Tina's Reading Books

I've already done  My Best of 2015 list.  But beyond my favorites there are lots of little things that stick out in the books I've read this year.  So here are my Awardies.  Awards given to total random things that stayed with me from my reading this year.

The All Along the Watchtower Award for best cover goes to...

• The cover is fab. Great color, great font, great hair and the model is giving face!

The Cougartown Award for Most WTF Book Title goes to....

I read the whole book, wrote an in depth review, and even looked up the etymology of the title. It refers to when the sun is shining during a rainshower. Uh huh. Still have no idea how that title relates to what is essentially a Ghost/All of Me/Topper mash-up with a helping of Jim Crow on the side.

The All My Children Award for the Most Cracked Out Soap Opera Storyline goes to...

• Mixed up babies, quickie divorces, BDSM PTSD, Kidnapping, Fraud, fistfights, cheating, spousal abuse and that was just the first chapter! (I kid, I kid…)

The Pootie Tang Award for Book with Bad Dialogue goes to....

 They spoke actual English, you know -- nouns and verbs. Sometimes subordinate conjunctions and objects were thrown in there too. I largely followed the story. But still the characters speaking felt odd, stilted and unnatural. 

The Don Draper Award  for Totally Fucked up Character I Would Still Totally Fuck goes to....

Zeus.  This guy has no filter, zero regular socialization, a little too ready to knife someone – friends and enemies alike. And yet, one of the most fascinating, interesting, characters I’ve read all year.

The Shake It Off Award for the Book That Really Took Its Title Seriously goes to....

Dude, if I had to hear how either Millie or High would walk through the fuckin' fire for each other one more time I swear I was gonna hurl!

The Project Runway Award for book Most In Need Of  It's a MotherFuckin' Walk OFF!  goes to....

OMG, the descriptions of what went on during that momentous historical night at Versaille between five American designers and five French designer NEEDS video. NEEDS! But sadly none exists only snippets. I could weep. Also early example of #blackgirlmagic!

The Bitch Betta Have My Money Award for the Heroine Who Was So Fierce I Could Not Even…. ! goes to….

Louvaen was so totally awesome. I mean she was confronted with a curse that turned a man into a ravening beast and all she did was quirk her eyebrow, rolled up her sleeves, fought killer vegetation, and saved her family and his. Basically she got shit done. And made the him fall in love with her in the process

The Maltese Falcon Award for the Inanimate Object With an Important Starring Role goes to....

That damned earring! An holy cow, the description of everybody trying to get it in that damned box at the end was a great piece of scene crafting.

The Theophilius Lovegood Award for Best Names goes to.....

The main characters are Gearoid McCardle and Aoife Boyake.  The author knew these names were special because the pronunciation guide is right in the blurb!

And the final award of the night, the biggie....

The Keeping it 100 for the Book With Best Synergy in Cover, Title and Story goes to....

The title, the cover art and the story all work together perfectly. 

The title is evocative and memorable. It isn’t one of those generic titles where you have to see the cover and/or hear the author 's name along side it to remember which book it is. Either element alone – the title or the cover - would make your mind immediately flash to the story.  It is the type of cover and title that makes you pause even if it isn’t exactly your favored genre.   And most of all, it is a story that will make you want to recommend it to other people. And read the sequels.