nomadreader

The backstory: Attica Locke's first novel, Black Water Rising , a literary historical mystery, came in at #3 on my top 10 of 2010 ( my review .) The Cutting Season is her second novel. T he basics: The Cutting Season  is the story of Belle Vie, an old sugar plantation in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Caren currently runs Bell Vie, which has been turned into a historical site. Tours regularly come through to witness the history of how the land was once farmed by slaves. It's also a popular location for weddings and special events. Caren's ancestors once worked as slaves on Belle Vie, and her mother worked there as a cook. With deep, complicated family ties to the land, Caren returned home to Belle Vie with her nine-year-old daughter Morgan. When the body of a young woman is discovered on the grounds of the plantation, Caren finds herself trying to solve the crime and discover if there's a connection to the mystery of why her great-great-great-grandfather disappeared fro...

2010 was a wonderful year of reading. I wanted to be a deliberate reader, and looking back on the books I read this year, I'm quite pleased with the quality of them. I stuck to literary fiction for the most part. I tried to read from the award lists, and I discovered many of these books on the award lists. Without further ado, here are my favorite books of 2010 (when I made my list, there happened to be ten!)  All the books I read in 2010 were eligible regardless of when the books were published. (Clicking on the links will take you to my full, original review. Clicking on the book cover will take you to it's page on Amazon.) 10. Trespass  by Rose Tremain (longlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize) I will remember 2010 as the year I finally read Rose Tremain. This hauntingly beautiful novel has stayed with me. Favorite passage: "Even here, where life went along more slowly than in England, she could sense the restless agitation people felt to make real and tangible to the...

The backstory:  Attica Locke has managed to write a first novel that has been shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize (the winner will be named June 9), named a finalist for the 2010 Edgar Award (Best First Novel by an American Author), named a finalist for the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Award (Best Mystery/Thriller) and nominated for a 2010 NAACP Image Award. It's a first novel, a literary mystery, and it seems to be universally adored. I could not wait to read it, but I was worried it could not possibly measure up to my expectations; it surpassed them. The basics:  The novel is set in Houston in 1981. Jay Porter is a young African-American lawyer with a pregnant wife and very few many clients. Jay and his wife Bernadette help rescue a woman from drowning one night, and this seemingly good deed has far-reaching effects. The verdict: Black Water Rising  is a beautifully written novel. The setting is key, and the mystery shares the stage with an astute look at social ...

he Orange Prize, given to a work of fiction written by a woman in English, has announced its 2010 shortlist. It's a British prize, and a novel's eligibility is determined by its British publication date. The official announcement , including two excellent videos of the judges discussing the shortlist are available on its Web site. The shortlist:   The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Black Water Rising by Attica Locke Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey My reactions to the shortlist: It's no surprise to see Wolf Hall on the list, but I am shocked Sarah Waters' Little Stranger did not make the shortlist. I am also surprised The Long Song by Andrea Levy did not make the list, but I'm still waiting on its U.S. release to read it. Three U.S. authors are among the six finalists: Barbara Kingsolver, Attica Locke and Lorrie Moore. The...