Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The 2009 Leafy Awards!

That's right everyone, it's that time again. For the third time (wow, I've really been at this for three years? You'd think I'd be better at it), it's time for the Leafy Awards celebrating the best (and worst) of the few books I've read this year! As usual, the categories are almost totally bogus because I'm incapable of just writing a straight up top 10 list, and what's the fun in that anyway, right? Now, brought to you from the back of my health insurance policy envelope where I've written them down illegibly (drum roll please!) - the 3rd Annual Leafy Awards!

First, in the category of Most Delicious:

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Seriously, I could eat this book. Also voted "Most likely to captivate me so much that I read most of it in an uncomfortable wooden kitchen chair instead of putting it down long enough to move to the couch" and "Most Sensual in an Unnaughty Way")

Next up The Best and Only Non-Fiction to Win a Leafy This Year:

Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton (also voted "Most Likely to Make Me Feel Like a Scumbag for Not Forgiving Minor Transgressions of Loved Ones." She mistakenly helped put him in prison for raping her, he forgave her, and now they're friends! What a story!)

Best Debut Novel:

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (also voted "Characters I'd Most Like to Meet" and "Most Likely to Make a Shameless Evangelist out of Me." If you haven't spotted me somewhere on the internet raving at length about this book, you must not get out too much. Or else I must not.)

Tear Jerker of the Year:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (I sobbed. On more than one occasion. Also voted "Most Likely to make me scratch my head in confusion over why it took me this long to pick up a Sarah Dessen book," I mean, it's not like everybody isn't talking about her!)

Best Book Nobody's Heard of by a Popular Author

Pied Piper by Nevil Shute (Sure, he might have brought you classics like A Town Like Alice and On the Beach but you should really be reading this one.)

Best Book I Loved Before Even Coming Close to Finishing It

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going (Also voted "Most Likely to Make me Gush Shamelessly in the Highest Amount of Blog Posts before Actually Reviewing It")

The RARE and COVETED Book I'm Starting to Think I Should Really Re-read Even Though I Don't Re-Read Books Award goes to...

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (It's literary! It's fantasy! It's intelligent and HEARTFELT and CHARACTER DRIVEN and SETTING DRIVEN and AWESOME! Ahem. Yeah, will somebody just go get me another copy so I can get even more out of it?)

The Dagger Award for Cutting Me Deepest battles a few strong contenders. Emerging victorious is...

The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty (Hurts so good.)

Most Laugh Out Loud Funny:

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (The Moriartys have it! Okay, so the book is totally unbelievable - who cares? It's hilarious!)

Most Likely to Cause Deep Depression and Make you Like It

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Seriously, though. How many times did I have to stop and take a breather because McCarthy was twisting his bitterbittersweet postapocalyptic knife in my heart so hard? Ow. This one hurts so good, too.)

Oh, wait, here's one last award. Who's it for? Why, it's for me!

It's the Biggest Accomplishment award, awarded to yours truly for finally finishing the epic tome that is In the Country of Brooklyn by Peter Golenbock after more than a year of non-continuous reading.

And finally...

The Hall of Shame featuring the books I can't believe I bothered finishing.

The Glister by John Burnside (What the heck was this book even about?)
Freewill by Chris Lynch (What the heck was this book even about??)
Canvey Island by James Runcie (Also, unfortunately, getting the nod for "Most Promising Beginning" which made the disappointment that much sharper.)



There you have it! Another year over. Congratulations to the winners and here's to another year of great reading!

13 comments:

  1. I love your awards! I've only read one of your books, but have 2 more in my TBR pile. I really want to read Picking Cotton too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay for The Stolen Child!

    And all of your award names crack me up. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Megan --

    You're too kind.

    Send me your address, and I'll send you another copy.

    Keith Donohue

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your list this year....you just made my TBR pile grow (again), lol.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Megan, your award names made me laugh!

    Picking Cotton and The Road are both on my TBR list so I'm really glad you enjoyed them. And I'm adding The Stolen Child right now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great awards! "The Stolen Child" has been on my TBR list for ages. Hoping to get around to it this year. Wonder if Keith's willing to send that copy my way... hehe. Happy 2010 reading! May the best book win!

    ReplyDelete
  7. :D I love the Leafy Awards :) Fantastic as always!! I heard an interview awhile back with the author of Picking Cotton and it sounded really good...I'll have to check that one out!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great Awards! I also loved the Gin Phillips book, and the Bauermeister. Nevil Shute is an author is want to read more of, and Pied Piper is on the list. I recently ordred Requiem for a Wren.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gah. I totally agree about Canvey Island. Gah. Gah. Gah.

    LOVE the Leafys. =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. This was a fun post. I really loved The School of Essential Ingredients.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kathy - Hope you get to read Picking Cotton. It's such a great story and so readable for non-fiction.

    Eva - Coming up with the goofy names is almost as fun as revisiting my favorite books from the year. Glad you laughed!

    Keith - It's my pleasure, and *you're* too kind. I'll be in touch. Thanks!

    Michele - Muahaha! I love it when I make peoples' TBR piles grow - it makes me feel better about my own gigantic one! LOL! :)

    Christina - Glad you enjoyed! Hope you enjoy The Road and Picking Cotton, and you definitely won't regret adding The Stolen Child.

    J.S. - Get around to it. It's so worth it, you'll wonder why you waited. LOL! Happy 2010 reading to you, too!

    Chris - Thanks! Glad you enjoy the Leafy's! I love writing them. :)

    Tara - I've never heard of Requiem for a Wren, but if it's half as good as Pied Piper, I'd probably like it. I'll be interested in hearing what you think about it when you get around to reading it.

    Elizabeth - Yeah, I remember we were very much on the same page about Canvey Island. The worst part about it is that it seemed so promising!

    Anna - Me too. It was one of those books that I kind of shopped out to my relatives who were looking for good stuff to read.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have yet to read a Sarah Dressen book, and I frequently scratch my head and wonder why, especially after reading reviews of her books.

    ReplyDelete