MICHAEL POSNER
From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008 5:12PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:28PM EDT
One of Britain's most popular book clubs has selected two Canadian novels for its 2009 reading list.
TV hosts Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan put Steven Galloway's The Cellist of Sarajevo and Winnipegger Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle on their top 10 list.
Galloway's book (Random House) was inspired by a musician who played outdoors for 22 days during the mid-1990s siege of Sarajevo, commemorating 22 lives lost during the shelling. It made the 2008 Giller Prize's long list and was sold to 18 countries before publication.
Davidson earned an advance of $1.25-million U.S. for his gothic romance novel, his first, which took him seven years to write. It has since been published into 26 languages.
Books chosen by Madeley and Finnigan — former Channel 4 presenters who now appear on digital TV channel Watch — often become bestsellers in Britain. For example, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, which they featured in 2006, became the U.K.'s fastest-selling paperback of all-time.
Canadian books previously accorded Richard-and-Judy honours include Lori Lansens's The Girls and The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson.
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