Awards

Finalists for the Book Sense Book of the Year were announced on February 13. Detailed below are the finalists in the two Children's categories -- Children’s Literature and Children’s Illustrated.

In a March 11 ceremony, held at the Tishman Auditorium at New York University Law School in New York, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) announced the winners of its annual book awards. The fiction prize was awarded posthumously to W.G. Sebald for Austerlitz (Random House). Sebald died in an automobile accident in December 2001. His agent, Andrew Wylie, accepted the award.

Booksellers are reminded that by now they should have received by mail from ABA ballots for both the 2002 ABA Officers/Board of Directors and the Book Sense Book of the Year Awards.

Appearing on the ballot for members’ ratification is the slate of officers elected by the ABA Board at its January meeting. The Board chose:

By Robin Whitten

Awards bring a useful focus to audiobook recommendations, and spring produces a fine crop. On February 27, the Recording Academy’s Grammy Awards were splashed across the entertainment press, soon to be followed by the Academy Awards.

The 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalists were announced on Friday, March 2. Established in 1980, the Times’s annual Book Prize rewards excellence in English-language writing in nine different categories, ranging from biography to fiction to history to poetry. And, notably, several Book Sense 76 picks are among in the list of 45 finalists (including three of the five titles in the first fiction category).

Since 1980, Thomas Cook, the U.K.-based travel giant, has been honoring the art of travel writing with its annual Travel Book Award, announced each fall. Aside from inspiring readers to travel, the award also spurs greater travel-book sales, according to Thomas Cook spokesperson Joan Lee. "Booksellers benefit … by the increased sales generated by the promotion of the [Travel Book] Award," Lee said in a statement.

The New York Public Library announced five nominees for its second annual Young Lions Fiction Award [YLFA], which recognizes the work of authors age 35 or younger. Remarkably, each title nominated was a Book Sense 76 pick during 2001-- proving yet again that independent booksellers know what makes for excellent literature.

Awards Celebrate Five Titles by Northwest Authors

On February 15, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) announced the winners of its Pacific Northwest Book Awards 2002, which gives special recognition to five titles written by regional authors that were published in 2001.

Based on the nominations of ABA member booksellers, the Book Sense Book of the Year Award finalists in five categories were announced on February 13 by the American Booksellers Association. Booksellers will vote for one winner in each category -- Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Children's Illustrated, and, new this year, Rediscovery. Nominations were drawn from the Top Ten Book Sense 76 picks of 2001.

This year’s Oscars nominations have a decidedly literary theme. Of the five nominees for best picture, three are film adaptations of literary works: J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy, Fellowship of the Ring (Part 1 of Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy); In the Bedroom, by Andre Dubus; and Sylvia Nasar’s A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash. The nominations were announced February 12.

The nominees for the 14th annual Lambda Literary Awards have been announced. The awards will be presented on May 2 at a ceremony in New York City. In addition, the Lambda Literary Foundation's Jim Marks told BTW that the comic and writer Margaret Cho will be presented the Bridgebuilders Award "for her ability to help bridge communities."

The nominees are:

Lesbian Fiction

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2002 Edgar Awards, the top awards for mystery authors. The Edgars will be presented at an awards ceremony at New York City's Grand Hyatt Hotel on May 2.

Among those nominated are:

Best Novel

The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) has announced the names of 25 stores nominated for this year's Lucile Micheels Pannell Awards, which recognize "retail booksellers who excel at creatively bringing books and children together and inspiring children's interest in books and reading."

A Pannell Award will be presented to one general bookstore and one children's bookstore at BookExpo America, to be held May 1-5 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

According to Clarion spokesperson Deb Shapiro, the publisher has ordered thousands more copies of both The Three Pigs by David Wiesner and A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park since Tuesday, when the two books won the 2002 Caldecott Medal and Newbery Medal respectively. (Click here for a related story.)

On Tuesday, January 22, judges for Britain's prestigious Whitbread book awards conferred the title of Book of the Year on the sophisticated children's fantasy tale The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (Knopf/Del Rey). The Book of the Year is selected from among the winners of five categories -- Novel, First Novel, Poetry, Biography, and Children's Book.