Pacific Northwest Book Awards

MY CART

CHECKOUT

OUR BOOKS

Click Here

Store Policies

Contact Us

2007 PNBA Book Awards Winners

	Long Journey: Contemporary Northwest Poets David Biespiel David Biespiel begins this collection saying, "There is no such thing as regional poetry." No poet awakes to write a specifically "Northwest" poem. Not every poet here is a native, nor are all of the poems about this fine region, yet a familiar sense of place emerges to define them all as Northwestern. --PNBA Awards Committe
	The Whistling Season Ivan Doig Doig once again masterfully invokes the spirit of early 20th century Montana, revisiting the simplicity that was and mourning the voids left by the inevitable march of time. He reminds us not only to always stop and smell the roses, but to occasionally wish upon a shooting star. --PNBA Awards Committee
	God Laughs & Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist David James Duncan In his wonderfully rich storytelling ways, Duncan explains why the "Christian Right" is wrong in their stranglehold on religion in this country. Humorous and poignant, Duncan hits all the right notes, reminding us that honoring our neighbors and ourselves shouldnâ€™t be a political thing. --PNBA Awards Committee
	Gemini Summer Iain Lawrence Many of us experience a singular defining moment in our childhood. For Danny Rivers, it came the summer of 1965, amidst the escalating space race and the U.S. build up in Viet Nam. Heavy with loss and dreams dashed, Gemini Summer is ultimately an unforgettable tale of strength and hope. --PNBA Awards Committee
	Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Never felt the urge to scale the world's largest mountain peaks, but have wondered if one person can make a difference in the world? How might the two relate? Mortenson's story proves that wild things are obtainable and his work is a shining example of how to leave a legacy. --PNBA Awards Committee
	The Zero Jess Walter Imagine a man with huge gaps in his memory trying to make sense of his city and his life five days after 9/11. From the laughable absurdity of celebrity tours of ground zero to the terrifying reality of what one's government may do in times of crisis, the reader slowly recognizes all that our hero has lost--and all that we have lost as well. --PNBA Awards Committee

Pacific Northwest Book Awards

by Sarah Hedrick

I love to vote. For political candidates, for what movie my family decides to watch, which book we read next, for which route we take on a trip. Voting seems equitable, gives everyone a voice and ultimately means I am not the bad guy when one child is sad and doesn’t get to hear Peter and the Starcatchers, again… “Hey, we took a vote and fair is fair.” But really, it comes down to this: I want MY voice to be heard. So when I was asked to be on the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association’s committee to help select the 2007 Books of the Year, I jumped on it. Little did I know the amount and variety of titles that would soon be arriving…

Since 1965 the PNBA has presented annual awards to recognize excellence in writing from the Pacific Northwest. Rather than soliciting nominations for specific categories, we simply require that the author and/or illustrator reside within the five-state PNBA region (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho)or B.C., and that the book be published within the current calendar year.

The Awards Committee is made up of booksellers representing all five states who agree to a three year commitment of reading everything that comes our way. This began most pleasantly - books trickled in - some I had been anticipating (Tom Spanbauer’s newest book in advanced copy!), some authors I had never heard of (Janna Nickerson, 15 year old author of Eyes of War) and some I dreaded picking up (The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution) to which I emailed the seasoned group of judges and said, “Do I really HAVE to read this??”)

Throughout the year we received around 300 titles from every genre – children’s picture books, poetry, photography, cookbooks, fiction, nonfiction, young adult titles, etc. The group makes a commitment to choose the top 6 books of the year without saying there HAS to be a children’s book represented, so when a title makes the award list, it did so against a great field of competition. This year, there wasn’t a picture book that really took our breath away, so there was no award in this category. I love this kind of judging.

The committee took the 300 titles, whittled them down to 90, then 52 that deserved serious attention and from there, the list of 6 award winners. All 52 on this list deserve kudos as it was very close - many titles missing the award by a single vote.

The winners were announced on January 5th and will receive their awards in March at the PNBA show. Congratulations to all of them!

Iconoclast will be reviewing these titles throughout the next few weeks and of course, has them in stock in all three of our locations or available through our website. www.iconoclastbooks.com