mary
#4 Moor
#5 O Jerusalem
#6 Justice Hall
#7 Game
#8 Locked Rooms
#9 Language of Bees
#10 God of the Hive

Mitch Rapp by
#1 Transfer of Power (1999)

Nameless Detective by Bill Pronzini
#1 The Snatch (1971)

New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
#1 City of Glass (1985)

Nic Costa-series by David Hewson
A Season for the Dead (2003) ISBN 0-385-33722-1
The Villa of Mysteries (2004) ISBN 0-385-33772-8
The Sacred Cut (2005) ISBN 0-385-33849-X
The Lizard’s Bite (2006)
The Seventh Sacrament (2007)
The Garden of Evil (2008)Shortlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the
Year Award 2009.
Dante's Numbers (2008)
The Blue Demon (2009)


Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall (western mystery series) by Loren D. Estleman
#1 High Rocks (1979)
#2 Stamping Ground (1980)
#3 Murdock's Law (1982)
#4 The Stranglers (1984)
#5 City of Widows (1995)
#6 White Desert (2000)

Sheriff Bo Tully by Patrick McManus
#1 The Blight Way

The Tudor series by Philippa Gregory
1. The Other Boleyn Girl (2001)
2. The Queen's Fool (2003)
3. The Virgin's Lover (2004)
4. The Constant Princess (2005)
5. The Boleyn Inheritance (2006)
6. The Other Queen (2008)

Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series by Val McDermid
* The Mermaids Singing (1995)
* The Wire in the Blood (1997)
* The Last Temptation (2002)
* The Torment of Others (2004)
* Beneath the Bleeding (2007)
* The Fever of the Bone (2009)


Walt Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson (set in Wyoming)
1. The Cold Dish
2. Death Without Company
3. Kindness Goes Unpunished
4. Another Man's Moccasins (MPIBA award)
5. The Dark Horse

Wideacre trilogy by Philippa Gregory
1. Wideacre (1987)
2. The Favoured Child (1989)
3. Meridon (1990)

W.Y. Boyd Military Fiction (2009-10)

Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg by John Hough Jr. has won the 2010 W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction.

The $5,000 award honors "the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war" and aims to recognize "the service of American veterans and encourage the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction."

2009 Recipient

Peace by Richard Bausch

It’s an excellent work that chronicles the lives of an Army patrol in Italy during the bleak winter of 1944 and details their adventures and the futility and moral complexity of combat.

Walter Scott Prize (2009)

The shortlist for the inaugural £25,000 (US$38,179) Walter Scott prize for historical fiction includes:
Hodd by Adam Thorpe,
Lustrum by Robert Harris,
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant,

Stone's Fall by Iain Pears,

The Glass Room by Simon Mawer,
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, -- Winner!

as reported by the Guardian. The winner will be named June 19.

"They are giving history back its stories," said Alistair Moffat, chair of the judges. "The best way to understand the past is often to read a novelist rather than an historian. We need to know where we came from, what kind of people our ancestors were.... What people in the past believed--such as the absolute certainty about heaven and hell in the Middle Ages--is every bit as important in telling us what they were like as what they left behind in the historical record."

Historical Mysteries in series from Flashlight Worthy

Era by Era, Firsts in Historical Mystery Series
a book list by Jan McClintock, blogger at We Need More Shelves...
shelved under History and Mystery

Historical mysteries are a subset of the mystery genre and cover the vast range of human civilizations, from ancient Egypt to mid-20th Century New York. I've read many discussions about what qualifies as historical, but I'd venture to say that you — the reader — would be the best judge. (Is it historical if it's not within your memory? Sounds good to me.) Some of the following historical mystery titles are well-known, some less so. In each case, they're the first in a series so don't say I didn't warn you!

