Whitney Award Books
I’ve spent the last few months reading these books.
The awards are associated with a local writing conference that I’ve participated in on and off for years. In a couple of weeks, those of us who are eligible, get to vote on the books.
First up is Romance!
A handful of years ago, three of the five books in the romance category were lackluster, at best. The entries have been getting better, and this year, I’m happy to report, they’re all contenders!
I won’t share my favorites here, because I’m voting and stuff, but there were two in which I enjoyed the characters more than the others. Because romance books are largely the same in plot (girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl and boy can’t be together, but then they figure out how to make it work because…love) characters and the author’s voice are the main draws to a romantic story.
This wasn’t an easy choice, which is awesome.
The second set I read were the adult speculative fiction category!
(Spec. fiction is a catch-all for fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal, and more)
Again, in years past, I haven’t always been impressed with the selection in this category. There are usually one or two authors who stand out, and the others tend to be weak in comparison.
(One year I had to force myself to finish three of the books because between the writing and the plot I was either bored to tears or bugged by bad story telling. )
This year I enjoyed all of the entries. Two really stood out, but the rest were quite good.
It can be good to try something new. 🙂
Good luck to all of the nominees! Winners will be announced in May.
