Adiga on shortlist for Independent Booksellers book prize

Aravind Adiga c: Mark Pringle

Customers to vote from a shortlist of ten bestselling titles from independent bookshops

19 June 2009

As part of the celebrations for this week's Independent Booksellers Week (15-22 June) customers are asked to vote for their favourite book from an eclectic shortlist of ten bestselling titles.

The shortlist includes 2008 Man Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger, along with shortlisted author Sebastian Barry with The Secret Scripture, and Tom Rob Smith whose novel, Child 44, was longlisted.

Booksellers Association members chose the ten titles from a longlist derived form sales data of bestselling books at independent bookshops.

More than 230 independent bookshops are participating, and customers can vote using a postcard from in the stores or by emailing votes@booksellers.org.uk. Voting began earlier in the week and will run until 28 August. The winner will be announced in September.

The full shortlist is:

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill

Spilling the Beans by Clarissa Dickson-Wright

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

When Will There be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Visit the Independent Booksellers Week website for more information.