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BCF Book Awards for 2019


willoyd

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As we're rushing ever closer to the year end,  I thought it might be worth kick-starting the end of year awards thread, a thread that always enjoy!  Copying almost exactly from @Onion Budgie's initiating post last year, the categories are below. I've added one (liked the least) as that is often (at least for me!), different to the others either side of it.  I'll post mine in the next few days, and am looking forward to seeing which books people list, and any comments going with them.

 

Favourite read?

Favourite author?

Most read author?

Favourite book cover?

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)?

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)?

Book that most disappointed you?


Funniest book?


Favourite literary character?


Favourite children's book?


Favourite classic?


Favourite non-fiction book?


Favourite biography?


Favourite collection of short stories?


Favourite poetry collection?


Favourite illustrated book?


Favourite publisher?


Favourite audiobook?

Favourite re-read?

 

 

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Thanks, willoyd!  I'm glad you remembered, as I'd completely forgotten!

 

Here are my picks for 2019.

 

Favourite read? - The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. The plot was so twisty and ingenious that it was a challenge to keep up with all of the strands. An absolutely cracking, fascinating mystery.

 

Favourite author? - Just by his debut novel alone (see above), for this year, it's Stuart Turton.

 

Most read author? - Agatha Christie. I read five of her novels – mostly Poirots – in 2019.

 

Favourite book cover? - The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion by Matt Whyman.

 

42281686._SX318_.jpg

 

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? - None. I slugged my way through even the worst of turkeys.

 

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)? - A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. Well-written, but tedious. Forster must have been of the same mind, as it took him 10 years to write.

 

Book that most disappointed you? - Skirt and the Fiddle by Tristan Egolf. One ridiculously farcical situation piled on top of another to an indefinite height.

 

Funniest book? - The Hairdressers of St Tropez by Rupert Everett. He should write more, because he's pretty good at it.

 

Favourite literary character? - Hercule Poirot and his fabulous moustaches.

 

Favourite children's book? - More of a YA graphic novel, this one. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.

 

Favourite classic? - Dracula by Bram Stoker. Despite Van Helsing's endless waffling, and a couple of impenetrable dialects.

 

Favourite non-fiction book? - The Boy Who Saw True by Cyril Scott.

 

Favourite biography? - Diary entries and letters written by a young clairvoyant, in The Boy Who Saw True by Cyril Scott.

 

Favourite collection of short stories? - Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Muted, dark, and atmospheric.

 

Favourite poetry collection? - N/A

 

Favourite illustrated book? - The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion by Matt Whyman. Some very lovely artwork and design in this.

 

Favourite publisher? - N/A

 

Favourite audiobook? - N/A

 

Favourite re-read? - Dracula by Bram Stoker.

 

Edited by Onion Budgie
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Interesting to find someone else who has read Winesburg, Ohio.  Have to admit, I didn't really get on with it, which disappointed me - I'd gone for it partly as it was John Steinbeck's favourite book and, given how highly I rate him, I thought I surely would like this. But I'm not a fan of short stories, so may well have been slightly prejudiced anyway.  Pleased you enjoyed Dracula so much on reread, althoug again we differ here, as I loved it first time round, but found it dragged a bit on revisiting.  Vive la difference!

Edited by willoyd
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13 hours ago, willoyd said:

Interesting to find someone else who has read Winesburg, Ohio.  Have to admit, I didn't really get on with it, which disappointed me - I'd gone for it partly as it was John Steinbeck's favourite book and, given how highly I rate him, I thought I surely would like this. But I'm not a fan of short stories, so may well have been slightly prejudiced anyway.  Pleased you enjoyed Dracula so much on reread, althoug again we differ here, as I loved it first time round, but found it dragged a bit on revisiting.  Vive la difference!

 

I gave Winesburgh, Ohio just 3 stars on Goodreads, but as it was the only story collection I read this year, I felt I should include it on my list!  It was enjoyable enough.

