The judges for the major international prize for books written by women, the UK’s Orange Prize, announced their short list this morning. The prize was created in 1996 by a group of reviewers, librarians, and others in the U.K.’s book world, who felt that book prizes were disproportionately awarded to men.

Among the titles are three that were librarian favorites on GalleyChat:

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller (HarperCollins/Ecco Press)

Several libraries are showing heavy holds on this debut (as high as 10/1), published in early March. It received a strong review from Mary Doria Russell (Doc, Random House, 2011) in the Washington Post. USA Today also reviewed it, saying, “It takes a truly gifted writer to make a song this old feel this beautifully new.”

The Orange Prize judges comment, “Terrific. The Trojan Wars and the legendary love story of Patroclus and Achilles told with all the intensity and accuracy that this world of violence and superstition and romance deserves.”

The Forgotten Waltz, Anne Enright, (Norton, 10/3; Thorndike large print)

This book is still showing a wait list in most libraries after being published in October.

The Orange Prize judges say, “What an achievement, we all thought — a flawed heroine, a modern tale of unromantic adultery and conflicted parental loyalties, and a compelling, believable, lyrical read.” This is the fourth novel for Enright, who lives in Dublin

State of Wonder, Ann Patchett, (Harper, 6/6; Recorded Books; HarperLuxe; HarperAudio; ebook from OverDrive)

The title on the short list that libraries own in the greatest quantities. Nevertheless, most are still dealing with heavy holds.

After the jump, the other three titles on the list:

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The 2012 Pulitzer Prizes were just announced. The following were the winners in the book categories.

Annotations are from the press release.

Fiction

Winner:

NO Award — the first time since 1977. No explanation was offered beyond the statement, “The three books were fully considered, but in the end, none mustered the mandatory majority for granting a prize, so no prize was awarded.”

Finalists:

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (Macmillan/ FSG) — “a novella about a day laborer in the old American West, bearing witness to terrors and glories with compassionate, heartbreaking calm.”

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Alfred A. Knopf) — “an adventure tale about an eccentric family adrift in its failing alligator-wrestling theme park, told by a 13- year-old heroine wise beyond her years”

The Pale King by the late David Foster Wallace (Little, Brown and Company) — “a posthumously completed novel, animated by grand ambition, that explores boredom and bureaucracy in the American workplace.”

General Nonfiction

Winner:

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, by Stephen Greenblatt (Norton) — “a provocative book arguing that an obscure work of philosophy, discovered nearly 600 years ago, changed the course of history by anticipating the science and sensibilities of today.”

Finalists:

One Hundred Names For Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing, by Diane Ackerman (Norton) — “a resilient author’s account of caring for a stricken husband, sharing fears and insights as she explores neurology and ponders the gift of words.”

Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men, by Mara Hvistendahl (Public Affairs) — “an evocative, deeply researched book probing the causes and effects of a global imbalance in the gender ratio.”

Winners and finalists in Biography, History and Poetry, after the jump:

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Washington Post book critic Ron Charles finds the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka, “a disappointing choice from a list of finalists that gave strong preference to short fiction… [with the one exception of] Russell Banks’s grim Lost Memory of Skin.” He blames the oversight on the makeup of the jury, “As writers and teachers of writing, the judges have a professional interest in the craft of storytelling, which attracts them, I suspect, to perfectly cut miniatures as opposed to the rock and flow of a great novel.”

He wishes the jury had been more sympathetic to “long, fully developed stories we can sink into for days,” and lists the following as the year’s prime examples (none of which were on the PEN/Faulkner short list):

Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder, (Harper)

Mary Doria Russell’s Doc (Random House) 

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Once Upon a River,  (Norton)

David Vann’s “devastating” Caribou Island, (Harper)

Alex Shakar’s “demanding” Luminarium, (Soho Press)

The Buddha in the Attic Julie Otsuka Retail Price: $22.00 Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: RH/Knopf – (2011-08-23) ISBN: 9780307700001

RH Audio/BOT; Thorndike; Overdrive, audiobook and ebook

Previous honors:

National Book Awards Finalist
Library Journal Top Ten of 2011
New York Times Book Review Notables, 2011
Women’s National Book Assn. Great Group Reads

ALA has created two new awards for adult books; the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The first winners will be announced at the ALA annual conference in June. The selection committee is chaired by Nancy Pearl. A short list of 50 titles, drawn from the Booklist Editors’ Choice and RUSA CODES Notable Books lists will be announced in May.

