Blogger: Rachel Kent
As many of you know, Monday night the 2012 Christy Award winners were announced at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando. My clients, Anne Elisabeth Stengl and Melanie Dickerson were both finalists in different categories. I’m so proud of them both! Anne Elisabeth’s book won in the Visionary category.
I was reading on the Christy Awards webpage about the origin of the Christy Awards and noticed that one main reason the awards were started was to bring recognition to authors who might not have received bestseller status for a high quality Christian book. I love that! It also makes it more clear why I hadn’t heard of every book on the list before the finalists were announced. The publishers are submitting their best-written books to the awards instead of their bestselling books. Very cool.
Now it’s time for my confession. I have only read three of the books on the finalists list. I, someone who is submerged daily in the world of Christian fiction, have only read three books on the list of highly praised and recognized novels. I hope to change my statistic in the near future. There are lots of books on that list that sound appealing to me. My low count makes me want to support our CBA industry even more since these authors and others deserve sales figures that match their quality writing. I hope you’ll all join me in working to support this industry even more.
How many books off of the finalist list have you read? (CLICK HERE FOR THE LIST)
Also, are there any CBA books you’ve read in 2012 that you would highly recommend to us? Please list those here too.
I’m going to host a little giveaway today. The person who has read the most books off of the 2012 Christy Award finalists list will get a copy of Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s 2012 Christy winner, VEILED ROSE. Please be honest in your counts and I’ll email the winner tomorrow (Thursday) to get a mailing address. If we have a tie, I’ll enter those people in a drawing and randomly select one.
You know what? I’ve read… exactly none of them. I really do have to order some more books — I’ve been meaning to read Melanie Dickerson’s writing for quite a while!
You and me both. I haven’t read any of these, but hope to change that. Between free books and ones I’ve requested for review, bought or won, I have so much reading material here that I’m becoming increasingly selective.
Wow. I haven’t read any of those, either! I fully expected to see at least one or two that I have read. There are even a few authors on that list I haven’t heard of. I *love* book recommendations, so it looks like I have another list of great books to read!
Congrats to the finalists and winners!
I’m fairly wide-read in Christian fiction–I don’t usually stick to just one genre–but I’ve only read “Words” by Ginny Yttrup. Such a good book I bought her second book, Lost and Found.
I’ve had several friends publish in 2012, including:
Katie Ganshert, WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER
Beth Vogt, WISH YOU WERE HERE
Keli Gwyn, A BRIDE OPENS SHOP IN EL DORADO, CALIFORNIA
I also loved
Brandilyn Collins, GONE TO GROUND
Karen Witemeyer, SHORT-STRAW BRIDE
Rachel Hauck, THE WEDDING DRESS
I’m so glad there are so many amazing CBA books to choose from. I totally just blew like $30 the other day on Amazon because so many looked good…at least I’m supporting the industry, right? 😉
I was amazed this year to see that I’d read 13. My Foolish Heart (which I loved!), Wolfsbane, Maid of Fairbourne Hall, Dancing on Glass, Over the Edge, Pattern of Wounds (love that series; just read the 3rd one), Dry as Rain, Words, An Eye for Glory, Words again, Waterfall (another fabulous series!!!!), Mine Is the Night, and Wonderland Creek
So I guess I’ve read 12 with Words being counted twice.
I usually try to pick someone I’ve never read who’s on the list. A number of years ago I discovered Siri Mitchell that way. I think the nominated book that year was Chateau of Echoes which is one of my all-time favorites. It’s one of those rich, delectable books that you savor. I think I’ve read it four times now.
This year I think Sandra Byrd is the author I’ll try. I’ve heard lots of good about To Die For.
Wow, Sally, 13? I’m impressed. 🙂
Methinks we may have a winner! 🙂
Maybe I’ll make it a goal this year to read all of the books on the list, or at least all of the winners. Then next year I can do the same thing…
Oh, and I love Siri Mitchell!
Methinks so too! 🙂
Sally, I tried emailing you with the contact form on your website. Please email me your mailing address when you can so I can send the book. Congrats!
