Read my opening round post here, my semifinal round post here, and my final predictions here.
Congrats to all the winners this year! There were some impressive slates and stiff competition. Honestly, I feel like as the Goodreads community grows, the Choice Awards get better and more interesting.
Now, I’m coming off 30 days of frenzied writing and while I’m eager to continue, I’m reestablishing a balance with blogging, exercise, and everything else in my life. I’ve said a lot of the nominees, so I thought I’d change it up and throw some GIFs in here. Enjoy!
Guaranteed victory still requires a victory dance. Just look at the vote count: 105K for this one. Second place was Stephen King with a third of that. Hot. Damn.
So, full disclosure: I am not thrilled about this. I wanted to find a frumpy-face Tom Haverford gif and this popped up initially and with a book like Modern Romance it seemed too perfect not to share. So, there you go. But also, this:
Or: This is not what I expected but it is awesome.
Also, I was a huge Saga supporter for last year’s Choice Awards and surprised at the loss, so a year later this feels great if not overdue. See you next year, Kamala.
Read my opening round post here and my semifinal round post here.
The final round is open today until the 23rd. Make sure you vote to have your voice heard! The competition remains pretty stiff in several categories.
Also, I know it’s not a countdown per se, but I have Europe’s The Final Countdown stuck in my head. Which means you probably have it stuck in your head, too. Here, have a montage for your troubles:
Reminder: I’ll be leaving out several categories (like Romance, Middle Grade, Picture Books) as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year).
I honestly can’t tell with this one. I’ve been pulling for Fates and Furies since the opening round, but that doesn’t mean much. The books featured include major winner potential, so I could see this one going to a more popular book that’s been out a while. I’m not sure if Go Set a Watchman will get the nostalgia vote, despite most of the book community’s critical reviews of, well, the entire lead-up to the book hitting shelves.
Related posts: You can read my Hot Off the Press post about Fates and Furies here or my Go Set a Watchman review here
I’m pulling for Marriage of Opposites to surprise, but I feel like Atkinson has this one over Hoffman. I haven’t read her books, but they delight readers and tend to do very well numbers-wise.
Related posts: Read my Marriage of Opposites review here
There’s always one category where I want to throw my hands in the air because I have no idea where voters’ sentiments lie. I’m not sure if The Fifth Season has enough backing to win. Typically bigger names (like Gaiman) are more likely to get publicized and read by a wider variety of people. I’ve seen a lot of good press for A Darker Shade of Magic – I didn’t love it, but plenty of others did, so perhaps it’ll pull out a win.
Related posts: Read about why I chose to bring The Fifth Season with me on an impromptu trip here
…oh, and there’s also a category where there are honestly so many good nominees I can’t figure out which book gets my final vote! I’ve been pulling for The Fold, but I also really enjoyed Armada, to the point where I’m thinking that even though I read it months ago, I have fonder memories of it than my more recent listen.
There’s a lot of great nominees, but I think Seveneves may have the numbers here. Just a guess based on the Goodreads ratings, which I only look at when I’m really stumped. Well done, Sci Fi. And even though I’m voting for Armada, I’m rooting for Wendig, because he’s just a phenomenal person and writer and I wish only good things for someone who has personally inspired.
Related posts: Read my review of Armadahere and my writing/conference posts about Wendig here, here, here, and here (I may be biased)
So many people have read this book and appreciated how it tackled heavy themes and difficult experiences (“loved” seems an odd choice for the subject matter). Coates earned this victory with a haunting look at racial politics and social values.
Related posts: Read my take on the value of discomfort in reading here
I could be completely wrong here. I read Nimona as a web comic and it stays with you in a way only great characters can. Everyone in the series is solid, fleshed out, and necessary. And the deconstruction of tropes, especially what it means to be a hero or a villain, is absolutely brilliant. As much as I (and others) love Ms. Marvel, I’m not sure it’s quite there. Hilarious, brilliant, and Kamala Khan is hands down one of Marvel’s best characters, but it doesn’t hit Nimona levels quite yet. Unpopular opinion time, I know.
