I usually wait to blog about the Miles Franklin when the shortlist is announced, but I think the longlist is exciting this year so I wanted to mention it. I’ve read four of the books, and have another couple in my pile. It’s great to see new voices getting recognition. And I’m happy to see small publishers Transit Lounge, Wakefield Press, and big small publisher Scribe, on the list.

The list is as follows:

• Rocks in the Belly (Jon Bauer, Scribe)
• The Good Daughter (Honey Brown, Penguin)
• The Mary Smokes Boys (Patrick Holland, Transit Lounge Publishing)
• The Piper’s Son (Melina Marchetta, Penguin)
• When Colts Ran (Roger McDonald, Random House)
• Time’s Long Ruin (Stephen Orr, Wakefield Press)
• That Deadman Dance (Kim Scott, Pan Macmillan)
• The Legacy (Kirsten Tranter, HarperCollins)
• Bereft (Chris Womersley, Scribe).

What’s my pick at this stage? Well, it’s no secret I love Chris Womersley’s Bereft, and it was a fantastic book to read in tandem with Patrick Holland’s The Mary Smokes Boys, a novel that really stayed with me. I’ll make more predictions when the shortlist is announced on 19 April.

The winner will be announced on 22 June, in Melbourne.