150 Award Genres
Children
- Children - Action
- Children - Adventure
- Children - Animals
- Children - Audiobook
- Children - Christian
- Children - Coming of Age
- Children - Concept
- Children - Educational
- Children - Fable
- Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Children - General
- Children - Grade 4th-6th
- Children - Grade K-3rd
- Children - Mystery
- Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Children - Non-Fiction
- Children - Picture Book
- Children - Preschool
- Children - Preteen
- Children - Religious Theme
- Children - Social Issues
Christian
- Christian - Amish
- Christian - Biblical Counseling
- Christian - Devotion/Study
- Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Christian - Fiction
- Christian - General
- Christian - Historical Fiction
- Christian - Living
- Christian - Non-Fiction
- Christian - Romance - Contemporary
- Christian - Romance - General
- Christian - Romance - Historical
- Christian - Thriller
Fiction
- Fiction - Action
- Fiction - Adventure
- Fiction - Animals
- Fiction - Anthology
- Fiction - Audiobook
- Fiction - Chick Lit
- Fiction - Crime
- Fiction - Cultural
- Fiction - Drama
- Fiction - Dystopia
- Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
- Fiction - Fantasy - General
- Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
- Fiction - General
- Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
- Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
- Fiction - Historical - Personage
- Fiction - Holiday
- Fiction - Horror
- Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Fiction - Inspirational
- Fiction - Intrigue
- Fiction - LGBTQ
- Fiction - Literary
- Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
- Fiction - Military
- Fiction - Mystery - General
- Fiction - Mystery - Historical
- Fiction - Mystery - Legal
- Fiction - Mystery - Murder
- Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
- Fiction - Mythology
- Fiction - New Adult
- Fiction - Paranormal
- Fiction - Realistic
- Fiction - Religious Theme
- Fiction - Science Fiction
- Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Fiction - Social Issues
- Fiction - Southern
- Fiction - Sports
- Fiction - Supernatural
- Fiction - Suspense
- Fiction - Tall Tale
- Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
- Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
- Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
- Fiction - Thriller - General
- Fiction - Thriller - Legal
- Fiction - Thriller - Medical
- Fiction - Thriller - Political
- Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
- Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
- Fiction - Time Travel
- Fiction - Urban
- Fiction - Visionary
- Fiction - Western
- Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction
- Non-Fiction - Adventure
- Non-Fiction - Animals
- Non-Fiction - Anthology
- Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
- Non-Fiction - Audiobook
- Non-Fiction - Autobiography
- Non-Fiction - Biography
- Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
- Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
- Non-Fiction - Cultural
- Non-Fiction - Drama
- Non-Fiction - Education
- Non-Fiction - Environment
- Non-Fiction - Genealogy
- Non-Fiction - General
- Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
- Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
- Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
- Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
- Non-Fiction - Historical
- Non-Fiction - Hobby
- Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
- Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Non-Fiction - Inspirational
- Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
- Non-Fiction - Marketing
- Non-Fiction - Memoir
- Non-Fiction - Military
- Non-Fiction - Motivational
- Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
- Non-Fiction - New Age
- Non-Fiction - Occupational
- Non-Fiction - Parenting
- Non-Fiction - Relationships
- Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
- Non-Fiction - Retirement
- Non-Fiction - Self Help
- Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Non-Fiction - Social Issues
- Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
- Non-Fiction - Sports
- Non-Fiction - Travel
- Non-Fiction - True Crime
- Non-Fiction - Womens
- Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Poetry
Romance
Young Adult
- Young Adult - Action
- Young Adult - Adventure
- Young Adult - Coming of Age
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
- Young Adult - Fantasy - General
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
- Young Adult - General
- Young Adult - Horror
- Young Adult - Mystery
- Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Young Adult - Non-Fiction
- Young Adult - Paranormal
- Young Adult - Religious Theme
- Young Adult - Romance
- Young Adult - Sci-Fi
- Young Adult - Social Issues
- Young Adult - Thriller
Illustration Award
Recommend this book:
Llywelyn
Michael Hill
2020 Bronze Medal
430 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Llywelyn by Michael Hill is an interesting story set in a small, beautiful valley in Wales. Llywelyn has lived and farmed in this village all his life, but now he is about to lose everything and he is helpless about it. The valley has been taken over for a reservoir and no matter how much fight he puts up, he knows he is losing the battle. His daughter, Nerys, has issues of her own and while taking care of her son, Davie, she still has to help her father keep his sanity. The father of her son wants to save their relationship but, being a violent man, his influence on Llywelyn scares Nerys. While the work on the reservoir continues, a lot of drama takes place and the reader wonders if there can be any hope for the farmer.