Murder in the Place of Anubis (Ancient Egypt) by Lynda Robinson

Lord Meren as the Eyes and Ears of young Pharaoh Tutankhamen must solve a frightening murder in a sacred precinct before the Pharaoh's enemies use the death against him. (the 1st of 6 books in the series)

The Silver Pigs (Ancient Rome) by Lindsey Davis

Marcus Didius Falco is an informer/detective for the emperor, a happy-go-lucky ladies man, and the son of a dysfunctional family in this fun first story from A.D. 70 Rome. The characters are hilarious and the intrigue is non-stop. (the 1st of 19)

The Dragon Scroll (Early Japan) by I. J. Parker

Sugawara Akitada is a junior government official who is unfortunately also a scapegoat in 11th-century Japan. But Akitada has a few tricks up his voluminous sleeves, and he'll need all the help he can get in the treacherous world of court politics. (the 1st of 6)

The Novice's Tale (Middle Ages England) by Margaret Frazer
Dame Frevisse is a nun at St. Frideswide's priory in medieval Oxfordshire, but she traveled on pilgrimage in her youth and has more worldly experience than many of the other sisters. Her uncle is Thomas Chaucer — son of Geoffrey — hence the tie-in with the titles to The Canterbury Tales. Each book is a murder mystery told in third person, with many engaging characters. (the 1st of 17)

The Demon of the Air (The Aztec Nation) by Simon Levack
The narrator is a slave and reluctant investigator in this unique series set in the final years of Aztec society. The people famous for human sacrifice have more going on than bloody rituals, it seems. Politics, religion, economics, culture and of course, murder are all part of the story, and there's plenty of humor to go around. (the 1st of 4)

Face Down In The Marrow-Bone Pie (Elizabethan England) by Kathy Lynn Emerson
There's a ghost at the country farm, and it's up to Lady Susanna Appleton to solve the mystery when her husband refuses to help. Her mastery of herbs and poisons may come in handy when a body is found. She's an educated women, but how dangerous is a little knowledge? (the 1st of 11)

Blind Justice (Georgian Era England) by Bruce Alexander
Starring the blind but brilliant Magistrate of Bow Street court, Sir John Fielding, his young ward and apprentice Jeremy Proctor, and a wonderful supporting cast of Bow Street Runners, family and friends, and assorted aristocrats, rakes and ruffians of London. (the 1st of 11)

The Dumb Shall Sing (Colonial America) by Stephen Lewis
Catherine Williams, widow and midwife, lives and works in 17th-century New England. Her protector, an obsolete Pequot sachem Massaquoit, who lodges on her land, helps her in tight spots, but Catherine is a strong and independent woman who wants to see justice done, especially when it comes to the murder of a child. (the 1st of 3)

Cut to the Quick (Regency England) by Kate Ross
Julian Kestral, dandy and gentleman of leisure on the outside but super-observant detective on the inside, is the hero of these four charming mysteries. The supporting cast is wonderful, including his ex-con valet and humorous society friends. (the 1st of 4)

The Face of a Stranger (Victorian England) by Anne Perry
A man wakes up from an accident and doesn't remember anything about himself. With this intriguing premise, Perry begins the series of William Monk, who is supposed to be a London police detective. But the more he finds about his past, the less he likes it. This book is sobering and fascinating and each in the series is a courtroom drama. (the 1st of 16)

Faded Coat of Blue (American Civil War) by Owen Parry
Abel Jones, Welsh immigrant, experienced soldier and volunteer in the Union Army, is asked to volunteer again, this time as an investigative agent for General McClellan. They've chosen well, as this man of faith and honor doesn't give up until he has his man, no matter where it leads. (the 1st of 6)

Holmes on the Range (Guilded Age America) by Steve Hockensmith
The two Armlingmeyer Brothers are cowpokes and wannabe amateur detectives who read every Sherlock Holmes story they can get their callused hands on in 1890s Montana. You might not think they'd have much of a chance to test their theories, but you'd be wrong. Lots of fun. (the 1st of 4)

The Strange Files of Fremont Jones (Progressive Era America) by Dianne Day
Fremont Jones is a young woman from the East making her own way in 1900 San Francisco. She works hard and has dreams of becoming a typewriter operator, but to make ends meet, she has decided to solve crimes for a living. That's when the trouble begins. Interesting characters and wonderful atmosphere. (the 1st of 6)

