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:
Becoming Moon
Craig A. Hart
2016 Bronze Medal
190 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Becoming Moon by Craig A. Hart is a moving story about a young man who dreams of making a name for himself as a writer. Growing up in a conservative family, he rejects his parents’ way of life and tries to follow his dream. As a struggling artist, he finally gets a shot at fame and money in a most unconventional and irregular way, but this proves to be short lived and fleeting. Desperate to come up with his next bestseller and trying to find his muse again, he meets the accomplished but aging writer, Nigel Moon. What follows is an unusual arrangement where he finds himself becoming Moon himself. Can he get rid of his past completely?
Becoming Moon unfolds with a young man going through his regular routine of taking a trip to the Upper Peninsula where he hopes to find the inspiration to write. This seems conventional enough, but then the story takes a dark and eccentric turn and this is when it demands our attention. Craig A. Hart surely understands the writer’s world. Becoming Moon is a satire of this world and a snapshot of publishing as well. But underneath the novel’s sometimes fragile surface lies the conviction that redemption entails an honest journey into your past and into yourself, and only then can one transform one’s self into a better person. Easy to read and at times humorous, at times dark, there is an honesty in this novel that is quite intriguing. I highly recommend this book!
Recommend this book:
Second Chances
Lincoln Cole
2016 Silver Medal
218 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Second Chances by Lincoln Cole is a story about journeys of self-discovery. It opens with a meeting held at a school in a white suburb that a judge has ruled must accept children bused in from a black neighbourhood. Lakeisha, a black widowed mother of four, witnesses the white parents’ objections when the meeting was called to plan how best integration could be implemented. How can she support her youngest daughter, who must cope with that attitude? Richard Greenwood went into law to help people and has become disillusioned; justice is for the rich. Lakeisha goes missing, leaving her eldest daughter, Nichole, a first-year law student, with the job of being mom to her younger brother and sister. Nichole, working as an intern at Franklin and Greenwood, asks Richard for help that he cannot legally give.
Lincoln Cole’s Second Chances is a powerful story that hooks the reader instantly. Mr Cole is to be congratulated on tackling a diversity of difficult issues and doing it well. Racial discrimination, the high cost of medical care, the judicial system, wife battering, child abuse and alcoholism: all of it within a story that never fails to entertain. The scene is brilliantly set from Lakeisha’s point of view but quickly moves on to the problems Nichole faces, and the sacrifices she is prepared to make for those she loves. Richard presents as a confident man, successful in his chosen career, but his contact with Nichole forces him to question the motives behind his life choices, and re-evaluate what made him the man he has become. This is indeed a story of second chances and I recommend it highly.
Recommend this book:
Living Treasures
Yang Huang
2016 Gold Medal
318 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Yang Huang's debut novel, Living Treasures, takes us to China in 1989, the year of the student movement. Bao, a law student at Nanjing University, believed Tong when he told her that she would not get pregnant after having sex because it was her first time. A pregnancy test proved otherwise. Her parents wanted her to continue with her studies, but to do that, she had to go for an abortion and no one at Nanjing University could ever know that she was pregnant. After a two-day trip, Bao arrives at the village where she grew up with her grandparents. The fate of her baby is pretty much etched in stone. Will the abortion of her child break her? Will Tong ever forgive her for going against his wishes?
As a child, Bao was quite the "miracle worker," according to her grandmother. Bao's reunion with her grandparents makes readers wonder how she will live up to that analogy, especially since her grandmother appears to be a bit grumpy at first. Her grandfather introduces both Bao and the reader to the keeping of bees, a development that the reader will find very intriguing. Bao meets many interesting characters while staying at her grandparents' home. I loved the insight that Huang provided when it came to the histories of Bao's father, her mother, and various other characters. The antagonist makes his actual appearance quite late in the book, so readers will have to wait a while for a taste of danger. This is one of those books where everything comes full circle.
Recommend this book:
Sally Field Can Play The Transsexual
or, I Was Cursed By Polly Holliday
Leslie L. Smith
2015 Finalist
294 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Sally Field Can Play The Transsexual: or, I Was Cursed By Polly Holliday by Leslie L. Smith is a story of humor, loss and inspiration. David Matthers is a gay man who is an escort with a habit of keeping responsibility in the rear view mirror or, at the very least, a little bit ahead of him; the same goes for emotion. When his friend and mentor Robert dies from AIDS, he must face emotion and struggle with the loss. The situation is made more confusing for David because his friend left him a large sum of money. On a journey across the country to his sick mother, David will talk with Robert's ghost and meet a variety of entertaining characters that challenge him and his thought process.
