Guardian First Book Award

The shortlist for the Guardian Book Award has been announced. The list is a mix of genres, as the award is not specifically meant for fiction as opposed to poetry and nonfiction. The list: Ground Water by Matthew Hollis; Natasha by David Bezmozgis; Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke; The Places in Between by Rory Stewart; and Mutants: On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body by Armand Marie Leroi.