Best of 2018 lists are popping up all over the internet. Whether or not we agree with everything on those lists, we’re sure those lists missed a few of the best (and not so best) things that went on in the book industry this year. Here are our list of nominees for the Bookmarked Awesome Awards in various categories.
We’ll be announcing our winners early in the new year, as voted on by our esteemed Patreon patrons and our WWAC Team.
Publishing’s Biggest ‘WTF’ Moment
The publishing industry has had its share of drama this year. From authors behaving badly, to social media website blunders and some … unexpected surprises in a YA subscription box. Out of all the moments, these were the ones that drew us in, dominated our Slack conversations and left us shaking our heads.
Suicide Bomber Sits in the Library
Tomi Adeyemi Accuses The Nora Roberts of Title Theft
Goodreads Deletes Publications for Marginalized Writers
Midwestern Writers Workshop Gets Called Out for Fatphobia
Dick in a YA Book Box
Best Book with More than Three Speaking Queer Characters
One queer character is great, two is even better but three or more (speaking) queer characters really gets us excited. We want representation but we especially want the kind the leads to complex relationships and a more diverse portrayal of the queer community. The following books did exactly that and we hope for even more examples in 2019.
Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Pirates by Mackenzi Lee
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
Best Book Cover
There were so many amazing books covers this year but the following really caught our eye while we were busy browsing bookstores.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister
Witchmark by C.L. Polk
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi
Best Book with a Map in It
Here at Bookmarked, we know there’s just something about opening up a new book and finding a beautifully illustrated map on the first few pages. You just know you’re about to get lost in a fantastic adventure in a brand new world. And we’re not the only ones who think so—there’s was even an atlas of literary maps released this year to celebrate these works of art. Here are some of our favourite maps found in books released this year.
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Best Book Adapted Into Film
Between Hollywood and Netflix the influx of book-to-film adaptations this year kept us busy—especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to read the book before watching the movie. The following are our picks for books adapted in 2018 that we loved in both formats.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Best Book That Was Better than Its Film Adaptation
But not all book-to-film adaptations are as successful as the ones above. For now, we’ll stick to the print versions of the following.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Boy Erased by Gerrard Conley
Hero/Heroine/Non-Binary Savior You Want As Your New Best Friend
Sometimes we want to do more than just read about heroes saving the world. Sometimes we want to be their BFFs too. Here are some characters we would love to spend the day (or longer) with.
Murderbot from The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
General Brezan from Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
Mini from Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Circe from Circe by Madeline Miller
Jane McKeene from Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Maggie Hoskie from Trial of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Best Author to Follow on Social Media
Some authors do more than just write amazing books for us to enjoy. Some also spend their time reaching out their readers through social media channels like Twitter and Instagram. Some provide advice, others a glimpse into their writing process and some are just lovely people to interact with. If you’re not following these authors yet than there’s no better time than the present.
V.E. Schwab – Twitter / Instagram
Roxane Gay – Twitter / Facebook
Daniel Jose Older – Twitter
Eve Ewing – Twitter / Instagram
Victor LaValle – Twitter
Alyssa Wong – Twitter
Delilah S. Dawson – Twitter / Pintrest
Best #OwnVoices YA Novel
The publishing industry still has a long way to go when it comes to representation. That being said, there have been some amazing #OwnVoices YA novels this year that deserve recognition and all the praise.
Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh
White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig
From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
