April AwardsCAT -- International Dublin Literary Award and the Pulitzer Prize

International Dublin Literary Award





The International DUBLIN Literary Award is presented annually for a novel written in English or translated into English. The Award is sponsored by Dublin City Council, the municipal government of Dublin, and administered by Dublin City Public Libraries. The Award aims to promote excellence in world literature. Nominations are submitted by library systems in major cities throughout the world. The award is now in its 23rd year. The Lord Mayor of Dublin is Patron of the Award.

2017 Long List is http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/nominees/

2017 Shortlist http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/2017-shortlist/.

The winner will be announced in June. http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/ Congratulations to José Eduardo Agualusa, the winner of the 2017 award for A General Theory of Oblivion

Past winners and nominees can be found http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/award-archive/

The Pulitzer Prizes





The Pulitzer Prizes and Fellowships, established in Columbia University by the will of the first Joseph Pulitzer, are awarded by the University on the recommendation of The Pulitzer Prize Board. The Board meets twice annually. There are 21 categories across journalism, books, drama and music. The Prizes are announced during the Spring.

2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2017

Pulitzer Prizes by category http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-categories

Pulitzer Prizes by year http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year

Some of the choices I have available in my TBR are The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag Birdie by Tracey Lindberg and Black River by S.M. Hulse.

I'll have to see what else I have available.

Right now I'm planning on The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt (2011 International Dublin Literary Award longlist), Thomas and Beulah by Rita Dove (1987 Pulitzer for poetry) and March by Geraldine Brooks (2006 Pulitzer for fiction).

The DUBLIN longlist is certainly expansive. I scrolled through and found that I've already read 23 of them and have two more on my tbr. I'll plan to read one of those, if not both.

I'm going to read The Known World. It won both of these awards and has been on my TBR forever.

>3 luvamystery65: Oh and Roberta, Black River was a five star read for me.

I have several on my TBR that qualify but I know I'll read The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys which isn't, and hopefully will have time to read one of the TBRs as well. The Evening Chorus is on the Dublin list

>6 lsh63: Lisa Black River is the one I have packed up. Judy and Katie also gave it a high rating, so I may unpack it.

A kindle deal for today is The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau was 1965 Pulitzer Prize Winner. If I can get to it, I might read that one. Another option would Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg or Purity, Fifth Season by Jemisin, The Little Red Chairs, The Spool of Blue Thread. Really, really a lot of options for April Award Cat.

I think I might read One Day by David Nicholls, which apparently was longlisted for the Dublin in 2011.

I am planning on reading The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey which was on the 2002 Short List of the International Dublin Literary Award and Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout which won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

I took a quick scroll down the long list for the Dublin for this year and saw a couple that are of interest - The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Benrey for which I recently took 2 BBS and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah which I've been wanting to read for a while. And since I've packed all my books but one and am going to be using the library til we move, they'll both count for the Random also. For the Pulitzer, I'm thinking I'm going to read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey a 2015 finalist in fiction.

I also have Maus by Art Spielglman that I am reading for CultureCAT. It won a Pulitzer in 1992 for Special Citations and Awards - Letters.

One possibility from from th Dublin 2017 longlist for me:
The Illegal / Lawrence Hill

And a couple Pulitzer options:
Roots / Alex Haley
The Snow Child / Eowyn Ivey

In looking at the Dublin 2017 longlist, Patrick deWitt's Undermajordomo Minor caught my eye. I really liked The Sisters Brothers, so I may try this one as well!

I'm hoping to read these Pulitzer books:

The Angle of Repose- Wallace Stegner
The Orphan Master's Son- Adam Johnson
The Elegant Universe- Brian Greene

I am looking at the previous years winners and two of my very top reads of the last three years won the Dublin award. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson won in 2007 and it was my top read for 2014. The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez was my top read last year. I really need to pay closer attention to this award.

>16 VioletBramble: Angle of Repose was my top read a couple of years ago.

I'm thinking about finally getting to Lonesome Dove, which won the Pulitzer in 1986. Also gives me the bingo square for 'author shares your first and last initials'...

COMPLETED This Night's Foul Work by Fred Vargas, longlisted for the Dublin in 2010.