This is a book that offers a lot of insight into the struggles of not just being gay in America today (yes, there is still a struggle) but of life in general and coping with loss. There was a great deal of humor that blunted some of the more emotional parts, but everything in this book flows together and offers a long and emotional look at many different issues. Author Leslie L. Smith has done a fantastic job in writing this book, making it engaging and something that you want to read and connect with. I was pleasantly surprised with how often I found myself smiling and then feeling an emotional connection with the events going on. I would recommend this book to any of my friends.
Recommend this book:
Silent Trees
Power and Passion in War Torn Afghanistan
Nasir Shansab
2015 Honorable Mention
336 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Silent Trees: Power and Passion in War-torn Afghanistan by Nasir Shansab is a haunting story of a country on the verge of chaotic collapse. Most of the book is set in the late '70s, before the Soviet invasion. It is told from the viewpoint of several major players, most notably the businessman Habib Dhil. Despite assurances from American acquaintances that things are 'stable' in his home country of Afghanistan, Dhil has the intuition that this is not the case, and that the fragile stack of cards that is a corrupt government is about to come crashing down.
Other viewpoints include Maggie Reed, an American lover of Dhil's, Miriam, another lover, and two of Dhil's friends, Anwar Haq and Alam Gol. Each is connected to the other, and we hear each perspective of this interwoven story. I was very quickly drawn into the lives of these characters. There were no 'heroes' among them. They were average, everyday people trying to survive in harsh circumstances. Some of them did some pretty horrible things, yet I still found myself hoping for the very best for each of them.
The writing is mostly prose, poetic and flowing. It was certainly easy to envision myself as part of the story. A scene near the beginning that I really became drawn into was a vision Maggie had of a long ago battle on the grounds of an old fort site she was visiting. The description was so vivid that I could hear the thunder of hooves and the clash of swords, and see the frenzy of said battle raging around me.
The author, Nasir Shansab, is native Afghani, and I enjoyed the cultural quirks and customs written into Silent Trees. He lived through the historical events portrayed in the book, if not the actual fiction story itself. I cannot imagine going through this. I pray I never need know.
Recommend this book:
Once Upon a Mulberry Field
C. L. Hoang
2015 Bronze Medal
392 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
This wonderful, touching novel, Once Upon a Mulberry Field by C.L. Hoang, follows the memories and experiences of Roger, a widower now living in a senior community home. Although he is significantly older than most protagonists in the fiction book market, Roger is an active senior despite the looming cancer that is slowly eating away his life. He refuses to be tied down and restricted by his illness and old age. When he receives a letter from an old friend back in USAF, telling him that an old acquaintance from Vietnam is here to see him, Roger is brought back into the world of his flashbacks. His time in Vietnam was filled with conflict, but also filled with love and hope.
The first thing that I noticed and am impressed about is how historically accurate Roger's time in Vietnam was. The author's use of military jargon and vocabulary is incredible. The descriptions of the terrain, military gear, and combat are colourful, adding to the story and the context of the novel. More importantly, the characters all fit into the environment, and no one seems unrealistic or out of place. The author's grasp of what Southern Vietnam was like during the '60s and '70s is strong, and it is obvious that C.L. Hoang spent a long time doing research.
I do think the plot is pretty slow paced at times. This might be deliberate to build development in Roger's character or to familiarize readers with the war, but I think a faster paced story line will have readers anxious to know what will happen next. Otherwise, this was a real page turner!
Recommend this book:
A Place in the World
Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon
2015 Silver Medal
Kindle Edition
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Fiction - Cultural
A Place in the World by Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon is set against the backdrop of Colombia. Alicia, a young American, marries into a wealthy Colombian coffee growing family. A biologist, she is transported into her husband Jorge's world where she lives on a coffee finca. As they learn more about coffee growing, Alicia is fascinated by the world around her. They slowly fall into a steady pattern in their lives, but a lot of other upheavals cause a dent in their relationship. Jorge leaves Alicia with their son and moves to Bogota with his family while she struggles to rebuild the coffee finca which is destroyed due to a volcanic eruption. This compelling book is a story of love, loss, grit, perseverance, determination, and it gives readers an insight into life in Colombia.