The NBCC winners were announced last night (annotations are from the press release):

Fiction

Edith Pearlman, Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories (U of N.C., Wilmington, Lookout Books); “a collection of 34 Chekhov-like short stories that was also nominated for the National Book Award. The publication is the first from Lookout Books and a triumph for Pearlman’s distinctive storytelling, bringing it to a larger audience.”

Nonfiction

Maya Jasanoff, Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World (RH/Knopf);  “a book of fresh, original, and sprightly scholarship, by Harvard professor of British history Jasanoff, acknowledging colonists’ response to Loyalists during the Revolutionary War and the consequences for Britain’s entire empire thereafter.”

Biography

John Lewis Gaddis,  George F. Kennan: An American Life (Penguin Press); “a book that brings alive the remarkable American statesman while also delivering a profound understanding of U.S. foreign policy in the 20th-century.”

Poetry

Laura Kasischke, Space, in Chains, (Copper Canyon Press);  “a formally inventive work that speaks to the horrors and delights of ordinary life in an utterly original way.”

Autobiography

Mira Bartók, The Memory Palace: A Memoir (S&S/Free Press); “a book that rose to the formal challenge of blending her mother’s journals, reflections on her mother’s mental illness and subsequent homelessness, and thoughts on her own recovery from a head injury to create a heartfelt yet respectful work of art.”

Most of the five nominees for the 2012 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction, announced yesterday, are veteran writers with strings of awards attached to their names. The relative newcomer is Julie Otsuka, nominated for The Buddha in the Attic (RH/Knopf; Thorndike large print; Books on Tape; OverDrive ebook and audio), her second book after When the Emperor Was Divine (Knopf, 2002). It was also a National Book Award finalist.

The other nominees are:

Don DeLillo, The Angel Esmeralda, (S&S/Scribner; Recorded Books; S&S Audio) — the author’s first volume of short stories. He won the Pen/Faulkner in 1992 for Mao II.

Russell Banks for Lost Memory of Skin (HarperCollins/Ecco; Recorded Books; HarperLuxe; OverDrive ebook) — the author’s earlier novels, Affliction and Cloudsplitter were both Pen/Faulkner Nominees.

Steven Millhauser, We Others: New and Selected Stories (RH/Knopf; OverDrive ebook) — Millhauser won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel Martin Dressler.

Anita Desai, The Artist of Disappearance (HMH; Dreamscape Audio; OverDrive ebook and audio) —  the author has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times.

The winner, to be announced March 26, receives $15,000.

The effect of the Newbery and Caldecott awards on book sales is seen in the Feb 12 NYT Best Seller list; both the medalists and one of the honor books make their debuts.

Sales are for the week ending Saturday, January 28, the week of the awards, which were announced that Monday.

NYT Children’s Picture Books

#3 — Caldecott Medal

A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Raschka

RH/Schwartz & Wade – (2011-05-10)

ISBN/EAN: 037585861X/9780375858611

NYT Description: Daisy’s favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog; a 2012 Caldecott winner.
 

#8 — Caldecott Honor

Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith,

Macmillan/Roaring Brook, 8/30/11

ISBN/EAN: 1596436077/9781596436077

NYT Description: In a topiary garden, a boy narrates the story of his great-grandfather’s life.

NYT Children’s Chapter Books

#6 — Newbery Medal

 Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos

Macmillan/FSG, 9/13/11

ISBN / EAN: 0374379939 / 9780374379933

NYT Description: Typing obituaries for a neighbor lands Jack in a string of comic adventures; a 2012 Newbery winner.

A long-standing tradition was broken last year. The winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Awards were not invited to appear on the Today Show the day after the announcements. They were snubbed again this year, despite ALA’s efforts to reach out to the shows, as reported by Publishers Weekly.

It’s beginning to seem that the 2009 appearance, below, will be the last one.

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The winners were not overlooked by NPR, however, which featured an interview with Caldecott medalist Chris Raschka on All Things Considered. Newbery medalist Jack Gantos appeared on NPR’s comedy show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! on Saturday.

