February AwardsCAT -- Chocolates and the Melting Pot (The Rita Award and the American Book Award)

January's challenge was fun. I was impressed by the number of people who stepped outside of their normal reading patterns and read westerns. Also, is everyone keeping track of the books they've read for the various CATs and any CATtricks they've achieved? I think at the end of the year, we'll have to have congratulatory threads where we can see who read what and who read the most challenge books. That said, please remember that CATs are optional and no one should feel that they have to participate every (or any) month.

This month has us choosing from a romance prize - The Rita Award and another general award, this one The American Book Award.

The Rita Awards are given by the Romance Writers Association. They issue awards in twelve categories, including young adult, romantic suspense, paranormal and a Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements award, so don't assume that because you don't read romance novels that a book on your shelf or wishlist hasn't won a Rita. You may be surprised. The Rita Award link is here:

http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=535

The American Book Award is an unusual award in that it's less a contest (it's not actually a contest at all) than a way of celebrating the broadness and diversity of American writing. There's an amazing mix of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and drama here, some by well established authors, but most by little-known authors writing for University and small presses. You might have a few of these books on your shelf, but I think it will be more likely that browsing through the lists will have you discovering something new. Take a look. This is a really interesting selection of books.

http://www.bookweb.org/btw/awards/The-American-Book-Awards---Before-Columbus-Fou...

Have fun! And make sure to post the books you might read here, and then come back and let us know when you've read one.

I've had Zeitoun on my wish list forever, maybe this is the month to actually read it? Also, I think The Toughest Gang in Town: Police Stories from Old San Francisco by Kevin J. Mullen looks interesting and I'll have to see if I can find a copy. As for the Rita, it seems I have a copy of Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Looks like I'll have to skip the awards this month. I dislike romance and found nothing of interest on the American Book Award list for about 10 years. Oh well. Next month.

Well according to the LT awards page I have two RITAs but have read them both and don't fancy re-reading either of them:(

But I do have one ABA and I haven't read it - Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divarkuni which also firs the Alpha Cat so I might read that in February:)

Like majkia, I don't think I'll be part of the awards challenge this month. The awards for this month clash with my planned reading so I'll just check in when March comes around and see if something fits better then.

I will be going for the chocolates but probably skipping the Melting Pot in February. I am going to read The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, Rita Award for Best YA 2011. This will also fit nicely with Fantasy February which will be on-going throughout the month over on the 75ers Challenge.

I plan to attempt to read at least one book for each award this year. I have to admit that the RITA is proving to be the most difficult of all of the awards category to find a book I want to read that I haven't already read. The books on my shortlist are The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen, Tribute by Nora Roberts, or Heavens to Betsy by Beth Pattillo. Either of the last two books would also work as alpha CATs.

For the American Book Award I'm planning on reading either The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat or Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon.

I originally planned to read Beloved by Toni Morrison in October for the 75'rs TIOLI challenge to read a book from ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books 2000-2009 but I never got to it.
AND
Diana Gabaldon's The Outlander won the Rita in 1992 in for the Best Romance Novel for 1991.
Perhaps these get read in Feb.

As I am trying to read books off my TBR bookcase, that is where I am searching for any possible CAT reads. Turns out I have one book that fits the American Book Award - Riding the Bus with My Sister - so I am now set for the Feb AwardCAT.

So far I can't see any winners that would fit into my personal challenge this year, and nothing after a quick skim of the lists that catches my eye. I will probably pass this month as well, but I'll watch the activity here in case someone reads a book to convince me otherwise.

I was surprised to see Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner on the list. I actually have the sequel sitting on my kindle waiting to be read. The sequel didn't win the prize though so I'm not sure if that counts.

Similarly I liked the sound of Ice Blue by Anne Stuart (Romance Suspense) however that is a book 3, so I guess I would need to start with book 1 Black Ice so not sure if that would count either.

I will go and have a look at the other list now.

It doesn't look like I'll be reading a RITA, but The House on Mango Street was on my radar so I'll bump that up to read for The American Book Award category.

I think I'll go back over the books in my thread that I've read and add whether they were a CAT cause it will be fun to see how much these prodded my reading choices.

