Man Booker Shortlist Prediction

So me and a few friends have decided to tackle the Man Booker long list. The end goal is to read all 13 of the long listed titles, meet up the weekend before the award is handed out and maybe choose our own winner!

Thankfully this year I had already read five of the long listed titles. I have now added 5 more under my belt and have three to go. I am pretty confident of finishing the list, although Arundhati Roy's book will be a challenge, as I have heard it is difficult (and it is also a bit long). I somehow managed to plow through Paul Auster's epic 4 3 2 1 though so if that was possible anything is!

Ok here is a reminder of the long list (with my review linked in the bracket if applicable)

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster (US) (https://myfriendthereader.blogspot.ca/2017/08/an-epic-coming-of-age-storyin-four.html)
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Ireland) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1771184256?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (US) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2069930802?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan-UK) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1903402038?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack (Ireland) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2073096635?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (UK) (haven't read yet)
Elmet by Fiona Mozley (UK) (havent' read yet)
The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (India) (haven't read yet)
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (US) (read but no review)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (UK-Pakistan) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2073098468?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
Autumn by Ali Smith (UK) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2092738617?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith (UK) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1627168874?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (US) (read but no review)

First things first, I actually think it is a good list. Last year, I read most of the short list and afterward felt that only 2 of the books really deserved to be there. Even of the books above that maybe I didn't connect with as well I found to be ambitious and novel and engaging, thematically and in form. There isn't a book I felt was a bomb.

That said, I also haven't been as moved this year by any of the books. Last year, I adored Do Not Say 
We Have Nothing and was bowled over by The Sellout. This year I was impacted by Auster's 4 3 2 1 and Whitehead is a technical master, but with the former I don't think it will make the short list and with the latter I felt a missing emotional edge, which I think may have been intentional on the author's part.

So taking into consideration that I still have three books to read, here is my shortlist prediction:

Solar Bones
Lincoln in the Bardo
The Ministry of Untold Happiness
Home Fire
Autumn
The Underground Railroad

Would love to see Auster there but I think the jury will not embrace this doorstop of a novel.

Shortlist comes out on Wednesday. We will see how well I do.