Angie Thompson's Blog - Posts Tagged "2018"
My 2018 Book Awards
Dear Authors I Read in 2018,
Do you realize how difficult you have made my life? I am now agonizing over questions like: What was your favorite read of the year? Who was your favorite new author? Who was your favorite couple/friendship/character/random extra? So because all these questions make me feel like I’m leaving out incredible books that deserve to be recognized, I’m going to create my own awards.
Because I can, that’s why! :D
And no, this isn’t an every-book-gets-a-participation-medal party. These are only the best of the best, and I’m not even listing all my five-star reads this year. Check my ratings if you don’t believe me. I’ve doubled up and pared down everywhere I can, but you might want to grab some snacks; this could take a while!
The five-stars-is-not-enough award--Becoming Nikki by Ashley Elliot. I was so blown away by this amazing story of sibling love and second chances! My expectations were high going in, and this book absolutely shattered them. <3 Really need an option for more stars, please!
Honorable mention to Behold by Faith Potts (for evoking the squealing fangirl I try to pretend doesn’t exist with “What Matters”, the sequel to Dandelion Dust) and The Rivers of Judah by Catherine Farnes (which was a re-read this year and which whole series I will never be tired of re-reading).
The you-wrote-it-I’ll-buy-it award--Probably several authors, but the one that rises to the top is Rebekah A. Morris. There’s a reason I’m not attempting to list all my individual 4.5-5 star reads from her. (Let’s say two reasons--your time and my sanity.) Let’s do the math--so far, she’s published 30 books and short stories. I own 28 of them, the exceptions being a photo alphabet book and a collection of short stories also sold individually. Of those 28, I have only 5 left to read. And I only discovered her as an author in 2018! Let’s just say that I don’t really worry about reading the blurb anymore. (I didn’t write that to be ironic, but now I’m laughing. Some of you may understand why. :D) The point is, if Rebekah wrote it, I want to read it--period.
I said I wasn’t listing all my favorites from Rebekah, and I’m not, but I just had to name-drop The Unexpected Request. I think it’s my favorite of hers so far, although it’s got some really stiff competition. It would also be in the running for the award above. ;)
The can-I-pleeeeease-live-in-your-story award--The StormBreathers series by A.J. Sky. I really, really, really want one of these dragons. And to be friends with the Storm Riders team. And to live in Eye of the Storm, where I can eat dragon-milk ice cream and play with fuzzy little yeti cubs and charge my phone with a dragon-powered battery before playing hide-and-seek with glowing dragon spikes. Kay? Inform me immediately of any vacancies, please and thank you!
The melt-me-into-a-puddle award (please don’t tell my Camp NaNo cabinmates; there’s a standing threat of being thrown into a lake if I do it again)--Kiera by Kate Willis. Soooo many things to love about this story, but it’s Brennan’s character that turns my heart into a helpless mess every time. And don’t get me started on the Christmas prequel The Least of These.
Honorable mention goes to Rebekah Morris’s stellar Irish accents, particularly in “A Good Summer” from Pirates of Rocky Crag Bay and Other Stories, which have nearly the same effect...
The really-really-really-need-the-next-book award--Dronefall by A.L. Buehrer. Such an amazing and well-written story with wonderful characters and so many unanswered questions! I literally want to make grabby hands every time I see a progress update for book #2.
The please-just-publish-it-already award (otherwise known as “books I alpha/beta-read that aren’t released yet”)--tie between Casey Newman's Guide To Being Funny by Penny Wood and A Soldier’s Freedom by Faith Potts. Very different books, but I love them both to death! Can’t wait until they’re out and you can love them, too. <3
The absolutely-must-share award--tie between Kate's Innocence by Sarah Holman (I bought the whole series for my mom) and Beyond the Horizon by Jesseca Wheaton (I bought a paper copy to loan to my sister). One day they will have time to follow up on my repeated recommendations. The StormBreathers series also qualifies for this one--I finally have my paper copies and plan to shove them at anyone who will take them!
