National Book Award Winners

On Wednesday, the National Book Awards were presented in New York. This is the equivalent of the Governor General's Literary Awards here in Canada, as the NBA also presents awards in several categories, such as fiction, non-fiction, children's literature and poetry.

The nominees for the fiction prize caused a minor stir among critics, especially this guy, as the short list was seen as pandering to popular criticism. In prior years, the NBA has been relatively literary organization, giving lesser-known authors recognition:

"This year it issued new instructions to the judges, in red ink no less, apparently as a signal to the judges that it was O.K. to nominate writers whose books were widely read. Critics had complained that in recent years judges had preferred little-known authors, which diminished the award’s stature."

 The fiction list was "the best-known list of nominees for fiction in years," including Junot Diaz, Dave Eggers, Ben Fountain, Lousie Erdrich and Kevin Powers. The winner was The Round House by Louise Erdrich:

"The Round House – already named book of the year by Amazon.com earlier this week – took the $10,000 National Book award for fiction at a ceremony in New York last night. Her novel, set on a reservation for the Native American Ojibwe people in 1988, follows the investigations of 13-year-old Joe into an assault on his traumatised mother."

Read about the rest of the winners, including the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters for Elmore Leonard, here.

Summer Reading

For the next book selection, I thought we'd focus on summer reads - fun reads you can enjoy while sitting under a tree on a sunny summer day. I also thought that we would choose for two months instead of just one, coming back from summer with a new title for September (this has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't finished Cloud Atlas yet). I've compiled a list of summer reads - granted, "summer reads" have different connotations for different people, but I will try my best:

1. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

2. The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon

3. The Believers - Zoe Heller

4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I've provided five possibilities, but I invite more, if there are any other suggestions. You'll notice that a few of them are familiar, as they have been previous nominees, but I think they fit the category and would be worthy reads for summer. All have great stories told with humour and are relatively short, with, I think, Eggers' book the longest at 375 pages. However, if I'm right, the pages will fly by as we will all have so much fun while reading. Who could ask for more? I'll set up the poll on Thursday with the list of suggestions.

May Possibilities

I'm currently reading a book from the Extraordinary Canadians series from Penguin, Mordecai Richler by M.G. Vassanji. The series involves contemporary authors writing about Canadian historical figures. So, Nino Ricci writes about Pierre Trudeau, Adrienne Clarkson about Norman Bethune, and so on. Vassanji's book is far from comprehensive, but it is interesting, and quick. It also provides some insight on the man and writer that was Mordecai Richler. Check out the website for more. I'm excited about Glenn Gould, which comes out in September. Anyway, I'm a little interested in biography of late. As such, for the next book selection, I've compiled a list of cool biographies:


1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - for a harrowing tale of growing up rough, it certainly has staying power. It is a perennial book club pick, it was on the bestseller list for something like two years and it continues to sell well. From the Chapters.ca blurb: "What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms."
2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers - the editor of McSweeney's writes about raising his brother after his parents succumb to cancer. Eggers is funny and poignant, and a sharp critic of our times. From the website: "If you're looking here for a story of tears, inspiration and empowerment, try one of Oprah's lachrymal literary offerings. This is unlike any memoir I have ever read. Eggers' story is funny, absurd, clever, self-indulgent and unexpectedly moving. It's not perfect by any means, but it comes close to fulfilling the audacious promise of its title."

3. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - Ballard was another staunch critic of our times, mainly through his semi-fantastical stories that pushed the boundaries of fiction and art. He writes about environmental issues in The Drowned World and Rushing to Paradise, and in Crash, about car-crash fetishists. Empire of the Sun recounts his childhood in a Shanghai prison camp after Japanese forces captured the city in WW2. Ballard recently passed away, so it is timely as well. The other two are still alive, I believe.

There you have it. Three worthy contenders for the May book club selection. Voting closes by Friday midnight, so please get those voting fingers primed.