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:
Two Hearts Surrendered
Tamara Ferguson
2016 Honorable Mention
150 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Wow. Just wow! How’s that for a review? Well, that’s what I’ve got for the fantastic new novella by author Tamara Ferguson, Two Hearts Surrendered. Follow the story of Air Force pilot Luke Bryant and the lovely Kelly Callahan. Their meeting was certainly eventful as Luke, as a 13-year-old, saved 6-year-old Kelly’s life after she almost drowned. Now, fourteen years later, Luke is at home and meets Kelly again, this time finding a beautiful 20-year-old young woman. Instantly drawn to each other, they have only a few hours together before Luke has to return to duty. And later, when Luke returns from Iraq, seriously wounded, Kelly’s faith isn’t shaken; she’s sure they are still meant to be together. Luke can’t get over his thoughts that Kelly would be better off without him, and tries to turn her away, but Kelly won’t give up on him. Their journey is certainly not an easy one, but will it end up in the love they both truly want? You’ll need to read the book to find out!
I so enjoyed Two Hearts Surrendered. Author Tamara Ferguson has done an absolutely wonderful job in creating characters that her readers will relate to, care about and continue to think of long after the novella is done, and if that isn’t the hallmark of a great author, I don’t know what is. Any reader who enjoys a fantastic love story should absolutely read Two Hearts Surrendered. I highly recommend this novella, and am very much looking forward to reading more from author Tamara Ferguson as soon as possible!
Recommend this book:
Hold Back The Sun
US Asiatic Fleet vs. Japan
Warren Bell
2016 Bronze Medal
518 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Hold Back The Sun (US Asiatic Fleet vs. Japan) by Warren Bell is a military fiction novel that takes place in 1942. This book will appeal most to an audience made up primarily of adults who enjoy military fiction, though some of the more mature young adults who enjoy military fiction would also find it enjoyable. Hold Back The Sun follows Frank Rhea, Jack Sewell, and Captain Garret Laterveer, as well as the women that steal their hearts, Dr. Cinta van Wely, Pamela Mallory, and Catherine van Zweden. Hold Back The Sun follows these brave men and women during the war as their own action impacts on the course of the novel.
Hold Back The Sun by Warren Bell was an intriguing read for me as it followed so many different main characters, three men and three women. I really liked the fact that the author gave the women real personalities that made them strong and did not just label them as secondary characters. The writing style Warren Bell used in Hold Back The Sun was perfect for this military fiction novel. I found that it truly pulled me into not only the plot line, but also the characters as I began to feel for them as people. I really hope that Warren Bell continues to write military fiction!
Recommend this book:
Two Hearts Unspoken
(Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 2)
Tamara Ferguson
2016 Silver Medal
114 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Two Hearts Unspoken is a contemporary military romance written by Tamara Ferguson. Beth didn’t know quite what to say when Jim finally proposed to her. Ever since Diamont Motors, her employer, announced that they’d be shutting down the Bloomington, Illinois plant, she had begun planning on a move to Crystal Rock, Wisconsin. She had family there and had even purchased a 4-storey Victorian on the lake. Leaving had seemed the easiest way to end things with Jim. He had never really warmed to Kyle, her twenty-year-old autistic son, and his plans for their married life didn’t include Kyle at all. Beth was excited about the vocational program Kyle would be participating in at Crystal Visions, and she couldn’t wait to finally see the house her cousin Cal had purchased on her behalf. When she and Kyle finally made the drive to their new hometown, they were a bit early for their appointment with Cal, so she took Kyle for a walk on Dragonfly Pointe Beach. She loved the beach and remembered the endless summers she had spent there. She was relieved to find that Kyle was relaxed and having a grand time as well, that is, until she realized he had tackled a man who had been walking his dog along the lake. When she ran up to see if he was okay, Beth was stunned by the effect the man, who introduced himself as Zach, was having on her. For his part, he was feeling just about the same.
