And then there were six. Here's the Man Booker Prize shortlist:

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Satin Island by Tom McCarthy

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

The last two books are by American authors, a first for the Man Booker Prize. Of those two Americans, Hanya Yanagihara is considered a frontrunner for the prize. And you'll have a chance to see her in person; Yanagihara will be reading at University Book Store on November 20th, in conversation with Shelf Awareness associate editor Dave Wheeler.