The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Edwardian England) by Laurie R. King
Mary Russell is an exceptionally intelligent young woman, enough so to become a protégé of Sherlock Holmes. Their adventures are a stretch of the imagination, and that's how I like to exercise. (the 1st of 10)

World War II & Holocaust Fiction and Non-Fiction

World War II & Holocaust Fiction (and Non-Fiction) for Your Book Club
a book list by Serena Agusto-Cox & Anna Horner, bloggers at War Through the Generations

History is important for societal and personal growth, and book clubs will find that these selections will challenge not only their perceptions, but also their beliefs. Both fiction and non-fiction, these books are thought provoking and heartbreaking, yet hopeful in some cases. Lively discussion about the horrors of which humanity is capable and how people can survive against all odds are expected when reading these books.

He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Secretary by Christa Schroeder, Roger Moorhouse
The memoir of one of Hitler's personal secretaries gives readers a behind-the-scene glimpse of one of the most evil men to have ever lived. Schroeder is never apologetic, and in a gossipy tone, she talks about Hitler as a person, detailing his personality, his mannerisms, his mood swings, his iron will, his food and conversation preferences, and his relationships with women.
Seeing Hitler through the eyes of someone who worked with him, respected him, and challenged him does not alter the common perception of him as a madman but provides a fuller picture of one of history's most notorious mass murderers and is bound to generate discussion.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

A novel in letters between writer Juliet Ashton, her friends Sidney and Sophia, and her new friends from the Guernsey Channel Islands. Letters from the remaining residents of Guernsey and their exploits as part of a literary society during the German occupation begin pouring in to help Ashton with her series of articles and spur her muse into action. Lively and real, these character leap off the page.

Night of Flames of World War II by Douglas W. Jacobson
This is a gritty "spy" novel set during World War II beginning in 1939 during the invasion of Poland by the Nazis. The main protagonists Anna and Jan Kopernik are separated by war and face near misses with the wrath of the Germans. This is a fast-paced novel that pushed through the front lines and skulks in the shadows of the resistance, detailing the lives of ordinary citizens who rise up to reclaim their homeland and their dignity in the face of adversity.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford's novel is a love story that begins in 1942 when Chinese-American Henry meets Japanese-American Keiko. Love blossoms amid discrimination and is put to the test when Keiko's family is sent to an internment camp. Henry's story moves between the past and his failed relationship with his father and his love for Keiko to the present in which he is a widower on a mission to reclaim the past after the belongings of several Japanese families are found in the basement of Seattle's Panama Hotel. The book touches upon several subjects: war, romance, family conflict, racial tension, and the immigrant experience.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
A novel set in Colorado shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and narrated by a young teen who is confused by the world around her, particularly a home town that rounds up the Japanese and places them in an internment camp near her home called Tall Grass. It also touches upon the harm caused by wrong-headed government policies, the fear that leads to prejudice and hatred, and the impact a war can have on everyone.

Coventry by Helen Humphreys
A slim novel that tells the story of the German bombing of Coventry, England, on Nov. 14, 1940, through the eyes of Harriet, a widow of the Great War, and Maeve, an artist and single mother whose son is a fire watcher. Humphreys brings a sad day in history to life with vivid imagery, making readers feel as though they are in the city with the bombs falling around them. The book shows ordinary people pushed into action during wartime and how horrific events can bring strangers together.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Sarah's Key is a heartbreaking novel that centers on a real but little known incident that occurred in France during World War II.  The Vélodrome d'Hiver roundup on July 16, 1942, involved thousands of Jewish families being taken from their homes and housed for days in disgusting, degrading conditions in the Paris stadium before they were taken to the Auschwitz gas chambers. More than 4,000 Jewish children ages 2 to 12 were killed.
Tatiana de Rosnay tells the story of the roundup through a fictional little girl who tries to protect her younger brother by locking him in a secret cupboard in their bedroom, believing that she and her parents will return home in a matter of hours. Six decades later, Sarah's story is uncovered by an American journalist living in Paris, who gets wrapped up in her investigation at the same time she is trying to save her marriage. The book shows how well-meaning people can spend their lives trying to cover up wrongdoing, but shining the light on such events can both destroy lives and set people free.

