Monica here from Monniblog. Hope you're all enjoying the layout and design of the blog!

I find that often prize-winning titles make fantastic gifts. Not only have these books been read by judges and deemed to be well-written stories, but by they are getting that type of recognition that spurs conversation.

"The Scotiabank Giller Prize is dedicated to celebrating the best in Canadian fiction each year, and to enhancing marketing efforts in bringing these books to the attention of all Canadians."

The winner was announced on Tuesday:
Joseph Boyden for his novel Through Black Spruce (Viking Canada)

"An astonishingly powerful novel of contemporary aboriginal life, full of the dangers and harsh beauty of both forest and city. When beautiful Suzanne Bird disappears, her sister Annie, a loner and hunter, is compelled to search for her, leaving behind their uncle Will, a man haunted by loss.While Annie travels from Toronto to New York, from modelling studios to A-list parties,Will encounters dire troubles at home. Both eventually come to painful discoveries about the inescapable ties of family. Through Black Spruce is an utterly unforgettable consideration of how we discover who we really are."

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However, both the shortlist, and the longlist contain many great titles. Of the longlist, the jury writes: “These fifteen books vary widely in technique, in setting, and in tone — from the historical to the contemporary, from the comic to the satiric to the tragic, from the local to the international. Nothing unites them but the jury's belief in their accomplishment: each contributes something fresh, original, thoughtful, or vital to the practice of fiction.”

Here are the other finalist books:

• Anthony De Sa for his collection of short stories Barnacle Love (Doubleday Canada)
• Marina Endicott for her novel Good to A Fault (Freehand Books/Broadview Press)
• Rawi Hage for his novel Cockroach (House of Anansi Press)
• Mary Swan for her novel The Boys in the Trees (Henry Holt/HB Fenn)

The original 15 titles that were longlisted included (minus the shortlist and winner):

• David Adams Richards for his novel The Lost Highway (Doubleday Canada)
• David Bergen for his novel The Retreat (McClelland & Stewart)
• Austin Clarke for his novel More (Thomas Allen Publishers)
• Emma Donoghue for her novel The Sealed Letter (HarperCollins Canada)
• Steven Galloway for his novel The Cellist of Sarajevo (Knopf Canada)
• Kenneth J Harvey for his novel Blackstrap Hawco (Random House Canada)
• Patrick Lane for his novel Red Dog, Red Dog (McClelland & Stewart)
• Pasha Malla for his collection of short stories The Withdrawal Method (House of Anansi Press)
• Paul Quarrington for his novel The Ravine (Random House Canada)
• Nino Ricci for his novel The Origin of Species (Doubleday Canada)

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I've personally read The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway and it was excellent. I promptly gave it to my mom to read! Maybe I should have saved it for the holidays ;) Next on my list is Barnacle Love by Anthony De Sa.