Wednesday, December 8, 2021

award winners

 

The next Reader’s Advisory Roundtable will be on Wednesday, February 9th at 9am for a discussion of women’s history.  Novels, nonfiction, music, movies…you pick!  As of this posting, the meeting will be hybrid so you can travel to the O’Neal Library OR log on to Zoom.  We’ll see how Omicron, or any of its brethren, are treating us come February. 

RART met this morning via a technical difficulty-laden Zoom meeting, but some information was shared about award winners! 

In attendance:

Holley W, O’Neal
Nicole L, Tarrant
Maura D, Trussville
Shawn C, Pinson
Lynn H, BPL West End
William B, BPL Central
Riana M, Pinson

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Looking at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child, this dramatic story follows Vänna, who comes to the rescue of a nine-year-old Syrian boy who has washed up on the shores of her small island and is determined to do whatever it takes to save him.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry

From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called "my whole world." When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis-known as Jack-she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn't holding together her crumbling marriage. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn't destroy.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She's not sure what she will find -- her cousin's husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (illus)

Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, Monstress tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind... and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion. Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation. When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets -- and of Kekon itself. JADE CITY begins an epic tale of family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of jade and blood.

I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott

When a child has a "bad speech day" at school, his father gives him a new perspective on his stuttering.

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

Suzette returns home to Los Angeles from boarding school and grapples with her bisexual identity when she and her brother Lionel fall in love with the same girl, pushing Lionel's bipolar disorder to spin out of control and forcing Suzette to confront her own demons.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. And don't miss On the Come Up, Angie Thomas's powerful follow-up to The Hate U Give.

Common, popular awards:

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards honor the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, tv, film and theater published or produced in the previous year.

The Christy Awards recognize fiction of excellence written from a Christian perspective with matters of faith at its core.

The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, honor mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery genre, with no explicit sex, gore, or violence and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”

National Book Awards are a set of annual United States literary awards honoring the best literature in America.

The Booker and International Booker Prizes are awarded each year for the best novel written in English (or translated into English) and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

The ScotiaBank Giller Prize is given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English.

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during the preceding calendar year.

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the United States in the previous year.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, recognize artistic and technical merit in the film industry.

The Emmy Awards are presented annually to recognize achievements in a particular sector of the television industry.

The Tony Awards recognize excellence in live Broadway theatre.

The Alabama Author Awards (ALLA) celebrate excellence in children’s books, young adult books, adult fiction and nonfiction, and poetry.

The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQ+ experience in English-language books published in the United States.

The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States.

The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements, chose by the members of the World Science Fiction Convention.

An Audie Award is given annually by the American Audio Publishers Association for audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.

The Grammy Award is presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry of the United States.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world.

The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit.

The William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award is given to a work of young adult literature by first-time author writing for teens.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal annually recognizes the preceding year’s most distinguished American picture book for children.

The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children.

The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Roundtable for the most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature for children or teens.

The Alex Awards annually recognize ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12-18.