Reading with Style discussion

20.1 – In honor of Mary Shelley's first novel Frankenstein:
Read a prose book that won a first book award.

Amazon.ca First Novel Award - all winners listed
Authors' Club First Novel Award - all winners listed
Betty Trask Award - only the books winning the largest monetary amount in each year
Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel - all winners listed (and they're not eligible for task 20.6)
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize - all winners listed
Colby Award - all winners listed
Commonwealth Writers - only the winners of Best First Book
Corine - only the winners of the Rolf Heyne First Book Prize
Compton Crook Award - all winners listed
David Higham Prize - all winners listed
Desmond Elliott Prize - all winners listed
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel - all winners listed
European Union Literary Award - all winners listed
First Novelist Award - all winners listed
Galaxy National Book Awards - not eligible
Gladstone Prize - all winners listed
Guardian First Book Award - only the books listed after 1998
Guildford Arts Book Prize - all winners listed
Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize - Finnish language prizes, all winners are acceptable
Hemingway Foundation/PEN - all winners listed
Irish Book Awards - only the books listed for Best Irish Newcomer
J. H. Erkko Award - Finnish language prizes, all winners are acceptable
James Jones First Novel Fellowship - all winners listed
Locus Award for Best First Novel - all winners listed
Marion Vannett Ridgway Award - not eligible
McKitterick Prize - all winners listed
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas - only the books listed for First Book Awards for Prose
Noma Literary Prize - not eligible
Norma Farber First Book Award - not eligible
Prix du Premier Roman - all winners listed
Prix Emmanuel-Roblès award - all winners listed
Prix Goncourt - only the books listed for Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman
Ruth Hadden Memorial Award - all winners listed
Sagittarius Prize - all winners listed
Saltire Awards/Scottish First Book of the Year - only the books listed for Scottish First Book of the Year
Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction - all winners listed
Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award - all winners listed
T. A. G. Hungerford Award - all winners listed
Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris - all winners listed
Waterstones 11 - all 22 winners listed
Waverton Good Read Award - all winners listed
The Whitfield Prize - all winners listed

Does the award have to be specifically for debut books?

Also can I read a book which won one of these ALP, sorry it's only in dutch or flemish award? They aren't on that list of prizes so I just want to be sure :)

Yes, the award must be for debut books. I didn't look at that entire list, but I can see that some of the authors on that list have published prior to the book being awarded. Those books would not work, but others may be OK. You are free to post here and we will be happy to look at it.

The Betty Trask Award which is one of the ones on the list is given to several books each year. Do you count all the books that got an award, or only the ones that were awarded the highest amount each year?

~sheepish grin~ I haven't even had time to look through the various lists on the wiki link. So, if you don't mind please give me a few days and if I don't answer soon post a reminder in this thread.

So if I picked a book from the Edgar Allen Poe Award - first book winner - it would count or not?

Christine wrote: "I think you just have to make sure it's the author's actual debut book, not just their first novel."

oh.

I still haven't had time to explore the wiki links. Give me until Sunday to sort out exactly which lists/awards apply and adjust the task accordingly.

So, the task is worded poorly. The intent is that most of the lists on the linked wiki page should be eligible for this task. I will change the wording of the task accordingly.

As I review the various awards/lists, I will include notes/exceptions in the first post in this thread.

Eleanor wrote: "Does the award have to be specifically for debut books?..."

No. The wording of the task has been changed to "first books" to reflect the intent. See post #1 for details on the specific award lists.

I'll accept the Debuutprijs books listed on wiki. If you can give me a link to a single page that lists the winners of the ALP, I will accept that one as well. But I am too lazy to did through their website year by year and try to figure out (even with the help of google translate) which books won.

Christine wrote: "So, am I understanding right. If it's a debut book and it wins an award, it still won't qualify unless the award is specifically given to debut books. Correct?..."

Only books that have won a "first book award" qualify for this task. A debut novel that only won a National Book Award, would not qualify.

Rosemary wrote: "The Betty Trask Award which is one of the ones on the list is given to several books each year. Do you count all the books that got an award, or only the ones that were awarded the highest amount e..."