I've started The Color Purple by Alice Walker on audio, narrated by the author. I also started The Complete Maus by Art Spiegleman.

I'm planning An available man by Hilma Wolitzer that was on the IMPAC longlist in 2014.

Just finished Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg which is long listed for the Inernational Dublin Literary Award. I listened to the audio which was read by author (a mistake). The story is okay. I liked the setting as I just returned from Washington and was in all the places mentioned but overall, this won't make the short list, IMHO.

I'm just about done The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, an International Dublin Literary Award longlist book from 2010.

I've started Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

ETA: Long listed for Dublin award this year.

It was announced today that Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Underground Railroad. I don't know if I'll get to it this month, but it is definitely high up on my TBR. I am currently reading last year's winner, The Sympathizer.

>26 sturlington: I have it on hold at the library, but it could be a while. I chose it for the author's initials being the same as mine bingo square.

I have just completed Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout which won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This was a 5 star read for me.

The full list of Pulitzer Prize winners for 2017 is listed here.

http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2017

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead for fiction and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond are two of the winners this year.

The Dublin shortlist was also announced today with ten books. http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/2017-shortlist/

The Snow Child / Eowyn Ivey
4 stars

This is the retelling of a Russian fairy tale. An older couple, Mabel and Jack, have recently moved to Alaska. They never had children, but one evening when they build a snowman (child/girl), she comes to life…

I really liked this. It’s funny that I’m not a big fan of fantasy nor of magical realism, but I like fairy tales. I didn’t know this Russian tale, but I really liked this retelling! I loved some of the snowy/wintery descriptions (though I’m not always a fan of elaborate descriptions, either) – they really were magical – and it was a great story!

I have completed True History of the Kelly Gang which was short listed for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2002. I enjoyed this book very much.

COMPLETED One Day by David Nicholls

I read Purity by Jonathan Franzen. It was on the long list for the Dublin Literary Award, but it didn't make the short list.

I read The Known World which was excellent! This story of black farmer and former slave Henry Townsend, puts an interesting spin on free blacks and black slave owners. The book won both the Pulitzer in 2004 and the International Dublin Literary Award in 2005.

Finally finished The Sympathizer, which won the Pulitzer for fiction last year. It was slow going at first, but ultimately rewarding.

Just finished An available man by Hilma Wolitzer that was on the IMPAC long list in 2014. As I expected, there is not much happening, but so well-written. I enjoyed it a lot.

>30 LibraryCin: I recently joined Litsy. I'm a bit lost over there, but they have a monthly book discussion. Next month, the pick is The Snow Child. Good to know it's a good one.

>37 luvamystery65: You did? Cool! I am on there too, same username.

>38 rabbitprincess: I'll look for you. I really don't know how to navigate it. I'll take this topic over to your thread if you don't mind. I have the same username as here too.

>37 luvamystery65: Hope you like it!

I am kristelh at litsy. I am slowly getting used to it.

I've finished reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker which won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1983.

>37 luvamystery65: >38 rabbitprincess: >41 Kristelh: I've just joined Litsy too, with username kwmg40.

I've almost finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 and it was also shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. I'm really enjoying it so far; it's a different take on the "Great American Novel".

>37 luvamystery65: >38 rabbitprincess: >41 Kristelh: >43 mathgirl40: I joined Litsy a few months ago. I'm still tying to find my way around. The points/litfluence thing sorta freaks me out. Like, great, another place I can feel unpopular cuz I have low score.

I think I'm following everyone that has posted here and on RP's thread on Litsy now. It's nice to not feel so alone there anymore.

>44 VioletBramble: I know exactly how you feel about the points thing. The upside to low points is that it won't suck up all our time. ;-)

I finished The Complete Maus by Art Spiegleman which won a Pulitzer in 1992, Special Citations and Awards - Letters.

We are wrapping up the month. I work tomorrow so I'll likely not post. I thank everyone for participating and welcome late entries.

When the Dublin Winner is announced, I will post a link here.

I listened to The Underground Railroad this month.

I just finished Lonesome Dove - wow, what a book! 5+ star read!

>44 VioletBramble: I never look at the litfluence scores because I will never be in competition so it is unimportant to me. And I agree with >45 luvamystery65:. If you have high scores you probably are spending a whole lot of time on the app instead of reading.