 

I did feel that Dracula dragged slightly whenever Van Helsing was in the room, because boy, that man could talk, but the glorious nostalgia of re-reading carried me over those bumps.  :lol: 

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8 hours ago, Onion Budgie said:

I gave Winesburgh, Ohio just 3 stars on Goodreads, but as it was the only story collection I read this year, I felt I should include it on my list!  It was enjoyable enough.

 

 

Yes, that was my rating too.  I'm in the same situation with my short story choices - I've read two collections, and neither were scintillating, so whichever wins out isn't exactly going to feature in my overall favourites short list.  But, as I said, that may just be me and short stories!

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On 23/12/2019 at 12:23 PM, Onion Budgie said:

Favourite book cover? - The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion by Matt Whyman.

 

42281686._SX318_.jpg

 

Favourite illustrated book? - The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion by Matt Whyman. Some very lovely artwork and design in this.

 

Just seen the trailer for this on TV - looking forward to it!!

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My favorite read in 2019 was a 3 way tie:

 

Winter of the Witch - Katherine Arden (I only listed the 3rd book in the Trilogy since I read the first 2 books on 2018)

 

This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger

 

The Dark Materials (Trilogy) - Philip Pullman

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I love these kind of threads.

 

Favourite read?

Probably The Spy & the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

 

Favourite author?

A tough one as there is only one author I have read more than once but the person who's writing has stuck in my mind most is George Eliot.

 

Most read author?

Frederick Forsyth

 

Favourite book cover?

38470109._SY475_.jpg

 

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)?

Milkman by Anna Burns. I just couldn't tolerate the writing style. I found it too grating.

 

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)?

As above, Milkman.

 

Book that most disappointed you?


The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. Its the first Poe I've read and as he is considered one of the greats I expected to like it far more than I did. It hasn't put me off his work though.

 

Funniest book?


A Beer in the Loire by Tommy Barnes. An unexpectedly good read with loads of laugh mainly focused around a misbehaving dog called Bert.

 

Favourite literary character?

Silas Marner. As soon as I started to read about him I could see him in my minds eye perfectly.

 


Favourite children's book?


N/A

 

Favourite classic?


Probably Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. None of the classics really rocked my boat and I would say Silas Marner but I want to add some variety into my answers.

 

Favourite non-fiction book?


Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. Probably the best account of Chernobyl ever written in my opinion.

 

Favourite biography?


Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, a fascinating insight into how Nike came to be what they are today.

 

Favourite collection of short stories?

N/A

 


Favourite poetry collection?


N/A

 

Favourite illustrated book?


N/A

 

Favourite publisher?


If I had to choose, Penguin.

 

Favourite audiobook?

Battle for the Falklands by Max Hastings. I'm still not a lover of audiobooks but I am listening to more and more each year.

 

Favourite re-read?

Despite my aim to re-read some of my favourite books I failed miserably with this one and has zero re-reads this year.

 

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Favourite read?  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 

Favourite author? Delia Owens

 

Most read author? Betty MacDonald

 

Favourite book cover? n/a

 

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? Captivated by Piers Dudgeon. A biography about the connection between Daphne du Maurier and J.M.Barrie. Started to get very dark and uncomfortable.

 

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)? The Chilbury's Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan. Irritatingly unbelievable dialogue in diary form. 

 

Book that most disappointed you?  Probably the book I'm reading at the moment, The Librarian by Salley Vickers. Although it's a pleasant enough story, I had such high hopes after reading several of Vickers other books which were exceptionally good. In fact, I found it difficult to believe that it was written by her at all, as it so differs in quality of writing.   

 

Funniest book? Henrietta's War: News From the Home Front 1939 - 42  by Joyce Dennys

 

Favourite literary character? Toss up between Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing.

 

Favourite children's book? The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley. A Flavia de Luce book. 

