The 33rd Annual Reading the West book award shortlists were just announced by the Mountain and Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA). More than 140 books were submitted for consideration. Independent booksellers across fourteen states read and reviewed all the books to choose their favorites. Now MPIBA is asking you, the readers of the Denver Metro area and beyond, to help select the best of the best!
Each of nine categories features 4-5 shortlisted titles, so whether you're into adult fiction, memoir and biography, or picture books, there's sure to be an area of interest to you (and your young readers). Voting by the public ends May 31, so hurry up, check out these titles and get reading!
Fiction
- Upgrade by Blake Crouch
- Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
- The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
- Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning
- Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
Debut Fiction (Adult)
- Country of Origin by Dalia Azim
- The Last Karankawas by Kimberly Garza
- Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah
- The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara
- Perish by LaToya Watkins
Poetry
- Ancestor of Fire by Aaron Abeyta (on order)
- Golden Ax by Rio Cortez
- Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light by Joy Harjo
- Owl Poems by Zach Hively
- Dream Drawings by N. Scott Momaday
Nonfiction
- Tracing Time by Craig Childs
- Wild New World by Dan Flores
- Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin
- Brave Hearted Women of the American West by Katie Hickman
- Hell's Half Acre by Susan Jonusas
Memoir/Biography
- When I Was Red Clay by Jonathan Bailey
- Boys and Oil by Taylor Brorby
- Cheap Land Colorado by Ted Conover
- Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss
- Feels Like Home by Linda Ronstadt and Lawrence Downes
Eating the West
- Hot Diggity Dog by Eliza Cross
- The Tombstone Cookbook by Sherry Monahan (on order)
- Cowgirls Cook for the Great Outdoors by Robin Betty Johnson and Jill Charlotte Stanford
- Big Texas Cookbook by Texas Monthly
Picture Books
- Monsters in the Briny by Lynn Becker, illustrated by Scott Brundage
- I'm Not Missing by Kashelle Gourley. illustrated by Skylar Hogan
- Brave Every Day by Trudy Ludwig
- Armadillo Antics by Bill Martin and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois
- Dark on Light by Dianne White, illustrated by Felicita Sala
Young Readers
- Tenmile by Sandra Dallas
- Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo
- Tumble by Celia C. Perez
- The River Between Hearts by Heather Mateus Sappenfield
- Worser by Jennifer Ziegler
Young Adult
- Azar on Fire by Olivia Abtahi
- Aces Wild: a Heist by Amanda DeWitt
- Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle
- Man Made Monsters by Andrea Rogers, illustrated by Jeff Edwards
- The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
Don't forget, public voting ends May 31st, make your reading voice heard!
For more reading suggestions, check out our Recommendations page and give DPL's Personalized Reading List service a try.