Michael Hill captures the experience of change in a rural setting with intelligence and infuses the writing with a lot of realism. The characters are real and it is interesting to follow the many relationships happening between characters, the jealousies, the hatred and the kind of insanity that happens when change is introduced into a rural setting. The prose is beautiful and the author captures stunning images of the locales and gives readers an idea of the strong relationship between the protagonist and the earth he has worked all his life. Themes of change, family, love, and the struggle for survival are ingeniously woven into this exciting story. It's an engaging read with characters that are tangible and memorable.
Recommend this book:
Threads
A Depression Era Tale
Charlotte Whitney
2020 Honorable Mention
327 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Threads: A Depression Era Tale by Charlotte Whitney is the story of murder, love, and survival as three sisters make a startlingly disturbing discovery on their farm and realize that things are far bleaker than they thought. The Great Depression hit everyone hard and Nellie’s family is no different. They have a humble farm that is getting by, but young Nellie believes that if they find buried treasure, all their troubles will be solved. With that in mind, 7-year-old Nellie finds a blue-black hand of a dead baby. Little did she know, this would be the start of a mystery begging to be solved and she and her sisters might be the only people to solve it. Can she, Irene and Flora find out how that baby got there on their farm and why the baby was killed?
Fast-paced and incredibly well-written, this is a story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and wanting more. I enjoyed how all three girls had their own chapters with very distinctive narratives; it made it easier for me to connect with them and enjoy the story more. Nellie’s narrative is so innocent yet intelligent, Irene’s is smart and very mature and Flora’s is exceptionally witty and intelligent. All three of them complement the others very well; they set the tone for the plot and kept the story going in their own unique way. The mystery of the story is well-preserved until the end. I couldn’t guess why the baby was buried and who was behind every mysterious and sinister thing that was happening to these kids. This is an entertaining story because the descriptions are incredible. I enjoyed it immensely.
Recommend this book:
The Name of Red
Beena Khan
2020 Honorable Mention
317 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
In Beena Khan’s The Name of Red, a beautiful, sexy woman in a tight red dress walks into a busy bar, orders a vodka, opens a book, and starts reading. She shuns the advances of all admirers. She returns each night. Kabir, the owner, is entranced and begins leaving books for her with little notes. Their relationship weaves and grows from there at a slow, intimate pace. The characters are mid-Eastern, giving us a peek into this under-exposed minority—their speech, their internal struggles, their hearts. “We’re all people who life has messed up,” the bartender explains. Beena Khan’s first novel is an in-depth exploration of how love relationships begin from nothing and grow in small steps to overwhelming importance in our lives. And the novel deals also with how they end.
I loved Beena Khan’s The Name of Red. First of all, it’s about readers—two at least. Second, it’s a powerful look into how love starts and how it grows. The insights reach our innermost being. Third, the writing is innocent and engaging, especially in that it is unabashedly English as a second language, which, though not always “correct,” gives us the feeling that we are glimpsing into a sub-culture. I’m glad the “mistakes” were not edited out. The read is quick and easy, always clear. There’s an innocence about the writing that grows in intensity, even passion, to a deeply moving climax. I recommend this novel to anyone who has been hurt in love and yet realizes that after all the hurts we may suffer, love, with all its difficulties, is what matters most. Bravo, Ms. Khan, for a triumphant debut as an author!
Recommend this book:
On Swift Wings
The Travails of Cygnus
Brett Wiens
2020 Finalist
384 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
On Swift Wings: The Travails of Cygnus by Brett Wiens is a meld of adventure, fantasy, and humor, a novel filled with humor and fun moments. The protagonist is Cygnus, a young man who survives a plane crash in the ocean, and unwittingly finds himself stranded on an island inhabited by a race of horses that holds humans captives, and the humans do not look normal. It's just the beginning of an adventure that leads to an encounter with unusual situations and peoples - immortals of Loogenage, sorcerers, magicians, giants, and miniature creatures. He goes through heart-wrenching experiences and encounters with strange races. The conclusion to his adventures is as exciting as it is revealing of the mysteries of life. Rollicking and fun!