–Rachel
Rachel, thank you! I’ve been awol from my computer since posting this.
This is a fun post,Rachel. I admit, I’ve only read one–My Foolish Heart, by Susan May Warren–which I loved. I want to read a number of others off that list, so maybe it’s time to get busy!
Lindsay mentioned two in her comment that I highly recommend. The Wedding Dress, by Rachel Hauck was wonderful, and I also enjoyed Wish You Were Here, by Beth Vogt.
I’ve also sadly read none off the list, but I do happen to have an autographed 🙂 copy of Melanie Dickerson’s The Merchant Daughter just waiting for me to turn the pages. I will be reading that one soon. I just finished her first one, The Healer’s Apprentice and really enjoyed it!
There were a few authors I had not heard of as well, but I will be looking them up asap! Yay for Christian fiction and the Christy awards!! 😀
Oh come on Rachel!! How about the person with the most freckles? Everyone can surrender now, cuz I’ll own that one!!
I *do* think your contest is too, ummm, swayed so I won’t win. Here’s some helpful alternatives to your question.
Person with the most hockey players in one house?-Me. 4
Person who’s tossed her cookies at the highest altitude?-Me. 15,500 feet
And the game winner….
Person who’s been stalked by a 300 pound pig while busy in a ditch in a South American country?
Yeah, you got it.
Me.
Why, yes, I’m leaving on a roadtrip to research my debut novel tomorrow, how could anyone tell?
Lol! 🙂 Enjoy your trip!
Hope you have a fabulous time, Jennifer! I look forward to hearing more about it!
I’ll be posting on my blog. Come visit and see how the trip is going.
Sad to say there’s only one of them that I’ve read – Susie May Warren’s My Foolish Heart which I just loved.
I own a bunch more of them – either in print or on my nook – but I haven’t gotten to them yet.
That’s one I really want to read. I’ve read some of Susie’s books in the past and enjoyed them.
Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig is the only one of her Discarded Heroes series that I have NOT read. I saved it for last. The others–Nightshade, Digitalis, and Firethorn–were all excellent. I highly recommend them. 🙂
I’ve only read six of them, but I have a few more on my Kindle! That has to count, right? Right? 🙂
Possession IS 9/10ths of the law.
Fail! I’ve only read The Merchant’s Daughter (which I really liked). I do have Veiled Rose downloaded to my Nook, just waiting its turn in my 2012 reading schedule. My goal for 2013 will be to have read all the nominees in the YA and Visionary categories, since those two areas are my playground.
So far, my favorite read for 2012 has been Andrew Peterson’s Monster in the Hollows, which actually released Spring of 2011. Brilliant CBA YA fantasy, though I should mention it’s the third in a series. You have to read fabulous book 1 (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness) and Christy Award-winning book 2 (North! Or Be Eaten) first. 🙂
I’ve only read one. My Foolish Heart by Susie May but I loved it!!! I have become so selective in my reading since I have to try and make more time for writing. If I can only read one book this month I want it to be good. Perhaps this list is a good place to start.
I haven’t read any, but have read others by some of the authors and I’m thrilled that some of the nominees are people I know.
Wow! You guys are making me feel good about my 3. lol. 🙂
Sally, I’m very impressed by your number!!! Anyone out there able to beat it?
I’ve only read Melanie Dickerson’s The Merchant’s Daughter (and of course it was great). Some of the others look great, too. I really want to check out Southern Fried Sushi. How can you NOT want to read a book called Southern Fried Sushi?
That would be a big fat zero for me! With as much as I read, I can’t believe I haven’t read anything from that last. I will have to get on that 🙂
I was thinking the same thing, Tianna. For me of course. 🙂
I have bought a few of them but have not read any of them yet.
It’s really a bummer. I used to read so much more BI (before internet).
I read probably only about twenty-five or thirty books a year now. When I was a kid I read three a week, at least. And thirty books a year keeps me just able to stay up with hot, new books in my genre and books put out by friends.
Sally is our winner! Sally, I emailed you through the contact info on your website. Please email me your mailing address when you get a chance.
Congratulations!
Congrats, Sally!