Retro-Robbie Awards

To atone for the grievous sin of not having inaugurated the Robbie Awards until this time last year, I will now step backward and see what I can see about a few previous years. Unfortunately, I can't go back any further than 2009, since 2008 is the year I ransacked the archives of the original "Book Trolley" and brought them over to this blog - including reviews that date back to 2003 and, in some cases, earlier. And so...

2015 Robbie Awards (Year -1)

The nominees (i.e. all the books I reviewed during that year):

1. An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor
2. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
3. An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
4. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
5. Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
6. The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy
7. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
8. The Dark at the End by F. Paul Wilson
9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10. An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor
11. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
12. The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
13. The Doctor and the Rough Rider by Mike Resnick
14. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
15. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
16. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
17. An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
18. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
19. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
20. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
21. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
22. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
23. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
24. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
25. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
26. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
27. The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
28. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
29. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
30. The Martian by Andy Weir
31. The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice by Tom Holt
32. The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
33. Felicity the Dragon by Ruthie Briggs-Greenberg
34. The Chessman by Dolores Gordon-Smith
35. The Siren and the Sword by Celia Tan
36. The League of Unexceptional Children by Gitty Daneshvari
37. A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan
38. Werewolves: A Hunter’s Guide by Graeme Davis
39. Inkling by John D. Waterman
40. Dead Weight by T.R. Ragan
41. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
42. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
43. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
44. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
45. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
46. Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
47. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
48. A Box of Gargoyles by Anne Nesbet
49. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
50. Vindications: Essays on Romantic Music by Deryck Cooke
51. 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

Oh, goodness. There are a lot of really good books on this list, even though I only managed a paltry 51 books that year. In my defense, I spent that year living with my parents - while working full-time, mind you - and the TV was more of a distraction than it is when I'm living alone. In quantitative terms, the difference is "continuously on" vs. "never even plugged in." So, to move on to the winners:

• Critic's Choice: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.
• People's Choice: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
• Kid's Choice: This one’s an anachronism, since I didn’t start awarding this one until this year. Nevertheless, the choice is easy: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman. I absolutely love this book.
• Best Newcomer (i.e. pre-publication review): Werewolves: A Hunter’s Guide by Graeme Davis.
• Best Comeback (i.e. golden oldie): It's almost a tie, depending on whether I'm evaluating this from a "critic's choice" or a "people's choice" point of view. But since A Trumpet-Major was far from the first book by Thomas Hardy that I had read, the award goes to The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, because it was more of a fresh discovery for me at that time.
• Best Audiobook: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg, read by Amy McFadden.
• Best Documentary (i.e. non-fiction): Vindications: Essays on Romantic Music by Deryck Cooke.
• Best Foreign-Language Book (translated): No award.
• Best Short Subject (i.e. less than novel length): Inkling by John D. Waterman.
• Honorable Mentions: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie etc. by Alan Bradley; The Martian by Andy Weir; Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

2014 Robbie Awards (Year -2)

The nominees:

1. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
2. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
3. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
4. Parsifal’s Page by Gerald Morris
5. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
6. Fat Vampire by Adam Rex
7. Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride
8. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
9. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
10. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
11. The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
12. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
13. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
14. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
15. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
16. Rotters by Daniel Kraus
17. The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris
18. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
19. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
20. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
21. The Sign of (the) Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
22. Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
23. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
24. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
25. The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
26. The Empire of Bones by N.D. Wilson
27. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
28. Railsea by China Miéville
29. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
30. The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy
31. Untold by Sarah Ress Brennan
32. Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
33. Rise of a Hero by Hillari Bell
34. Aliens on a Rampage by Clete Barrett Smith
35. Blood Oranges by Kathleen Tierney
36. Darksolstice by Sam Llewellyn
37. Troubletwisters by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
38. The Monster by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
39. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
40. The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt
41. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
42. The Mystery by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
43. Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
44. The Secret War by Matt Myklusch
45. Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
46. The Genius Wars by Catherine Jinks
47. Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
48. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
49. Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell
50. A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
51. Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull
52. Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
53. Legacies by F. Paul Wilson
54. Conspiracies by F. Paul Wilson
55. Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
56. The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan
57. Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz
58. Heartless by Gail Carriger
59. Geek Fantasy Novel by E. Archer
60. All the Rage by F. Paul Wilson
61. Timeless by Gail Carriger
62. Scumble by Ingrid Law
63. The Book of the Sword by A.J. Lake
64. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
65. Turbulence by Samit Basu
66. Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
67. Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
68. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
69. Resistance by Samit Basu
70. Hosts by F. Paul Wilson
71. The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
72. The Haunted Air by F. Paul Wilson
73. Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson
74. Wildwood by Colin Meloy
75. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming
76. The Wizard in the Tree by Lloyd Alexander
77. Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
78. Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson
79. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
80. The Thief Queen’s Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon
81. Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull
82. The Dragon’s Lair by Elizabeth Haydon
83. The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer
84. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
85. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
86. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
87. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
88. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
89. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
90. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
91. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
92. The Tree of Water by Elizabeth Haydon
93. Skin Game by Jim Butcher
94. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire
95. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
96. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