Honorable mention goes to Honey Butter by Millie Florence; I bought copies for two elementary-school teachers to share with their classrooms. :)
The re-read-for-the-no-ideath-time award--The Quest for Truth series by Brock Eastman. One of my two favorite Christian sci-fi series. Seriously, why did this take so long to become a thing? I re-read them all this year in anticipation of the release of the final volume--which has been pushed back to 2019. Guess I’ll just have to re-read them all again... Oh, well, good thing I own them in three different formats! :D
The hope-in-the-darkness award--Proof of Purple by J.C. Buchanan. I’m still in shock at the way the heavy themes and raw pain and heart-stopping tension came together to create something this beautiful and profound. If you’d described it to me with those words, I’d probably have given you a smiling “no, thank you”. But this book--I don’t regret it for one minute.
Other serious contenders are Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good, Even in the Grey by Laura Guenot, and Emmanuel by Angela R. Watts. Kiera by Kate Willis would also fall in this category. All dealing with difficult, scary, or painful topics but in a way that made me love them in spite of it. That, my friends, is high praise.
The how-are-you-making-me-laugh-this-much award--The Castaways series by Jes Drew. When I picked the first one up, I expected a survival adventure, not a rolling-on-my-bed comedy. What I got was both! And neither the adventure nor the humor weakens as the series goes along.
Honorable mention goes to the Kitten Files series by Perry Kirkpatrick for a hilarious cat’s-eye-view of a detective’s life and There Was Always Laughter In Our House by Sarah Holman for a heartwarming and way-too-true-to-life memoir of growing up in a big family.
The glued-to-my-seat award--24 Days Before Christmas by Rebekah Jones. An incredible Christmas mystery that I could not put down. Rarely does a book this long keep me engaged this fully! Outstanding work!
The sweet-romance-done-right award--Breath of Christmas by E.A. West, Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg, and I Don't Dance by Jesseca Wheaton. Take your pick; they’re all fantastic.
The literally-gave-me-goosebumps award--The Notes in Our Hearts by Gabriellyn Gidman. Utterly beautiful little story that fell short in nothing except the cliches you’d expect. I need to re-read this treasure.
The too-sweet-for-anything-but-not-at-all-sappy Christmas award--tie between Our Christmas Bear by Sarah Brazytis and Some Christmas Camouflage by Elisabeth Grace Foley. It’s like someone bottled up the perfect holiday spirit and stuck it between the pages of a book. If I don’t come back to these every year at Christmas, someone please slap me!
Too many honorable mentions to list here, but many of them have already been touched on above. Special shout-out to Rebekah Morris’s Christmas stories, which again, I’m not going to mention by name. :)
The why-did-it-take-me-so-long award--Every Perfect Gift by Julie Nye. I’ve had this on my shelf for years and kept hesitating to open it. I half-expected a story of sullen brooding and teenage angst. What I got instead was a lovely coming-of-age story with a vivid setting and a beautiful message. Serves me right for waiting this long to read it!
The where-has-this-been-all-my-life award--Maud Melville's Marriage by Evelyn Everett-Green. This is an absolutely fantastic book that reads like a romance novel but is closely based on a true story. If the terms “child marriage” and “faithful lover” and “wrongful accusation” make you roll your eyes, don’t worry; I did too. Until I read it! This little gem definitely deserves to be much better known.
Honorable mention goes to Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery for its beautiful and heartwarming portrayal of truth, loyalty, and family ties in WWII Britain. I don’t know why I’d never heard of it until this year, but I’m certainly glad I did!
The still-haven’t-shaken-my-book-crush award--The Firmament series by J. Grace Pennington. Okay, yes, these books could qualify for so many other awards. They’re absolutely fantastic in every way! A year of exceptional reading (see above) still hasn’t dislodged them from among the very top of my favorites list. But this is still one of my first thoughts every time I look at them, so… ;)
*counts up on my fingers* Seventeen awards? Maybe I should make it an even twenty… *scans the audience to see if anyone’s still there* Or maybe I’d better stop.