I will finish Evening Chorus tonight and may not have time to post then or tomorrow so I'm taking the liberty of claiming to have read it before I've actually finished. The author Helen Humphreys is one of my favorites and so far has not disappointed with this thoughtful short novel. It was long listed for the Dublin Prize.

>37 luvamystery65: I just joined Litsy today (same name) and I'm following all of you who have mentioned their names here (and at rabbitprincess's thread). It might take me a while to get used to it. But it is so nice that I have followers already. Thank you all. I'm just glad they don't start the litfluence points at zero.

I've just joined Litsy as well, username YouBookMe -- thank you all for piquing my interest! :)

OK, I'm getting interested. Tell me about Litsy. Why do I need another book site in my life?

>53 Robertgreaves: It's described as "what would happen if Goodreads and Instagram had a baby". The user interface is reminiscent of Instagram. Every post is attached to a book -- you can write a review, add a blurb (really, just comments or thoughts, not like a back-cover blurb), or share a quote. Because it's like Instagram, a lot of people attach photos to their posts. It's best for quick snapshots rather than extended discussions, although people have found ways to have buddy reads or book-club discussions. There are photo challenges, book exchanges and postal book groups as well. I use it mainly to share quotes and random thoughts about books I'm reading -- stuff that I think would be too short for an LT post.

I don't use it to catalogue my entire library, just what I've been reading since I joined (and even then, my to-read list on Litsy is only the books I've borrowed from the library or have placed in my on-deck pile).

>53 Robertgreaves: Good question!

>54 rabbitprincess: Doesn't sound like my "thing" if it's so much like Instagram, though. I don't have a smartphone, so any photos I take are on digital cameras (I have two), then it takes ages before I download them to my PC...

>55 LibraryCin: It is possible to do text-only posts, of course! :)

>53 Robertgreaves:, >55 LibraryCin:. I am not an instagram person but got involved doing a buddy read. It is working great for that. I actually enjoy taking pictures and posting my books that way, other pictures too. In many ways it is more interactive that LT or GR. Bookriot is there and it runs a lot of fun things to do.
In April someone did a play list and then people posted pictures that fit the title. You do need to use # (hash tags) I had to learn about those as I never knew anything about them) and you also use @ if you want to alert someone to blurb or comment you are making.

>57 Kristelh: With the hash tag and @, it sounds a bit like Twitter, as well.

Litsy reminds me of early days Instagram which was a blast! Just a fun way too connect with likeminded people via your phone. Not too serious. Just fun. I'm not too connected but I like how you can key in a book title and get all kinds of quick thoughts.

Ok, I just went to the website and it talks about an app. So, you are pretty much supposed to use it with a phone or tablet? Yeah, not for me, then.

>60 LibraryCin:, Yes, I don't think you can put the app even on your computer. I have an app friendly computer and I can't find a way to put Litsy on it.

>61 Kristelh: Well, that decides it for me, then. 97% of the time, I'm on my PC. The other 3% is on my tablet, but mostly my tablet gets used for games... Internet, mostly when I'm traveling.

Thanks for the info.

I just finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, but I started it in April, so I'm counting it! It was on the 2016 longlist for the International Dublin Literary Award. I liked it a lot, although I was more interested in the postapocalyptic Traveling Symphony than in the Arthur Leander stuff.

I loved the symphony.

>64 luvamystery65: I just wanted more of it!

>54 rabbitprincess: >57 Kristelh: >59 luvamystery65: Having a look at Litsy as rwmg

>66 Robertgreaves: *waves from Litsy* :)

>66 Robertgreaves: waves as well

>67 rabbitprincess: >68 luvamystery65: waving back

I wanted to read The Story of My Teeth in April but finally got it done now. Wow. I am impressed with this author. I hope she wins the Dublin.

I finished Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch on April. These 864 pages took me several weeks, but I'm happy I read it. Fantastic book!

I don't know Litsy, but I also post my books on Instagram. There can't be too many book pictures on the internet, can there?

José Eduardo Agualusa is the winner of the 2017 award! Agualusa won for A General Theory of Oblivion. Congratulations.

http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/