Goodreads Choice Awards 2021 Final Round

It is the final round of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards, which means this is the last chance to make your voice heard and support your favorite books of the year. 

This is when readers get to see which books from the opening round made the cut for the final top ten in their categories. And it looks like none of the DSNs that were nominated for Best Fiction (This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith, Infinite Country by Patricia Engel, and Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour) were able to make it to this final round. And it looks like A Slow Fire Burning also did not garner enough votes to remain in the Best Mystery & Thriller category, but Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead remains and still has my vote.

With no changes in Best Historical Fiction, I will continue in my support of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. But of the four DSNs that were nominated for Best Science Fiction, only three get to move on. Unfortunately, Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons - an intense look at the possible future of cloning - was not one of them. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro holds strong, and I will be surprised if it does not end up in the top five. 

Jenny Lawson's Broken hold steady in Best Humor, as does the Anthropocene Reviewed in Best Nonfiction. And while Between Two Kingdoms is still in it for Best Memoir & Autobiography, Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang is not. And The Woman They Could Not Silence remains in Best History & Biography. 

The Best Debut Novel category is always a bit of a wild card. Askaripour's Black Buck failed to make the top ten in this category as well, but Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is still available as an option. 

Boulley's novel has also made the top ten in the Best Young Adult Fiction category. Initially, seven DSNs were nominated in this category, and only four remain. The Project by Courtney Summers, A Pho Love Story by Loan Le, and Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean have all been left out of the running for the final prize. And in the last category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna remains, but The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He has not. 

So of the 27 DSNs that could have gone on to the final round, only 17 have done so. This final round of voting will close Sunday, December 5th, and the winners will be announced on Thursday, December 9th. So be sure to support your favorite books of 2021. 

Contemporary Fiction: A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

After The Girl on the Train showed up in readers' hands back in 2015, many were excited to see what writer Paula Hawkins would come up with next. But when 2017's Into the Water was published, readers were largely disappointed. I decided to go ahead and take a chance on Hawkins' most recent attempt, A Slow Fire Burning, which was another mystery/suspense thriller meant to keep readers guessing.

The Situation: When Laura was young, she was hit by and car and her entire life was altered. Now she has a noticeable limp, can barely hold down a job, and is always in trouble for one reason or another. She already has a court appointment for that time she stabbed some guy in the hand with a fork. Now it seems she is suspected of murder, for actually ending a life. Yes, she was with Daniel in his houseboat last night, and yes they had an argument. But she did not kill him. That is ridiculous. Still, things look bad for Laura, and because she has a hard time controlling what comes out of her mouth, she almost cannot help but make things worse. 

The Problem: It would be easy to pin everything on Laura, as she is the type of person people can easily point to when something goes wrong. She has a reputation and was in the victim's home. But Daniel has his own troubled past. When he was young, he saw his young cousin die while they were both supposed to be under the watch of his alcoholic mother. His aunt and uncle never moved past the grief, with their marriage eventually ending, though the two remain close. And then there is the strange yet unremarkable Miriam, who lives in the houseboat next to Daniel's. She does not know who killed him, but she has someone she would love to implicate, someone she would love to frame as revenge for her own past injustices. All of these moving parts make the case a bit more complicated, but poor Laura always manages to stand out as the obvious culprit.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a suspense thriller set in present day England, with shifting point of views between a handful of connected characters. At the center of the story is Laura, a young woman with a past injury that has significantly complicated her future. Strangely enough, her situation is actually somewhat outside of and disconnected from everyone else's, but she happened to be in Daniel's houseboat the night before he was murdered, and her volatile nature is not easy to move past. Certain chapters are also preceded by excerpts from a popular thriller novel written by one of the characters, a story that at first feels like background information, but turns out to have connections to what is going on in the present. While characters like Laura are doing their best to move past what has happened to them, others are finding it impossible to let things go, nearly ruining what could be their future.

