February is awards month. It’s time for the Golden Globes, and the Oscars, and also a great month to read an award-winning book!
In the book world, major awards don’t correspond neatly to one month, but AAPLD’s print and digital collections include winners of all the major literary and genre fiction awards, from 2020 through many previous years.
To help you decide which award winner you might enjoy for your February Reading Resolutions read, here is a list of the book awards represented in our collection and a little about each one:
National Book Award – Presented by the National Book Foundation, whose mission is to “celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.” National Book Award winners in our collection include: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, There, There by Tommy Orange and Leave The World Behind by Ruuman Alam.
Man Booker Prize – One of the two Booker prizes for literature, the Man Booker Prize considers a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel. Man Booker Prize winners and finalists in our collection include This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangeremba, and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel.
National Book Critics Circle – Each year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. NBCC winners/finalists in our collection include Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat, Feast Your Eyes by Myla Goldberg, Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Kirkus Prize – The awards in fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature are given annually by Kirkus Reviews, and each award comes with a $50,000 cash prize, making the Kirkus Prize among the most lucrative in the world. Kirkus winners/finalists in our collection include Luster by Raven Leilani, Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham, Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopera and the Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante.
Pulitzer Prize – Established in 1907 by publisher Joseph Pultizer to recognize excellent in literature and journalism. Pulitzer prize winners and finalists in our collection include The Nickel Boys by Colin Whitehead, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Topeka School by Ben Lerner.
Women’s Prize For Fiction – one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious literary prizes, and annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom. Winners and Finalists in our collection include Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, Domincana by Angie Cruz, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel, and Weather by Jill Offill.
Hugo Award– Selected by popular vote of the World Science Fiction Society to recognize excellence in writing, art and publishing. Since 2009, the Hugos have also recognized Science Fiction and Fantasy graphic novels. Winners and finalists in our collection include Monstress (volumes 1-3) by Marjorie M. Liu, Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson (Hugo for Best Graphic Story), A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal.
Edgar Award– Awarded by the Mystery Writers of America and named for Edgar Allen Poe, the Edgar recognizes excellence in the mystery, thriller and true crime genres. Edgar winners and finalists in our collection include The Devil In White City by Erik Larson, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, and Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel.
RITA Award – Selected by the members of the Romance Writers of America, this award recognizes excellence in multiple genres of romance fiction. In 2021, the RITA will be replaced by the Vivian, to better reflect the diversity of romance readers and authors. RITA award winners in our collection include Lady In Waiting by Marie Tremayne, A Duke In The Night by Kelly Bowen, How to Keep A Secret by Sarah Morgan, My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma, Then There Was You by Kara Isaac, Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins.
Stonewall Award – Awarded by the American Library Association’s LGBTQ roundtable to recognize excellence in fiction and non-fiction related to the LGBTQ experience. Winners in our collection include Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis, The Hours by Michael Cunningham.
YALSA Notable Book Lists– Fiction titles that exemplify quality literature with appeal to young adults, awarded by the American Library Association, and nominated by readers, librarians and publishers. Winners in our collection include Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker, The Cruel Prince by Ashley Herring Blake
Nebula Award– Recognizes the best works of science fiction and fantasy, selected by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Winners in our collection include The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Agatha Award – A relatively new award devoted to the cozy mystery genre and named for author Agatha Christy. Agatha Winners in our collection include Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron, Glass Houses by Louis Penny.
Christy Award – Awarded by Christian publishers to recognize excellence within several genres of Christian fiction. Books in our collection include No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert, Life After by Katie Ganshert, The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry, The Sea Keeper’s Daughter by Lisa Wingate, The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate, Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley
Want to see more of our Award Winning books? Click here to watch the latest edition of the Adult Services New Release Round-Up, and here to access the Reading Resolutions February online catalog.
Once you’ve read your selection, go to the 2021 Reading Resolutions Challenge in Beanstack, select the February Activity Badge (shown above), answer the question. When your badge changes from gray to color, you’re entered in our monthly drawing.
Yes, we know that February is the shortest month, so if you can’t finish your book by the end of the month, no problem. Once a badge is active, it remains active all year. While you’ll miss the monthly drawing, you’ll still earn the badge, which counts toward the Grand Prize drawing at the end of the year.
To commemorate Black History Month 2021, AAPLD is proud to offer a series of four thought-provoking TED talks, presented by leading Black authors and historians.
Pulitzer prize-winning author Wilkerson talks about the Great Migration and its influence on society today. The topic of Wilkerson’s best-seller, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” the Great Migration brought southern Black cuisine, culture, religion, and music to northern cities, and gave rise to a generation that transformed those cities through hard work, and the search for a better life.
This week, Joseph R. Biden will be inaugurated as our nation’s 46th president, which makes it a great time to read a book written by or about a president, his family or his legacy. AAPLD has a large collection of books devoted to American history, current events, and also biographies. If you’re taking part in Reading Resolutions, January is the month to read a biography, autobiography or memoir. Why not give a one of these a try?
The year 2020 saw record levels of digital book circulation worldwide, according to OverDrive, one of AAPLDs digital material providers. Check-outs of ebooks, downloadable audiobooks and digital magazines, from both public libraries and schools, grew by 33% over 2019.