Finalists are named for Connecticut Book Awards
On Oct. 20, the 2019 Connecticut Book Awards will recognize the best publications about Connecticut and by Connecticut authors and illustrators in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young readers. The 3 p.m. event will be at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St.
A new category this year is the Bruce Fraser “Spirit of Connecticut” Award, in memory of the longtime Connecticut Humanities director. The Connecticut Center for the Book, which administers the awards said in a statement that this category “celebrates Connecticut’s sense of place.”
A reception and book signings will follow the awards ceremony, which will be emceed by Ann Nyberg. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Caputo will give the keynote address.
Admission is $25 after Sept. 20, $20 before that date. ctcenterforthebook.org.
Here are the finalists:
• “The Long Journeys Home” by Nick Bellantoni of Newington
• “Mark Twain Among the Indians” by Kerry Driscoll of West Hartford
• “Walls: A History of Civilization” by David Frye of Hebron
• “Free the Beaches,” a history of people who challenged the privatization of Connecticut beaches, by Andrew Kahrl of Charlottesville, Va.
• “Taking Care of Time” by Cortney Davis of Bethel
• “Somerset” by Daniel Donaghy of Willington
• “Augur” by Jonathan Andersen of Storrs
• “White Houses” by Amy Bloom of Branford
• “The General’s Cook” by Ramin Ganeshram of Westport
• “The Astronaut’s Son” by Tom Seigel of Weston
• “Tiffany Blues” by M. J. Rose of Greenwich
• “Still Life with Monkey” by Katharine Weber of Bethany
• “The History of Jane Doe” by Michael Belanger of Storrs
• “The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle” by Leslie Connor of Madison
• “The Rhino in Right Field” by Stacy DeKeyser of Barkhampsted
• “Lifeboat 12” by Susan Hood of Southport
• “Shark Quest: Protecting the Ocean’s Top Predators” by Karen Romano Young of Bethel
• “I’m Sad” by Michael Black (author) of Redding
• “Night Train, Night Train” by Wendell Minor (illustrator) of Washington
• “Venture Smith” by Chandler B. Saint of Torrington
• “Connecticut Architecture, Stories of 100 Places” by Christopher Wigren of New Haven
• “Still Life with Monkey” by Katharine Weber of Bethany
• “The History of Jane Doe” by Michael Belanger of Storrs