My Verdict: Even with an intriguing plot, and a mystery worth being excited about, this book still seems messy, and almost unfinished, even though there is a clear conclusion. Some of the characters do not appear to have much thought behind them, as if they were created simply as plot devices for the others to move around and use for their own stories. Also, the book could have probably had another 50 pages added onto it, if only to fill out some details and add more story to the minor characters. When the mystery begins to come together, all of the pieces are there, and the clues add up, but it somehow still seems like everything was hastily thrown together. This book may prove to be another disappointment for readers of thriller and mystery.

Favorite Moment: When Laura manages to see Miriam for what she is. 

Favorite Character: Laura is incredibly rough around the edges, but she is trying her best, and she is fortunate to have found a friend in Irene, an older woman with whom she gets along surprisingly well. 

Recommended Reading: The Girl on the Train still remains Hawkins' best and most interesting novel. 

Young Adult Fiction: Roxy by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

One book that has been on my shelf for a few years now is Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman. The premise interested me enough to buy it, but I am kinda a little too scared to actually pick it up and read it. I had similar feelings about today's pick, Roxy, but not so much that I would let this book stay on my to-read shelf. Shusterman and son decided to tackle the opioid epidemic, dedicating the novel to those who are in the midst of a struggle with addiction.

The Situation: Isaac and big sister Ivy are incredibly different, but they each care for the other. With his parents almost always focused on the floundering family business, and almost always fighting with each other, or with Ivy, Isaac holds himself steady in all areas of life. He has solid friends, gets solid grades, and is a star on the school soccer team, something that could help get him into MIT, if he can stay focused. But when he gets into a fight with Ivy's sleazy boyfriend, it results in a troublesome ankle injury. It's fine, he just needs to stay off it, ice it, massage it, and pray he can still play in the upcoming game. Meanwhile, Ivy has more or less given up on her future, though she does not want to end up attending the alternative high school, which at this point seems like an inevitability. A solution to each of their problems comes in a prescription. For Isaac, it is for the pain. And for Ivy, it is so she can focus. 

The Problem: There are forces at work that Isaac and Ivy know nothing about. And while these forces are interested, and perfectly capable, of relieving Isaac's ankle pain and allowing Ivy to focus, they would also love to become the only thing they care about. Roxy is used to the popularity and being the star of the show. She almost always gets her way, and she sees a willing new mark in Isaac. Addison has had less luck in the past, and he's not exactly known for being a closer. But with Ivy, he is determined, and he makes a wager with Roxy that he can take Ivy to the end, while Roxy is more than sure that she can get Isaac to surrender to the same fate that so many have before. For Isaac and Ivy, these medications are simply solutions to a problem...until they are suddenly more than that, and the siblings have no idea just how far they've gone, and there is not much farther they can go.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set in the modern day U.S. Isaac and Ivy are two siblings on opposite sides of the behavior spectrum. Isaac has always been the rule follower, while its almost as if Ivy cannot help but get in trouble. It is only after Isaac injures his ankle, and Ivy decides she does not want to go to the alternative high school, that things change. But that change comes at a cost. Instead of the drugs simply being part of the story, the Shustermans have made them fully fleshed out characters with personalities, goals, plans, and ambitions. With nicknames like Addison (Adderall), Phineas (morphine), Lucy (LSD or acid), and Crys (crystal meth), they each have a way they behave, talk, and even dress. The reader knows they are not real people, but Ivy and Isaac often interact with them as if they are, showing just how much influence these drugs can have. 

My Verdict: At the beginning of the book, the authors warn that the story will be intense, and just because I believed them, it does not mean I was prepared. Ivy and Isaac have a fairly typical sibling dynamic, with one being a mess and the other being the protective and careful one, but it is incredible how drastically everything changes. What the authors have done is show how quickly the addiction can show up, and how sneaky and insidious it all is. It does not matter that Isaac has never demonstrated this kind of behavior before, and it does not matter that Ivy only wants to be able to focus and do better. And the voices and personalities that the Shustermans have given to the prescription drugs are not only convincing, but haunting. All readers should heed the warning at the beginning of the book, particularly those with any experience with addiction. 

