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2021 Booker Prize

Leave a Comment / Award Winner, Book List, Featured, Fiction

The Booker Prize is awarded to what the judges consider to be the best novel of the year written in English by an author living anywhere in the world, published in the UK and Ireland. The winner receives £50,000 as well as the £2,500 awarded to each of the six shortlisted authors.

The short list for the 2021 Booker Prize:

Anuk Arudpragasam (Sri Lankan) – A Passage North
Damon Galgut (South African) – The Promise
Patricia Lockwood (American) – No One Is Talking About This
Nadifa Mohamed (British/Somali) –The Fortune Men
Richard Powers (American) – Bewilderment
Maggie Shipstead (American) – Great Circle

The winner is:

Congratulations to all!

2021 Barnes & Noble Best Genre Books of the Year

Leave a Comment / Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Book List, Cookbooks, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Romance, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult/Teen

I’ve been told that the B&N editorial staff reads a lot of books during the year in various genres, then chooses from among those books to select their favorites of the year. The official quote from Barnes & Noble defines the ‘best books’ lists as stories that stay with us long after we finish them, and the ones we re-read again and again and pass on to friends. I would definitely agree with that definition. See if you agree with their choices in a range of genres and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Happy Reading!

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

“Child of Light” by Terry Brooks

“Leviathan Falls” by James S.A. Corey

“Under the Whispering Door” by T.J. Klune

“A Marvelous Light” by Freya Marske

“The Last Graduate” by Naomi Novik

“ExtraOrdinary” by V.E. Schwab

“Lore Olympus: Volume One” by Rachel Smythe

“Lesser Evil – Star Wars Thrawn Ascendancy” by Timothy Zahn

Mystery/Thrillers

“While Justice Sleeps” by Stacey Abrams

“The Heron’s Cry” by Ann Cleeves

“Mrs. March” by Virginia Feito

“Clark and Division” by Naomi Hirahara

“The Guilt Trip” by Sandie Jones

“Silverview” by John Le Carre

“The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides

“The Man Who Died Twice” by Richard Osman

“The Madness of Crowds” by Louise Penny

“False Witness” by Karin Slaughter

Best YA

“Ace of Spades” by Faridah Abike-lyimide

“Realm Breaker” by Victoria Aveyard

“Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley

“Lore” by Alexandra Bracken

“Blackout” by Dhonielle Clayton

“Small Favors” by Erin A. Craig

“Once Upon A Broken Heart” by Stephanie Garber

“Defy the Night” by Brigid Kemmerer

“The Lake” by Natasha Preston

“Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World” by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Best Fiction

“Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr

“The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich

“The Paper Palace” by Miranda Cowley Heller

“Greek Myths: A New Retelling” by Charlotte Higgins

“Fault Lines” by Emily Itami

“The Lost Apothecary” by Sarah Penner

“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers

“Beautiful World, Where Are You?” by Sally Rooney

“The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles

“Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead

Best Romance

“While We Were Dating” by Jasmine Guillory

“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry

“Fifty Shades Freed” by E. L. James

“The Soulmate Equation” by Christina Lauren

“It’s Better This Way” by Debbie Macomber

“One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston

“The Lady Has A Past” by Amanda Quick

“Neon Gods” by Katee Robert

“Legacy” by Nora Roberts

“Lover Unveiled” by J.R. Ward

Best Cookbooks

“Death & Co: Welcome Home” by Alex Day

“Pizza Czar” by Anthony Falco

“Nadiya Bakes” by Nadiya Hussain

“Mother Grains” by Roxana Jullapat

“Maman: the Cookbook” by Elisa Marshall

“Burnt Toast and Other Disasters” by Cal Peternell

“Vegetable Simple” by Eric Ripert

“Rodney’s World of BBQ” by Rodney Scott

“Cook Real Hawai’I” by Sheldon Simeon

“The Japanese Art of the Cocktail” by Masahiro Urushido

Book List: Author Craig Johnson

2 Comments / Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Book List, Featured, Fiction, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Western

Craig Allen Johnson’s writing career has centered around his iconic lead character, Walt Longmire, a modern American sheriff from Wyoming. What makes Sheriff Walt Longmire so immediately likable? Middle-aged, experienced at his job, widower of a woman he loved more than life itself, an attorney daughter of whom he is so very proud, and a Cheyenne best friend/sidekick whom he has known since childhood. Longmire mostly follows the rules, but when justice is in question, the rules are sometimes open to interpretation.