Only the books that won the highest amount are eligible.

Bea wrote: "So if I picked a book from the Edgar Allen Poe Award - first book winner - it would count or not?"

It would count.

Liz M wrote: "Bea wrote: "So if I picked a book from the Edgar Allen Poe Award - first book winner - it would count or not?"

It would count."

Liz, I rechecked the book I picked from the Edgar Allen Poe Award list and it is a winner of Best First NOVEL. So, I am thinking maybe not, since it is not necessarily the first book for the author. Just the first novel. What do you think?

Bea wrote: "Liz, I rechecked the book I picked from the Edgar Allen Poe Award list and it is a winner of Best First NOVEL. So, I am thinking maybe not, since it is not necessarily the first book for the author. Just the first novel. What do you think? ..."

Like I said above, the intent of the task was that the awards listed on the wiki page should qualify & I also changed the wording so the task does NOT require a debut book. Really, I meant what I said when I told you it would count. :-)

Btw, according to wiki, Frankenstein wasn't exactly Shelley's first book -- she co-authored a travel narrative with her husband which was published a year before Frankenstein.

Thanks for all the work you are doing double checking the lists, Liz. I love having so many great prize lists to peruse!

Liz M wrote: "Bea wrote: "Liz, I rechecked the book I picked from the Edgar Allen Poe Award list and it is a winner of Best First NOVEL. So, I am thinking maybe not, since it is not necessarily the first book fo..."

Liz, thanks. Sorry to be such a pest. I am looking forward to the book I selected.

Will the Wikipedia list of ALP winners do?

Connie wrote: "Will the Wikipedia list of ALP winners do?"

That works! Thanks, Connie

Poor Liz! do you ever have time to actually read any more?

Prix Emmanuel-Roblès award - all books listed will qualify.

Is the McKitterick Prize eligible?

Joanna wrote: "Is the McKitterick Prize eligible?"

Which book are you thinking of using?

Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel

Joanna wrote: "Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel"

This looks really good. It definitely fits already for 10.5(Elderly), right?

Karen GHHS wrote: "Joanna wrote: "Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel"

This looks really good. It definitely fits already for 10.5(Elderly), right?"

Yes, that's actually where I slotted it, but then thought maybe it was eligible for combo here.

Joanna wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Joanna wrote: "Rules for Old Men Waiting: A Novel"

This looks really good. It definitely fits already for 10.5(Elderly), right?"

Yes, that's actually where I slotted it, but th..."

Ooops, apparently i already included the McKitterick Prize in the database for this task. I'll go add it to the first post.

But in general, I do want to limit the books to the prizes already listed in this thread -- there are over 800 eligible books & that should provide enough choice.

Christine wrote: "Sorry. I'm still confused, I guess. I went to start reading The Outlander by Gil Adamson.

It won the Amazon.ca award in 2007 for first novel. You explicitly say that all the winners listed for th..."

The Outlander does qualify for this task. Keep reading - and I'll look forward to hearing what you think about it. I have it on an ever-expanding wish list.

Ismaa wrote: "Mine is going to be The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières

may count for 20.1 Commonwealth writers prize for first best book in South Asia and Europe 1991"

The above-mentioned book was nominated for the Commonwealth Prize, but it was not a winner. On the wiki page, the winners are highlighted in blue.

I wanted to read White Ghost Girls which I found on the LA Times first fiction list from the original wiki list. It is not at the top of this post however. Does it qualify?

Tanya wrote: "I wanted to read White Ghost Girls which I found on the LA Times first fiction list from the original wiki list. It is not at the top of this post however. Does it qualify?"

Oh, darn heck and other strong words. That award should qualify, I must have accidentally skipped it. Yes, I'll take it.

No, although it was the inspiration for this task, Frankenstein does not qualify. It can be read for task 20.6.

Christina wrote: "I am reading Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley and it won the William C. Morris Debut Award. The lexile level is 960, but this is a YA award does it still count?"

Only winners of those awards listed in Post #1 of this thread will qualify.