05.04.10
CBCA Book of the Year Short List and Notables Announced!
The CBCA’s Book of the Year Short List and Notables are now up, and there’s some good stuff on there (although it’s also made me realise I have a lot of reading to do before Book Week at the end of August).
I actually feel a little embarrassed by how few of the books on the short lists I’ve read yet, but that usually seems to be what happens – there’s always a combination of books I’ve read, books I’ve wanted to read and some stuff I’ve just plain never heard of. There’s often a lot of familiar names, but it’s nice to see some newer ones on there this year as well. Justine Larbalestier‘s Liar was one of the best books I read last year, hands down. It was one of those books I read and then proceeded to thrust into the hands of everyone I met, without explanation, just with a “you need to read this!”. I also recently finished Penny Tangey‘s Loving Richard Feynman, which I adored and will be reviewing here shortly. It’s Tangey’s first novel and, as an indicator of her work, I think it shows that we’ve got a lot to look forward to from her. On the picture book list, I loved Leigh Hobbs‘s Mr Chicken Goes to Paris, because how can you not love a story about an internationally travelled, aggro-looking six-foot-tall chicken carcass?
Congratulations to all shortlisted and notable authors and illustrators!