The stories are full of wonderful dialogue, intriguing mysteries, life and death situations, and a core set of characters with whom you’d like to spend as much time as possible. Johnson’s obvious love of the wide-open spaces of Wyoming spills onto the pages when the landscape becomes a character, as suddenly dangerous as any killer could be or as mesmerizing as a beautiful painting.

Read the first in the series, “The Cold Dish,” and you’ll want to follow this lawman throughout the rugged Wyoming hills. Here is the list of the Longmire books, in order of publication.

“The Cold Dish” review here

“Death Without Company”

“Kindness Goes Unpunished” review here

“Another Man’s Moccasins”

“The Dark Horse”

“Junkyard Dogs”

“Hell Is Empty”

“As the Crow Flies”

“A Serpent’s Tooth”

“Any Other Name”

“Dry Bones” review here

“An Obvious Fact”

“The Western Star”

“Depth of Winter”

“Land of Wolves”

“Next to Last Stand”

“Daughter of the Morning Star”

Please visit https://www.craigallenjohnson.com for the ‘buy’ links for each of the books and to see the list of novellas that fill the gaps between the novels. Discover what he is doing virtually and in a few months, in person. There is a goodies store on the site, as well as a portal for ordering the DVDs from the TV series. Enjoy!

*Photos of Craig Johnson taken at Quail Ridge Bookstore in Raleigh, NC, by Patti Phillips.

2021 Anthony Awards

Leave a Comment / Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Non-fiction, Short Stories/Collection, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult/Teen

Bouchercon is an annual conference named after Anthony Boucher, a mystery author and critic who helped found the Mystery Writers of America. This event honors various segments of the mystery and crime fiction community. Take a look at the nominees and the winners for the coveted Anthony Awards. The winners (indicated in red) were announced during virtual BoucherCon in August.

Best Hardcover Novel

What You Don’t See – Tracy Clark
Blacktop Wasteland – S.A. Cosby
Little Secrets – Jennifer Hillier
And Now She’s Gone – Rachel Howzell Hall
The First to Lie – Hank Phillippi Ryan

Best First Novel

Derailed – Mary Keliikoa
Murder in Old Bombay – Nev March
Murder at the Mena House – Erica Ruth Neubauer
The Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman
Winter Counts – David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Best Paperback Original/E-Book/Audiobook Original Novel

The Fate of a Flapper – Susanna Calkins
When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole
Unspeakable Things – Jess Lourey
The Lucky One – Lori Rader-Day
Dirty Old Town – Gabriel Valjan

Best Short Story

“Dear Emily Etiquette” – Barb Goffman – EQMM – Dell Magazines
“90 Miles” – Alex Segura – Both Sides: Stories From the Border – Agora Books
“The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74” – Art Taylor – AHMM (Jan-Feb) – Dell Magazines
“Elysian Fields” – Gabriel Valjan – California Schemin’ – Wildside Press
“The Twenty-Five Year Engagement” – James W. Ziskin – In League with Sherlock Holmes – Pegasus Crime

Best Juvenile/Young Adult

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel – Fleur Bradley
Premeditated Myrtle – Elizabeth C. Bunce
From the Desk of Zoe Washington – Janae Marks
Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco – Richie Narvaez
Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall – Alex Segura

Best Anthology or Collection

Shattering Glass: A Nasty Woman Press Anthology – Heather Graham, ed.
Both Sides: Stories from the Border – Gabino Iglesias, ed.
Noiryorican – Richie Narvaez
The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell – Josh Pachter, ed.
California Schemin’ – Art Taylor. ed.
Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic – Nick Kolakowski and Steve Weddle, eds.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

Macavity Awards – 2021

Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Cozy, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Short Stories/Collection, Suspense

The Macavity Awards are nominated by members and friends of Mystery Readers International, and subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. Normally presented at BoucherCon, the 2021 Macavity winners were announced prior to the virtual presentation in late August, due to Covid. BoucherCon New Orleans is being postponed until 2025.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red).

Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, the fabulous Janet Rudolph.