Tamara Ferguson’s contemporary military romance novella, Two Hearts Unspoken, is a moving and beautifully written story about a romance between a wounded veteran and the mother of an autistic son, who have both moved to Crystal Rock for healing and a fresh start. I enjoyed seeing how the two of them felt that instant attraction despite the misgivings and insecurities each of them had, and loved seeing how their relationship grew. While this novella is categorized as a romance, it deals with two important and serious issues, namely the rehabilitation of veterans who bear both physical and mental scars from their tours of duty, and the lack of sufficient vocational opportunities for young people with autism, who all too often are shunted away into institutions instead of being surrounded by family. Two Hearts Unspoken is well-plotted and fits marvelously within the author's Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Series. I had a grand time reading Two Hearts Unspoken and most highly recommend it.
Recommend this book:
Pachyderms
Danny Buoy
2016 Gold Medal
252 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Pachyderms is a military fiction novel written by Danny Buoy. Dan Coobat received a military deferment for college in the early 1960s, and when he matriculated with a degree in English, he enlisted. With his academic background, he was assured a position in communications, but was actually assigned to Advanced Infantry Training School. After that, he ended up at Fort Benning, working with Specialist 5th Class Carl Copelet in Flight Operations. Dan hadn't considered Vietnam as a likely destination when he signed up, but the 312th Battalion would be deployed there about six months after he became Copelet's trainee. Dan and Copelet helped set up the Battalion's new home in Bear Cat, a barren space surrounded by jungle, with a most incongruous yellow mobile home announcing the presence of the Fifth's Commanding General Bosebaugh.
Danny Buoy's historical military novel, Pachyderms, is an enthralling and engrossing coming of age story set in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Dan and Cope are marvelous characters, and their initially tense relationship blossoms into a strong and enduring friendship that makes this novel quite special. Buoy brings the sights, sounds and smells of war-era Vietnam to life as we experience the country through Dan's eyes. Cope and his brother, who's also in the country, are the wheelers and dealers who arrange trades for consumer goods like air conditioners and freezers, and the author's mention of Radar O'Reilly from MASH made me smile. Pachyderms is a different type of Vietnam story from the others I've read. It reads like a memoir, and I had to remind myself on several occasions that Dan, Cope and the other servicemen I had come to care about were fictional characters. Pachyderms is most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
Wait for Me
Janet K. Shawgo
2015 Finalist
241 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Wait for Me by Janet K. Shawgo is fiction, but a wonderful historical tribute to the women who served in World War II. It is also a romantic story following Susan, Larry, Dealer and Frank and their families through the horror of war and the excitement of the love they find. Connections are made, family history is shared and relationships are made that will last a lifetime. Susan follows in her Great-Aunt Sarah’s footsteps by becoming a nurse and signing up to help the wounded. Larry, emulating his Great-Uncle Samuel, is a reporter enjoying his life in Honolulu until the awful day he witnesses the attack on Pearl Harbor. He immediately knows he must go overseas to accurately report the war stories. Frank is Susan’s brother and a pilot in dangerous missions over enemy territory. Deelyn, whom everyone calls Dealer, is an expert pilot and responsible for handling top level assignments. Each has a special story to tell and each will become a special person that you want to meet and be friends with.
Janet K. Shawgo has done a perfect job of bringing the role women played and the hardships they endured to our attention. Wait for Me is a story of WWII told with emotion, feeling and understanding. I found myself being carried along and feeling their pain, their joy, happiness, and their grief and losses, as if I was right there on the battlefield with them. Each character became my friend and someone I greatly admired and felt proud to know. This is the second book. I did not read the first but it made no difference in the enjoyment level. Wait for Me is history, but more than that, Janet Shawgo made it personal. If you had any doubt before as to how important a role women played in the war, it will be gone after reading Wait for Me. I believe Wait for Me has all the makings of a top seller and would love to see it made into a major movie. Do not miss Wait for Me.
