Book Projects

I briefly mentioned some book lists in the previous post but I really didn't explain them. First of all, the 2010 Hugo nominees came out this weekend. The Best Novel list is of interest to me:

• Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor)
• The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
• Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America, Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)
• Palimpsest, Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra)
• Wake, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Penguin; Gollancz; Analog)
• The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

I've heard very good things about 'The City & The City' and 'The Windup Girl'. With any luck I'll make it through the majority of these by the time the award is handed out in August.
The other list is a bit more unique. Every year the Booker prize is awarded to the best Commonwealth (and Ireland) novel. In 1971 they changed the eligibility dates and a huge group of books fell through the gap. To make up for this, they've decided to go back and find the best book in that time period. Their version of the story is here.
They put together a list of 22 worthies and then trimmed that down to six for the shortlist. This list is open for public voting, lasting until April 23rd. Good descriptions of each book can be found here. I almost certainly won't get through the whole list but I've picked up three of them and will work to knock those out.
Today I finished Renault's 'Fire from Heaven', which is an historical novel about the childhood of Alexander the Great. It's a very good novel and it would be a deserving winner. Next up is 'The Birds on the Trees'.