Best Novel
“Before She Was Helen” by Caroline B. Cooney
“Blacktop Wasteland” by S.A. Cosby
“Blind Vigil” by Matt Coyle
“All the Devils Are Here” by Louise Penny
“These Women” by Ivy Pochoda
“When She Was Good” by Michael Robotham

Best First
“Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line” by Deepa Anappara
“Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March
“The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman
“Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli Weider
“Darling Rose Gold” by Stephanie Wrobel

Best Short Story
“Dear Emily Etiquette” by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2020)
“The Boy Detective & The Summer of ‘74” by Art Taylor (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2020)
“Elysian Fields” by Gabriel Valjan (California Schemin’: The 2020 Bouchercon Anthology, edited by Art Taylor; Wildside Press)
“Dog Eat Dog” by Elaine Viets (The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell, edited by Josh Pachter; Untreed Reads Publishing)
“The Twenty-Five Year Engagement,” by James W. Ziskin (In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, edited by Laurie R. King; Pegasus Crime)

Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery
“The Last Mrs. Summers” by Rhys Bowen
“The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne” by Elsa Hart
“The Turning Tide” by Catriona McPherson
“Mortal Music” by Ann Parker
“The Mimosa Tree Mystery” by Ovidia Yu
“Turn to Stone” by James Ziskin

Shamus Awards – 2021

Bestselling Author, Crime, Debut Author, Fiction, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Short Stories/Collection, Suspense

The Private Eye Writers of America was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi, who also created the Shamus Award. From the website: “A Private Eye is defined as a private citizen (not a member of the military, federal agency, or civic or state police force) who is paid to investigate crimes. A Private Investigator can be a traditional private eye, a TV or newspaper reporter, an insurance investigator, an employee of an investigative service or agency (think Pinkertons), or similar character.” Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red)

BEST PI HARDCOVER
“What You Don’t See” by Tracy Clark
“Do No Harm” by Max Allan Collins
“Blind Vigil” by Matt Coyle
“House on Fire” by Joseph Finder
“And Now She’s Gone” by Rachel Howzell Hall

          BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
          “Farewell Las Vegas” by Grant Bywaters
          “All Kinds of Ugly” by Ralph Dennis
          “Brittle Karma” by Richard Helms
          “Remember My Face” by John Lantigua
          “Damaged Goods” by Debbi Mack

BEST PI SHORT STORY
“A Dreamboat Gambol” by O’Neil De Noux in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“Mustang Sally” by John M. Floyd in Black Cat Mystery Magazine
“Setting the Pick” by April Kelly in Mystery Weekly Magazine
“Show and Zeller” by Gordon Linzer in Black Cat Mystery Magazine
“Nashua River Floater” by Tom MacDonald in Coast to Coast Noir

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
“Squatter’s Rights” by Kevin R. Doyle
“Derailed” by Mary Keliikoa
“I Know Where You Sleep” by Alan Orloff
“The Missing American” by Kwei Quartey
“Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Book List: The Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor

Adventure, Bestselling Author, Book List, Fiction, Military, Thriller

The Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor, delivers action that never stops. The highly successful twenty-one novels feature counterterrorism as the central theme, more topical with each new title.

Back in 2013, when I reviewed “Takedown,” Thor arranged for an entire year of “Thrills, Threats, and Thor.” He invited his fans to read each of the books (one a month) in order, starting in January, 2013, with the first, “The Lions of Lucerne.” Thor’s website has videos and extras about each of the books and of course, an opportunity to buy them.

Scot Harvath is well written, with depth and a sense of humanity despite the gravity of his tasks. We experience moments of his deep commitment and never question his patriotism as the books unfold. “Takedown,” first published in 2006, dealt with post September 11^th terrorism action in New York City. See my review here.

If you’d like to try the Thor reading plan, here are the books in order. Click on the titles:

January’s Book: The Lions Of Lucerne
February’s Book: Path Of The Assassin
March’s Book: State Of The Union
April’s Book: Blowback
May’s Book: Takedown
June’s Book: The First Commandment
July’s Book: The Last Patriot
August’s Book: The Apostle
September’s Book: Foreign Influence
October’s Book: The Athena Project
November’s Book: Full Black
December’s Book: Black List

Additional books published since then are (in order):

Backlash read my review here

Near Dark

Black Ice

Rising Tiger – pre-order

Please visit www.bradthor.com to read about the current books in the Scot Harvath series, as well as Thor’s new release coming in July, 2022, “Rising Tiger,” the highly anticipated #22.