February Audiobook of the Month

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I have a great romance audiobook suggestion for you! And guess what? It is also an award-winning title - having been selected for the 2017 Reading List!

Click on the For Listeners tab to find this month's suggestion and scroll down for other audiobook titles. You may also want to check out the Audio Publishers Association list of finalists for the 2017 Audie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Audie Awards Gala on June 1, 2017 in New York City.

RA Tip: Display Idea - 2017 Book and Media Awards

RUSA's Book and Media Awards for 2017 were announced Sunday evening, 01/22/17 during the ALA Midwinter Conference in Atlanta, GA. If you haven't already seen the lists of winners or are looking for a great display idea, here are some links that may be of interest:

2017 Reading List - the best Adult fiction of the year in eight different genre categories, plus a short list of four honor titles for each genre

2017 Listen List - "... highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience and the librarians who advise them." A list of twelve adult audiobooks each with three listen-alikes.

2017 Notable Books - "... an annual best-of list comprised of twenty-six titles written for adult readers and published in the U.S. including literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry."

2017 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction - "... recognize(s) the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year." Information about all of the finalists can be found on the Andrew Carnegie site.

2017 Sophie Brody Medal - "... given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. Works for adults published in the United States in the preceding year are eligible for the award." There is also a list of Honorable mentions.

Winners of other RUSA Book and Media Awards can be found on the RUSA Update - News site. There are links to the press releases for the 2017 Louis Shores and Zora Neale Hurston awards as well as for the Dartmouth Medal, the Outstanding Reference Sources, and the Best of the Best Business Reference Websites among others.

Interested in the awards for children's and teen books? On Monday morning, January 23rd, the 2017 ALA Youth Media Awards were announced. The full list of winners and honor books can be found at the ALA News site.

Genre Alert: Forthcoming Historical Fiction (2017)

• "What is Historical Fiction? These are novels set in the past, before the author's lifetime or experience. Through its serious respect for historical accuracy and details of time, place, and character, historical fiction enhances a reader's knowledge of past events, lives, and customs. The goal of historical fiction is to bring history to life in novel form." Source: NoveList Genre Outline - "Getting Up to Speed in Historical Fiction" by Joyce Saricks; updated by Sarah S. Davis (Jul 2016)  

I enjoy historical fiction and while stories set in ancient times are my favorites, the history major in me is easily drawn to any time period. If you are a fan of this genre and interested in learning about new titles coming in 2017, I have a great readers advisory tip for you.

Check out this great Forthcoming Historical Novels for 2017 list compiled by Sarah Johnson and Sarah Cuthbertson for the Historical Novel Society blog (an excellent source for reviews in this genre!). 

• HNS's "Defining the Genre" article says "To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research)."

I will be able to indulge my fondness for ancient history quite easily in 2017 as a majority of the titles below can attest; take a look at their one-sentence descriptions on the linked list to see what I mean. Although ... thanks to Sarah and Sarah, you can learn about forthcoming novels from any time period including many that cross over into genres such as mystery and romance. The list also includes upcoming titles from established series. 

The following titles have been added to my personal "must check into these" reading schedule. Looks like I will have at least two (sometimes more) historical fiction books to occupy myself with for the next few months. :-)

January:
Emily Hauser, For the Most Beautiful
Nancy Peacock, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson

February:
Paul Auster, 4 3 2 1
Charlie Lovett, The Lost Book of the Grail

​David Osborne, The Coming

March:

Margaret George, The Confessions of Young Nero​ 

​Greer MacAllister, Girl in Disguise​
​David Vann, Bright Air Black​

April:
Emily Holleman, The Drowning King​
​Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

Alyssa Palombo, The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence​

May:
Claire Cameron, The Last Neanderthal
​​Natalie Haynes, The Children of Jocasta 
​Sarah Shoemaker, Mr. Rochester​
​Dana Stabenow, Silk and Song​
​Colm Tóibín, House of Names​
​Melodie Winawer, The Scribe of Siena​

​

June:
Michael Crichton, Dragon Teeth
Leonard Goldberg, The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes 

Emily Hauser, For the Winner​
Ian Mortimer, The Outcasts of Time​

​
July:​
Ashley Hay, The Body in the Clouds
Andrew Wilson, A Talent for Murder

​
August:​

​Linnea Hartsuyker, The Half-Drowned King​
​Katherine Nouri Hughes, The Mapmaker’s Daughter​

September:

Robert Downes, Windigo Moon

Hannah Kent, The Good People 

They keep updating the list so I will be visiting the link again but as for now ... I may have just laid out a portion of my reading challenge for 2017! 

Thanks again, Sarah and Sarah. :-)​