On Swift Wings: The Travails of Cygnus is a deftly written story that is most appealing to fans of the classic Gulliver's Travels and it is designed to offer pure entertainment. The imaginative character of this novel is noticeable from the way the setting is described and how the author brings to life geography that is fictional and races that are imaginary. However, the sense of realism and humanity is apparent, perhaps because the protagonist is a character like any of us. And I like how the author creates rules in this world. I am writing this review after a good sleep that followed my reading of this book and the world this author created inhabited my dreams. Readers will feel like they are waking from a dream with a "Wow" after reading this book. It is well-plotted and the characters intelligently developed. Brett Wiens has a strong imagination but apart from that, the author is a great storyteller. This is a must-read for anyone looking for a good adventure.
Recommend this book:
Sweet Jane
Joanne Kukanza Easley
2020 Finalist
267 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Sweet Jane is a work of literary, character-led fiction penned by author Joanne Kukanza Easley. It is written for adults due to some mature themes such as alcohol abuse, but also for mild use of explicit language and some sexual situations. The plot follows our titular character Jane from her early childhood when the drunken rages and ramblings of her vodka-addicted Mama lead her to run away as soon as she is old enough to fend for herself. Although Jane’s life looks like she’s achieved a lot and is on top of things, a visit home for Mama’s funeral sends her on a journey back through the stages that have made her into the woman she is.
Author Joanne Kukanza Easley really knows how to tell a story deep from the heart, with a raw and well-considered emotional makeup that makes her characters realistic, interesting and also easy to relate to. Jane has a hard life with many concealed secrets, and the plot is extremely well designed to unveil these moments in connection to her past. In true literary fiction fashion, this plot moves slowly and steadily, and the focus is very much on the character as we see the effects of Jane’s present and past colliding, and those clashes which will ultimately shape her future. What results is a well written and well told biographical narrative, deep in its description and psychology as it is in atmosphere, charm, and heart. Sweet Jane is a highly recommended literary read.
Recommend this book:
The Lion Trees
Owen Thomas
2019 Finalist
826 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
The Lion Trees is a powerful and unique work of fiction by author Owen Thomas. Taking the slice of life multi-perspective approach to its literary maxim, the plot follows four key members of the Johns family through their past, present, and the potential of their future. Patriarch Hollis struggles with retired life, filling his time with temptations and frivolous hobbies, whilst his wife Susan dreams of the life she might have had if she had never consented to a forty-year marriage. Down the generations, rising starlet Tilly struggles with the dark realities of getting what she wants from directors and writers, whilst her brother David, a teacher, deals with a scandal of his own at school. So begins one family’s journey to discover the limits they must push themselves to in order to be truly happy, and face the question of whether that happiness is even possible.
This is the sort of novel which a light fiction reader might put down after the first dozen pages, and I’m here to implore that you don’t. Once you get used to the time-hopping, perspective-switching style of Owen Thomas’ deep and beautiful prose, the story of the Johns family flutters like a paper bag in the breeze that you can’t stop watching. Unpredictable, philosophical and deeply, intrinsically human, The Lion Trees explores a lengthy gamut of powerful emotional depths, asking important questions about life which we readers, like the Johns family, so often forget to stop and ponder. A superb and high quality literary drama.
Recommend this book:
Dear Jane
The final book in the Highbury Trilogy, inspired by Jane Austen's 'Emma'.
Allie Cresswell, A Lady
2019 Honorable Mention
509 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Dear Jane is a work of historical fiction set at the turn of the nineteenth century in England, penned by author Allie Cresswell, A Lady. Inspired by the events of the popular Jane Austen novel Emma, this is the concluding volume in the Highbury Trilogy, which follows the story of Jane Fairfax prior to and during the events of Austen’s novel. In this final section of the story, Jane is orphaned and comes to live with the Campbell family, where she befriends their only daughter Rowena. As the girls grow up together, we merge into Jane’s adulthood, which explores both her relationship with Emma Woodhouse and her tumultuous romance with Frank Churchill.
Fans of the social intricacies, tragedies, inequalities and love-lorn sighs of Jane Austen are certain to find the same level of commitment, atmosphere and loving tribute in the work of author Allie Cresswell. There is shrewd attention to detail in both the general historical period and the details of Austen’s Emma which gives this book its intimate knowledge and authenticity, so much so that it becomes hard to tell where Austen’s ideas end and Cresswell’s begin. As such, Jane’s story is one that I found a lot more interesting and exciting than Emma’s, and seeing the tale from this angle makes some important points about the choices, relative freedoms and power struggles that women had at the time. Overall, Dear Jane is an excellent conclusion to a powerful and dedicated work of fiction, expanding an ever-popular world with yet more sensitivity and depth.
