Almost as if it were another holiday to celebrate, the Goodreads Choice Awards have once again come around, giving readers a chance to vote for their favorite books of the year. It is always a thrill, at least for me, to see which books are being considered, and just how close the race can get. So let's see what options voters have for this year.
Three DSNs have made it into the always highly competitive Best Fiction category, and they are Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Honestly, I would be good with any of these winning, but my personal vote goes to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. As was promised on the book jacket, Zevin wrote a love story like no other, one that spanned decades and moved across the country. Oh yeah, and there was video game development involved. It was intriguing as it was interesting, and also incredibly moving.
I am always surprised when I manage to get a book on this blog that ends up being nominated for the Best Mystery & Thriller category. This year it was The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. When his precious, not to mention priceless, Stradivarius violin goes missing, musician Ray McMillian begins an intense and manic search to get it back. Granted, it has caused him immense trouble since he found it in his grandmother's attic, but he cannot play anything else, and desperately needs to find it before a big competition. The book is a great ride, but it is up against the likes of The Maid by Nita Prose, and The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.
The Best Historical Fiction category is predictable stacked, and I am spoiled for choice with DSNs like Tara M. Stringfellow's Memphis, Jenny Tinghui Zhang's Four Treasures of the Sky, Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake, Kate Quinn's The Diamond Eye, and Taylor Jenkins Reid's Carrie Soto Is Back being presented for our consideration. All incredibly strong choices, I personally have the strongest attachment to Wilkerson's Black Cake. Had it been placed in the Best Fiction category (I had placed it under the 'contemporary fiction' heading), I would be free to vote for The Diamond Eye. Last year, Reid took the win in this category for Malibu Rising, and I will not be at all surprised if she does so again.
I have lamented many times that science fiction is one of my weaker categories, and yet, four DSNs have managed to make it in for the Best Science Fiction category. Out of How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, and The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, I pick the last one in the list for my vote. Mandel went back to her science fiction roots for her latest novel, making links to previous one, and giving readers a unique scifi experience that explores the possible future for human beings living somewhere other than Earth.
Both The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, and Hello, Molly by Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon have been nominated for the Best Humor category. Both approach their respective subjects with honesty and humor. While Fischer and Kinsey talk all about their time on the enduring hit TV show The Office, as well as the friendship that came from it, Shannon's book is about her life and career, which of course, SNL was a major part of. My vote goes to The Office BFFs, though Shannon's book also very much deserves the honor.
Only South to America by Imani Perry made it into the Best Nonfiction category, and I am certainly glad to see it there. Perry explored many of the South's major cities and areas, as she related not only her own personal experiences in each place as a black woman, but also its history, and how the history of the south as a whole is really the history of the U.S. It is certainly worth a read for American history buffs, and even travel lovers.
This year, I imagine the Best Memoir & Autobiography category will be an interesting race, and I love seeing both Solito by Javier Zamora (which will be reviewed in a future blog post), and The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingris Rojas Contreras as contenders. Both are incredibly vivid, and honest, and fascinating, and my decision to vote for Solito was not an easy one to make.
Normally, I am lucky to have one book from the blog show up in the Best Graphic Novels & Comics category, and this year there are two! Neither of which comes as a surprise, as both Ducks by Kate Beaton (future blog post) and Oddball by Sarah Andersen are wonderful. Andersen's humor is always infectious and engaging, but the brutal honesty with which Beaton served up the nonfiction Ducks cannot be ignored, which is why it gets my vote. I implore those who know little about the oil sands of Canada and the people who work there to pick it up.
All six (six!) books that appear in the Best Debut category have also been nominated in their respective genre categories. The Violin Conspiracy, Olga Dies Dreaming, Black Cake, Memphis, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and How High We Go in the Dark are all up for consideration, and again, I must go with Wilkerson's Black Cake.
As usual, there are plenty of young adult DSNs to consider for the Best Young Adult Fiction category. Both of the books published by prolific thriller writer Karen M. McManus have been nominated, which means her readers will have to choose from either Nothing More to Tell, or You'll Be the Death of Me. But there is also Family of Liars by E. Lockhart, Anatomy by Dana Schwartz, The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson (future blog post), and I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys that have been nominated. All have their own strengths, but my vote goes to I Must Betray You. Set in 1980s communist Romania, readers go on an adventure with young Cristian Florescu after he is recruited to spy on his own friends and family, while also knowing that he himself is being constantly watched.
Honestly, the choice between Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor, and A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is a difficult one for me. Both embody the young adult fantasy genre beautifully, offering readers an incredible experience in places and times very different from our own. The world building is phenomenal, if not exceptional in some areas. But I have to choose one, so I went with Taylor's Hotel Magnifique.
And there we have it..a total of 28 DSNs that are in this thing, with the the potential to be named the best in their respective categories. This initial round of voting will last until Sunday, November 27, with the final round opening Tuesday, November 29. I am excited, as I always am, and will be anxious to see the results.