Favorite Moment: It is hard to chose a favorite moment in a book like this. There is a lot going on, and a large amount of it is bad. But there are moments when some of the prescription drugs must reflect on what they are, why they were created, and what they are doing to people.

Favorite Character: When I first started reading, I never imagined that I was going to pick one of the drugs as my favorite, but Rita (Ritalin) wins it for me. She is Addison's annoyingly virtuous sister who refuses to lose sight of the real reason she was created.

Recommended Reading: Neal Shusterman's Arc of the Scythe series is certainly on its way to being a modern classic, though I also recommend the memoir Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett. 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2021

It is something I eagerly look forward to every year, and finally the time has come for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards. That is right - readers now have the opportunity to vote for their favorite books of 2021, and below are the DSNs that have made the cut for the opening round.

As always, the first category is Best Fiction, and included are three books that have been featured on this blog. Leesa Cross-Smith's This Close to Okay tells the story of Tallie and Emmitt's chance encounter, revealing the separate histories of two people trying to heal. Infinite Country by Patricia Engel follows a family as they navigate the maze that is immigration as they make the difficult move from Columbia to the US. And Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour certainly wins the DSN award for most stressful novel of the year. Darren 'Buck' Vender accepts a job at a popular startup, and being the only black person in the office allows for some interesting and frustrating events as he moves up the ladder. There is something about This Close to Okay that I found both comforting and fascinating, and for that reason it will receive my vote. 

Normally, if there are any DSNs in the Best Mystery & Thriller category, there is only one, but this year there are two: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, and A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (post coming later this month). The former takes place in 1960s Harlem with Ray at the center, a man who would prefer to grow his business honestly, but constantly finds himself involved in his cousin's schemes. The latter is a murder mystery with interwoven storylines and colorful characters. Harlem Shuffle will win my vote, and I expect it to at least reach the finals.

The Best Historical Fiction category always has strong contenders, and this year is no different. First up, there is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, a story set during the dust bowl and the Great Depression, and chronicles the struggles of a woman and her family as they make the journey from Texas to California. Second, there is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins-Reid, a novel about four siblings in 1980s Malibu that are getting ready to throw the part of the century. Next is The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, which brings together three women who work together to crack German and Italian codes in World War II England. However, my vote will go to The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Over ten days, brothers Emmett and Billy are ready to take the road trip of all road trips when two friends from Emmett's past show up and derail their initial plans. 

It seems that my commitment to searching for science fiction I can connect with has been fruitful as far as the nominees for the Best Science Fiction category. Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun - a story about a time in humanity's future when children will be routinely altered in some way in order to be better and smarter, and they often receive their own Artificial Friend - will certainly receive my vote. But also included in the nominees is Project Hail Mary, another space adventure by Andy Weir where one man wakes up in a spacecraft, far from Earth, and must relearn what his mission was. Then there is Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, a story involving a small girl who gains strange and terrifying powers after encountering a mysterious object. And finally, we have Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons, which discusses the always controversial topic of cloning, and the possible consequences should it become a common practice.

It is all too appropriate the Jenny Lawson's Broken (in the best possible way) has been nominated for Best Humor. Lawson is a master at presenting an open and honest discussion about mental health, taxidermy, and her struggles with her health insurance company. It is a pleasure to be able to vote for it.

Another category with only one DSN is Best Nonfiction, but again, I do not mind a bit, because that one book is The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Through 44 essays, Green reviews various topics from this current geological epoch on a five star scale, and it is somehow devastating, hopeful, and fascinating. 

For Best Memoir & Autobiography, there are two options: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad, an honest and fascinating memoir about the author's experience with acute myeloid leukemia; and Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (post coming in early December), who takes a hard look at her early years in the US as her parents struggled to find suitable housing and jobs in New York City. This is actually a pretty tough choice for me, but I am choosing to go with Between Two Kingdoms. 