The Awards CAT books I'm targeting for February are Beloved by Toni Morrison for the American Book Award (1988) and Nobody's Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips for the RITA (1998). Happily, both these books will also count for the Alpha CAT for February!

looks like no CAT-trick for me this month :( but i'll try to read at least one for each cat (award, alpha, random). 'try' being the operative word ^_^

for the awards cat, i was going back and forth between scent of apples or cebu, both of which i think were long/short/won the aba...but i ended going for Maus: A Survivor's Tale (also for aba). it was just more convenient cause i found a nice copy at the bookstore this morning.

i'd definitely like to go for an aba (and a rita) again next year :)

Ceremony (ABA 1980) is one of my favorite novels, but I just re-read it, so I think I'm going to ILL The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans (ABA 2007), which sounds fascinating, instead.

If you like magical realism or have an interest in Southwest Native American culture, you'll probably enjoy Ceremony, which deals with a WWII Pacific Front veteran's attempts to find healing after he returns home to Laguna Pueblo.

I thought about The Earth Knows My Name for this month, but am waffling. I'll look forward to hearing what you think about it.

I went through the shelves last night and didn't find a single TBR from either list. How can that be, I'm sure no list exists that I don't have a book for. Will take another look in a few days.

I just finished The Farming of Bones, a 1999 ABA winner. It's a historical novel about the 1937 massacre of thousands of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. Although the thought of reading about a massacre might be repulsive to some readers, it's a beautifully written novel and a very rewarding read.

I changed my mind and decided to leave Outlander for now. I am going to try and read Survivor in Death by J. D. Robb / Nora Roberts instead (Rita - Best Romantic Suspense - 2006).

Outlander is just too long since I am also going to be reading from Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace and Les Miserables by Hugo which are both HUGE!

I hated Outlander. Way too bosom clutching idiocy for me.

>20 majkia:
I inherited the book from my mother and she really liked it but I have never been able to get into it.

I did go with Outlander and I have some qualms about it, but at least I got a CAT out of the deal. :)

I read Born in Ice over the weekend for the RITA and for a CAT-Trick.

> 23 Congrats on the CAT-trick. I have none of those this month!!

I finished The House on Mango Street yesterday, which won an American Book Award. It wasn't anything spectacular, but a good (and short : )) read.

> 23, CAT-tricks look so cool :) i really wanted to do one this month too, but probably wont be happening

Just noticed that the free Friday Nook book is a RITA award book for those still searching for something to read - and it's free.

I finished a RITA book (1998) - Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Before joining LT, this is the kind of thing I read all the time - indiscriminately. I still enjoy an occasional paperback romance, but I'm much more selective than before. Susan Elizabeth Phillips remains one of my favorite romance authors. I loved this book. 4 stars.

Just finished a Rita Award winner: The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers - Best Inspirational Romance - 1997

I finished my one and only RITA book for the month, Born in Ice by Nora Roberts. Romance isn't my favorite genre so I had a hard time finding a book on the RITA list that seemed like a must-read for me. I ended up picking one that would give me a CAT trick.

I'm still hoping my RITA book arrives from the library. I ordered it during the last week of January and I was third on the waiting list, and there are three books in the system. Well, three weeks later I am still third on the waiting list!

just finished my aba: Maus: A Survivor's Tale

I just finished The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic America by Patricia Klindienst (ABA 2007), which was amazing. It's about how what we people grow connects them to their families and their history.

I've finished Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon - 2003 ABA

I just got a copy of How to Bake a Perfect Life, a RITA winner in 2012.

Finished Reservation Blues for the American Book Award (1996) which I ended up liking a lot.

I read The Submission by Amy Waldman for the American Book Award (2012). I've been meaning to read it for a while and I was glad have a push to get to it.

Looks like I forgot to post here earlier this month that I finished Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon as an American Book Award read.

I finished How to Bake a Perfect Life and I really liked it. It fit nicely into my chick lit category too

Unfortunately I did not even start the two books I said I would read this month -
Beloved - American Book Award in 1988
Survivor in Death - Rita for Best Romantic Suspense Novel in 2006
I am hoping to get to them in March. When and if I do get them read I will pop back here and let you know.

My RITA book came into the library yesterday and I was able to pick it up and finish it today. The Iron King was the 2011 winner for Best YA Romance. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did and now I am looking forward to continuing on with the trilogy.

i finally finished Beloved! Strange book!