Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Book News Night #5: Goodreads Choice Awards 2012 (and MY Choices)


Every week, on a random night, I will report the latest newsworthy items in the world of books with some thoughts from myself.

It's been 3 weeks from the last Book News Night, but I'm back to reporting all the latest and greatest in the world of publishing! For tonight, there is just one item, though...


If you've been on Goodreads lately, you'll find a link to the Goodreads Choice Awards! It's an annual book awards, decided by votes from readers. There are 3 rounds, the first of which is closed by now, and the voting ends on November 27. You can read more about the schedule and the rules here!

Now, without further ado, here are the categories, and who I'm voting for picking in each of them. I'm not voting, because I haven't read any of the nominees, and I don't think it would be fair if I voted in that case. So basically, my picks are based on the cover/synopsis/reviews I've read :)

My pick: This is a hard one - I've heard of all the books, and most of them have been well received. I wish I could split my vote between The Casual Vacancy and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore!
But my final pick is Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I haven't read neither, but The Casual Vacancy's reviews have been too mixed.

My pick: A hard one again. But my pick is Defending Jacob by William Landay after reading the synopsis :)


My pick: The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey. According to the synopsis, this is "a homage to Jane Eyre", and looks like it focuses on the earlier year of Gemma/Jane's life, which is my favorite part of the (original) book.

My pick: So many great authors, so many great books... But I'll trust Stephen King and The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5).

My pick: I haven't read many paranormal fantasies, and I don't know what to expect from one, really! But for the love of covers, I think I'll go with Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson, #3) by Darynda Jones.

My pick: The reviews for this one have been mixed, but I'll take a shot with Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's The Long Earth.

My pick: Here we are at the ever-dreaded category! I'll be the first to admit I don't enjoy romances that much, and I've got something against book covers with a bare-chested man :) That said, my pick is Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, in hope that a touch of historical fiction will lighten the romance!

My pick: Again, I'm not that much of a reader for horrors, but base on the synopsis and cover alone I'll choose The Void by Brett J. Talley.

My pick: Now, we are really in the part where I've got no idea what the nominees are about! By perusing the covers, I'll go for Paris in Love by Eloisa James.

My pick: The Woman Who Wasn't There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher. I think I'll enjoy reading this book :)

My pick: There are great nominees in the Nonfiction category this year! My pick is The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't by Nate Silver - there's a reason why this blog is called Fiction Predictions, after all!

My pick: I so wanted The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines to be on here, but it was published in 2011, so I guess it's not eligible. But there is still A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer, with a foreword by George R.R. Martin himself!

My pick: Seriously, the nominees for this category are epic! I'm laughing just looking at the covers! It's a close call, but How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman takes the lead.

My pick: The Walking Dead, Vol. 16: A Larger World by Robert Kirkman, for the love of the TV series.

My pick: Judging by the covers alone, I'll choose B by Sarah Kay.

My pick: Defending Jacob and Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson, #3) are also included in this category, but for the sake of diversity, I'm not choosing them (it's not like I'm voting anyway) :) I'll go with Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth.

My pick: How the hell am I supposed to choose among these nominees? There's John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, there's Nicole Williams's Crash, there's Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity... But my pick goes to (despite my professed contempt of love stories) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, for the awesome title!

My pick: Remember when I said Best Young Adult Fiction is so hard to choose from? I take that back. This one is so hard to choose from! I'll just tentatively pick Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass, but it'll probably change the next few hours.

My pick: I'll have to go with The Last Guardian (Artemis Fowl #8) by Eoin Colfer. Reviews have been all over the place for the last installment of Artemis Fowl, but I'll give it a try. Because I freaking love the series.

My pick: Just a quick pick for this one - I don't think I've read a picture book in years! And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead.

That's the whole 20 categories!

What do you think about my picks? And which books did you vote for? Please comment!

1 comment:

I love comments! Although sometimes I can't reply to all of them, but I do read (and appreciate) each and every one :)