Words that Burn Within Me: Faith, Values, Survival by Hilda Stern Cohen
A collection of photographs, essays, stories, snippets of interviews, and poems detailing Cohen's experiences during the war and the Holocaust as a German resident. Hilda talks about happier times in her village and with her sister, the trials of childhood and being bullied, but soon the reality of politics sets in and her family is forced to leave their ancestral home. Cohen's writing is sparse but detailed in its observations of those around her in the ghetto and the concentration camps. Her keen eye examines the impact of starvation on her fellow neighbors and on her family members, and it also sheds light on how well her family and herself cope with their situation.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Wiesel's recollections of his experiences during the Holocaust are vivid and haunting. His words are heavy with darkness, desolation, and the loss of faith in the midst of evil. It is among the most well-known Holocaust memoirs.

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

A time travel novel that finds a 12-year-old Jewish girl tired of hearing the same family stories over and over again transported from her home in New York to a Polish village in 1942. She knows the history of the Holocaust and the fate of the Jews, but she cannot convince the Jews of the village to run when they encounter Nazis who tell them that they must relocate. Though targeting middle grade readers, the book gives readers of all ages a detailed description of life in the concentration camps and emphasizes the importance of remembering.

Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award (1984-2010)

List from wikipedia accessed 1/10/10

2010 Matt Phelan The Storm in the Barn

2009 Laurie Halse Anderson Chains

2008 Christopher Paul Curtis Elijah of Buxton

2007 Ellen Klages The Green Glass Sea

2006 Louise Erdrich The Game of Silence
2005 A LaFaye Worth

2004 Richard Peck The River Between Us

2003 Shelley Pearsall Trouble Don't Last
2002 Mildred D. Taylor The Land
2001 Janet Taylor Lisle The Art of Keeping Cool
2000 Miriam Bat-Ami Two Suns in the Sky
1999 Harriette Robinet Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule

1998 Karen Hesse Out of the Dust

1997 Katherine Paterson Jip, His Story

1996 Theodore Taylor The Bomb
1995 Graham Salisbury Under the Blood Red Sun
1994 Paul Fleischman Bull Run

1993 Michael Dorris Morning Girl

1992 Mary Downing Hahn Stepping on the Cracks
1991 Pieter Van Raven A Time of Troubles
1990 Carolyn Reeder Shades of Grey Macmillan
1989 Lyll Becerra de Jenkins The Honorable Prison

1988 Patricia Beatty Charley Skedaddle

1987 Scott O'Dell Streams to the River, River to the Sea

1986 Patricia MacLachlan Sarah, Plain and Tall

1985 Avi The Fighting Ground

1984 Elizabeth George Speare The Sign of the Beaver

USA Today Book Roundup: Historical Fiction

By Jocelyn McClurg, Deirdre Donahue, Carol Memmott and Korina Lopez, USA TODAY.
In this week's mix: Love and war, the lives of nuns, a Dickens of a novel, and three British women with three different reasons for being in India.

Gifts of War
By Mackenzie Ford
Nan. A. Talese/Doubleday, 447 pp., $26

The best war stories are often love stories, and Mackenzie Ford has come up with a doozy. During the Christmas truce of 1914, a German soldier hands his photo to a young English officer, Hal Montgomery, with a request: Give it to his English girlfriend. After Hal is shot and wounded, he returns to England to find the girl, Sam, who has a baby son. He falls instantly in love and can't bear to tell Sam her German lover is alive. The tension builds as Hal and Sam and baby Will create a life — will the truth ever out? — making for an absorbing, morally complex read. — Jocelyn McClurg

