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:
Fourteen
A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival
Leslie Johansen Nack
2016 Bronze Medal
300 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
Fourteen: A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival by Leslie Johansen Nack is a deeply emotional and moving story about the coming of age of our narrator and author who had to deal with the divorce of her parents, the abuse by her father, and being forced to grow up entirely too soon to protect herself and see the grittier side of the world. It is well told and has an approachable and easy-going narrative style that is very compelling, and I found the story easy to sink into and enjoy. It was almost like reading pure fiction, and occasionally I had to stop and remind myself that this is a non-fiction account of the author's life and the obstacles she had to overcome.
There are some moments that were difficult to read past, but I found myself rooting for the author to have everything work out in her favor. There were scenes, like when her mother came to visit the boat and her dad became aggressive about her complaints about accommodation, that are very well-written and truly bring the characters to life. This is an enticing memoir, and Leslie is writing another story about her family, a sort of de facto sequel that is sure to be just as enjoyable, so I look forward to reading more by her. Fourteen: A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival by Leslie Johansen Nack is an excellent memoir about the life and trials of a young woman struggling to overcome many obstacles that children aren't usually expected to face. Great memoir! I really enjoyed it.
Recommend this book:
A Camino of the Soul
Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers
Katharine Elliott
2016 Silver Medal
130 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers is a non-fiction inspirational memoir written by Katharine Elliott. The author and her husband were successful hotel executives who seemed to have the perfect life. Their home overlooked the Puget Sound, they could travel and enjoy the finer things in life, and three loving dogs graced their lives. Things started to change when they learned that his mother's cancer had progressed to the point that she could no longer live on her own. Rather than see her move to an assisting living facility in Germany, they traveled there for a visit with her, but also with the hope that she would agree to move in with them. She did, and the two women, who had once been ill at ease with each other, became the best of friends. Sis, as she was known to her family and friends, would become one of Elliott's angels after she passed on, a warm and guiding presence who would look out for Elliott, supporting her throughout the moves and crises, and eventually the breakup of her twenty-year marriage. Several years before that break, Elliott had begun seeking a more spiritual connection to life, and she accepted that she was meant to walk the Camino. She didn’t know the reason why or how that ambition came to grab hold of her, nor did she question it, and that historic spiritual walk would change her life.
Katharine Elliott's non-fiction spiritual memoir, A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers, is a beautifully written and joyful account that held me in rapt attention as I was reading. Elliott's writing is smooth and compellingly honest, and one can't help but feel that she is speaking directly to her readers. I loved reading about how she and Sis went from being wary and unwilling in-laws to becoming dear friends who reveled in their time together, and I found her descriptions of the process of her and her husband's move to Europe to be fascinating. But I'm an avid hiker; so I would have to admit that my primary interest in reading this memoir was to hear about the author's experiences on her Camino, and she came through with flying colors. I had wondered about her taking the trek on her own and loved the serendipity that surrounded her with hale and hearty companions. And yes, I'm glad she listened to her sister's advice to write. She does a grand job of it, and I'm looking forward to more memoirs of her other walking experiences. A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers is most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
Gap Year Girl
A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries
Marianne C. Bohr
2016 Gold Medal
372 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
In a fun, well-written and informative new book penned by author Marianne C. Bohr, Gap Year Girl: A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries recounts the story of the author and her husband as they said goodbye to their jobs and all of their worldly possessions in order to return to places they had visited on their travels in their youth. Following a dream held closely by many of the baby boomer generation, the couple traverses 21 continents during their journey, lives on a budget, and sees and does more than many do in several lifetimes. Readers will smile, laugh, and be touched at the author's recounting of their experiences, and if they didn't have wanderlust before, they certainly will now!
I so enjoyed Gap Year Girl: A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries. Author Marianne C. Bohr has done a great job at finding the perfect balance between telling the story of their travels, providing information about each place they visited, and just being plain entertaining. Any reader with an interest in travel, especially those of the baby boomer generation, would thoroughly enjoy this book. I highly recommend Gap Year Girl: A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries to any such reader. I certainly hope that author Marianne C. Bohr will continue with her traveling adventures and will continue writing about them. For those of us who find ourselves a bit landlocked at this time, reading books such as hers just might provide us with a little bit of wind in our sails!
