Robbie Awards 3

Technically, these are the Third Annual Robbie Awards for books I have read and reviewed since this time last year. Thanks to last year's seven-year retrospective ("Retro Robbie Awards"), this is unofficially the 10th year for which these awards have been presented. It's funny how fast this kind of anniversary sneaks up. Another challenge this year is the fact that, due to really limited online time, I'm way behind on writing my reviews; so, I'm going to have to wing it a bit.

So, to start, here are the books that (according to my records) I have read since the start of 2018:

1. Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke
2. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
3. The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol
4. Invasion by Luke Rhinehart
5. The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
6. Canoes in Winter: Beneath the Surface by Bob Guelker
7. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
8. Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson
9. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
10. Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton
11. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
12. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck
13. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
14. Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce
15. Bad Unicorn by Platte F. Clark
16. Fluff Dragon by Platte F. Clark
17. Good Ogre by Platte F. Clark
18. The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
19. Tumble and Blue by Cassie Beasley
20. The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
21. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
22. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
23. The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
24. Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
25. Smoke by Dan Vyleta
26. The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
27. The Gravedigger's Cottage by Chris Lynch
28. Stronger by Jeff Bauman with Bret Witter
29. Unsub by Meg Gardiner
30. The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
31. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
32. The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
33. Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
34. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
35. Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus
36. Time to Laugh: Funny Tales from Here and There ed. by Phyllis Fenner
37. Scowler by Daniel Kraus
38. The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud
39. Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson
40. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
41. Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
42. Do the Movies Have a Future? by David Denby
43. Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
44. Westmark by Lloyd Alexander
45. The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander
46. Aliens in Disguise by Clete Barrett Smith
47. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
48. Magic Delivery by Clete Barrett Smith
49. Cold Blooded by Lisa Jackson
50. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
51. Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
52. Temptation Bangs Forever: The Worst Church Signs You've Ever Seen by Robert Kroese and Joel Bezaire
53. The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette
54. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
55. Deep Freeze by John Sandford
56. Legion by Brandon Sanderson
57. The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
58. The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham
59. The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy
60. The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
61. It Takes One by Kate Kessler
62. Two Can Play by Kate Kessler
63. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
64. Smek for President! by Adam Rex
65. The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet

Well, I didn't make my Goodreads goal of 100 books this year. Apparently, suddenly having a lot of TV-on-DVD to binge on has been detrimental to my literary life. (It has also contributed to the curtailment of my creative writing.) Anyway, here are either the third or the tenth annual Robbie Awards!

Critics' Choice
I'm a critic, kind of. In my critical opinion, the best book on the above list, in terms of overall literary merit, is The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck.

People's Choice
I'm a person, too. My favorite book on the above list, for pure fun and popular appeal, is Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Kids' Choice
I'm a child inside. Of the books above aimed at younger readers, my favorite is Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. Honorable mentions: Bad Unicorn, The Power of Un, Rain Reign and Magic Delivery.

Best Comeback
Of the golden oldies I discovered this year, I consider the goldenest (apart from The Moon Is Down) to be Westmark by Lloyd Alexander.

Best Newcomer
I didn't do any pre-publication reviews this year, but of the relatively recent publications I read this year, my favorite is The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette.

Best Documentary
I think the best nonfiction book I read this year is Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson. Honorable mention: Killers of the Flower Moon.

Best Audiobook
Of the books I read with my ears this year, my favorite is Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, read by Kate Reading. Honorable mention: The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham, read by Pete Bradbury.

Best Foreign Adaptation
Strictly speaking, I didn't read anything translated from a foreign language. However, at least one book that I read seems to be a repackaging, probably with revisions to make it more digestible to an American audience, of multiple shorter books originally published in the U.K. So, I'll give this award to All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot.

Best Short Subject
I could give this, by default, to Temptation Bangs Forever, though I'm almost ashamed even to include it on this list. I could also give it to a book made up of short stories, but it doesn't quite feel right to slice it that way. So, alas, no award.

Best Art
In a new category recognizing illustration, graphic novel art and beautiful book covers, I'd like to recognize Smek for President! by Adam Rex for its intermittent but entertaining use of comic book-style panels within a novel that otherwise leaves the imagery up to the reader.

Best Adapted Material
Here's another new category, though I'm going to start by stretching the point a bit and award it to a book that was adapted into another medium rather than the other way around. The winner: Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus. I especially like the fact that although the original book and the subsequent TV series are so very different, neither suffers in the comparison; they are both, in my opinion, winners.