Sacred Hearts
By Sarah Dunant
Random House, 415 pp., $25

With Sacred Hearts, Brit writer Sarah Dunant rounds out her trilogy about women during the Italian Renaissance. In 2003's The Birth of Venus, she dealt with Florentine noblewomen, and in 2006's In the Company of the Courtesan, Venetian prostitutes. Now she explores the lives of nuns in 1570 Ferrara. Alas, Hearts' plot lacks the narrative drive of the first two. A wealthy family imprisons their 16-year-old daughter in a convent against her will after an ill-advised love affair. The girl's rage upends the convent. But this tale about a cloister induces claustrophobia. — Deirdre Donahue

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Mahatma Gandhi

Girl in the Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens
By Gaynor Arnold
Crown, 414 pp., $25.99

British novelist Gaynor Arnold, inspired by letters Dickens wrote to his wife, Catherine, spins a marvelously credible tale of what the Dickens marriage might have been like through the fictional story of Dodo Gibson, the wife of Victorian literary lion Alfred Gibson. The novel starts with the death of Gibson, who, like Dickens, was a 19th-century superstar. Arnold provocatively imagines what it must have been like to be married to a man who thought as much of himself as his fans did — and how a determined wife might have made the best of it. — Carol Memmott

East of the Sun
By Julia Gregson
Simon & Schuster trade paperback original, 512 pp., $16

It's 1928. British colonial grip on India is slipping. India, torn between the opposing forces of Gandhi, Muslum traditions and Western influences, struggles with its identity. In the midst of it: three women who have left their native England for different reasons. Naive Rose is betrothed to Jack, a stoic army officer. Brash Tor is desperate to find a husband so she won't have to return to her mother in England. Mysterious Viva, haunted by the past, seeks closure and a career as a writer. Julia Gregson expertly weaves their stories together in this vivid tale. — Korina Lopez

Macavity Awards (1987-2008)

The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The award is given in four categories -- best novel, best first novel, best nonfiction, and best short story. In recent years a new award, the Sue Feder Historical Mystery, has been given in conjunction with the Macavity Awards.

Best Mystery Novel

* 2008 - What the Dead Know, Laura Lippman
* 2007 - The Virgin of Small Plains, Nancy Pickard
* 2006 - The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly
* 2005 - The Killing of the Tinkers, Ken Bruen
* 2004 - The House Sitter, Peter Lovesey
* 2003 - Winter and Night, S. J. Rozan
* 2002 - Folly, Laurie R. King
* 2001 - A Place of Execution, Val McDermid
* 2000 - The Flower Master, Sujata Massey
* 1999 - Blood Work, Michael Connelly
* 1998 - Dreaming of the Bones, Deborah Crombie
* 1997 - Bloodhounds, Peter Lovesey
* 1996 - Under the Beetle's Cellar, Mary Willis Walker
* 1995 - She Walks These Hills, Sharyn McCrumb
* 1994 - The Sculptress, Minette Walters
* 1993 - Bootlegger's Daughter, Margaret Maron
* 1992 - I.O.U., Nancy Pickard
* 1991 - If Ever I Return Pretty Peggy-O, Sharyn McCrumb
* 1990 - A Little Class on Murder, Carolyn Hart
* 1989 - A Thief of Time, Tony Hillerman
* 1988 - Marriage is Murder, Nancy Pickard
* 1987 - A Taste for Death, P. D. James