The book has many layers to it which makes it an entertaining and engaging read. All the characters are portrayed well. Alicia, Carmen, the housekeeper with whom Alicia forms a strong friendship, Jorge and Peter, the American geologist, are all memorable and will challenge the thinking of readers as they are taken into the historical, economic and political changes happening in Colombia. Many women readers will be able to relate to the character of Alicia and her struggle to support her family in a male dominated society. The author does an excellent job weaving a story alongside 1970s Colombia, the coffee finca, the people, the culture, and the fauna and flora of the country.
Recommend this book:
Dreams Of My Mothers
A Story Of Love Transcendent
Joel L. A. Peterson
2015 Gold Medal
344 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Born in South Korea to a single mother who is abandoned by her American boyfriend, Lee Young Nam seems to be destined to lead the life of an outcast. Joel Peterson’s Dreams of My Mothers is a chronicle of his life from an obscure South Korean village to a loving family in Minnesota. Extremely poor with the worst prospects in life, his mother Lee Hee Ae resorts to prostitution and they both sink into a life of abject poverty and misery. In a twist of fate, Lee Young Nam is adopted by a loving family in the United States of America and his life takes a different turn. The young boy tries to adapt to his new life and he eventually attains financial success, but his past catches up with him.
Based on a true story, Dreams of My Mothers is a gripping tale of a little boy who goes through so much suffering and misery in his young life. Author Joel Peterson is a master story teller with a creative writing style that is both vivid and captivating so that it is easy to empathize with Lee Young Nam. Just as he sinks deeper into wretchedness and despair, hope comes when he is adopted by an American couple. We lost track of his South Korean mother at some point, but she actually never left the young boy. The story expands with Lee Young Nam travelling to South Korea and one slowly realizes that he is on some kind of a quest. The setting changes from the present to the past and vice versa, and at every turn of the page, it becomes clear that he is in search of something that will hopefully make his life complete. The question is: will he find what he is looking for? This book is highly recommended!
Recommend this book:
Destiny's Dance
Rosemary Gard
2014 Honorable Mention
277 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
In this third book of the Destiny trilogy, Destiny's Dance by Rosemary Gard, we see the main character Katya leaving Europe to escape the gypsies who are after her and her fiancé Ivan. Ivan is blamed for the accidental death of a gypsy, which forces them to leave the country and settle in Gary, Indiana. Katya realizes that life in America is not as wonderful as she had thought. In Indiana there are plenty of jobs in the steel mills for immigrants. Tragedy strikes when Ivan meets with an accident and loses his life. The story traces Katya's life in America, the living conditions of the immigrants and how she begins a successful company with Cleona, a local housekeeper. This book of adventure, love, loss, triumph and intrigue is a gripping read.
Along with the story of Katya, the story also speaks about the unpredictable turns in life which we call destiny and how it plays a crucial part in shaping our lives. Destiny not only shapes Katya's life but also teaches her to live. The story moves from Europe to America smoothly and then readers learn about the life of immigrants in America and the problems they face in a new county. All the characters in the story are well developed and well portrayed. It is a story of love, survival and triumph where the author has woven all the emotions and incidents in Katya's life together very well. The story is honest and believable and readers can relate to the theme.
Recommend this book:
Crystal Ships
Richard Sharp
2014 Honorable Mention
370 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Crystal Ships by Richard Sharp is a new GREAT in the way of the epic American novel. Reading mainly as historical fiction with layers of drama, critique, and a general human focus, this book is deeply emotional while maintaining a kind of grace and fluidity that is rare. There was so much going on in this book that I could barely keep track of all the action. What a wild ride! There was so much depth, so many characters, and just a general sense of packing so much information into a little over 350 pages that I was amazed. I felt like I learned something just from the sheer amount of information that Sharp managed to include.
Richard Sharp paints a wonderfully detailed picture with his writing style. Full of a bittersweet combination of idealism and a cultured cynicism, this book is one that will be enjoyable for everyone, from the literary critic to the casual Sunday reader. The character development was what really got me, because with about seven main characters, it's hard to make them all realistic and not cutouts. Sharp did a wonderful job crafting individual personalities and really great dialogue! At times, keeping track of the several friends throughout time and space was a bit difficult, but the writing was excellent so I never felt like I was pushing myself to read and understand. Crystal Ships is one of those books that stays with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page.