On July 23, autumn book award season got its first kick start with the announcement of the longlist for the Man Booker Prize.

Longlists are still a relatively new phenomenon — the Booker first published a longlist in 2001 — they have begun to take hold, and are a great way for reading enthusiasts to explore a even broader range of new and interesting authors.

This year’s Man Booker Prize has already been praised: The Guardian called it the “most diverse” in the prize’s history. Halifax readers will be pleased to note the inclusion of an author with local connections Alison MacLeod for her forthcoming book Unexploded.

Below is the list of nominated titles with links to the library catalogue. As The Man Booker is a UK based prize, there are a number of titles on the long list that have yet to be released in North America: we’ll be keeping our eye on these and adding them as they become available.

The shortlist for the Man Booker Prize will be announced September 10 and the winner October 15.