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Book Awards: The Whitneys – The Winners and Celebration

I had a unique opportunity this last Saturday night. As I’ve examined book awards over the last few months, I blogged about a new award being offered for LDS fiction, called “The Whitney.” Saturday was the first ever Whitney award dinner, where the winners of the 2007 Whitneys were announced. I’ve never been to a book award celebration before, and it was something else – almost like having a live seat at the Oscars or Emmys, only on a smaller scale, and for books. There were prizes offered for the following genres, and I also list the winners here: Best … Continue reading →

Book Awards: The Edgar

The Edgar Award is named after Edgar Allen Poe, and is awarded to authors who have distinguished themselves in the genre of mystery. It’s sponsored and awarded by the Mystery Writers of America and has been since 1946 with the first recipient, “Watchful at Night” by Julius Faust. The first step in the awards process is the selection of the General Awards chair. He/she then chooses chairs for each of the individual Edgar categories and one for the Mary Higgins Clark award. Then those thirteen chairs select four additional judges, but for the Novel of the Year, they choose eight … Continue reading →

Book Awards: The Nobel

The Nobel Prize is one of the most coveted honors that can be received. The mere thought of being a Nobel winner sends chills down aspirants’ spines and makes them drift off into lovely daydreams . . . yes, I’ve had those daydreams and I know what they look like. Once you are chosen to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, you know that you have truly made your mark on the whole world, and not just a small portion of it. When Alfred Nobel outlined the criteria for nominees for this award, he said, in part, that the prize … Continue reading →

Book Awards: The Whitneys

As you browse your library or bookstore, you’ll see various logos on the covers of the books – winner of the Caldecott, winner of the Newbury, winner of the Christy – the list is endless. Jaime Egan did a marvelous series on the Caldecott Medal and another on the Newbury last year, and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at other awards that are available in the literary world. That way, when you see one of those logos, you’ll know why that book is being honored and what made it so special. I’m going to start … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Michele Paige Holmes

Today we are joined by one of the brightest new stars on the LDS fiction market, Michele Paige Holmes. Michele, thank you for being here today. Your novel “Counting Stars” won the first-ever Whitney Award for Women’s Fiction. I have to ask, what did that feel like? After the initial shock (and it was a shock—I mean, Stephanie Meyer . . . come on!), it felt wonderful. It was especially sweet to share the moment with my husband who has supported me in my writing endeavors for a very long time. You tried several different publishers on the national market … Continue reading →

Media Week in Review – March 24th – 29th

Were you a wee bit busy this week? No time to relax and join us here in Media Reviews? We missed you, but you don’t have to miss out on all the fun we had. Here’s a recap. We started the week with a look at one of Lauri’s favorite TV shows, “Monk.” Tony Shalhoub stars as the quirky detective, who is dealing with grief over the death of his wife. He also has an obsessive compulsive disorder for cleanliness which adds a touch of humor to the show. Lauri warns that it’s not a show for young children, but … Continue reading →

First Day – Allyson B. Condie

“First Day” by LDS author Allyson B. Condie is the story of four people whose lives intersect, and we see how they impact each other. Andrea is a college student at Cornell, believing herself the luckiest girl in the world to be dating a guy like Dave. He’s everything she could want. However, he doesn’t seem to want her. While she’s away at college, he starts dating a girl he knew in high school, and he breaks Andrea’s heart. She doesn’t know what to do after that. Hurt, alone, and angry, she withdraws from the social scene altogether. Joel is … Continue reading →

Upon the Mountains – Gale Sears

“Upon the Mountains” concludes Gale Sears’ LDS historical fiction series which began with “Autumn Sky” and continued with “Until the Dawn.” In this final installment, we go into the era of World War I. Nephi Erickson strongly feels the pull to enlist in the war. He’s been looking for work and has had little success, but if he enlists, he’ll be able to support his wife and daughter, and they could even save enough for a little bit of land. He’s got it all worked out in his head, but his wife, Alaina, isn’t convinced. Her brother James is fighting … Continue reading →

Copycat – Betsy Brannon Green

Mark and Kate Iverson are living the southern dream in Haggerty, Alabama. Now the parents of two adorable children, they have everything they’ve ever wanted. Along with being an FBI agent, Mark is now the bishop of their ward, and so he’s gone a lot, but Kate has learned to deal with her husband’s absences, and besides, she always has Miss Eugenia to help her when she gets a little overwhelmed. Kate’s sister Kelsey has come for a visit, contemplating whether she should divorce her husband. She’s four months pregnant, but her husband doesn’t know, and she’s not sure if … Continue reading →