Orange Prize for Fiction

On March 18th, the long list was announced for the Orange Prize for Fiction. The Orange Prize, started in 1992, awards a novel written by a woman.

Here is the 20 novel list.

Here is the FAQ about the award.

I have a general statement about these award "long lists." From the librarian perspective, the lists of nominating books are infinitely more helpful than the ultimate winner. Why? Because the long list lets me know about 20 books (in this situation) instead of only 1. I love finding out who wins the awards, but I can help more patrons find their next good read with a list of 20 than I can with a single title.

As I am always saying in class or training sessions, the more books you have contact with, whether it is by reading them, skimming them, reading about them, or simply having heard of them, the better you are at helping your readers.