The TV Book Club: New Year Shortlist Announced.

Ten books carefully chosen from the thousands of new books published are about to be become the titles everyone will be talking about as the 2011 TV Book Club short list is announced today.

The diverse assembly of writers, some new and some established authors, earning a place on TV’s best known literary discussion forum includes two from the current Booker Prize shortlist, a leading TV producer, and even a former post woman. The titles will be reviewed on a weekly basis when the series returns to More4 on Sunday 16^th January at 7.30pm, with repeats on Channel 4 the following day.

Funded by Specsavers, the ten-part series sees a celebrity panel that includes Jo Brand, Dave Spikey and Laila Rouass joined for this new series by Ade Edmondson and Meera Syal. They will critique a new title each week encouraging viewers to read along with them.

The series launches with the Booker nominated Room by Emma Donoghue, with the rest of the titles (in transmission order) as follows: The Long Song by Andrea Levy, Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey, Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna, The News Where You Are by Catherine O’Flynn, Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham, Even The Dogs by Jon McGregor, My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin and Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst.

Emma Donoghue and Andrea Levy, were both finalists for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. In addition, Andrea scooped the Orange Prize For Fiction back in 2004.

Also on the short list is TV producer turned fiction author Daisy Goodwin, who currently heads up production company Silver River. Her list of TV credits includes How Clean Is Your House, Grand Designs and Jamie’s Kitchen. The Last Duchess marks her literary debut as the TV Book Club continues a tradition of championing emerging writing talents.

Meanwhile, the varying backgrounds of the authors include a former Grenadier Guard officer, Patrick Hennessey, Science Writer Rebecca Skloot, and ex post woman and mystery shopper Catherine O’Flynn, who was declared Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards in 2008.

As ever, the titles have been carefully chosen by a panel headed up by Amanda Ross, creator and producer of the original and recently revived TV Book Club, and Managing Director of Cactus TV. Kate Mosse, Kate Riverton, Cecilia Aherne and Linwood Barclay are a handful of the literary stalwarts that Ross has spotted since founding the Book Club’s original incarnation in 2004. Such is her influence in the publishing industry that Amanda was hailed ‘The Most Powerful Person In Publishing’ by The Observer Review and one of the ‘Top 50 Most Influential Londoners’ by Evening Standard.

Of the 2011 short list, Amanda remarks “There’s a wealth of creativity and originality in the short listed titles and every book has that extra special quality that made it impossible to put down.  I want to get as many people as possible reading, these are some of our best and most diverse picks yet, so should encourage more people to pick up a book. Our authors backgrounds range from an American science writer through to a fellow TV producer, and I’m proud to be championing some great new talent as well as incredibly talented established authors”

Specsavers marketing director, Richard Holmes says: ‘This is the second year of our partnership funding the TV Book Club and we’re delighted to continue the success of the previous seasons and sponsorship of the Crime Thriller Awards. This year we’ll be focusing on literacy and the intrinsic link between reading and eyecare. There’s no doubt that this great selection of titles will encourage even more people to read along with the show.’