There is only one DSN that made it into the Best History & Biography category, and it is actually my favorite nonfiction book of 2021 (so far). The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore is a thorough and absorbing look at Elizabeth Packard, a woman who decided she no longer wanted to obey her husband in 1860s America, and was therefore institutionalized because of it. 

Best Debut Novel is always an interesting category. Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour makes another appearance. It is joined by The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna, a young adult fantasy book where young girls who are discovered to have gold blood are treated as abominations. But my vote will go to Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, a young adult mystery/thriller that follows a young Ojibwe girl as she tries to uncover the truth behind a meth operation in her own community. 

And now we have reached my favorite category of Best Young Adult Fiction, where there are seven, yes seven, DSNs that have made it in. In the interest of time, I will only say that the nominees include Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, The Cousins by Karen M. McManus, The Project by Courtney Summers, A Pho Love Story by Loan Le, Instruction for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, and Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean. Even with all of those fantastic options, it is once again Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley that wins by vote. 

And finally, there is Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, where Namina Forna's The Gilded Ones shows up yet again. Also included is The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He, which is set in a future where Earth is still sustaining human life, though barely, and two sisters struggle to find their way back to each other after a mysterious separation. It is this second book that will receive my vote, though it is up against some serious competition. 

I can hardly believe it myself, but there are 27 DSNs that have been nominated in this opening round of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards. The voting for this round will close on Sunday, November 28th, so there is plenty of time to get those votes in. One thing that seems to have changed for this year's awards

is that there is no second round, which in past years included the write-in votes. So the top books that receive the most votes in each category will be the ones to advance to the final round.

Happy Voting!

 

Historical Fiction: Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the middle of 2020, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic was released, and ended up winning the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Fiction, among a few other things. Today I will talk about Velvet Was the Night, a historical fiction book that follows two people around 1970s Mexico City as they both look for the same missing woman.

The Situation: Maite is anxious about being single and close to 30 years old, and her nagging mother certainly does not help. She is proud to live on her own, have a job, and own her own car...though it is currently being held hostage at the repair shop until Maite can pay. When she agrees to help take care of the cat for her young and beautiful neighbor, Leonora, while the girl is away, Maite cannot help but envy the free and exciting life she clearly leads. But when Leonora does not return, things get interesting quickly, and Maite is not the only one eager for her to come back. Elvis (not the name he was born with) is also looking for Leonora, but it is an assignment from his boss, El Mago. Eager to please and to move up in the ranks, Elvis does as he is told, and that soon means closely following Maite.

The Problem: As annoyed as Maite is over Leonora's disappearance - the woman owes her money after all, and she cannot take care of her cat forever - she has to admit she is somewhat curious about the mystery of it all. At least two attractive men are searching for Leonora as well, both curious to know if Maite has found a camera or rolls of film. Despite a lifelong habit of keeping her head down and staying out of trouble, Maite joins the search, though it may lead her into danger. Elvis always knew this was more or less the life he was meant to live, and he is excited when El Mago makes him a team lead, but that means more risks and more action as he looks for Leonora. He barely takes any notice of Maite at first, though he is impressed by her massive record collection, something he only sees when he searches her apartment for clues. While Maite searches for Leonora out of curiosity, Elvis does it as part of an assignment. And as both head for the truth, they also walk into a precarious situation that neither of them expected.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set in 1970s Mexico City. At the beginning of the novel is a telegraph sent by the CIA in 1971 that acknowledges the existence of the Hawks, a group in Mexico that would target students who would protest against the government and support communism. The Hawks is the group that Elvis is a part of, a group that he has fully committed himself to, mostly because he has no idea what else he would do with his life, but also because he longs to be like the group's leader, El Mago. Elvis sees himself as little more than street scum, while El Mago has money, style, class, and power. Maite is a single woman attempting to make a life for herself, hoping to one day be marry and settle down, but doubts the probability of this. What is happening with Leonora reminds her of the stories in the romance comic books she likes to read. With little happening in her own life, she easily gets caught up in someone else's. The two stories intertwine as Elvis and Maite both look for Leonora, filling in the other one's gaps and missing details.

