Harvest: A Novel

Colm Toibin and Jhumpa Lahiri headline the 2013 Booker shortlist, which also offers newer names like NoViolet Bulawayo, making the list with her first novel, and Eleanor Catton, shortlisted for her second. The longlist was offered here with some excerpts a month ago, but since you might not have gotten around to them then, we'll offer the same with the shortlist below. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (excerpt) The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (publisher synopsis) Harvest by Jim Crace (excerpt) The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (excerpt) A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (review) The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (Millions review, excerpt)

In a welcome change of pace from the customarily masculine lists of years past, the 2013 Booker Prize longlist is notable because women outnumber men. The thirteen novels on this year's "Booker Prize dozen" are from an eclectic mix of up-and-comers as well as established heavy hitters. Interestingly, only Colm Tóibín and Jim Crace have previously been featured on Booker longlists. Meanwhile NoViolet Bulawayo, Eleanor Catton, Eve Harris, and Donal Ryan are each making their first appearances. This year's longlist is among the most diverse ever put out by the Booker judges. In total, seven different countries are represented by the authors of these books. All the Booker Prize longlisters are below (with excerpts where available): Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (excerpt) We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (review) The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (publisher synopsis) Harvest by Jim Crace (excerpt) The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris The Kills by Richard House (author interview) The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (excerpt) Unexploded by Alison MacLeod TransAtlantic by Colum McCann (Millions review, author interview) Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson (YouTube video of author discussion) A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (review) The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan (YouTube video of author reading) The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (Millions review, excerpt)

New this week: Karen Russell's new collection Vampires in the Lemon Grove; buzzed-about thriller The Dinner by Herman Koch; Harvest by Jim Crace; Fight Song by Joshua Mohr; the final novel of the late Maeve Binchy, A Week in Winter; Tara Conklin's debut The House Girl; and James Lasdun's non-fiction Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked.