Winter in The Netherlands
Winter in The Netherlands
- It feels like January will never end….
- The hard cold nails of rain stinging my face.
- I lean against the a pummeling wind on my bike
- …trying to inch forward to the grocery store.
- Coffee is my reward when I get home.
- But with all this winter weather…nothing will cheer me up
- …like a good book.
- I will try to read some of the long listed books
- …for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2020.
- I need to set a small goal while I wait for the February sun.
- I did some research and have compiled my short list.
- There are some books on the long list that don’t appeal at all!
- We’ll have to wait and see what the judges say
- Short list 7 April
- Prize announcement 14 May
My shortlist for Dylan Thomas Prize 2020
Flèche – Mary Jean Chan ( 50 poems) 2019 winner Costa Award for Poetry – REVIEW
Surge – Jay Bernard (poetry) – REVIEW
If All the World and Love Were Young – Stephen Sexton (poetry) – REVIEW
Exquisite Cadavers – Meena Kandasamy (novella)…it’s only 112 pg…so quick read
Things We Say in the Dark – Kristy (short (dark) stories) – REVIEW
Not reading:
LOT – Bryan Washington (short stories)
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgous – Ocean Vuong
The Far Field – M. Vijay
Stubborn Archivist – Yara Fowler
Inland – Téa Obreht
Virtuoso – Yelena Moskovich
Black Car Burning – Helen Mort
Feedback to Sue Whispering Gums
Sue, book contains animal cruelty which I avoid. (Ocean Vuong)
Books in the India don’t appeal to me. (M. Vijay)
Not in the mood for mythic journey (T. Obecht) or
3 generational family story characters stuck between 2 cultures (Yara Fowler).
Short stories do appeal to me but ones with a begin-middle-end.
I get pleasure from hearing a good ending. Alas stories just about slices of life, staccato like delivery… are not for me (Bryan Washington). I long for wordcraft, the metaphors, similes that Amy Witting is so good at.
Sentences that slink and lilt with a David Lynch-dreamlike feeling….no thank you. (Y. Moskovich)
That leaves one book that is one I am still considering Black Car Burning (H. Mort). Debut novel, 336 pages…perhaps I’ll try it is she makes the short list!
NancyElin.blog 
I can highly recommend When All the World and Love Were Young by Stephen Sexton – it’s a stunning collection from a very lovely guy.
Northern Ireland….good for #ReadIrelandMonth20 !
He is on my list for sure. :)
Love this, Nancy. I don’t much like winter – even though ours isn’t as cold as yours, I think. We are having a terrible summer with fires and other catastrophes, but I still prefer summer really.
I did some research and have compiled my short list. There are some books on the long list that don’t appeal at all!
We’ll have to wait and see what the judges say (short list 7 April, prize announcement 14 May)
PS love summer too!
My shortlist for Dylan Thomas Prize 2020
Fleche – Mary Jean Chan* (poetry)
Surge – Jay Bernard (poetry)
If All the World and Love Were Young – Stephen Sexton* (poetry)
Exquisite Cadavers – Meena Kandasamy (novella)…it’s only 112 pg…so quick read
Things We Say in the Dark – Kristy (short (dark) stories)*
Not reading:
LOT – Bryan Washington (short stories)
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgous – Ocean Vuong
The Far Field – M. Vijay
Stubborn Archivist – Yara Fowler
Inland – Téa Obreht
Virtuoso – Yelena Moskovich
Black Car Burning – Helen Mort
I love summer lovers!
On what basis do you decide you won’t read some books on lists like these?
Sue, book contains animal cruelty which I avoid. (Ocean Vuong)
Books in the India don’t appeal to me. (M. Vijay)
Not in the mood for mythic journey (T. Obecht) or
3 generational family story characters stuck between 2 cultures (Yara Fowler).
Short stories do appeal to me but ones with a begin-middle-end.
I get pleasure from hearing a good ending. Alas stories just about slices of life, staccato like delivery… are not for me (Bryan Washington). I long for wordcraft, the metaphors, similes that Amy Witting is so good at.
Stories with sentences that slink and lilt with a David Lynch-dreamlike feeling….no thank you. (Y. Moskovich)
That leaves one book that is one I am still considering Black Car Burning (H. Mort). Debut novel, 336 pages…perhaps I’ll try it is she makes the short list!
Thanks Nancy. That’s really interesting. I love that you can be so clear about what you will and won’t read.
It’s a shame you don’t read books set in India cause The Far Field was tremendous, but I love Indian lit! In the one I learnt a lot about Kashmir in particular. A debut writer with a strong authentic voice.
Never developed a fondness for Indian Lit.
No rational explanation…
I keep promising myself to read E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India.
I did read a non-ficton that interested me:
Indian Summer (2007) by Alex von Tunzelmann (journalist for The Guardian)
Centrs on Lord Mountbatten..handover of power in summer 1947
…and the affair Mrs Edwina Mountbatten had with Nehru!
Highly Rrcommend it!