After all that, I couldn't even pick the winner correctly. Patrick DeWitt's THE SISTERS BROTHERS wins the 2012 Tournament of Books as a Zombie pick (the other one was THE ART OF FIELDING) over Teju Cole's OPEN CITY. Put it on your lists!

Man Booker Prize Shortlist Released

The spin in Britain is that Alan Hollinghurst didn't make the list. I'm a huge fan and can't wait to get to his new book THE STRANGER'S CHILD, but I don't think he's crying into his Earl Grey. Meanwhile, I don't understand the Julian Barnes preoccupation and my random whim professional judgment and premonitory leanings to read PIGEON ENGLISH continue to pay off. Here's the full list:

• THE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes
• JAMRACH'S MENAGERIE by Carol Birch
• THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick deWitt
• HALF BLOOD BLUES by Esi Edugyan
• PIGEON ENGLISH by Stephen Kelman
• SNOWDROPS by AD Miller