The Litblog Co-op's Choice

Last month, I wrote about the Litblog Co-op, a group of literary bloggers who were getting together to bring attention to fiction they feel has been overlooked. Today, after previously narrowing the field down to five, they've announced their first Read This selection: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Here's part of what Lizzie Skurnick, the blogger who nominated the book, had to say:

It seems impossible to believe that Kate Atkinson's sentences ever had an awkward stage. Each paragraph, each page, each chapter unfolds with perfect precision, the prose and pacing fully shaped. There's nothing flowery about the words, but no stripped-down drama either. Atkinson's a pro - a juicy pro.

The reader can also luxuriate happily in the plot. Now that I know her work, I'd be happy to read Atkinson ruminating on the benefits of fertilizer brands, but there's a distinct pleasure in watching someone handle what is essentially a stock murder mystery with expert literary precision.

Sounds interesting enough. The author isn't exactly as unknown as I might've expected. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Prize in Britain ten years ago, so she's the kind of author who gets attention when she releases new work. Still, Case Histories may deserve a wider audience than it received, so its choice could be fair enough. I wasn't aware of the book, and if I had been, I'm not sure I'd have considered reading it if it hadn't been named here (and I still may or may not, but I am considering it). As Skurnick, responding to criticism in the comments to the announcement, points out, "This was our inaugural choice, and nominators only had to work with what they'd been scouring up until then, big and small. In the continuing rounds, small press publishers will have the same chance to get a wide assortment of books in front of the nominators as the big guns way beforehand, and it will be as close to fair as any contest is." We'll see how the LBC's choices pan out over the long run to see how effective they are in turning their spotlight on overlooked work.

The LBC plans to announce a schedule for discussions with Atkinson, her editor, and others involved with the book. They'll also post about the four other nominees that weren't chosen for Read This. Check back with them over the next few days.

By the way, for anybody's who's going to BookExpo next month, or who's anywhere close the the New York metropolitan area, the Litblog Co-op is hosting a reception. Although I'd like to be at BookExpo this year, without a new title on the shelves, I can't justify the time and expense. For anybody who is going (I know Stu will be there--any other readers?), happy networking, and take home lots of fun signed books!