 

Favourite classic? n/a

 

Favourite non-fiction book? The Diary of Two Nobodies by Mary Killen and Giles Wood

 

Favourite biography? The Other Mitford : Pamela's Story by Diana Alexander

 

Favourite collection of short stories? n/a

 

Favourite poetry collection? n/a 

 

Favourite illustrated book? n/a

 

Favourite publisher? n/a

 

Favourite audiobook? Anybody Can Do Anything by Betty MacDonald

 

Favourite re-read? A Sensible Life by Mary Wesley

 

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My BCF awards for 2020

 

Favourite read?  Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo.  It's not often I'm in accord with prize judges, but this was brilliant - I picked it up in my local bookshop to browse after the Booker prize evening, and just had to buy it.  Finished it in 48 hours.  The Testaments must be an outstanding book if it's as good as this. 

 

Favourite author?  George Mackay Brown.  Read Beside the Ocean of Time for a book group read, and just had to read more, including a children's book (see below) and some of his poetry (see below).  A real discovery.

 

Most read author?  As for every year for the past 5 or 6: Georges Simenon, as I continue to read his Maigret stories in publishing sequence.  Unremittingly immersive.

 

Favourite book cover?  Gulls by John Coulson.  The New Naturalist covers are almost a reason on their own to buy the books - I have The Art of the New Naturalists, and it's a joy to flick through. 

5e0a879a7a61a_51pcmNk1FfL._SX341_BO1204203200_.jpg.dab7c8f50b7d77d60dd07e6bde82be48.jpg

 

Book you abandoned?   DIctator by Robert Harris.  I wasn't the only one, with 4 out of 6 in my book group abandoning early.  We all found it surprisingly tedious, including the person who picked it!

 

Book you liked the least?  I See You by Clare Mackintosh.  Thriller crime tosh, with more plot holes than one could count and fistfuls of sterotypes and cliches.  I really struggle to understand why people read this rubbish.  Staggered through to the finish as it was a book group read - the finish was laughably ludicrous.

 

Book that most disappointed you?
  The Making of the English Landscape by Nicholas Crane should have been a brilliant book given Crane's background. Instead he waffled too much, desperately needed some decent maps, and suffered from a number of authorial gimmicks that were meant, I think, to add interest, but fell flat on their proverbial noses. The photo editor even got one of the photos the wrong way round. It wasn't a (very) bad book, but it should have been a (really) good one.

 

Funniest book?
  Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson.  Not laugh out loud, but lots of smiles.

 

Favourite literary character?  If we're talking fictional characters, then it's a pairing: Clara Allen and Gus Macrae out of Larry Macmurtry's Lonesome Dove, a book full of people you could believe in. But Gertrude Bell, subject of my favourite biography of the year, is one of the most remarkable people I've ever encountered.

 


Favourite children's book?
  Fankle the Cat by George Mackay Brown.  A children's book that isn't just for children.  Wonderful characterisation.

 

Favourite classic?
 A toss up between The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope, and Rebecca Daphne du Maurier, although I'm uncertain whether the latter qualifies officially as a 'classic'. Both superb story telling, but the former probably edges it.

 

Favourite non-fiction book?
  Strictly speaking the same as my biography winner, but excluding that, it has to be The Five by Hallie Rubenheld, examining the lives of the Ripper victims, reclaiming their humanity and dignity in the process, as well as being an outstanding piece of social history.  Deserved winner of the Baillie-Gifford Non-fiction Prize.

 

Favourite biography?
  Daughter of the Desert by Georgina Howell, the biography of Gertrude Bell, one of the most remarkable women of the twentieth century. Every other page seemed to take my breath away - she did that?!

 

Favourite collection of short stories?  Not exactly a packed field. Of two sets I read, probably just Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, but it seems invidious mentioning either of these when so many really good books don't get amongst the awards here.  At least two books of the non-fiction equivalent (essays) jump immediately to mind as far more interesting.

 


Favourite poetry collection?
  I didn't read a complete set of any poetry this year, but I did enjoy dipping into The Collected Poems of George Mackay Brown.  Even on that relatively brief encounter, it's certainly more worthy of a mention than any of the possible nominations for short story collection!

 

Favourite illustrated book?
  Is this for the illustrations or for the book as a whole?  Charles Keeping's drawings for The Old Curiosity Shop as ever match up superbly with Charles Dickens's text, but I was surprisingly unmoved by the writing.  At least as good as Keeping, but in a completely different way, and with much more satisfying text to accompany it, was Charles Tunnicliffe's work in HE Bates's In the Heart of the Country, so my award goes there this year.

