Recent Book Award Winners: More Great Books for your TBR!
Hello Everyone,
Award season is truly here, and much as books have their own March Madness events, the movie award season is paralleled by a whole host of book awards! These awards included the American Library Association awards, the NAACP awards, and the PEN America awards, and, as usual, I have even more exciting books to add to my TBR. Below are a few of the ones I am the most intrigued by, but you can find updated award lists for all the awards given on my Current Book Awards page.
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang
This book is a look at the history of Asian American immigration post 1965, when strict immigration bans from Asia were lifted. The Asian American immigration story is one I know little about, but know is unique, and I am intrigued by this interesting window into Asian American history.
Winner of the PEN Translation Prize
People from Bloomington by Budi Darma, translated from Indonesian by Tiffany Tsao
One of the things I love about translation prizes is that they sometimes introduce you to books that are long-standing classics that have only just become available in English and this is one of those. People from Bloomington was published 40 years ago in Indonesian, but is about Bloomington, Indiana, and I am so curious what this back-and-forth outside cultural perspective will be.
Winner of the The Alex Awards
True Biz by Sara Nović
The Alex Awards given every year to books that are written for adults, but have subject matter interest for younger readers who are ready to start exploring adult literature. I really like this award, and this year, the book I am the most excited about is True Biz, which is described as a coming of age tale set in a boarding school for the deaf.
Winner of The Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Frank Morrison
I really love children’s book illustration awards, and I especially love the Coretta Scott King Awards. This beautiful looking book really caught my eye, and I am so curious to pick it up and see all the beautiful illustrations!
Winner of the PEN/Jean Stein Award
Dr No by Percival Everett
For some reason, after having never heard of Percival Everett, I have heard his name so many times in the last few months that picking up one of his books is quickly becoming a priority. It sounds like he writes books strange and elusive novels about substantive subjects, and I am intrigued. This book, described as a “madcap novel and supervillains and nothing” won the PEN/Jean Stein award, which is for the best book of the year, which means it will likely be on more than a few short lists this year, and I am intrigued to give it a read.
Winner of The Southern Book Prize
Lark Ascending by Silas House
It wouldn’t be in character for me to let you off without at least one science fiction/fantasy novel on the list, and this is it! This dystopian climate change book centers on American refugees. I am nervous about it feeling too dark, but encouraged by mentions of “shared humanity” and it being a story of “friendship and bravery”.
I hope you find a fun and interesting book here, and I look forward to talking to you all next week!
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