The real announcement, the once by the judges themselves in all their feminist glory and bookish wisdom, was announced at the stroke of midnight on March 8, and it was, as always, an exciting list.

Three of my predictions made the list. I’ve actually already read and Reviewed 6 of the 16 Nominees, so I am feeling good about my head start in that department. But most importantly, I am excited at the longlist’s continued improvement when it comes to representation. This year seven of the sixteen nominees are women of color.

This year’s nominees (with links as each is reviewed here) are as follows:

H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Sight by Jessie Greengrass
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasamy
Elmet by Fiona Mozley
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward