Check Out an Award Winning Book

Over the past few weeks, the winners of three major book awards have been announced. Yesterday the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize was awarded to Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng for his novel The Garden of Evening Mists. Eng’s novel takes place in post-World War II Malaysia, where a survivor or a Japanese work camp finds solace in a Japanese garden. The judges called it "a novel of subtle power and redemptive grace." Read more here.

Just a day earlier, the Story Prize was awarded to debut author Claire Vaye Watkins for her collection Battleborn. Her contenders were the very popular and celebrated authors Dan Chaon (Stay Awake) and Junot Díaz (This Is How You Lose Her). Read more here.

In late February, the winners of the prestigious National Book Critic Circle Awards were also announced. Here are the winners in all categories:

Poetry
Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys*
by D. A. Powell

Criticism
Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights
by Marina Warner

Autobiography
Swimming Studies*
by Leanne Shapton

Biography
The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson
Robert A. Caro

Nonfiction
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Andrew Solomon

Fiction 
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Ben Fountain

You can read more about these books and authors here.

This week the longlist of nominees was announced for the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction (until recently known as the Orange Prize). I’ll write about it next week, but if you can’t wait, you can view the list here.

I’d also like to congratulate our own recent winner at Oakland Public Library. Pamela Calvert, enthusiastic patron of the Dimond Branch, won last week’s blog contest and will receive a copy of How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the new novel by Mohsin Hamid. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Posted on 3/15/2013 by Christy Thomas, Librarian, Main Library.

*These titles are available through Link+. If you are new to Link+, read this.