As for the Today Show, it did feature a children’s title this week. On Wednesday, Henry Winkler talked about the debut of Zero to Hero, (Scholastic, Jan 1), the first book in his new Ghost Buddy series. Despite the attention, it currently falls far below the Newbery and Caldecott medalists on Amazon sales rankings.

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Following up on our previous story about the sales impact of the major ALA Youth Media Awards, we tracked Amazon sales rankings from the day of the award through today, using Publishers Marketplace‘s Book Tracker tool.

For each title, we’ve shown the lowest and highest rankings the day of the award announcements, followed by the highest rankings for each day since (Amazon updates its rankings daily); several titles have reached new highs.

This is our first tracking of the honor books; every one of those titles has also risen in the rankings.

Newbery Awards

NEWBERY MEDAL

Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos (Macmillan/FSG, 9/13/11)

1/23/12
Lowest — #27,842
Highest — #18

1/24/12 — #11
1/25/12 — #10
1/26/12 — #13

NEWBERY HONOR BOOKS

Inside Out and Back Again, Thanhha Lai, (HarperCollins, 2/22/11) — also won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

1/23/12
Lowest — #3,859
Highest — #108

1/24/12 — #55
1/25/12 — #92
1/26/12 — #131

Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Eugene Yelchin (Macmillan/Holt, 9/27/11)

1/23/12
Lowest — #294,522
Highest — #67

1/24/12 — #76
1/25/12 — #107
1/26/12 — #183
 

Caldecott Awards

CALDECOTT MEDAL

A Ball for Daisy, Chris Raschka (RH/ Schwartz & Wade, 5/10/11) — also a NYT Best Illus. Book

1/23/12
Lowest — #22,059
Highest — #16

1/24/12 — #9
1/25/12 — #9
1/26/12 — #17

Tracking for the Caldecott Honor Books, the Printz and  Coretta Scott King Awards after the jump:

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The number of Oscar Best Picture nominees adapted from books (6 of 9) has piqued the interest of Entertainment Weekly‘s “Shelf Life” blog. As a result, through the upcoming weeks, they will compare the books to the movies in a series called, “Reading the Oscars.”

First up is a look at The Descendants, a debut novel that had limited success before the release of the movie. In this case, says EW, the movie follows the book closely, and manages to improve upon it.

It’s well-known that ALA’s Youth Media Awards have an impact on sales. To track how much of an impact, we checked the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz winners on Amazon sales rankings before and two hours after they were announced (UPDATE: we checked again the day after; see updated figures below). As expected, each experienced a swift rise. The Newbery winner rose to the highest level, while the dark horse of the group, the Printz showed the most dramatic rise.

Newbery Medal

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. The response to this win was a pleasant surprise. Gantos is no stranger to awards; he has won two Newbery Honors, a Printz Honor, and a Silbert Honor, but this is his first Medal. The book was on three major best books lists we tracked this year. By contrast, Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck (Scholastic), also considered a contender, was on seven. Before the award, Dead End in Norvelt, was at #27,051 on Amazon sales rankings. Two hours later, it rose to #192. UPDATE: The day after the announcements, it rose to #11.

Four large library systems own a total of 96 copies (those same libraries own 536 copies of Wonderstruck).

Dead End in Norvelt Jack Gantos Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Macmillan/FSG (BYR) – (2011-09-13) ISBN / EAN: 0374379939 / 9780374379933

Macmillan Audio, 9781427213563

The cover of the book bears some resemblance to another title that was considered a strong candidate for the award:

Okay for Now Gary D. Schmidt Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Clarion Books – (2011-04-05) ISBN / EAN: 0547152604 / 9780547152608

Caldecott Medal

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka, appeared on two best books lists (SLJ and NYT Best Illustrated Books). It was at #22,059 on Amazon sales rankings before the award, rising to #304 two hours later. UPDATE: The day after the announcements, it rose to #9.

The four major libraries we checked own a total of 86 copies.

A Ball for Daisy Chris Raschka Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: RH/Schwartz & Wade – (2011-05-10) ISBN / EAN: 037585861X / 9780375858611

Printz Medal

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. The dark horse of the awards, this title appeared only on the PW Best Books list. At the time of the pick, it was at #97,910 on Amazon sales rankings and rose to #328 two hours later. UPDATE: Later in the day, it rose to #76, settling back down to #117 the day after the announcements.