Best First Mystery

* 2008 - In The Woods, Tana French
* 2007 - Mr. Clarinet, Nick Stone
* 2006 - Immoral, Brian Freeman
* 2005 - Dating Dead Men, Harley Jane Kozak
* 2004 - Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
* 2003 - In the Bleak Midwinter, Julia Spencer-Fleming
* 2002 - Open Season, C. J. Box
* 2001 - A Conspiracy of Paper, David Liss
* 2000 - Inner City Blues, Paula L. Woods
* 1999 - Sympathy for the Devil, Jerrilyn Farmer
* 1998 - Dead Body Language, Penny Warner
* 1997 - Death in Little Tokyo, Dale Furutani
* 1996 - The Strange Files of Fremont Jones, Dianne Day
* 1995 - Do Unto Others, Jeff Abbott
* 1994 - Death Comes as Epiphany, Sharan Newman
* 1993 - Blanche on the Lam, Barbara Neely
* 1992 - (tie) Murder on the Iditarod Trail, Sue Henry
and Zero at the Bone, Mary Willis Walker
* 1991 - Postmortem, Patricia Cornwell
* 1990 - Grime and Punishment, Jill Churchill
* 1989 - The Killings at Badger's Drift, Caroline Graham
* 1988 - The Monkey's Raincoat, Robert Crais
* 1987 - (tie) The Ritual Bath, Faye Kellerman and A Case of Loyalties, Marilyn
Wallace


Sue Feder Historical Mystery

* 2008: Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin
* 2007: Oh Danny Boy, Rhys Bowen (added#1 Murphy's Law)
* 2006: Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear (added#1 Maisie Dobbs)

Best genre fiction titles named to 2009 Reading List (ALA)

Posted February 3, 2009

Contact: Liz Markel
Marketing Specialist, RUSA/ASCLA
(312) 280-4398
lmarkel@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release
February 3, 2009

Best genre fiction titles named to 2009 Reading List

DENVER—The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2009 Reading List award.

The Reading List annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (which includes suspense, thriller and adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and women’s fiction. This year’s list includes novels that will please die-hard fans as well as introduce new readers to the pleasures of genre fiction.

The winning titles were selected by the Reading List Council, whose members include Neal Wyatt, chair, Richmond, Va.; Joyce Saricks, vice-chair, Downers Grove, Ill.; Jennifer Baker, The Seattle Public Library; Arlene Griffin, LSSI Library North Jackson Madison County Library; Mirja Johanson, Perrot Memorial Library; Lucy Lockley, St. Charles City-County Library District; Robert Renwick, Brooklyn Public Library; Jacqueline Sasaki, Ann Arbor District Library; Sharron Smith, Kitchener Public Library; Tapley Trudell, San Antonio Public Library; and Alan Ziebarth, Chicago Public Library.

Authors of these selected titles will be invited to speak at the Literary Tastes Breakfast, a ticketed RUSA event at the ALA Annual Conference. Find out more about RUSA events at the conference—scheduled for July 9-15 in Chicago—at www.ala.org/rusa.

The 2009 winners are:

Adrenaline

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box, St. Martin, 9780312365707

In this relentlessly paced story two children witness a murder, elude crooked ex-cops, and find refuge with a taciturn rancher. The evocative landscape and emotional depth, along with the engaging characters and provocative story line, combine to create an unforgettable novel.

Read-Alikes:
Killer Weekend by Ridley Pearson
Nothing to Lose byLee Child
Hombre by Elmore Leonard

Shortlist
The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner, Dutton, 9780525950660
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben, Dutton, 9780525950608
L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker, Dutton, 9780525950554
Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich, Doubleday, 9780385524063

Fantasy

The Veil of Gold by Kim Wilkins, Tor, 9780765320063

The discovery of a golden bear in the walls of a derelict St. Petersburg bath house lifts the veil between the real world and that of fairy tales. Treachery is rampant and death is ever-present: stories aren’t safe, and love can’t rescue anyone—or can it?

Read-Alikes:
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint

Shortlist
The House of the Stag by Kage Baker, TOR Books, 9780765317452
Ink and Steel by Elizabeth Bear, Roc, 9780451462091
Shadowbridge by Gregory Frost, Ballantine, 9780345497581
Small Favor byJim Butcher, Roc, 978045146189

Historical Fiction

The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II by Jeff Shaara, Ballantine, 9780345461421

In this riveting tale of D-Day and its aftermath, Shaara closely follows events through the lives common soldiers and generals, Allies and Axis alike. A journalistic style underscores the drama of events, and the engaging warts-and-all portrayals add to the immediacy of the novel.