Related posts: Read my original post about Nimona here
Rainbow Rowell knows her stuff, and she’s a wonderful author who spans YA and adult genres well. I think she’s got this in the bag, but maybe I’m out of touch with the kids these days.
Related posts: Read my Women in Fiction series post about the Uprooted protagonist here
The semifinal round is open the 10th – 15th (after the 15th you will not be able to vote). The final round runs the 17th – 23rd. Look for my final round posts and winner posts later this month!
If this is your first Goodreads Choice Awards, the semifinal round is going to seem…very confusing. See, the semifinal round both narrows and widens the competition. During the first round, readers can nominate books that were left off the ballot. If books get enough nominations, they are available for the popular vote in the semifinal round. They knock out books that were on the original ballot but didn’t do so hot. You’ll see some changes to my original picks and predictions in the list below.
Reminder: I’ll be leaving out several categories (like Romance, Middle Grade, Picture Books) as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year).
Fiction
Well, well, well. Go Set a Watchman has entered the game. I was surprised it wasn’t in the first round, but figured it might make an appearance during semifinals. Now, I’m wondering if nostalgia will carry it to the finals and to victory. I wasn’t all that impressed with the book, so I will not cast a vote for it. I’m hoping autumn darling Fates and Furies takes it.
Mystery & Thriller
No major changes in this category, at least for me. I still think The Girl on the Trainhas this one in the bag, even against Robert Galbraith.
Historical Fiction
I’m still hoping for Marriage of Opposites to win – and you can read my review discussing its merits here. I think A God in Ruins has a very solid chance, through, and I’m pleasantly surprised to see Girl Waits with Gun, a blogger favorite, make it into the running.
Fantasy
So, this is where I wish I had rushed into reading the second Queen of the Tearling novel, The Invasion of the Tearling. I really, really enjoyed the first book and thought it was a clever take on an “unprepared female leader” narrative. Kelsea’s just a great character, and I didn’t read the second book precisely because I wanted to wait until closer to the third book’s release. Boo, hiss. I started reading The Fifth Season, but my love for the Tearling characters wins, and I hope The Invasion of the Tearling does, too.
Science Fiction
This is probably the best semifinals slate update I’ve ever seen, and I’m really excited to see the finals round ballot. There were some great updates – Nightvale, Atwood, Wendig, Armada…dang, this a good bunch of nominees, and a great balance of popular and critical hits. I’m still pulling for the The Fold, however!
Horror
The Night Sisterkeeps my vote, but I strongly recommend those with a strong stomach for visceral imagery check out The Deep, another great read. Also, I just learned there was a follow-up to The Three!
nonfiction
I seriously missed the category last week, and I have no idea how. Anyway, I’m voting for Between the World and Me, but it barely beats out Missoulaand Big Magic, which impacted me personally but not in the same ways.
Graphic Novels & Comics
So not only are all of my favorites from last week still there (Saga, Lumberjanes, Rat Queens, Nimona, Sex Criminals, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel), but Wicked + Divine is nominated, too! I’ll say it again, this is anyone’s game. And yes, I’m still voting for Nimona!
I was worried Uprooted wouldn’t pull through, solely because I wasn’t sure if it registered at the same level for YA voters. Obviously I’m a fan, and a biased one at that.
I love the Goodreads Choice Awards. I find a lot of the literary awards distancing, somewhat pretentious in the conversations that surround them. But GCA? It’s the “give the people what they want” awards. It’s the populist vote, and I appreciate that. It says as much about the losers as it does the winners, and it offers plenty of TBR picks.
The opening round starts today and runs until the 8th, with semifinals and finals running the 10th – 15th and the 17th – 23rd respectively. Each week, I’ll post an overview of the competition.
Like last year, I’ll be leaving out several categories (like Romance, Middle Grade, Picture Books) as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year).
Fiction
Embarrassingly, I have read none of these (though several sit in various states of neglect around the house). However, Fates and Furies has gotten a ton of phenomenal press, and Kitchens of the Great Midwest is that book that keeps popping up in blog posts and social media. From a sheer popularity standpoint, I imagine The Royal We has a fighting chance.
Mystery & Thriller
This is The Girl on the Train‘s to lose, in my opinion. It’s been one of the most talked about books throughout the year, holding steady.