Recommend this book:
Flexible Wings
Veda Stamps
2015 Honorable Mention
297 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Flexible Wings is a novel for preteens written by Veda Stamps. Eleven-year-old Summer Stevenson is not terribly happy with the upcoming move her family is making. This is simply the most recent one in a succession of moves necessitated by her mom and dad being in the military. While her dad is no longer serving, her mom still is. They're moving from Berkeley to Valencia in Southern California, and Summer is upset about leaving her friend Esperanza and her little casita in the backyard. All the moves that this military family have made have been very stressful for her. When they finally arrive in Valencia, Summer likes the backyard, especially the hummingbirds which seem to be everywhere. She's also excited about finally being part of a swim team, but she's still faced with the impossible task of making new friends, and her mom's been called to active duty again.
Veda Stamps's preteen novel, Flexible Wings, is marvelous and very inspirational. I empathized with Summer's problems with the upheavals in her family's life and her understandable reluctance to always being the new kid in school -- though if you do have to move, Valencia sounds like a pretty amazing place. Stamps does an impressive job of giving the reader a sense of what it's like for the families of servicemen and servicewomen, and the necessary adjustments that are a part of their everyday lives. While my two favorite characters in this book were Summer and her grandmother, Baachan, all of the people in Flexible Wings seemed quite real after a while, and the swimming events are spectacular and great fun. Flexible Wings is an awesome read, and you don't have to be a preteen to enjoy it. I know I did. It's most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
Blood Lines
The Gauntlet Runner - Book IV
S. Thomas Bailey
2015 Honorable Mention
400 Pages
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Fiction - Military
I have been anxiously awaiting this book because the last book left me needing to know the fate of Maggie Murray. Blood Lines, the latest installment in S. Thomas Bailey’s Gauntlet Runner Series, certainly didn't disappoint. I found myself drawn right back into the danger and drama taking place where the last book left off. Even though Maggie is a captive of the Delaware Indians, she never lets her guard down and is always looking for her next chance to escape. Meanwhile, Jacob feels the guilt of not being there to protect his wife when the fort was raided. He will do whatever it takes to get her back, whether his men decide to follow him or not. As he tracks her, he learns that his trek will take him into unknown territory. With danger at every twist on the trail, along with the approaching winter, one is left wondering whether the Murray family will ever be reunited.
Blood Lines, the fourth book in the Gauntlet Runner series by S. Thomas Bailey, is very well researched. Mr. Bailey has a knack for blending just the right amount of detail and action, along with the characters’ personal insight and feelings, to provide for a page turning read. The day to day stress that the characters feel permeates the pages, making me feel on guard just as the characters do, wondering what might lurk around the next bend in the trail. I always find myself caught up in the drama that plays out as Jacob faces the next enemy, or the determination that Maggie always feels to survive. I love that Mr. Bailey makes Maggie such a strong character, being resourceful, able to survive independently, but he also allows the reader to feel her longing of wanting to be with her family. Mr. Bailey actually does an outstanding job of capturing the emotions and feelings of Jacob as well, enabling me to visualise him as a real man with doubts and fears. It's the emotional insight into his characters that makes this entire series shine. Vivid descriptions allow the various scenes of the story to literally jump from the pages, from a pox-ridden Indian village to the arduous trek that the characters make through the vast wilderness - it is so easy to be drawn into each scene because of the descriptive writing. A story that effortlessly transports the reader back in time, making them feel as if they are stepping right into frontier life and the dangers that it entails.
Even though Blood Lines is a work of fiction, Mr. Bailey knows how to bring history alive with smooth, easy to read writing. He makes this time period interesting and actually reading this series has rekindled my interest in this important time in our country’s history. On a scale of one to five, this entire series deserves a six because it's just that good.
Recommend this book:
Armor of Glass
A Novel
R. M. A. Spears
2015 Bronze Medal
258 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Armor of Glass is an emotional and harrowing journey through the domestic turmoil that has become the life of an ex-Marine. Brick reminisces on his daily train ride, thinking about the decisions he has made in his life. From his childhood days to his current life, we see the world through the eyes of a man whose emotions have been battered, frayed, dulled and ultimately reignited.