Read-Alikes:
Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell
An Army at Down: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson
Killing Rommel bySteven Pressfield

Shortlist
Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell, Random House, 9781400-64717
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, William Morrow, 9780688163181
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, Dial Press, 9780385340991
The Whiskey Rebels byDavid Liss, Random House, 9781400064205

Horror

Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow, Harper, 9780061430220

The insiders’ perspective and lyrical language of this haunting free verse novel offer a sympathetic glimpse into the lives of urban werewolves, a nightmarish noir world where violence and heartbreak go hand in hand.

Read-Alikes:
Bitten byKelley Armstrong,
The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo
The Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston

Shortlist
Coffin County by Gary A. Braunbeck, Leisure, 9780843960501
Infected by Scott Sigler, Crown, 9780307406101
The Killing Circle byAndrew Pyper, St. Martin’s Minotaur, 9780312384760
The Wolfman byNicholas Pekearo, Tor, 9780765320261

Mystery

The Garden of Evil by David Hewson, Bantam Dell, 978-0385339575

In contemporary Rome an unknown lascivious painting by Caravaggio, grisly murders, and a heart-stopping chase mark series detective Nic Costa’s return. The perfidious villains can only be outwitted by inventive police work and an unexpected ally in this masterfully crafted puzzler.

Read-Alikes:
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez Reverte
Dressed for Death by Donna Leon
The Death Artist byJonathan Santlofer

Shortlist
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard, William Morrow, 9780061173509
The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe, Harcourt, 9780151013470
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny, St. Martin’s Press, 9780312352578
Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis, Random, 9780812977769

Romance

The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne, Berkley
9780425219607

Take a British spymaster and a resourceful French agent, spice with clever banter, toss in a refreshing and unexpected plot, add a heaping measure of sexual chemistry, and the result is an irresistible read with Napoleon’s ambitions for England hanging in the balance.

Read-Alikes:
Scandal by Amanda Quick
It’s in His Kiss byJulia Quinn
Seduced by a Spy byAndrea Pickens

Shortlist
My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne, Berkley, 9780425222461
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, Bantam Books, 9780440244318
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose byLauren Willig, Dutton, 9780525950332
Your Scandalous Ways byLoretta Chase,Avon Books, 9780061231247

Science Fiction

Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham, Eos, 9780061373299

On a dangerous backwater planet, a criminal outcast stumbles across an alien race in hiding in this relentless and gritty adventure. Forced into a life-threatening hunt, he is irrevocably changed and learns what it means to be truly human.

Read-Alikes:
Downward to the Earth byRobert Silverberg
Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear
Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan

Shortlist
The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez, Tom Doherty, 9780765318343
City at the End of Time byGreg Bear, Ballantine, 9780345448392
Matter byIain M.Banks, Orbit, 9780316005364
A World Too Near byKay Kenyon, Pyr Books, 9781591026426

Women’s Fiction

Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy, Algonquin Books
9781565125414

Set against the richly textured landscape of rural Vermont, Maloy’s optimistic and heartwarming novel chronicles one woman’s experience of widowhood as she remembers the pains and pleasures of her long marriage and moves into a new phase of her life.

Read-Alikes:
Broken for You byStephanie Kallos
The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys
The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Shortlist
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, William Morrow, 9780061240270
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner, Atria Books, 9780743294256
The Sugar Queen bySarah Addison Allen, Bantam Dell, 9780553805499
Thank You for All Things bySandra Kring, Bantam, 9780553591491

The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. For more information, visit www.ala.org/rusa.

Summer Reading '09

You know you've been waiting for this. The Bookseller.com reported that Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan--whose handselling reign as the U.K. equivalent of Oprah's Book Club has been somewhat in decline of late--unveiled their Summer Reads for 2009:

Summer Reads for 2009 from Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.

Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes
Guernica: A Novel by Dave Boling
Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter
Mr Toppit by Charles Elton
The Great Lover by Jill Dawson
Mystery Man by Colin Bateman
The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee