The shortlist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association 2020 Pacific Northwest Book Awards has been announced.
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) is a non-profit association of independent bookstores from five Northwest states, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The Association produces educational and promotional events and materials for its members and offers literacy, free speech, and author promotional vehicles through its member stores.
Since 1965, the annual Book Awards have recognized such luminary figures in Northwest literature as Ivan Doig, Ursula K. Le Guin, David James Duncan, Cheryl Strayed, Molly Gloss, Brian Doyle, Chuck Palahniuk, and Pete Fromm. Many of these authors were honored by PNBA before they received national attention. A history of past winners of the Pacific Northwest Book Award can be viewed on the Book Awards homepage. Our page has coverage of books from past shortlists as well as announcements and essays from past award winners.
PNBA’s Awards Committee is comprised of nine volunteer booksellers from throughout our member region. This year’s Committee considered more than 400 nominated titles published during 2019 for a 2020 award. We had a preview of some of the committee’s enthusiasms last month.
The shortlist titles comprise the list from which up to six 2020 winners will be selected. Winners be announced in early January of 2020. This site will post original essays by authors/illustrators of the winning books.
The Death & Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story by Aaron Bobrow-Strain (Walla Walla, WA)
Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang (Seattle, WA)
Is, Is Not: Poems by Tess Gallagher (Port Angeles, WA)
My Heart written and illustrated by Corinna Luyken (Olympia, WA)
Deep River: A Novel by Karl Marlantes (Woodinville, WA)
Queen of the Sea written and illustrated by Dylan Meconis (Portland, OR)
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen (Seattle, WA)
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry (Portland, OR)
The Cassandra: A Novel by Sharma Shields (Spokane, WA)
The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden illustrated by Rachel Wada (Vancouver, BC)
Fall Back Down When I Die: A Novel by Joe Wilkins (McMinnville, OR)
Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World’s Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West by David Wolman and Julian Smith (Portland, OR)
[…] to learn that others love it as much as I do – shortlisted for the 2020 Pacific Northwest Book Awards and appearing on several Best Graphic Novels of 2019 […]
[…] of my commitments as a member of the PNBA Book Awards Committee. You can see our shortlist titles here with the winners being announced in January. If you need book recommendations, definitely check […]