If you are part of a reading group in East Anglia or your book club wants to discover some great new writing with a Norfolk, Suffolk or Fenland theme then check out the recently announced shortlist for the 2011 East Anglian Book Awards:
Fiction: judged by B J Epstein, lecturer in literature and translation at UEA.
22 Britannia Road, by Amanda Hodgkinson (Fig Tree/Penguin)
Life: An Exploded Diagram, by Mal Peet (Walker Books)
Daughters-in-Law, by Joanna Trollope (Doubleday)
Poetry: judged by Lavinia Greenlaw, who runs the poetry MA course at UEA, where she is a professor of creative writing.
The Spinney, by Philip Michael Goodman (Geo. R Reeve)
Another Use of Canvas, by Angus Sinclair (Gatehouse Press)
Flatlands, by Victor Tapner (Salt Publishing)
History and Tradition: judged by Steve Snelling, a respected military historian.
Films Were Made: Volume Two, by David Cleveland (self-published)
Norwich Pubs and Breweries Past and Present, by Frances and Michael Holmes (Norwich Heritage Projects)
William Faden and Norfolk’s 18th- Century Landscape, by Andrew Macnair and Tom Williamson (Windgather Press)
Biography and Memoir: judged by Kathryn Hughes, biographer and professor of life-writing at UEA.
Whatever Next?, by Earl Ferrers (Biteback Publishing)
Knapton: 20th-Century Village Voices, edited by Gillian Shephard (Biteback Publishing).
Edith Cavell, by Diana Souhami (Quercus)
Places and Nature: judged by David North, the education manager at Norfolk Wildlife Trust and author of several books on wildlife.
The Norfolk Cranes’ Story, by Chris Durdin and John Buxton (Wren Publishing)
This Luminous Coast, by Jules Pretty (Full Circle Editions)
Art and Photography: judged by Amanda Geitner, head of collections and exhibitions at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the UEA.
Wells-next-the-Sea – People and Places, by Janet Angles and John Warham (Thornham Local History Society)
Water Marks, by Ian Collins (Black Dog Books)
The Aldeburgh Scallop, by Maggi Hambling (Full Circle Editions)
Guidebooks and Travel: judged by Keith Skipper, the well-known Norfolk author and broadcaster.
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, by Alexander Stewart (Trailblazer)
The Blue Plaques of Norwich, by Nick Williams (Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust)
Green Pebble’s Art! East Anglia (Green Pebble Publishing).
The winners will be announced on November 3 at the Assembly House, Norwich at a ceremony hosted by broadcaster Carol Bundock.
If you are looking for a reading group and book club to join in the region – check out Writers’ Centre Norwich Book Club and also "Norfolk ":http://www.readinggroups.org/profile/3563/and Surrey Libraries’ reading groups.
