J.G. from Hotch Pot Cafe recently commented on the conspicuous absence of The Orange Prize winners from my list of Must Read lists. It's not that I have anything against The Orange Prize (well, actually, I kind of do -- prizes based on gender or race rub me the wrong way because they imply, to me, an inability to compete in an open field -- but that is a discussion for another day), it is just that I have not yet posted all of my lists.
Over on Lists of Bests, I am keeping track of 91 book lists -- including Orange Prize Winners -- and have completed nine. These are prize winners, recommended reading, and favorite author bibliographies. So far, I only have 14 lists posted here. Another one will be up tomorrow. My hope is to get them all up eventually, but that will take some time.
And I would welcome suggestions. Just leave a comment with your favorite Must Read list. Chances are the list is already on my radar, but you never know.
In the meantime, you can track J.G.'s Orange Prize progress here.
Wow, what a lot of great lists. I'm always impressed with how much you've read.
ReplyDeleteOr how compulsively I keep track!
ReplyDeleteAnd I should mention that there are plenty of lists from which I have read only a couple of books -- or even none. But thanks for the compliment.
ReplyDeletePoint well taken, and I kind of agree with you. But because there's still a historically-based male/female imbalance in the Canon, I think of the Oranges as a shortcut to broadening my reading horizons.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a short enough list I might actually read them all!
Last but not least, thanks for the shout out.
I love that you've always highlighted interesting lists for me. I've bookmarked your latest batch of links for me to look at later (compusively keep track of) I half heartedly keep track of some of the award winners, but I only really keep track of my 1001 books to read before you die list.
ReplyDeleteI do know what you mean about the Orange prize. I felt the same way ... until the first shortlisr came out. I had recently dicovered and fallen in love with Helen Dunmore, I loved Anne Tyler, I was intrigued by Pagan Kennedy. So i have followed it ever since and discovered a stak of great books that way. But I would never follow it alone - I look at any number of lists and sources. It would never do to miss anything!
ReplyDeleteFleur -- Yes, I agree. That's why I am following the Orange prize list. I wouldn't have it as my only list, but as one of many, I'll keep track.
ReplyDeleteWhile I take issue with awarding a prize based on gender, I have no problem at all with personal preferences based on gender. For instance, I also keep track of Erica Jong's list of Top 100 20th Century Novels by women. I really loved Fear of Flying, which I only read a couple of years ago, so when i came across her recommendation list, I added it. I'll get it up on this blog one of these days.