Sometimes It's Okay To Judge. . .

You may have noticed the new button at the top of my sidebar. A new book award has been developed and I am thrilled to be a part of it. As indicated on the INSPY website,

Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.

The first awards will be announced on December 13. I have the honor of being one of the judges in the Young Adult Category. The shortlists for this award have recently been announced, and the nominees are listed below. Those books which I have reviewed are linked to that review.

GENERAL AND LITERARY FICTION
The Christmas Glass by Marci Alborghetti, Guideposts, 1st October, 2009
Life in Defiance by Mary DeMuth, Zondervan, 1st May, 2010
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson, Howard Books, 1st September, 2009
Lucky Baby by Meredith Efken, Howard Books, 13th April, 2010
Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes, Tyndale House, 1st May, 2010

CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans, Zondervan, 15th June, 2010
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, Thomas Nelson, 29th September, 2009
Halfway to Each Other by Susan Pohlman, Guideposts, 1st September, 2009
God Hides in Plain Sight by Dean Nelson, Brazos Press, 1st October, 2009
Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner, Waterbrook Press, 16th February, 2010

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Frontiersman’s Daughter by Laura Frantz, Revell Books, 1st August, 2009
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen, Bethany House, 1st January, 2010
The Fiddler’s Gun by AS Peterson, Rabbit Room Press, 1st December, 2009
She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell, Bethany House, 1st April, 2010
Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers, Tyndale House, 1st March, 2010

THRILLER/SUSPENSE/CRIME
Priceless by Tom Davis, David C Cook, 1st June, 2010
The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker, Center Street, 27th May, 2010
The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello, Thomas Nelson, 16th March, 2010
The Knight by Steven James, Revell Books, 1st August, 2009
Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig, Abingdon Press, 1st March, 2010

SPECULATIVE FICTION
Green by Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson, 1st September, 2009
The Last Christian by David Gregory, Waterbrook Press, 4th May, 2010
A Star Curiously Singing by Kerry Nietz, Marcher Lord Press, 1st October, 2009
Eternity Falls by Kirk Outerbridge, Marcher Lord Press, 1st October, 2009
Rooms by James L. Rubart, B&H Publishing, 1st April, 2010

AMISH FICTION
Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Annalisa Daughety, Summerside Press, 1st September, 2009
An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller, Thomas Nelson, 16th March, 2010
Winter’s Awakening by Shelley Shepard Gray, Avon Inspire, 1st February, 2010
Anna’s Return by Marta Perry, Berkley, 1st June, 2010
Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman, Thomas Nelson, 30th March, 2010

ROMANCE/ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
A Lady Like Sarah by Margaret Brownley, Thomas Nelson, 29th December, 2009
Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris, Zondervan, 1st April, 2010
Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson, 6th October, 2009
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Patillo, Guideposts, 1st February, 2010
Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren, Summerside Press, 1st February, 2010

YOUNG ADULT FICTION
A Little Help From My Friends by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt, FaithWords, 15th October, 2009
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 25th May, 2010
So Over My Head by Jenny B Jones, Thomas Nelson, 4th May, 2010
Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen Coloma, Thomas Nelson, 3rd November, 2009
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr, Little Brown, 1st October, 2009


For more information on the award, the nominated books, or to see who is judging your favorite category, go to the INSPY website.

My girl is excited about my being a judge, but not for my enjoyment. No, she has purely selfish reasons. Her response was, "BOOKS FOR ME!"

I wonder where she got that love-to-read gene. . . .