The Atlantic Book Awards took place last night, May 10th, at the Halifax Central Library. Here’s the list of all the categories and nominated books and authors. The books I’ve read have links to my reviews. As well, there are several links that will take you to books read and reviewed at The Miramichi Reader. Between the two of us we did pretty well. (Maybe we should officially collaborate our efforts next year?)
2018 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS and FESTIVAL SHORTLIST
Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction
Scars and other Stories
By Don Aker
Publisher: Pottersfield Press
Barrelling Forward
By Eva Crocker
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Peninsula Sinking
By David Huebert
Publisher: Biblioasis
Winner of the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction
Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature
The Painting
By Charis Cotter
Publisher: Tundra Books
Polly MacCauley’s Finest Divinest, Wooliest Gift of All
By Sheree Fitch
Publisher: Running the Goat Books and Broadsides
The Memory Chair
By Susan White
Publisher: Acorn Press
Winner of the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature
Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing, Sponsored by Marquis Book Printing
The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest
By Joan Baxter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press
The Homing Place: Indigenous and Settler Literary Legacies of the Atlantic
By Rachel Bryant
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Steal Away Home: One Woman’s Epic Flight to Freedom
By Karolyn Smardz Frost
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Winner of the Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing
Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award (Non-fiction), Presented by the Kiwanis Club of Dartmouth
The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest
By Joan Baxter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press
The Sea Was in Their Blood: The Disappearance of the Miss Ally’s Five-Man Crew
By Quentin Casey
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
The Halifax Explosion: Canada’s Worst Disaster
By Ken Cuthbertson
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Winner of the Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award (Non Fiction)
Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing
The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest
By Joan Baxter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press
The Endless Battle: The Fall of Hong Kong and Canadian POWs in Imperial Japan
By Andy Flanagan
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Nova Scotia at War, 1914-1919
By Brian Douglas Tennyson
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Winner of the Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing
Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award
The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest
By Joan Baxter
Publisher: Pottersfield Press
Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood
By Pauline Dakin
Publisher: Viking Canada
The Long Way Home: A Personal History of Nova Scotia
By: John DeMont
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Winner of the Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award
Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award (Fiction), presented by Boyne Clarke LLP
A Bird on Every Tree
By Carol Bruneau
Publisher: Vagrant Press
The Unlikely Redemption of John Alexander MacNeil
By Lesley Choyce
Publisher: Roseway Publishing
Peninsula Sinking
By David Huebert
Publisher: Biblioasis
Winner of the Jim Connors Dartmouth Book Award (Fiction)
J.M. Abraham Poetry Award
Everything We’ve Loved Comes Back to Find Us
By Allan Cooper
Publisher: Gaspereau Press
I’d Write the Sea Like a Parlour Game
By Alison Dyer
Publisher: Killick Press
All the Names Between
By Julia McCarthy
Publisher: Brick Books
Winner of the J.M. Abraham Poetry Award
Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration
Illustrator: Angela K. Doak (nominee)
Atlantic Animal ABC
(Written by Angela K. Doak)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Illustrator: Sydney Smith (nominee)
Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow
(Written by Michelle Cuevas)
Publisher: Tundra Books
Illustrator: Sydney Smith (nominee)
Town is By the Sea
(Written by Joanne Schwartz)
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Winner of the Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration
Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Non-Fiction sponsored by Weed Man Maritimes, Heritage House Law Office, I Love Renovations and Transdynamic Services Ltd.
Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood
By Pauline Dakin
Publisher: Viking Canada
Just Jen: Thriving Through Multiple Sclerosis
By Jen Powley
Publisher: Roseway Publishing
Chasing Smoke: A Wildfire Memoir
By Aaron Williams
Publisher: Harbour Publishing
Winner of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (Non-Fiction)
Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Fiction Sponsored by Collins Barrow LLP, Royden Trainor and the family of John and Margaret Savage
The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes
By Bridget Canning
Publisher: Breakwater Books Ltd.
All is Beauty Now
By Sarah Faber
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Crying for the Moon
By Mary Walsh
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Winner of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (Fiction)
Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
A Bird on Every Tree
By Carol Bruneau
Publisher: Vagrant Press
All is Beauty Now
By Sarah Faber
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Blood Fable
By Oisin Curran
Publisher: Book*hug
Winner of the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
Special Lifetime Achievement Award
Atlantic Book Awards’ Pioneer Award – Liz Crocker
From the Chronicle Herald: “After opening Woozles in 1978, making it Canada’s oldest children’s bookstore, Crocker also spearheaded a number of programs promoting literacy among young readers and ran Halifax’s independent retailer Frog Hollow Books. She has also written two children’s books, hundreds of articles and has been involved in books about health care as a writer and editor.”
Congratulations to all the winners and shortlisted books, publishers and authors/illustrators!
Consumed by Ink 
Yay for Liz Crocker! Happy to see a Halifax indie getting rewarded. I always called Bookmark my home base (literally across the road from Frog Hollow Books) but definitely spend my fair share of time at FHB as well.
Thanks, Naomi!
It was sad when FHB had to close.
Wait, so both the husband and the wife won, but in different categories? I suppose I better read Faber’s book now.
Also, you and James should definitely work together next year! I love cross-blogs like that.
Yes, they both won! Hooray!
(And Hooray for your new little bundle!!) 🙂
thank you!
I hope all is going well! 🙂
it is! He’s a good sleeper so far (phew!)
We’re always looking for opportunities, Anne. Thanks for your support, too!
Thanks for linking to many of my reviews, Naomi! I’ll try and return the favour when I can. 😁
We make a good team!
Great coverage! And I second – third – fourth? – the idea of joint reviewing for the awards next year. The more readers the merrier!
Absolutely! 🙂