Foyles Bookshops in the U.K. has named its three 2019 Books of the Year:
Fiction: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press), which the store described as "An intimate novel of a man's unburdening as he wrestles with sexual discovery, family tradition, and the ghosts of the Vietnam War."
Nonfiction: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (Avid Reader Press/S&S). "A modern masterpiece of narrative non-fiction that opens up the sexual and psychological lives of three contemporary American women."
Children's Book: The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell (S&S Books for Young Readers). "A thrilling middle grade adventure where four talented misfits discover friendship, courage and a sense of what's right."
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Hallie Rubenhold won the £50,000 (about $64,155) Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction for The Five: The Untold Lives of Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. Chair of the judges Stig Abell said the book "seemed to synthesize all that we were looking for in a winner, indeed in any great book: at a simple level, it was beautifully written and impressively researched; and more broadly it spoke with an urgency and passion to our own times. Brilliance meeting relevance. It is a book we would all give to a friend for Christmas, knowing that they will have finished it with pleasure by New Year's Day."
Mark Urquhart, partner at Baillie Gifford, commented: "The quality and variety of the shortlist is remarkable--challenging our political, social and historical perspectives and expanding our understanding of the world. Nonfiction writing is in a great place and we are proud to support this important literary award. Congratulations to Hallie Rubenhold. Reading her extraordinary book or any of the books shortlisted is time well spent."
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Among the nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards, which will be held January 26, are some book-related ones. In the Best Spoken Word Album (which includes poetry, audiobooks & storytelling) category:
Beastie Boys Book by Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, narrated by the authors and various artists (Random House Audio)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (Random House Audio)
Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder by John Waters (Macmillan Audio)
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor by Eric Alexandrakis
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory by Sekou Andrews & The String Theory