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Book Award Winners
December 2020 |
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Welcome December Readers
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” - Tom Bodett
Greetings all and welcome to the last Award Winners newsletter of 2020. We are in the final month of a year that has been undeniably full of challenges, but there is hope that 2021 will eventually bring us a sense of normalcy again. In this last month, we encourage you to find comfort in loved ones, in good books, in sunshine, in nature, and in a hundred other small joys. We will all get through this together and come out stronger in the new year.
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Real Life by Brandon TaylorHailing from Alabama, Black and queer Wallace has learned to put up barriers between himself and the world for the sake of self-preservation. However, as the introverted young man works towards a biochemistry degree in a Midwestern town, he experiences a series of confrontations that threaten to fracture his defenses.
2020 Booker Prize shortlist
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Whose Waves These Areby Amanda DykesIn the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a request to the local paper asking people to send him a rock for each person they lost. The response from the community is overwhelming. Decades later when main character Annie Bliss visits the village to help out her beloved GrandBob, she discovers a house full of boxes of rocks and a man still lacking hope. Collaborating with the handsome village postman, Annie works to uncover the story of GrandBob's grief and to hopefully bring some healing.
2020 Christy Award Book of the Year
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Interior Chinatown by Charles YuWillis Wu doesn’t see himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man playing bit parts in Hollywood - most recently as a minor character on a procedural cop show. But after stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he’s ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family. This funny and thought-provoking book addresses topics of cultural assimilation, stereotyping, and personal vs family identity. 2020 National Book Award Winner for Fiction |
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Bluebird, Bluebirdby Attica LockeBlack Texas Ranger Darren Matthews had long ago left East Texas behind for better opportunities, but when two murders stir up racial tensions in the small town of Lark, Darren must return to solve the crimes – and save himself in the process – before things reach a breaking point. This rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas is a compelling and timely read about the collision of race and justice in America. 2018 Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel
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Spinning Silver by Naomi NovikTaking over the moneylending trade from her overly compassionate father, tenacious Miryem earns a reputation as a shrewd businesswoman. Hearing of her skill, a Staryk lord of the winter realm visits Miryem and demands that she turn his silver into gold. If she succeeds, he will make her his queen, but if she fails, an icy death awaits. What starts as a quest to survive soon morphs into a mission to save both the human and winter kingdoms. Based on European faerie tales, this deeply atmospheric novel is the perfect December read for those who enjoy a thought-provoking fantasy read. 2019 Audie Award Winner for a Fantasy Audiobook
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Burial Ritesby Hannah KentIn northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of her lover and is sent to spend her final months on the farm of the district officer. Horrified to have a murderess staying with them, the family avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, the young assistant priest appointed Agnes’s spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her. Yet as the hard winter forces everyone to work together, Agnes' story begins to emerge and it is not what anyone expects. 2014 Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel
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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony DoerrThis beautiful historical fiction novel tells the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure and her father have fled Nazi occupied Paris with a precious and valuable gem. Werner Pfennig is a young man who has been enlisted by the Hitler Youth academy to use his talent with radios to track down the Resistance. When Werner follows radio transmissions to the walled city of Saint-Malo, he is mesmerized by Marie-Laure's voice.2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction
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