Happy new year, everyone! Here’s to another year of too many good books to name!
Angie
Do you realize how difficult you have made my life? I am now agonizing over questions like: What was your favorite read of the year? Who was your favorite new author? Who was your favorite couple/friendship/character/random extra? So because all these questions make me feel like I’m leaving out incredible books that deserve to be recognized, I’m going to create my own awards.
Because I can, that’s why! :D
And no, this isn’t an every-book-gets-a-participation-medal party. These are only the best of the best, and I’m not even listing all my five-star reads this year. Check my ratings if you don’t believe me. I’ve doubled up and pared down everywhere I can, but you might want to grab some snacks; this could take a while!
The five-stars-is-not-enough award--Becoming Nikki by Ashley Elliot. I was so blown away by this amazing story of sibling love and second chances! My expectations were high going in, and this book absolutely shattered them. <3 Really need an option for more stars, please!
Honorable mention to Behold by Faith Potts (for evoking the squealing fangirl I try to pretend doesn’t exist with “What Matters”, the sequel to Dandelion Dust) and The Rivers of Judah by Catherine Farnes (which was a re-read this year and which whole series I will never be tired of re-reading).
The you-wrote-it-I’ll-buy-it award--Probably several authors, but the one that rises to the top is Rebekah A. Morris. There’s a reason I’m not attempting to list all my individual 4.5-5 star reads from her. (Let’s say two reasons--your time and my sanity.) Let’s do the math--so far, she’s published 30 books and short stories. I own 28 of them, the exceptions being a photo alphabet book and a collection of short stories also sold individually. Of those 28, I have only 5 left to read. And I only discovered her as an author in 2018! Let’s just say that I don’t really worry about reading the blurb anymore. (I didn’t write that to be ironic, but now I’m laughing. Some of you may understand why. :D) The point is, if Rebekah wrote it, I want to read it--period.
I said I wasn’t listing all my favorites from Rebekah, and I’m not, but I just had to name-drop The Unexpected Request. I think it’s my favorite of hers so far, although it’s got some really stiff competition. It would also be in the running for the award above. ;)
The can-I-pleeeeease-live-in-your-story award--The StormBreathers series by A.J. Sky. I really, really, really want one of these dragons. And to be friends with the Storm Riders team. And to live in Eye of the Storm, where I can eat dragon-milk ice cream and play with fuzzy little yeti cubs and charge my phone with a dragon-powered battery before playing hide-and-seek with glowing dragon spikes. Kay? Inform me immediately of any vacancies, please and thank you!
The melt-me-into-a-puddle award (please don’t tell my Camp NaNo cabinmates; there’s a standing threat of being thrown into a lake if I do it again)--Kiera by Kate Willis. Soooo many things to love about this story, but it’s Brennan’s character that turns my heart into a helpless mess every time. And don’t get me started on the Christmas prequel The Least of These.
Honorable mention goes to Rebekah Morris’s stellar Irish accents, particularly in “A Good Summer” from Pirates of Rocky Crag Bay and Other Stories, which have nearly the same effect...
The really-really-really-need-the-next-book award--Dronefall by A.L. Buehrer. Such an amazing and well-written story with wonderful characters and so many unanswered questions! I literally want to make grabby hands every time I see a progress update for book #2.
The please-just-publish-it-already award (otherwise known as “books I alpha/beta-read that aren’t released yet”)--tie between Casey Newman's Guide To Being Funny by Penny Wood and A Soldier’s Freedom by Faith Potts. Very different books, but I love them both to death! Can’t wait until they’re out and you can love them, too. <3
The absolutely-must-share award--tie between Kate's Innocence by Sarah Holman (I bought the whole series for my mom) and Beyond the Horizon by Jesseca Wheaton (I bought a paper copy to loan to my sister). One day they will have time to follow up on my repeated recommendations. The StormBreathers series also qualifies for this one--I finally have my paper copies and plan to shove them at anyone who will take them!
