2020 Monthly Book Award Reading Challenge [January Check-In]

Welcome to the January 2020 check-in for the Book Awards Reading Challenge. This month’s task is to read a book (or books) that WON an award in JANUARY – and link up to where you posted about it in the comments. We’re also checking in on Instagram using the hashtag #GXOAwardReadingChallenge.

Below you’ll find some recommendations for what to read for this challenge.

The Costa Book Awards presented each January, recognizes books written by authors based in the UK and Ireland. The prize has five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman won the 2017 Costa Book Award for First Novel (announced Jan. 2, 2018). This is one of the best character driven novels I’ve read. Eleanor is … not really fine … she’s a little odd, has plenty of quirks, has suffered severe trauma and is just trying to make it through life on her own. SHe’s uncomfortable socializing, and prefers her routine – however, you can only live in a bubble for so long! And so we follow along as Eleanor has to cope with coming out of her shell .,.. and face the reason why she’s not exactly alright. This is such an engrossing novel – and  it made my best books of the year list.

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson won the 2013 Costa Award for Best Novel (announced Jan. 6, 2014). It’s a sad but beautiful book. I never thought that having the same life over and over again could be such a joyless endeavor!. The writing is astonishingly good, and the audiobook, narrated by Fenella Woolgar, is amazing. This made our list of 3 Awesome Books With Time Traveling Back In Time.

The American Library Association Awards (including the Youth Media Awards) were announced in January in 2019 … but in February in previous years!. There are several awards, but the Alex Awards is one of my favorites to read books from. This award is given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.

From the 2019 winners, Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik and Circe, Madeline Miller are two fantasy that I’ve read and highly recommend. Spinning Silver tells the story of Miryem who takes over her father’s money-lending business because he is so bad at it. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But then she gets cocky and enters into an ill-advised bet with the king of the Staryk – grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh.

Circe is daughter of the god of the sun but not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. She turns to the world of mortals for companionship, and discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology.

… so what are you reading this month?!