Historical Fiction
I loved, loved, loved Marriage of Opposites, my favorite Hoffman book by far, so it has my vote. Fans of Kate Atkinson may swing votes for A God in Ruins, and the final book in the Ibis Trilogy, Flood of Fire, is also nominated.
But really, can we talk about The Architect’s Apprentice? I’m getting shades of The Night Circus from the cover and description, so I think I need to buy this now and read it ASAP.
Fantasy
There are so many authors that could throw down in this category – Butcher, Sanderson, Gaiman – but I’m pulling for The Fifth Season, which I’ve dipped my toe into and love.
Science Fiction
Full disclosure: I started both Seveneves and The Fold (audiobooks) and I really like them. The Fold is brilliant: immediately engaging, well-written, clever, and real. I think Seveneves could put up a fight, though.
Horror
Like I could vote for anything other than the latest penned by Jennifer McMahon? The Night SisterFTW!
Graphic Novels & Comics
Sensory overload. There’s Saga, Lumberjanes, Nimona, Sex Criminals, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel…seriously, this is anyone’s game, but I’m opting for the plucky Nimona!
YA Fantasy & Science Fiction
I don’t think it will beat Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, but Uprooted has my vote, hands-down!
The final votes have been tallied and the winners announced! So, how much crow am I eating from my predictions? Let’s see…
Note: All cover images taken from Goodreads pages, individually linked below.
Fiction
My prediction: Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Popular appeal and well-written, with plenty of press earlier in the year to garner attention voting.
Winner: Landline by Rainbow Rowell. I was genuinely happy to see this when I opened the app on my phone this morning. This isn’t even my favorite Rowell book – Eleanor & Park takes that spot – but it’s a well-deserved victory for a talented author. Congrats!
Winner: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. We’re not talking “score one for the little guy” here. This is an established author with an active fan base. No surprise, but no real thrill, either.
Fantasy
My prediction: The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman. Again, popular appeal and great publicity earlier in the year make this one an obvious pick in my mind…
Winner: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness. So not only did this one win, it did so by a huge margin. I’m glad to see Patrick Rothfuss was up there – yay! – but I’m still thrown off by the Harkness victory over Grossman. I mean, come on. It seemed like positive press for The Magician’s Land overshadowed the very fact that The Book of Life was on the shelves. Ugh.
Winner: The Martian by Andy Weir. I’m actually really happy about this – I started the audiobook last week and I love this book. It had some pretty good press earlier in the year. Since I don’t read a ton of Sci Fi, I’m not sure if this is an unexpected victory. Either way, I’m loving this book and glad to see it win.
Horror
My prediction: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. It’s been on a lot of reading rec lists on multiple websites/blogs I follow, many of which have little in common except, it turns out, this book.
Winner: Prince Lestat by Anne Rice. For all the reasons I listed for Robert Galbraith and Stephen King, I should have predicted this one. I take some comfort in knowing that the winner beat out my prediction by about 2100 votes. I was close, dang it.
Reminder: The following categories were not included as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year): Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir & Autobiography, Business Books, Food & Cookbooks, Poetry, Debut Goodreads Author, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, Middle Grade & Children’s, Picture Books.
What did you think of the winners? Drop a note in the comments!
Will win: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. It’s been on a lot of reading rec lists on multiple websites/blogs I follow, many of which have little in common except, it turns out, this book.
Reminder: The following categories were not included as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year): Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir & Autobiography, Business Books, Food & Cookbooks, Poetry, Debut Goodreads Author, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, Middle Grade & Children’s, Picture Books.
Immediate reaction: Oh, snap. The first category where I noticed (I think?) a write-in addition – California by Edan Lepucki. Was that in there last week? I honestly don’t remember it.
Voting for: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. One of the most creative, tense books I’ve read in years. It better make it to the finals!
Horror
Immediate reaction: The Three was nominated! Way to go!
Reminder: The following categories were not included as my interest is limited (or nonexistent this year): Romance, Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir & Autobiography, Food & Cookbooks, Poetry, Debut Goodreads Author, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, Middle Grade & Children’s, Picture Books.
manuscripts & marginalia 