The fouth annual BooktubeSFF Awards shortlist was announced yesterday.  They will have discussions of the finalists from March through May with final voting in June.  Find out more at their goodreads group and twitter.

Some rules changes implemented this year have produced what looks to me like a pretty nice list.  Here they are interspersed with my reading plans:

Best Science Fiction Novel
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

The first three were already on my TBR.  Raven Stratagem is book 2, but Ninefox Gambit was a Hugo finalist last year and one I nominated myself.  Waking Gods is also book 2, but I still need to read Sleeping Giants.

Best Fantasy Novel
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

I’ve read the first two, and they’re on my Hugo ballot.  Red Sister is book 1 of a trilogy, but I believe it’s the third trilogy in this universe.  A Conjuring of Light is book 3.  So I don’t think I’ll be getting to those two just yet.

Best Debut Novel
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

As I said above, I’ve read The Bear and the Nightingale, and I’ll probably put Katherine Arden on my ballot for the Campbell Award.  I own Kings of the Wyld, and I’ve borrowed The City of Brass from my library.  I believe both of those authors are eligible for the Campbell as well.

Best YA
Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Windwitch by Susan Dennard
Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

I’ve picked up Strange The Dreamer from my library.  The other two are both the second in their respective series.

Best Middle Grade
Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi
Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

The first two are book 2 and book 3 in their series.  My library has a print edition of Nevermoor, and they also have a digital copy of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding available through Hoopla.   I may or may not give those a try.

Best Graphic Work
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris
Paper Girls, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson

I own Monstress, Vol. 2, and I really need to read it already.  Last year Vol. 1 won the Hugo for Best Graphic Story, and I loved it.

Looks like I’d have to do interlibrary loan to get my hands on Everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too.  (Incidentally, the title has me thinking of “Alien Like You” by The Pigott Brothers and that makes me want to binge watch Being Erica.  Something you’ll probably only understand if you’re Canadian.)

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is available from my library and is wafting its way to my branch now.

I read Vol. 1 of Paper Girls as a Hugo finalist last year and wasn’t motivated to continue.  I can get Vols. 2 & 3 through Hoopla, but I don’t know if I’ll bother.

Best Short Work
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor

I own all three of these, and coincidentally I have three novella spots to fill in my Hugo ballot.  So out of the list I was thinking of getting to, I guess I’ll bump these to the top.

 

Look forward to reading and hearing the discussions!