Well, that's better. Almost made it to 100! Also, another year with so many really good titles, choosing a handful to anoint as "the best" is really hard. Nevertheless, the winners:

• Critic's Choice: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.
• People's Choice: Railsea by China Miéville.
• Kid's Choice: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
• Best Newcomer: Resistance by Samit Basu.
• Best Comeback: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
• Best Audiobook: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, read by David Case.
• Best Documentary: No award.
• Best Foreign-Language Book (without repeating one that already won an award): The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
• Best Short Subject: Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz
• Honorable Mentions (without belaboring literary classics that need no further recommendation): Pegasus by Robin McKinley; Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith; Turbulence by Samit Basu; The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith; Wildwood by Colin Meloy.

2013 Robbie Awards (Year -3)

The nominees:

1. Jack and Yani Love Harry Potter by Mary E. Twomey
2. Cursor’s Fury by Jim Butcher
3. Plugged by Eoin Colfer
4. Adam Bede by George Eliot
5. Snuff by Terry Pratchett
6. The Rose and the Ring by William Makepeace Thackeray
7. Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne
8. The Search for Belle Prater by Ruth White
9. Ironside by Holly Black
10. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
11. A Thief in the Night by E.W. Hornung
12. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
13. The Vampyre by John Polidori
14. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
15. The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
16. Trials of Death by Darren Shan
17. The Vampire Prince by Darren Shan
18. House of Secrets by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini
19. Love Divine by Alan Kornacki, Jr.
20. A Great and Mighty Wonder by Alan Kornacki, Jr.
21. One Thing’s Needful by Alan Kornacki, Jr.
22. Captain’s Fury by Jim Butcher
23. Agent Colt Shore: Domino 29 by Axel Avian
24. Hunters of the Dusk by Darren Shan
25. Princeps’ Fury by Jim Butcher
26. The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
27. The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
28. The Humming Room by Ellen Potter
29. The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
30. The Well Between the Worlds by Sam Llewellyn
31. Star of Stone by P.D. Baccalario
32. The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean
33. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
34. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
35. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
36. Love Among the Chickens by P.G. Wodehouse
37. The Golden Ocean by Patrick O’Brian
38. The Suburb Beyond the Stars by M.T. Anderson
39. In the Company of Ogres by A. Lee Martinez
40. Cold Days by Jim Butcher
41. Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud
42. The Empire of Gut and Bone by M.T. Anderson
43. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks
44. The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
45. Tales from the Hood by Michael Buckley
46. The Unknown Shore by Patrick O’Brian
47. If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch
48. Little People by Tom Holt
49. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
50. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
51. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
52. Dirty Magic by Carol Hughes
53. The Seven Keys of Balabad by Paul Haven
54. The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson
55. Storybound by Marissa Burt
56. The Rope Trick by Lloyd Alexander
57. Tom Trueheart and the Land of Dark Stories by Ian Beck
58. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt
59. InterWorld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
60. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
61. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
62. Blimpo: The Third Circle of Heck by Dale E. Basye
63. Doughnut by Tom Holt
64. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
65. The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman
66. 13 Curses by Michelle Harrison
67. Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
68. First Lord’s Fury by Jim Butcher
69. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
70. Emma by Jane Austen
71. The Last Siege by Jonathan Stroud
72. The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon
73. LightLand by H.L. McCutchen
74. The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby
75. Greywalker by Kat Richardson
76. The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech
77. Harry Potter: A Christian Chronicle by Sonia Falaschi-Ray
78. The Boy Who Lived: Magikal Spirituality in the Harry Potter Universe by Rik Potter
79. One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter by Greg Garrett
80. Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
81. Poltergeist by Kat Richardson
82. Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin
83. Persuasion by Jane Austen
84. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
85. Escape from Castle Cant by K.P. Bath
86. Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
87. Rocannon’s World by Ursula K. Le Guin
88. Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin
89. City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin
90. Underground by Kat Richardson
91. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman
92. Angel Isle by Peter Dickinson
93. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
94. Choosing Up Sides by John H. Ritter
95. Over the Wall by John H. Ritter
96. Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin
97. Vanished by Kat Richardson
98. Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin
99. Labyrinth by Kat Richardson
100. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
101. Downpour by Kat Richardson
102. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
103. The Drowned Vault by N.D. Wilson
104. The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez
105. Seawitch by Kat Richardson
106. Soulless by Gail Carriger
107. The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
108. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
109. Changeless by Gail Carriger
110. Hero by Mike Lupica
111. Fall of a Kingdom by Hillari Bell
112. Blameless by Gail Carriger
113. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
114. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
115. The Magician King by Lev Grossman