Recommend this book:
The Kindness Diaries
One Man's Quest to Ignite Goodwill and Transform Lives Around the World
Leon Logothetis
2015 Finalist
288 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
Kindness One sounds like a course heading for a local college. It's not, but perhaps it should be. Kindness One, a take-off name from Airforce One, the U.S. President's private jet, is a private mode of transportation with the power to spread an important message about, you guessed it, kindness. It's something many take for granted, or don't even consider at all. It's the simple act of doing something positive to help someone else, just for the sheer joy of being kind. Author Leon Logothetis had this brilliant idea after he noticed a homeless man on the streets of Los Angeles, right on Hollywood Boulevard, holding a sign that read: "Kindness is the best medicine." The homeless man was Leon's first inspiration, but he certainly wasn't his only one. He handed the man two twenty-dollar bills and then returned home to his girlfriend with the idea of riding a motorcycle around the world to spread a little bit of kindness. It sounds crazy, but when Leon gets an idea, he goes for it, and his idea went beyond crazy, when he announced that he was going to travel without any money in his pocket. In fact, he was going to depend on the kindness of strangers to buy fuel for his bike, feed him and provide him with shelter.
Leon's story - The Kindness Diaries: One Man's Quest to Ignite Goodwill and Transform Lives Around the World - takes us from his home, to a cattle ranch where he learned how to rope a cow, to the central core of Pittsburgh where he slept on the mean streets with some homeless people, then across the Atlantic on a cargo ship (working all the way), through Europe and Asia, where he met kindness and not-so-kind people, but always finding his way and learning from others. It sounds almost as unbelievable as it is crazy, but that's what was Leon's mission. He helped those he met along the way, those who shared kindness with him. And, he learned the true power of being kind.
Amazingly, Leon actually traveled through Bhutan, a country that has a philosophy well suited to his mission: Gross National Happiness, where "Happiness means simplicity." In the most simple life, one can find true happiness. When things became difficult, Leon would rely on the words of wisdom he had picked up along the way. A friend told him, "Don't quit before the miracle happens." Mother Teresa's words of wisdom to us all are, "It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." Salman Rushdie writes, "To understand just one life, you must swallow the world." And, Shantaram says: "Freedom is a universe of possibility."
Leon's advice, something that he learned from others on his travels is: "Surround yourself with love." He also discovered that the journey would only be complete when he found his way home again. Leon has written a very inspirational true story, one that will warm the hearts of all who read it, and hopefully one that will help spread the positive power of kindness. He has a powerful message to share, one that we should all take seriously. Well done!
Recommend this book:
Mojave Moonlight
A Series of Nightscapes
Tom Lowe
2015 Bronze Medal
50 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
In this fast-paced modern world, one of the biggest challenges to finding inner peace is to find a place where the hustle and bustle stops and real solitude is possible – sadly, we live in a culture where, all too often, silence exists only to be filled and to be alone is interpreted as being inherently lonely. Small wonder then that acclaimed Los Angeles writer and time-lapse photographer Tom Lowe jumped at the chance to be an Artist in Residence at the Mojave National Preserve. During his fifteen-night sojourn, Lowe captured the 22 breathtaking moonlit photographs featured in Mojave Moonlight. These superb color images are accompanied by a fascinating personal narrative of tales from the journey, and notes from the field, about the conditions under which the extraordinary time-lapse effects were achieved. Their appeal is universal, and the vastness of the landscape, rendered authentically, is mind-expanding.
