You may recall that I had the Booker longlisted Room, by Emma Donoghue to read two weeks back—and I loved it. I was doubtful when I read the back, because the “room” in question is one of those ones where women and children are kidnapped and held captive for years on end. (And no, that’s not a spoiler, it really is right there on the back cover.) But I found it a wonderful read and so was delighted to see that it has made it onto the Booker Short List this week, together with Andrea Levy’s The Long Song. I was privileged to interview Andrea Levy earlier this year for Women on Air, Plains 96.9 FM, and to compere her public event here in Christchurch, which makes the progression of The Long Song to the short list that much more personal.

In terms of what I’m reading right now, because of being away at Worldcon and coming home to earthquake clean up, I haven’t had time to do any new reading. But what I have brought back is Sara Douglass’s Battle Axe (Book One of the Axis Trilogy), which I was given in my gift bag as part of Voyager’s 15th anniversary celebration, held at Worldcon. I have never read Sara Douglass before, but I have heard good things–and Joanna Preston even compared Heir to Sara s’s Axis series a few weeks back, so I am looking forward to checking it out.