Holy cow! That year's total is second only to 2016, so far. And lo, the winners:

• Critic's Choice: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
• People's Choice: The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson.
• Kid's Choice: The Well Between the Worlds by Sam Llewellyn.
• Best Newcomer: House of Secrets by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini.
• Best Comeback: Stretching the parameters of this award to include a revival of a classic franchise by a new author, I'm giving this one to a fresh addition to the "Sherlock Holmes" canon, The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz.
• Best Audiobook: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter, read by Michael Fenton Stephens.
• Best Documentary: One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter by Greg Garrett.
• Best Foreign-Language Book: Star of Stone by P.D. Baccalario.
• Best Short Subject: Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin.
• Honorable Mentions: Everything I read that year by Jim Butcher, Jasper Fforde, M.T. Anderson, Tom Holt, and (must I even say it?) Ursula K. Le Guin; The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry; and The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.

2012 Robbie Awards (Year -4)

The nominees:

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
4. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
5. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
7. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
8. The Road to Bedlam by Mike Shevdon
9. Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith
10. Tentacles by Roland Smith
11. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
12. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
13. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
14. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
15. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
16. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
17. White Night by Jim Butcher
18. Small Favor by Jim Butcher
19. Bad, Bad Darlings by Sam Llewellyn
20. Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez
21. Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
22. The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan
23. Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan
24. Antsy Does Time by Neal Shüsterman
25. Standard Hero Behavior by John David Anderson
26. Changes by Jim Butcher
27. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
28. Chasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez
29. The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
30. The Merlin Effect by T.A. Barron
31. The Named by Marianne Curley
32. The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
33. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
34. The Dark by Marianne Curley
35. Favorite Operas by Italian and French Composers by Paul England
36. The Point Man by Steve Englehart
37. The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
38. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
39. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
40. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot
41. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
42. Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
43. My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
44. Cultural Amnesia by Clive James
45. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
46. Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman
47. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
48. The King’s Fifth by Scott O’Dell
49. Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
50. Dead Eye: Pennies for the Ferryman by Jim Bernheimer
51. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
52. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
53. The Old Country by Mordicai Gerstein
54. The Coming of Dragons by A.J. Lake
55. Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
56. Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
57. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
58. Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
59. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
60. The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
61. Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite by Anthony Trollope
62. Middlemarch by George Eliot
63. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
64. What-the-Dickens by Gregory Maguire
65. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
66. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
67. Hero’s Song by Edith Pattou
68. Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou
69. The Amateur Cracksman by E.W. Hornung
70. The Hunter’s Moon by O.R. Melling
71. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. by Christopher Tolkien)
72. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
73. Academ’s Fury by Jim Butcher
74. The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
75. A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne
76. Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
77. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
78. Ring for Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
79. Very Good, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
80. Young Men in Spats by P.G. Wodehouse
81. Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario
82. The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby
83. The Accidental Hero by Matt Myklusch
84. The Eye of the Forest by P.B. Kerr
85. You Wish by Jason Lethcoe
86. Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
87. The Second Siege by Henry H. Neff
88. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
89. Syren by Angie Sage
90. Flora’s Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce
91. Valiant by Holly Black
92. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
93. The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
94. Spirits in the Park by Scott Mebus
95. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
96. Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan
97. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
98. Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz
99. The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs
100. Villette by Charlotte Brontë
101. The Black Mask by E.W. Hornung
102. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
103. The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud
104. Ukridge by P.G. Wodehouse

Here was another fairly productive year, book-review wise. The winners:

• Critic's Choice: Middlemarch by George Eliot - easily, since I consider it the best book I have ever read.
• People's Choice: The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs.
• Kid's Choice: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
• Best Newcomer: No award. Though I did read an author-signed copy of Dead Eye: Pennies for the Ferryman by Jim Bernheimer, I don't believe it was a pre-publication copy.
• Best Comeback: Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
• Best Audiobook: The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy, as read by the late, great Alan Rickman.
• Best Documentary: Cultural Amnesia by Clive James - also, I think, one of the best books I have ever read.
• Best Foreign-Language Book: Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario.
• Best Short Subject: Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë.
• Honorable Mentions: Any title by Jim Butcher, A. Lee Martinez, Nancy Farmer, or Neil Gaiman on the above list; The Magicians by Lev Grossman (basis of a cable-TV series I have never seen); The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (basis for the animated feature Home, which I've never seen); The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson; The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin; and, in a class by itself, Tolkien's Silmarillion.