R.M.A. Spears' Armor of Glass captures the tribulations military personnel experience as they live out their lives in the civilian world. The military is portrayed as a machine that takes in human beings and churns out emotionally damaged individuals. Double standards, machinations, and power plays become a jarring counterpoint to the honor and valor the armed forces are supposed to portray. We see the military from the viewpoint of a grunt, the common foot soldier caught in its system, who realizes the stark reality of that system's failings but still comes back again and again because the military is all he has become. The melodic prose is mesmerizing at times. Brick as the emotionally-battered Marine is a lesson in perseverance and resilience. The book strikes numerous chords and a raw nerve or two. By the middle of the book, characters become all too real, their actions and decisions arousing a variety of emotions from the reader. From the pedophile Coach to the manipulative Selma, we are given a slew of villainous characters that, in reality, could be anyone we encounter in our daily lives. Brick's elusive smile, his brief happiness, becomes all the more exquisite as I endured existence through his eyes.
Armor of Glass is one of the most realistic love stories I have ever read. There are no happy endings, no happily ever after. There is only life and learning to live through the bad and to enjoy the good while taking the time to reminisce about love lost. R.M.A. Spears has crafted an emotionally intense novel that had me hooked from page one.
Recommend this book:
Gooseberry Island
Steven Manchester
2015 Gold Medal
300 Pages
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Fiction - Military
Gooseberry Island by Steven Manchester has its beginnings in a chance encounter between Lindsey Wood and David McClain, which sparks romance between them. The romance is kept alive through Skype when he is back on duty in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan he has to witness horrendous acts of war, arson and violence, mostly senseless. On completion of his stint, he returns to find himself horribly affected. This leaves Lindsey in terrible grief; she is already in the doldrums owing to her father’s condition, being a Gulf veteran. Her experience with this comes in handy when David finds it more or less common among such repatriates, and with mutual assistance they make peace with the present. David and Lindsay begin their journey.
Gooseberry Island by Steven Manchester is bound to take its toll on one's emotions: the instant chemistry between Lindsey and David, the exchange of numbers in the hopes he will call, and the call doing wonders, as well as his invitation to a party without telling her that it’s his going away party! I have had the occasion to witness something similar and have always felt how treasured such moments are. Steven has adopted a good degree of moderation; at no stage do the emotional scenes and exchanges seem unnatural. A moving story with a complete plot, it leaves one with the same feeling as the last thought of the hero: “Life is better than good.” And just like him, with a smile.
Recommend this book:
Surly Bonds
Michael Byars Lewis
2014 Finalist
362 Pages
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Fiction - Military
"Surly Bonds" by Michael Byars Lewis is the story of Jason Conrad and his fellow Lieutenants Matt, Vince and Lenny as they train to become fighter pilots. The story takes place at the Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Jason seems to be struggling to keep up with the studies and flight tests. He also has some romantic entanglements that serve as unwanted distractions. His ex-wife is pestering him and reopening the wounds caused by her infidelities, and an attractive local woman, Kathy, seems like the real deal.
Lewis has crafted an intriguing and suspenseful thriller that also gives the reader a birds-eye view of life as a pilot-in-training. I particularly enjoyed the vicarious experience of walking around the plane with Jason under the eagle eye of his instructor and going for the flight sessions. There are two plots in it: after we get to know Jason and his classmates, a second story starts to form on the other side of the world in Russia, and Lewis deftly moves the action along in both plots. Jason is a compelling character. He works hard for his grades and has a strong sense of loyalty to his friends, even the ones who seem to have a much easier time with their coursework than he does. It is interesting to see how he copes with problems and critical situations and gets stronger as he goes along. This is a suspenseful and well-crafted thriller that delivers, and I enjoyed every minute spent reading it.