Recommend this book:
Pushing the River
Barbara Monier
2019 Bronze Medal
247 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Pushing the River by Barbara Monier is a family drama that highlights many of the difficulties we all face in our busy lives as we try to hold our families together, especially as our children grow up and leave the nest to spread their wings. Madeline is a typical suburban middle-aged mother. Now in her mid to late fifties, with her ex-husband departed several years ago and her children grown up and living away, she lives alone in the big old house she grew up in. Despite its size, Madeline uses just a few rooms, with the remainder still containing the memories and collections of a family’s lifetime. Over a short period of time, Madeline’s solo and lonely existence begins to change. She meets a new man, who then suddenly decides he’s moving in with her, and an empty house begins to fill as first her daughter-in-law and then her daughter-in-law’s pregnant fifteen-year-old sister arrive, seeking help. Suddenly Madeline goes from being all alone to managing a new relationship as well as providing comfort for a teenager and her baby. Madeline faces the upheaval and the associated angst with a mixture of terror and determination as she seeks to “push the river” and meet all her family’s needs and demands, whilst still looking after herself.
This could well be the story of any modern family, broken by dislocation and divorce. As a mother, Madeline feels the need to hold her fractured family together and to keep and recreate the many traditions that defined them as a family. I particularly enjoyed author Barbara Monier’s description of Christmas together, as the new cast of characters sought to compete with and dispute the traditions of Madeline and her children, who had also returned home for the holidays. Looking at Pushing the River as a social commentary on the family structure, I have no doubt many readers will identify with it, particularly Madeline and the struggles she has to begin a whole new adventure at an age when she should be relaxing and enjoying the fruits of her labour. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks to Madeline’s mother and Madeline’s life as a child, which shaped the woman she was today. This is a very readable book and one that reminds us that we are not alone in our own struggles with family and the desire to keep it together and alive. Madeline’s abiding love for others is what comes through most strongly in the narrative and I am sure we can all identify with that.
Recommend this book:
Jerkwater
Jamie Zerndt
2019 Silver Medal
246 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
Jerkwater is a work of literary fiction penned by author Jamie Zerndt. Written for adults due to its complex themes and occasional explicit language, this intense personal drama is led by our three central characters as they experience grief in very different ways. In an area of Wisconsin where the waters are in contention between the Native American population and the state to gain fishing rights, Shawna Reynolds’s dislike of white people continues to escalate. Her neighbor Kay has recently lost her husband, and her drinking is escalating because of it. Kay’s son Douglas forms the third perspective as he struggles to keep the family business going whilst dealing with his own feelings for his father.
Modern racial tension tales are a popular read right now, and you can’t go wrong with the complex issues and heartfelt emotions that author Jamie Zerndt brings to the table with this excellent novel. I especially enjoyed Shawna’s journey and narration among the alternating perspectives, because her character is far from saintly but is also totally real and relatable. The issue of grief is dealt with from multiple angles and compassionately so, allowing us deep into the psyches of the characters as they process what loss means to them. The prose shifts delicately with each character, keeping an overall tone of discovery, but picking up subtle ticks of behavior from different personalities to enhance them. Overall, Jerkwater is an accomplished work of literary fiction certain to please fans of personal drama and emotional exploratory fiction.
Recommend this book:
The Alchemy of Noise
A Novel
Lorraine Devon Wilke
2019 Gold Medal
353 Pages
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Fiction - Literary
The Alchemy of Noise is a work of literary dramatic fiction penned by author Lorraine Devon Wilke. Written for adults due to its complex themes and mild but mature content, this is a love story and family drama taking the day to day struggle of American life into context. Chris Hawkins and Sidonie Frame both work in Chicago and its surrounds, but their lives couldn’t be more different. When Chris is seconded to work at Sidonie’s elite club for the night, the sound engineer falls head over heels for the manager. But their relationship is fraught with the everyday drama of hidden racial class divides, Chris’s unwilling involvement with the Chicago police, and families who struggle to accept the coming together of two very different souls.
Author Lorraine Devon Wilke brings interracial relationships to the fore in this modern love story which shows us, sadly, that things haven’t progressed anywhere near as much we’d like to think they have. The writing is emotive and highly descriptive, painting snippets of life for Chris as he struggles with the everyday racism and assumptions put upon young black men all across America, and Sidonie’s struggle to connect and understand is intelligently handled. Neither of them is perfect, but together they find something special of their own. Wilke’s superb pacing and frank dialogue guide us through every harrowing moment as they fight hard to protect it. Overall, The Alchemy of Noise is a highly entertaining and engaging piece of drama which shines a light on pivotal issues of today.