From the dazzling Milky Way to stark, oddly plaintive Joshua trees and inexplicably animate rock formations, Lowe’s vistas evoke the unique solitude and infinite expanses of the Mojave Desert by moonlight. Stars streak and fall in mesmerizing patterns that seem to be the visual equivalent of whale song – ancient, mysterious, and humbling. The horizon glimmers with a kind of fey silvered enchantment; boulders and dunes gather to worship beneath heavens that seem to fold out upon themselves like some sort of divine three-dimensional pop-up book. The overall effect is pure magic. Mojave Moonlight by Tom Lowe is a rare and beautiful book that readers will return to many times.
Recommend this book:
Las Vegas - Insider’s Guide
Save Money, Keep Safe, Operate and Survive in Sin City
Titus Nelson
2015 Silver Medal
200 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
Las Vegas - Insider’s Guide by Titus Nelson is a comprehensive guide to Las Vegas, especially its adult make up, containing much information in that direction. Interesting maps of the city and its vantage points, interesting sights in and around the city, reference lists, including '10 surest ways to get arrested in Las Vegas’, useful Smartphone apps like Vegas Mate, which can show the best route, walk time, cost of cabs etc., are included in this guide. It starts with Las Vegas at a glance, explains how to navigate in and around the city, and gives advice regarding all sorts of fun while staying away from trouble. This book has a chapter on how to get married in Las Vegas, followed by, naturally, ‘How to get a divorce’ in this state.
Las Vegas - Insider’s Guide by Titus Nelson is written with a ‘discerning visitor in search of entertainment’ in mind and there is no topic which is not discussed in this book. This book can also serve as a reference as it contains much data regarding entertainment, sports, legal advice, or other matters of general interest which could be useful to visitors. Quite extensive is the ready reference provided at the end of the book with listings of the statutes, rules and penalties one should acquaint oneself with regarding adult entertainment. A good collection of maps showing roads, signs, filling stations and other necessities for a traveler, controlled substances and other things of comparable nature which are best avoided fill the pages.
Recommend this book:
Roadtrip with a Raindrop
90 Days Along the Mississippi River
Gayle Harper
2015 Gold Medal
240 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River is a non-fiction travel book written by Gayle Harper. Harper is a travel writer and photographer who's had a lifelong love of the Mississippi River. While she always had the inkling of a thought about a full-scale adventure on the river, it wasn't until she saw a factoid on the National Park Service's website that her thought bloomed to its full potential. The site said that a single drop of water falling at the headwaters of the Mississippi travels for 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Harper calculated that that drop would travel about 27 miles a day on its 3-month long journey; then she decided to call that drop 'Serendipity' and to travel along with it, and her project was born.
I settled into an easy chair with a cup of tea and Gayle Harper's non-fiction travelogue, Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River, and found myself falling in love with the headwaters of the Mississippi and the marvelous natural settings of Minnesota. I had to keep reminding myself that it gets very cold there in the wintertime, and then I continued reading on, and studying one stunningly beautiful picture after another as Harper and her raindrop continued their journey south. There were so many places to see and stories to hear; all quite new for someone who's only ever lived on a coast and barely seen the arch of St. Louis flash by on a road trip. Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River is an exceptionally good travel book that reads as smoothly as fiction and is filled with history, nature and the warmth and kindness of strangers soon to become friends. It's a splendid read, and it's most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
How To Become An Escape Artist
A Traveler's Handbook
Jackie Chase
2014 Finalist
218 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
If you've ever wanted to travel around the world but didn’t know how to do it, then How to Become an Escape Artist, a Traveler’s Handbook, is definitely for you. This book teaches you not only what to keep in mind when you travel, but how to completely immerse yourself in the world and culture that you are visiting. You don’t want to simply go to a country and see all the ‘tourist traps’ that they have lined up on easily accessible streets. What this book teaches you is how to locate the road less traveled and how to be welcomed down it with open arms.
There is more than one way to travel and Jackie Chase has definitely found the more interesting one. It can be fun to be an American visiting Europe for the first time, but you’ll remain just an American and you’ll remain just a visitor. On the other hand, immersing yourself in the culture of Cambodia is something entirely different and not just because it’s a different country than Europe. There’s so much to see and do and experience around the world and I can’t wait to try all of it. This book is an inspiration to me to try and really ‘go it alone’ and make my way through all the countries I possibly can - not as a tourist in the four-star hotels, but as a ‘local’ living in a hut or sleeping on the ground. There’s so much more to learn that way, after all.