 

Favourite publisher?
  Quite a few made a mark for me this year, but I'll plump for Oxford World Classics for their newly commissioned translations of Emile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series - some of them the first new translations since the nineteenth century.

 

Favourite audiobook?  Didn't listen to any this year.

 

Favourite re-read?  Only a couple this year.  Probably The Harpole Report by JL Carr.  If it hadn't been a reread, it would have won funniest book by a country mile.

 

Edited by willoyd
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Favourite read? The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson

Favourite author? Mari Hannah

Most read author? L J Ross

Favourite book cover? The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? N/A

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)? 

Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer by M C Beaton

Book that most disappointed you?
 The Likeness by Tana French

Funniest book?
 N/A

Favourite literary character? Ruth Galloway


Favourite children's book?
 N/A

Favourite classic?
 N/A

Favourite non-fiction book?
 N/A

Favourite biography?
 N/A

Favourite collection of short stories? N/A only read one collection


Favourite poetry collection?
 N/A

Favourite illustrated book?
 N/A

Favourite publisher?
 N/A

Favourite audiobook? N/A

Favourite re-read? N/A

Edited by Madeleine
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This is hard! 

 

Favourite read?

I've read some brilliant books this year and I had to think really hard about this, but I think I'm going to go for Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield.

 

Favourite author?

Because I finally got round to reading her books this year and  the definitely lived up to expectations, Ursula Le Guin.

 

Most read author?

It's a tie between Jasper Fforde and Ursula Le Guin 

 

Favourite book cover?

I can't decide between Folk by Zoe Gilbert and Once Upon a River again... can I have both??

Folk.jpgonce upon a river.jpg

 

Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)?

The Tiger Warrior by David Gibbins

 

Book you liked the least (if different to book abandoned)?

Same as above.

 

Book that most disappointed you?

Witchborn by Nicholas Bowling

 

Funniest book?

It's got to be one of the Jasper Fforde books, probably Something Rotten.

 

Favourite literary character?

I actually can't decide... I might come back to this one!

 

Favourite children's book?

I don't think I read anything that would be classed as a children's book (unless Earthsea counts, but I think it's a bit dark for children).

 

Favourite classic?

Assuming short story collections still count, I really enjoyed 'Tales of Unease' by Arthur Conan Doyle. 

 

Favourite non-fiction book?

n/a

 

Favourite biography?

n/a

 

Favourite collection of short stories?

Folk by Zoe Gilbert

 

Favourite poetry collection?

n/a

 

Favourite illustrated book?

n/a

 

Favourite publisher?

n/a

 

Favourite audiobook?

n/a

 

Favourite re-read?

n/a

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Favourite Read

I read many brilliant books this year. I will go with Misery by Stepen King

 

Most Read Author

Fiona Watt with 11

 

Favourite Author

This isn't an easy one. I decided to go with Liane Moriarty. She was a new to me author this year. I read two and enjoyed both. I look forward to reading more.

 

Favourite Cover

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

 

Book(s) Abandoned 

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Through The Zombie Glass (The White Rabbit Chronicles) by Gena Showalter

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (may return to)

Do not like giving up on books, I'll admit. However, sometimes you just have to say No!

 

Least Favourite

Alice In Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles) by Gena Showalter

 

Most Disappointing Read

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

 

Funniest Read

Bridget Jones' Baby by Helen Fielding

 

Favourite Character

N/A

 

Favourite Children's Book

A Little Princess by Frances Hodges Burnett. 

 

Favourite Classic

Probably A Little Princess too. (Note to self :- read more classics)

 

Favourite Non Fiction

N/A

 

Favourite Biography 

N/A

 

Favourite Collection of Short Stories

N/A

 

Favourite Poetry

N/A

 

Favourite Illustrated Book

That's Not My... by Fiona Watt

 

Favourite Publisher

N/A

 

Favourite Audiobook

N/A

 

Favourite ReRead

N/A

 

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