2011 Robbie Awards (Year -5)

The nominees:

1. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
2. Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway
3. True at First Light by Ernest Hemingway
4. I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
5. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
6. Ramage and the Guillotine by Dudley Pope
7. Ramage’s Diamond by Dudley Pope
8. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
9. The Complete Midshipman Bolitho by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
10. Stand into Danger by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
11. Inda by Sherwood Smith
12. The Fox by Sherwood Smith
13. Ramage’s Mutiny by Dudley Pope
14. Ramage and the Rebels by Dudley Pope
15. The Ramage Touch by Dudley Pope
16. Ramage’s Signal by Dudley Pope
17. A Prayer for the Ship by Douglas Reeman
18. Badge of Glory by Douglas Reeman
19. Ramage and the Renegades by Dudley Pope
20. Ramage’s Devil by Dudley Pope
21. Ramage’s Trial by Dudley Pope
22. In Gallant Company by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
23. Sloop of War by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
24. To Glory We Steer by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
25. Ramage’s Challenge by Dudley Pope
26. Ramage at Trafalgar by Dudley Pope
27. The Sorcerer’s House by Gene Wolfe
28. Litany of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
29. Ramage and the Saracens by Dudley Pope
30. Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon
31. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
32. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
33. The Multiplying Menace by Amanda Marrone
34. Monster by A. Lee Martinez
35. Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez
36. The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
37. Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R.L. LaFevers
38. The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
39. The First to Land by Douglas Reeman
40. The Dwarves by Markus Heitz
41. Pillage by Obert Skye
42. Choke by Obert Skye
43. The Dragon’s Tooth by N.D. Wilson
44. The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
45. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
46. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
47. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
48. The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson
49. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
50. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
51. Fire by Kristin Cashore
52. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
53. Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
54. Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck by Dale E. Basye
55. Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
56. Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean
57. Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
58. Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater
59. The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
60. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
61. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
62. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
63. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Well, that wasn't much of a year, in terms of the number of books I read - though there are some pretty hefty tomes in that list. The winners:

• Critic's Choice: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.
• People's Choice: Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I still think about this book now and then. It has stuck with me.
• Kid's Choice: The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson.
• Best Newcomer: No Award.
• Best Comeback: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Doing it via audiobook helped.
• Best Audiobook: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, read by Barrett Whitener.
• Best Documentary: Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway.
• Best Foreign-Language Book: The Dwarves by Markus Heitz.
• Best Short Subject: No award.
• Honorable Mentions: True at First Light by Ernest Hemingway; Un Lun Dun by China Miéville; and anything by Neil Gaiman, N.D. Wilson, or A. Lee Martinez on the above list.

2010 Robbie Awards (Year -6)

The nominees:

1. Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese
2. A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane
3. Mercury Falls by Robert Kroese
4. Ramage and the Drumbeat by Dudley Pope
5. Ramage and the Freebooters by Dudley Pope
6. The Crow by Alison Croggon
7. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
8. Governor Ramage R.N. by Dudley Pope
9. Ramage’s Prize by Dudley Pope
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
11. The Singing by Alison Croggon
12. Savvy by Ingrid Law
13. Spirals of Destiny: Rider by Jim Bernheimer
14. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
15. Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
16. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
17. How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
18. How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell
19. How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse by Cressida Cowell
20. How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale by Cressida Cowell
21. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
22. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
23. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers
24. Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements
25. Spellbound by Anna Dale
26. The Split Second by John Hulme & Michael Wexler
27. The Harp of the Grey Rose by Charles de Lint
28. The Riddle of the Wren by Charles de Lint
29. Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause
30. Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines
31. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
32. Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg
33. Whistle Bright Magic by Barb Bentler Ullman
34. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

I almost can't believe that year happened. I'm not sure what was up with that, other than that I seemed to have been watching a lot of TV on DVD. As for book awards - the best thing I can say is, I don't have to be as choosy to choose the winners:

• Critic's Choice: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon.
• People's Choice: The Crow by Alison Croggon, about which I wrote, "This book is so good that I hope nobody decides to make a movie out of it."
• Kid's Choice: The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester, which I remember as a most beautiful book.
• Best Newcomer: Dragon Games by P.W. Catanese.
• Best Comeback: Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome.
• Best Audiobook: No award.
• Best Documentary: Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines.
• Best Foreign-Language Book: No award.
• Best Short Subject: No award.
• Honorable Mentions: Graceling by Kristin Cashore; Savvy by Ingrid Law; The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks; and Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg, about which I wrote that it made me laugh and cry.

