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.
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!
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