My Verdict: The author described the novel as noir or pulp fiction, but it is based on real events and a real group that would target protesters. And instead of focusing on or having the story narrated by the one in trouble (Leonora), I like that the reader gets to hear from the neighbor across the hall, and the hired man that has been put on the case. Maite and Elvis could not be more different, except for that they both appreciate the same kind of music, and love a good record collection. It is clear that there is danger on every page, and that the wrong move can result in a death, but there is still something appreciatively subtle about the style. And the setting of 1970s Mexico City only adds to that feeling, with political unrest being to topic on everyone's mind. The twists and turns are there, but they are not over the top, and are well-placed. Anyone who enjoys a good thriller or detective story should also appreciate this one.

Favorite Moment: Though it is a little hard to read, there is a part at the beginning of the book that shows just how little Maite's family cares for her. It is sad to see, but it certainly paints the picture. 

Favorite Character: Elvis has his issues, but I like his commitment to a routine, and he is certainly smarter than a lot of people would give him credit for. 

Recommended Reading: Mexican Gothic was not necessarily one of my favorite books of 2020, but I can understand why many people enjoyed it. I recommend Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. 

Nonfiction: The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean

Maybe it is the same morbid curiosity that draws me to true crime stories that drew me to today's selection, but I was probably way too excited to read The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean. From the title alone, I knew the book would be discussing lobotomies and their rise in popularity in the mid-1900s, but that is not the only questionable scientific discovery that would be covered.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that moves through history, exploring various cases of scientists who become obsessed with their research (or for making a name for themselves) to the point of being blind to the atrocities they are committing in the process. Then there are those who are insistent on destroying their rivals as both attempt to make progress in the same field. And still others have the best intentions, but get caught up in secrets and betrayal. The prologue begins with Cleopatra and her curiosity pertaining to unborn fetuses (I won't go into it here, but trust me, it's terrible). Then the first chapter discusses an early 18th century sailor who made remarkable advancements in biology, navigation, and even meteorology, while committing horrible acts of biopiracy. After 11 more chapters, the book ends in the early 21st century with the case of Annie Dookhan, a woman who faked thousands of lab tests that were supposed to identify drugs that were seized during raids. The chapters in between deal with grave-robbing, animal cruelty, the Tuskegee study, espionage during World War II, torture, and of course, the lobotomy. Kean ends things with a brief look at where crimes in science could go from here, and it does not look good.

My Verdict: Exploring stories such as the ones found in this book can be difficult. Adding humor to the mix can easily cause offense, or make the author seem callous. Personally, I enjoyed the commentary Kean provided and found his comments and references refreshing, mainly because he was also able to inject the humor while acknowledging the severity of the situations. Kean makes it clear that these were crimes that took place, while emphasizing the importance of conducting scientific experiments in an ethical manner. These are stories of people who either chose to ignore what was really happening, or they justified their actions as necessary evils. For some, it was easy to balance the good they were doing and the discoveries that were being made against the unethical way it was all being done. Each story is fascinating, and horrifying, and I flinched with every eager turn of the page.

Favorite Chapter(s): Of course, the chapter on lobotomy, "Ambition: Surgery of the Soul," was a favorite. However, I also enjoyed chapter 10, titled "Torture: The White Whale."

Favorite Quote: "Normally, a healthy espirit is a good thing. But psychologists who've studied group dynamics have found that teams with high cohesiveness and uniform backgrounds tend to make worse decisions than groups with more diversity of thought. In particular, uniform groups rarely question their own unethical behavior - or more precisely, fail to recognize they're acting unethically." - from Chapter 7 "Oath-Breaking: Ethically Impossible."

Recommended Reading: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore explores a different case of authorities looking the other way as an atrocity occurred, affecting many.