A shortlist of six books has been announced for the £3,000 (about $4,005) Orwell Book Prize, which recognizes work that comes closest to George Orwell's ambition "to make political writing into an art":
Winter by Ali Smith
What You Did Not Tell: A Russian Past and the Journey Home by Mark Mazower
The Islamic Enlightenment: The Modern Struggle Between Faith and Reason by Christopher de Bellaigue
Testosterone Rex: Unmaking the Myths of Our Gendered Minds by Cordelia Fine
Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass by Darren McGarvey
Lovers & Strangers: An Immigrant History of Post-War Britain by Clair Wills
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The longlist has been announced for this year's Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel written by New Zealand citizens and residents, Booksellers NZ reported. The prize is judged by a panel of crime writing experts from New Zealand, Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. Finalists will be announced in July, along with the finalists for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. The winners will be named as part of a special event at the WORD Christchurch Festival, held August 29 to September 2. This year's longlisted titles for best novel are:
Marlborough Man by Alan Carter
Baby by Annaleese Jochems
See You in September by Charity Norman
The Lost Taonga by Edmund Bohan
The Easter Make Believers by Finn Bell
The Only Secret Left to Keep by Katherine Hayton
Tess by Kirsten Mcdougall
The Sound of Her Voice by Nathan Blackell
A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave
The Hidden Room by Stella Duffy