Waiting to be Read: Borders Original Voices (2005,2009)

Winners of Borders Group's 2009 Original Voices Awards, recognizing "original and compelling works by new authors," are:

Fiction
The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim (Holt). The selection committee called this "a thought-provoking novel that will stick with you after reading it because of its atmosphere, life lessons and historical perspective."

Nonfiction
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford (Penguin Press). The committee commented: "Crawford's blending of philosophical analysis and personal narrative makes for a wonderfully thought-provoking--and at times very humorous--read. It's very timely as well, given the evolution of our economy."

Children/Young Adult
After by Amy Efaw (Viking). The committee said, "By all of today's standards, Davenport should be a despicable character, though through airtight storytelling, Efaw pulls readers into the thought process of the character and allows them to actually sympathize with her."

Each winner receives $5,000, and their titles will be featured in the company's stores.

Borders's 2005 Original Voices awards, "for outstanding achievement in crafting creative, original books and music," have been announced:

Fiction: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Norton). The author was commended for "a masterful job of interweaving many story lines, bringing them all together in a moving and meaningful way, and the ending is pitch-perfect, down to the last line."
Nonfiction: Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin (Penguin Press). Larkin's account of traveling around Burma was cited for "an interesting perspective on how intellect survives the worst of humanity while still retaining a high standard of dignity. It is an eloquent and poetic blend of travel narrative, literary criticism and political commentary."
Children's picture book: Russell the Sheep written and illustrated by Rob Scotton (HarperCollins). The story about a sheep that can't sleep is "a playful, unique take on traditional bedtime and counting books and Russell is just plain darling."
Young adult: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (FSG). This book about life after death offers "a fascinating concept of the afterlife and is ultimately a novel full of hope."
Music: Careless Love by Madeleine Peyroux (Rounder Records Group). Peyroux's voice "first catches your ear, but it is her beautiful, laid back, melodic jazz treatments of everything from Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan to Hank Williams that keeps you listening."

The six nominees in each category were chosen by Borders store and corporate employees. Winners were selected by a panel of judges at the main office. Each winner receives $5,000 and will be honored at BEA.

Original Voices Award Fiction Finalists (2005)

The History of Love: A Novel by Nicole Krauss
Kung Fu High School by Ryan Gattis
The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas: Stories by Davy Rothbart
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel by Ronlyn Domingue
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian: A Novel by Marina Lewycka

Nonfiction

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni
Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World by Holley Bishop
The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer

Children's Picture Books

Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
The Flower Man by Mark Ludy
A Froggy Fable by John Lechner
Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel, illustrated by David Catrow
Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton
There's a Frog Trapped in the Bathroom by Susan Snyder, edited by Susan McCabe, illustrated by Anna Johanson