Recommend this book:
All Hands Working Together
Cruise for a Week: Meet 79 Cultures
Jackie Chase
2014 Finalist
174 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
All Hands Working Together – Cruise for a Week: Meet 79 Cultures, written by Jackie Chase, provides the reader with a thorough 'behind the scenes look' at a cruise ship. This particular cruise ship has workers on it from 79 different countries; therefore there are 79 cultures melding together and 79 individuals working and joining together, creating a family. Each person is introduced, along with a description of their position on the cruise ship and a little bit about him or herself. There are photographs interspersed throughout as well, providing a visual to various things on the ship, for example, baking thousands of dinner rolls, the wall of weekly recipes and the children’s play area. Each person has a job to perform to make sure each guest is taken good care of so that each person feels special.
Jackie Chase really opens up the reader’s eyes to life on a cruise ship. Upon reading this book, the reader will understand the intricate workings of a smooth and enjoyable cruise. The reader will also be inspired by the accounts shared in this book as all of these individuals join together, despite cultural differences, and form a team which successfully perform their jobs and work together to result in an enjoyable experience for the vacationers on the ship. Personally, I find this book to be eye-opening as I know people who have gone on cruises, but I have not thought about all of the planning and so many little details that are a part of the cruise experience. It is inspiring to read the various accounts from the individuals on the ship as well. This is an excellent book that those who love traveling or long to travel would enjoy!
Recommend this book:
Double Happiness
One Man's Tale of Love, Loss, and Wonder on the Long Roads of China
Tony Brasunas
2014 Honorable Mention
352 Pages
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Non-Fiction - Travel
Like Tony Brasunas, I have always nurtured a penchant for traveling and learning about the lives of other people, whether near or far. Autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, travelogues and adventure stories have ever been my cup of tea. Brasunas’ Double Happiness: One Man’s Tale of Love, Loss, and Wonder on the Long Roads of China is an absolute delight from the Prologue to the Epilogue. With a curiosity for travel, languages and Chinese in particular, Tony sets off on an exciting adventure to teach English at the Peizheng Middle School in Guangzhou. He begins the school year minus manual or guidance, yet he bravely embraces his undertaking to “not only teach English,” as the principal says, but “to uplift the nation” and inspire his eager charges. Not only does young Brasunas accomplish his mission, in my humble opinion, he uplifts and inspires this reviewer as I move through the school year with him, and follow him across the vastness of China with a backpack, a willing spirit and a loving heart. I loved that Tony opened his heart to Michiko and Lu Lan, even as he wondered about the possibilities of pregnancy and disease, and that he owned up to his fears (that he would fall ill in China and that he feared war and the needless death of innocents).
Brasunas’ Double Happiness: One Man’s Tale of Love, Loss, and Wonder on the Long Roads of China is poetry nestled beautifully in prose. An example of his eloquence is as follows: “I’ve been in this land, this empire, this hulking city, a whole week, but everything still scares me and exhilarates me---just breathing what’s in the dirty air, eating what’s on the bountiful plates, wandering through the crowded, crumbling streets.” The narrative throbs with a joie de vivre. The chapter titles are creative and vibrant. I enjoyed learning Chinese, losing myself in the book’s luscious details, visiting the Great Wall, Tibet, Tiananmen Square, the Bingmayong, the Wei River Valley and the Great Mosque of Xi’an, etc. The maps, quotes and illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add a deeper appreciation of the work. The theme that “Travelers ineluctably live in the now” is wholly true in this reviewer’s humble opinion. As a former English teacher, I relished Brasunas’ imaginative assignments, and I loved that he maintained a journal and that one of his students anonymously wrote him notes, evaluating his teaching. Lauren, Byron, Anton, Paige, Chantal and Michiko’s stories lend the work a novel quality and the reader realizes from page one that this is a page-turner; read voraciously.