The end of one year comes and our favorite radio stations start handing out awards to music artists, the internet is packed full of the best photography from the year, and book organizations send out lists of the top books from the past year. When I got an email from Goodreads earlier in December with the list of Goodreads awards I had the idea to make up my own book awards. I hope you enjoy!
Kindest Author Award
This award goes without a doubt to Karina Yan Glaser! I wrote Karina Glaser a letter this fall around the same time that her newest book came out. Recently I received the sweetest response from her, and included with her kind letter was a collection of stickers (totally took me back to my sticker-loving days) and signed bookmarks! If you happen to see this post, Karina Yan Glaser, THANK YOU! And big shoutout to her books! I will be posting much more about her books throughout this coming year. I’ll add links to those here once they’re written.
Beautifully Written Award
I read so many beautifully written books this year! It was truly amazing. And better yet, I have noticed that because of that emersion in fantastic writing my own writing has improved (especially in my story-writing). So it was tough to pick just one for this award when I read a bunch of books written in verse (big thanks to my little sister who supplied me with most of those)! But after narrowing it down to a couple dozen I was able to pick one.
The Beautifully Written award goes to Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk! The writing in Echo Mountain is absolutely breathtaking! I used my handy little book darts to mark so many things in this book that were just too beautiful to read only once. I’ve gone back so many times to reread those sections, and I inevitably read far more than I plan to because the gorgeous writing pulls me into the story and I forget that I have a life outside of those pages. Lauren Wolk writes poetically in a way that isn’t quite verse, but more than just regular narrative. The words themselves feel like strokes of paint coming to life.
Sent Me Down A Rabbit Hole Award
Secret Lives of Color earns this award. I was already deep into a rabbit hole when I read this book, but I’d say this one just deepened the rabbit hole even further.
I love color, and it fascinates me to learn about the science behind color, light, and how our brains react to color. The why and how of color combinations and why some colors work better together than others is a topic I spend a lot of time learning about. Learning about color theory and the science of color has made me appreciate the world of color all around us a little bit more every day. I do not, however, share this interest in color with my color-blind brothers. They seem to get frustrated by the topic rather than find awe in the tiny details of color variation that I find so interesting.
It’s been six months since I read this book and I haven’t yet gotten out of this rabbit hole. I’ve gotten myself in, and I can’t get out.
Hooked on History Award
Early in the year when I was studying France as part of school I read The Nightingale by Kristine Hannah. It was life-changing. I have thought about this book so many times since reading it. I’m worried if I say too much more about this one I won’t be able to stop and I’ll just keep going and going and it would end up being disastrous. To say it briefly: The Nightingale gave me multiple new perspectives on life in France during the second world war, and the story and characters have so much depth that really gave me a personal connection to them. I felt personally attached to everything that happened in their lives. I can’t wait to reread this one!
Best Book About Books Award
You might be an avid reader if you seek out books about books. This year’s award nomination goes to Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library! A fun book about book lovers trapped in a library, and one I couldn’t pull myself away from. Plus, there are few things better than your favorite books being referenced in another favorite book!
Captivatingly Magical Award
Night Circus! This award was easy. (Actually, I created this award just to give to Night Circus) This was another one I held my breath through the whole time. I listened to the audio book that Jim Dale reads and it held me captive the entire time. Every chapter, at least in the audio, is only a few minutes long so I became an addict and couldn’t shut it off. (Funny thing: I lost track of time when I was getting ready for prom earlier in the year because I was so absorbed in this book, and then I had to rush to finish my makeup and do my nails before my date got came to pick me up.)
This books has so much going on, and so many different elements of magic, romance, circus, and the characters are just famously written. The whole thing is utterly magical. Go listen to it, or read it, but Jim Dale adds to the whole experience so you should probably just listen to it.
Unexpected Favorite Award
Sweep takes the cake here! Written by Jonathan Auxier, Sweep is a story of a girl and her monster. I was slightly weary of this idea, and it took me a few months to warm up to the idea. Plus, I had never read one of Jonathan Auxier’s books before (can’t believe I lived without them!) so I was slightly skeptical of this idea. But Sweep became a favorite in a matter of pages — no, paragraphs. I couldn’t put this one down, and there were so many emotions while reading it. The setting, the plot, the idea behind it all, and most importantly the characters are absolutely magnificent in Sweep. It was an out-of-the-blue unexpected favorite! And I’m so glad I own my own copy because I plan to reread it many times over.
What book or books won an award in your heart this past year? Let me know because I’d love to check them out, and maybe they will even make it on next year’s award list!