2009 Robbie Awards (Year -7)

The nominees:

1. The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
2. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
3. Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher
4. Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech
5. Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
6. Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
7. The Book of Animal Ignorance by John Lloyd & John Mitchinson
8. The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
9. The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
10. The Problem Child by Michael Buckley
11. Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley
12. Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley
13. Happenstance Found by P.W. Catanese
14. An Ocean of Magic by Stephen Elboz
15. Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon by Rick Yancey
16. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
17. The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
18. The Tree Shepherd’s Daughter by Gillian Summers (Berta Platas & Michelle Roper)
19. Into the Wildewood by Gillian Summers (Berta Platas & Michelle Roper)
20. The Secret Country by Pamela Dean
21. Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson
22. Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
23. Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
24. The Hidden Land by Pamela Dean
25. The Little Grey Men by BB (Denys Watkins-Pitchford)
26. The Dragon of Never-Was by Ann Downer
27. The Whim of the Dragon by Pamela Dean
28. Tales from Shakespeare by Charles & Mary Lamb
29. The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil
30. Measle and the Mallockee by Ian Ogilvy
31. Minerva Clark Goes to the Dogs by Karen Karbo
32. Measle and the Slitherghoul by Ian Ogilvy
33. Measle and the Doompit by Ian Ogilvy
34. The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
35. Soul Stealer by Martin Booth
36. House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo
37. The Siren Song by Anne Ursu
38. Faerie Lord by Herbie Brennan
39. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
40. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
41. Arabel and Mortimer by Joan Aiken
42. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
43. Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus
44. Changeling by Delia Sherman
45. Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
46. The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
47. The Monsters of Otherness by Kaza Kingsley
48. Olivia Kidney Stops for No One by Ellen Potter
49. The Shoemaker’s Boy by Joan Aiken
50. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
51. Silvertongue by Charlie Fletcher
52. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
53. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
54. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
55. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
56. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
57. Puddlejumpers by Mark Jean & Christopher C. Carlson
58. Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen Kurzweil
59. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
60. If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko
61. Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
62. King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
63. The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green
64. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
65. London Calling by Edward Bloor
66. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
67. Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip
68. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
69. Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
70. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
71. Thud! by Terry Pratchett
72. Making Money by Terry Pratchett
73. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
74. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
75. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
76. Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
77. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
78. Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson
79. Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson
80. Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson
81. Queste by Angie Sage
82. Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn
83. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
84. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
85. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
86. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
87. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
88. The Hour of the Outlaw by Maiya Williams
89. Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
90. Airman by Eoin Colfer
91. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
92. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
93. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
94. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
95. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
96. Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd
97. Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye
98. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
99. Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
100. Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
101. Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
102. The Stones of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
103. The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
104. Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
105. Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
106. Summerland by Michael Chabon
107. Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green
108. The Naming by Alison Croggon
109. The House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
110. Nick of Time by Ted Bell
111. The Riddle by Alison Croggon
112. The Life and Death of Classical Music by Norman Lebrecht
113. Ramage by Dudley Pope
114. X Isle by Steve Augarde

Whew! That was a big reading year for me! The winners:

• Critic's Choice: The Secret Country by Pamela Dean.
• People's Choice: Summerland by Michael Chabon.
• Kid's Choice: Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks.
• Best Newcomer: X Isle by Steve Augarde.
• Best Comeback: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
• Best Audiobook: No award.
• Best Documentary: The Life and Death of Classical Music by Norman Lebrecht. I got to sing Handel's Messiah once under the baton of the conductor whose recording of The Messiah Lebrecht listed as one of the 20th century's 100 most important classical recordings. Good times.
• Best Foreign-Language Book: No award.
• Best Short Subject: The Shoemaker's Boy by Joan Aiken
• Honorable Mentions: Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson; The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil; The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven; Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake; Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip; Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko; Airman by Eoin Colfer; and anything by Alison Croggon listed above.

As for previous years, here is a post in which I list (without specifying which book I read which year) books I had pegged as "the best book I have read this year."