Judging the Orange Prize

Well, as you can see, Orange judge and Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman showed her enthusiasm for independent bookshops by coming to talk to us in the Methodist Church about the process of judging the Orange Prize for Fiction. Despite what most people would consider an unbelievably hectic job for the past eighteen years - and a teenage son - she reads a lot too. We were all impressed by her stoicism and endurance in having read so many books in such a short period of time while she was selecting books for the Orange longlist and shortlist ('And then I caught flu which was quite a relief because I managed to read three books while I was recovering!') and it was interesting to hear her talk about the titles that didn't make the shortlist as well as those that did. The talk was followed by questions during which she and the audience agreed on the dearth of well-written books about contemporary middle-class life - a modern Jane Austen, for example - and shared Daisy Goodwin's view that there was rather too much misery in the books submitted. The Woodstock Bookshop is currently compiling a list of amusing or even funny books - any suggestions please to info@woodstockbookshop.co.uk ...