2016 was a solid reading year for yours truly (100+ titles read), and 2017 is shaping up to be even better (at close to 100 titles already and counting).
I consider myself well-read. I know what I like. And I love to offer an opinion. So, last year, I thought why not create and bestow my own literary awards, especially if it helps shine a light on some authors or titles that may not get the love and attention they richly deserved?
Today, I present to you my Rogue Star Awards picks in x categories. They’re all fantastic reads, nominees and winners alike, so check them out – and prepare to be amazed, informed, and entertained.
***
BEST COMIC BOOK SERIES
NOMINEES
Black Hammer – Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston, Dark Horse
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack, Archie
The Omega Men – Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda, DC
Saga – Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Image
Vision – Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Marvel
WINNER
Vision – Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Marvel
***
BEST SHORT STORY
NOMINEES
“Against the Stream” – A Que, Clarkesworld
“Not a Wardrobe, Tornado, or Looking Glass” – Jeremiah Tolbert, Lightspeed
“Rooms Formed Of Neurons And Sex” – Ferrett Steinmetz, Uncanny Magazine
“The Savannah Liar’s Tour” – Will McIntosh, Lightspeed
“We Have A Cultural Difference, Can I Taste You?” – Rebecca Ann Jordan, Strange Horizons
WINNER
“Against the Stream” – A Que, Clarkesworld
***
BEST NOVELETTE
NOMINEES
A Deeper Green – Samantha Murray, Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Blood Grains Speak Through Memories – Jason Sanford, Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Extraction Request – Rich Larson, Clarkesworld
In the Midst of Life – Nick Wolven, Clarkesworld
Teenagers From Outerspace – Dale Bailey, Clarkesworld
WINNER
Blood Grains Speak Through Memories – Jason Sanford, Beneath Ceaseless Skies
***
BEST NOVEL
NOMINEES
Core of the Sun – Johanna Sinisalo (translated by Lola Rogers), Grove Press
Hex – Thomas Olde Heuvelt (translated by Nancy Forest-Flier), Tor
Mongrels – Stephen Graham Jones, William Morrow
The Regional Office Is Under Attack – Manuel Gonzales, Riverhead Books
The Sudden Appearance of Hope – Claire North, Redhook
WINNER
Core of the Sun – Johanna Sinisalo (translated by Lola Rogers), Grove Press
***
BEST NON-FICTION BOOK
NOMINEES
Dark Knight: A True Batman Story – Paul Dini and Edward Risso, Vertigo
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis – J.D. Vance, Harper
Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating And What You Can Do About It – Larry Olmsted, Algonquin Books
Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything – Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Simon & Schuster
When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi and Abraham Verghese, Random House
WINNER
Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything – Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Simon & Schuster
***
BEST NOVEL (NON-GENRE)
NOMINEES
News of the World – Paulette Giles, William Morrow
Sweetbitter – Stephanie Danler, Knopf
The Girls – Emma Cline, Random House
The Invisibility Cloak – Ge Fei (translated by Canaan Morse), New York Review of Books
Under the Harrow – Flynn Berry, Penguin Books
WINNER
The Girls – Emma Cline, Random House
Very good. Thank you for your opinion.
I can always count on you for some good read suggestions, thanks for the input!
More book recommendations, Yay!
wow…where you find the time or energy with all that goes on in your life is beyond me. Interesting looking reads….gonna have to buckle down to try to catch up…well, maybe just add a couple numbers to my “reads.”
Thanks for your ranking…cool.
I thought it was kinda crazy how they’re releasing what they’re describing as a majorly updated version of Steins;Gate. They seem incapable of letting such a perfect story die. Steins;Gate 0 which has an anime coming soon was fine, but they really should leave this one alone. It’s called Steins;Gate Elite.
They’re also doing Robotics;Notes DaSH, a sequel to what I thought was a completed story ugh. That will probably get an anime adaption soon. These are mostly just visual novel announcements(Anime usually gets announced later).
Anonymous;Code sounds pretty awesome though. Some studios need to be more original instead of milking existing franchises.
Thanks, Joe, for your Rogue Star lists.
I’m looking forward to reading the short stories (last ones were amazing!). I may even venture into the novelettes this time too.
Eventually gave in to giving peanut butter to my pup, Puddle, after seeing Suji enjoying it so much. Years of ‘Never feed dogs nuts – they’re toxic’ has given me an aversion to trying it on any of my dogs. Now, I feel bad. Puddle adores it (& is fit as a flea!)
@Ponytail
Re yesterdays comment…
Just as I was beginning to give up and accept the situation, you give me hope again.
Thank you! 😊
@TheOtherOne – Never give up. We must fight the good fight!
Yay @Ponytail!
Definitely and absolutely – all for One and One for all! 😁
Halfway thru The Sudden Appearance of Hope; really enjoying it. Thanks for the recommendation!
TheOtherOne Its a whole new world with delicious peanut butter in it for a dog.
Wish I had anything to contribute to the book list choices but I don’t. So I’ll just move on along to the next post.