Honorable mention goes to Honey Butter by Millie Florence; I bought copies for two elementary-school teachers to share with their classrooms. :)
The re-read-for-the-no-ideath-time award--The Quest for Truth series by Brock Eastman. One of my two favorite Christian sci-fi series. Seriously, why did this take so long to become a thing? I re-read them all this year in anticipation of the release of the final volume--which has been pushed back to 2019. Guess I’ll just have to re-read them all again... Oh, well, good thing I own them in three different formats! :D
The hope-in-the-darkness award--Proof of Purple by J.C. Buchanan. I’m still in shock at the way the heavy themes and raw pain and heart-stopping tension came together to create something this beautiful and profound. If you’d described it to me with those words, I’d probably have given you a smiling “no, thank you”. But this book--I don’t regret it for one minute.
Other serious contenders are Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good, Even in the Grey by Laura Guenot, and Emmanuel by Angela R. Watts. Kiera by Kate Willis would also fall in this category. All dealing with difficult, scary, or painful topics but in a way that made me love them in spite of it. That, my friends, is high praise.
The how-are-you-making-me-laugh-this-much award--The Castaways series by Jes Drew. When I picked the first one up, I expected a survival adventure, not a rolling-on-my-bed comedy. What I got was both! And neither the adventure nor the humor weakens as the series goes along.
Honorable mention goes to the Kitten Files series by Perry Kirkpatrick for a hilarious cat’s-eye-view of a detective’s life and There Was Always Laughter In Our House by Sarah Holman for a heartwarming and way-too-true-to-life memoir of growing up in a big family.
The glued-to-my-seat award--24 Days Before Christmas by Rebekah Jones. An incredible Christmas mystery that I could not put down. Rarely does a book this long keep me engaged this fully! Outstanding work!
The sweet-romance-done-right award--Breath of Christmas by E.A. West, Three Little Words by Melissa Tagg, and I Don't Dance by Jesseca Wheaton. Take your pick; they’re all fantastic.
The literally-gave-me-goosebumps award--The Notes in Our Hearts by Gabriellyn Gidman. Utterly beautiful little story that fell short in nothing except the cliches you’d expect. I need to re-read this treasure.
The too-sweet-for-anything-but-not-at-all-sappy Christmas award--tie between Our Christmas Bear by Sarah Brazytis and Some Christmas Camouflage by Elisabeth Grace Foley. It’s like someone bottled up the perfect holiday spirit and stuck it between the pages of a book. If I don’t come back to these every year at Christmas, someone please slap me!
Too many honorable mentions to list here, but many of them have already been touched on above. Special shout-out to Rebekah Morris’s Christmas stories, which again, I’m not going to mention by name. :)
The why-did-it-take-me-so-long award--Every Perfect Gift by Julie Nye. I’ve had this on my shelf for years and kept hesitating to open it. I half-expected a story of sullen brooding and teenage angst. What I got instead was a lovely coming-of-age story with a vivid setting and a beautiful message. Serves me right for waiting this long to read it!
The where-has-this-been-all-my-life award--Maud Melville's Marriage by Evelyn Everett-Green. This is an absolutely fantastic book that reads like a romance novel but is closely based on a true story. If the terms “child marriage” and “faithful lover” and “wrongful accusation” make you roll your eyes, don’t worry; I did too. Until I read it! This little gem definitely deserves to be much better known.
Honorable mention goes to Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery for its beautiful and heartwarming portrayal of truth, loyalty, and family ties in WWII Britain. I don’t know why I’d never heard of it until this year, but I’m certainly glad I did!
The still-haven’t-shaken-my-book-crush award--The Firmament series by J. Grace Pennington. Okay, yes, these books could qualify for so many other awards. They’re absolutely fantastic in every way! A year of exceptional reading (see above) still hasn’t dislodged them from among the very top of my favorites list. But this is still one of my first thoughts every time I look at them, so… ;)
*counts up on my fingers* Seventeen awards? Maybe I should make it an even twenty… *scans the audience to see if anyone’s still there* Or maybe I’d better stop.
Happy new year, everyone! Here’s to another year of too many good books to name!
Angie