The four libraries we checked own 43 copies.

Where Things Come Back John Corey Whaley Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: S&S/Atheneum BYR – (2011-05-03) ISBN 9781442413337

Trade Paperback, S&S/Atheneum, 9781442413344

The kids at the Bank Street College of Education School for Children have decided which book they think should win the upcoming Printz Award. Forty-Two twelve and thirteen-year olds read, reviewed, discussed and voted on titles from a shortlist of 17 titles and the winner is:

Blood Red Road Moira Young Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 466 pages Publisher: S&S/McElderry – (2011-06-07) ISBN 9781442429987

S&S Audio

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In addition, they chose three honor books:

Between Shades of Gray Ruta Sepetys Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 355 pages Publisher: Penguin/Philomel – (2011-03-22) ISBN 9780399254123

Penguin Audio; Large Print, Thorndike; OverDrive, ebook and audio

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Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 Sally M Walker Retail Price: $18.99 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Macmillan/Holt (BYR) – (2011-11-22) ISBN / EAN: 0805089454 / 9780805089455

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My Big Mouth: 10 Songs I Wrote That Almost Got Me Killed Peter Hannan Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2011-07-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545162106 / 9780545162104

Following the jump, the rest of the titles from the short list:

(more…)

Many of us are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Newbery winner and honor books at the upcoming ALA Midwinter meeting. So, too are the kids at the Bank Street College of Education School for Children. They have already voiced their opinion in the annual Bank Street Mock Newbery Awards. Seventy-seven kids, ages ten to twelve, read, discussed and voted on a short list of titles.

And, the winner is:

Wonderstruck Brian Selznick Retail Price: $29.99 Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: Scholastic – (2011-09-13) ISBN / EAN: 0545027896 / 9780545027892

Honor Books

Divergent Veronica Roth Retail Price: $13.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: HarperCollins/Tegen Books – (2011-05-03) ISBN :  9780062024022

Bird in a Box Andrea Pinkney Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Hachette/LBYR – (2011-04-12) ISBN / EAN: 0316074039 / 9780316074032 Audio: Listening Library Okay for Now Gary D. Schmidt Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: HMH/Clarion – (2011-04-05) ISBN / EAN: 0547152604 / 9780547152608 RH/Listening Library; OverDrive The rest of the titles on the short list, after the jump: (more…)

Tina Fey may add a Grammy to her many awards. Her best selling audio recording of Bossypants (Hachette Audio) was announced as a nominee in the Best Spoken Word category at last night’s Grammy Nomination Concert (full list of nominees here). Winners will be named on Feb. 12.

It has already been selected as one of the year’s best audios by AudioFile magazine. For our money, it’s already won the Most Disturbing Cover of the year.

The other nominees are:

Fab Fan Memories – The Beatles Bond; Nathan Burbank, Bryan Cumming, Dennis Scott & David Toledo, producers, WannaBeats Records

Hamlet, William Shakespeare; Dan Donohue & Various Artists – Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Blackstone Audio

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t), Betty White, Penguin Audio

The Mark Of Zorro, Val Kilmer & Cast, Blackstone Audio

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury) got a boost on Amazon’s sales rankings after winning the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday, rising to #260.

But a book that received earlier recognition is having greater success with U.S. buyers.

Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending, (Knopf) which won Britain’s Booker Award last month, is at #23, even though USA Today called it, “the longest, dreariest 163 pages in recent memory…pretentious philosophical musings masquerading as a novel.” The not-always-kind NYT critic Michiko Kakutani put it more diplomatically, saying it is “dense with philosophical ideas and more clever than emotionally satisfying.”

After winning the Booker (10/19), it rose to #5 and slowly drifted down, still remaining in the top 50 for the next few weeks. It got another bump from NPR on Saturday, moving up to #27. Library holds are also much heavier on it than on Salvage the Bones.

As described by Ron Charles in the Washington Post, Salvage the Bones is the more accessible title; “Without a hint of pretension, in the simple lives of these poor people living among chickens and abandoned cars, [the author] evokes the tenacious love and desperation of classical tragedy.” It is also about a specifically American experience, a family struggling and surviving through hurricane Katrina.

Both are in hardcover, are similar prices and both are short books. This year, it’s especially difficult to explain why Americans seem to say, “Make mine a Booker.”