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Sep
09
Tuesday Thingers: Book Awards
2008 at 8am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Today’s topic from Marie at The Boston Bibliophile: Awards. Do you follow any particular book awards? Do you ever choose books based on awards? What award-winning books do you have? (Off the top of your head only- no need to look this up- it would take all day!) What’s your favorite award-winning book?
My answer is yes and no. I don’t follow awards in the sense that I wait anxiously to see what will win, but I do pay attention to several awards, namely the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize (usually just for fiction), the Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and I’ve read many of the winners and shortlist books. I don’t tag award winners in my library, though it is an interesting idea, so I have no idea how many I’ve read or what my collection looks like from that perspective. Though I’ve always read award-winning books, I’ve only been paying close attention to them for the last couple years in my life as a bookseller.
My hands-down favorite award-winning books are those by Toni Morrison. I’ve read everything she’s written, including a good chunk of her literary criticism and writing about writing (thanks to an amazing seminar class in college), and I can hardly wait to curl up with my ARC of her upcoming novel A Mercy in a few weeks.
I also love Jhumpa Lahiri, who won the Pulitzer for her first collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award for her newest collection, Unaccustomed Earth, which was deemed so much better than anything else that they decided to forgo the shortlist altogether! Richard Russo is also high on my list. He won the Pulitzer for Empire Falls, and his newest novel Bridge of Sighs (which I just read last week) has totally ruined me for other books right now.
One author that I love but who has not won any of the major book awards is John Irving. He has, however, won an Oscar, and I suppose that makes up for some of it, though I would love to see his writing and his body of work recognized more formally.
I’ll be reading more award-winning books this year for the Book Awards Reading Challenge II. Click here to see my reading list and here for my first challenge review of The Handmaid’s Tale.
What about you? Do you follow book awards? Film awards? How much does it matter to you?
Happy Tuesday!
No related posts.
I wonder how for a writer, like Irving, winning an Oscar is in comparison to a book award. I could imagine if I were an actor who won a Pulitzer, I’d be thrilled, but if I were a writer who won an Oscar, I don’t know. I’m sure it’d be nice to win, of course, but it’s still no Pulitzer.
You know, I didn’t even think of the Pulitzer – even though I don’t follow it, I bet I’ve read a bunch of those!
I read one Toni Morrison book. I didn’t like it at all.
I didn’t know about the book awards reading challenge so thanks for the info. It is one I would definately be interested in. I love your 10 picks.
Rebecca, I didn’t realize that John Irving hadn’t won any awards…and while Traci might be right that it’s no Pulitzer, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt him either. Personally, I loved A Prayer for Owen Meany, but didn’t want to see the movie on which it was based at all. It didn’t look the same. I have too many good memories of the book that I didn’t want to be ruined.
unfinishedperson: I’ve seen Simon Birch (the movie based—very loosely–on A Prayer for Owen Meany), and I think it is very different from the book. For starters, the movie only shows their childhood, and the writer & director didn’t even try to take on the full scope of the book (a very smart decision, if you ask me). It’s a warm & fuzzy little family movie, but there’s virtually nothing of Irving’s novel in it except for an exceptionally small character with a very loud voice.
It won’t ruin your memories of the book, but it’s not really worth watching.
Cider House Rules, however, is a pretty good adaptation of a wonderful book.
I look at awards, but I don’t follow them, and I don’t live and die by them.
I just bought Empire Falls after seeing you talk about Richard Russo for the past few days! I thought it was worth a shot (and it only cost $1).
Meghan: You won’t regret it! And you’re right–you can’t really beat a book for $1. Let me know how you like it…then go get Bridge of Sighs .
I like to follow the Canadian awards, but my opinions are not influenced by whether they win or not. I mainly just like to support our literary culture.
I like your challenge reading list- looks like you’ve got some good ones coming up!
[...] between was a Tuesday Thingers discussion of book awards, a 9/11 Booking Through Thursdays piece about villains and the importance of [...]