And the Award Goes To...

The Award Goes To…

For some reason, we love awards and watching other people get awards. Entire groups of people will come together to watch the Oscars, Emmy's, Grammys, to name a few. They're televised for hours. We crave it. In the same way that movie buffs obsess over movie awards, there are readers who obsess over award winning books. There's nothing wrong with that. There's something special about having read an award winning novelist. Every year awards are handed out to the best authors in a variety of genres and categories and later this month the youth media awards will be announced by the American Library Association. Below are the 2021 award winners and the prizes they've won, just in case you haven't read them yet.

Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to authors and composers in the United States who have achieved excellence in journalism (print and online), magazine, newspaper, literature, and music.

1. The Night Watchman by Louise Edrich -Pulitzer for Fiction

The Night Watchmanis based on the life of Louise Edrich's grandfather, who took the fight against Native American Dispossession of Native Land in North Dakota all the way to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. Her novel explores not only the rights of indigenous people but the underlying themes of love and death with a sly degree of humor. Louise Erdrich is an indigenous author whose creative style encompasses children's books, literary fiction, memoirs, and literary fiction. She is acclaimed as one of the most influential indigenous authors of her time. Location:Literary Edric, Overdrive/Libby

1. The Dead are Arising: the Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne-Pulitzer for Biography

In tracing Malcolm X's life from his Nebraska birth in 1925 to his Harlem assassination in 1965, Les Payne attempts to correct the historical record about Malcom X's life and his fight against racism in America. Payne spent just over 28 years researching and speaking to Malcom X's siblings, friends, and fellow fighters for equality in order to truly capture the full nature of this Civil Rights leader. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Les Payne passed away in 2018. Location:BIOGRAPHY Malcol, Overdrive

Nebula Award.An award for best works of Science Fiction and Fantasy literature in the United States.

1. The Network Effect by Martha Wells- Nebula Award and the Hugo Award

Labeled as a stand-alone novel (on good reads), The Network Effectis in actuality the fifth in a series about the world from the perspective of an artificial intelligence assassin. This niche book is definitely geared for the intense science fiction enthusiast in your life. Martha Wells has written over a dozen science fiction novels, most of which are in series. Her novels have been published in seven languages. Location:Overdrive/Libby

1. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia- Nebula Award Nominee

Prompted by a letter from her cousin, Naomi heads out to her cousin's estate, High Place, out in the Mexican countryside. While her cousin foresees doom and gloom, the rest of her family brushes it off as madness. However, the more Naomi digs into the past the more she realizes that the family her cousin married into has a history of violence and madness. Reminiscent of a Shirley Jackson novel, Mexican Gothicis sure to thrill readers across all genres. Silvia Moreno Garcia is self described as Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. She has penned seven novels and has been nominated for multiple awards.Location:Fantasy Moreno, Overdrive/Libby

Edgar Award.An Award presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America. The award goes to the best in Mystery fiction and nonfiction, television, film, and theater.

1. DJinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara- Edgar Award

Step aside Scooby-doo and the gang. Jai is a young Indian student who is fond of crime shows and thinks himself to be smarter than anyone he knows, including his two friends Pari and Faiz. When one of their classmates goes missing, Jai convinces Pari and Faiz to join him to solve the mystery. However this gang of crime stoppers might have gotten themselves in too deep when more children from around the city keep going missing. Deep Anappara grew up in southern India and worked as a journalist in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, reporting on the impact of poverty and religious violence with a focus on how it affects children's education. DJinn Patrol on the Purple Lineis her first book. Location:Literary Anappa

1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman- Edgar Award Nominee

When a group of four, nearly 80 year olds at a retirement home get together to discuss unsolved murders over jigsaw puzzles, they never thought they'd find themselves at the center of a muder investigation. Despite requests from the investigating detective not to get involved, this group of Poirot and Miss Marple wannabes take up the case to find the killer before it's too late. Richard Osman is primarily known throughout Britain as a producer and television presenter, and features regularly as a panelist on celebrity game shows. The Thursday Murder Clubis his first novel. Location:Mystery Osman Thur 1

Hugo Award.The Primer award for writers of Science Fiction around the world. It is awarded annually at the Science Fiction Convention.

1. Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir- Hugo Award

Harrow the Ninthis the sequel to Muir's first book in the Locked Tomb series, Gideon the Ninth. In this SciFi sequel a galaxy is turned inside out as a necromancer struggles to deal with the chaos and carnage she has created. Trapped inside an emperor's haunted space station, this down on her luck, the necromancer finds herself being hunted by the mad ghost of a planet she destroyed. Tamysn Muir, a self described Kiwi, heralds from New Zealand, but now finds herself living and working in Oxford, England. Her short novel and longer literary works have been nominated for multiple SciFi and Fantasy awards. The Hugo Award is the first award she has been nominated for that she has actually won.Location:SCIFI Muir Lock 2

1. The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin-Hugo Award

If every city has a soul, then New York has five; one for each of her boroughs. From each borough comes five individuals tasked with saving New York City from the evil that lurks beneath its streats. N.K. Jemisin is an African American writer of Fantasy and SciFi fiction with a niche in speculative fiction-fiction that encompasses themes of supernatural, futuristic, parallel universes, and imagined elements. She has written numerous short stories and novels. She currently lives in Brooklyn where she works as a career counselor when she isn't writing novels.Location:Fantasy Jemisi Grea, Overdrive/Libby

Booker Prize.A literary award given out each year for the best novel written in England or Ireland.

1. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid- Booker Prize

Such a Fun Ageis a page turning novel about race and privilege. It focuses on a young African American woman named Emira who babysits for the well to do Alix Chamberlain. When Emira is falsely accused of kidnapping Alix's child, Alix will do whatever it takes to help Emira. However, a person from Alix and Emira's pasts will change everything the women know about themselves and each other. Kiley Reid is an American author currently residing in Philadelphia. Such a Fun Ageis her first novel. Location:Literary Reid, Overdrive/Libby

1. Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi- Booker Prize

Burnt Sugarcan best be described as a story of love and betrayal between a mother and her daughter. With a touch of sarcasm and wit, this novel unravels the nature of familial relationships while providing a picture of wholeness within a family unit. Avni Doshi is an American Author currently living in Dubai. Burnt Sugaris her first novel.Location:Overdrive/Libby

Newbery Award.An Award given out by the Association for Library Service to Children and to the author who has made the most distinguished contributions to children's literature that year.

1. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller- Newbery Award

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now, the tigers want it back. And when one of those tigers offers Lily a deal--return what Halmoni stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to accept. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice... and the courage to face a tiger. Tae Keller is an American author who currently lives in New York. When You Trap a Tigeris her second book.Location:J General Keller