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Mason and Day on Blogger's Book Prize shortlist
Books by Meg Mason and Elizabeth Day are among those shortlisted for this year’s £1,000 Blogger’s Book Prize.
The award is run by NB Magazine and celebrates “the fundamental relationship between the book industry and the book bloggers who champion literature and share their wonderful recommendations with millions of readers across the country”.
Publishers were encouraged to submit fiction books published in 2021 with the emphasis on inclusive and addictive books that prompted book club discussions. A pool of book bloggers reviewed all submissions to whittle them down to a shortlist of six and each book in contention will be represented by an individual blogger. These six bloggers will champion their titles, encouraging social engagement and conversation through a social media campaign, before the public have the chance to vote for their favourite book.
The shortlisted books and their blogger will be presented to an independent judging panel composed of industry professionals and well-established book bloggers, who will assess each title, taking into consideration the public vote and each title’s social media campaign. The winner will be announced on 28th April.
Mason is on the shortlist with her debut Sorrow and Bliss (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), a story about family, motherhood, mental illness and the messiness and tragedy that defines any kind of love. It will be championed by Freya Dawson (@freyadreviews).
Love, tragedy and family is a strong theme in the shortlist this year with Milk Blood Heat (Atlantic) by Dantiel Moniz, Everyone is Still Alive (Phoenix) by Cathy Rentzenbrink, and Elizabeth Day’s Magpie (Fourth Estate) taking a deep dive into the longing and sadness of infertility and the realities of marriage. These will be championed by Gabriela Townes (@gabriela_goodreads), Jenna Tester (@book_club_mumma) and Bethan Hinchcliffe (@beeblossombooks) respectively.
Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (Wildfire) forges a new narrative and gives voice to the ancient Greek myths from a female perspective, focusing on the challenges facing women and the desire to speak out in a world dominated by men. It will be supported by Claire Rowden (@secretworldofabook). Similarly, The Manningtree Witches (Granta) by A K Blakemore is a richly textured story that explores the menace of the English witch trials of the 17th century where treachery and mistrust plague the nation. Gabby Humphreys (@humphreads) will be pushing the Desmond Elliot Prize-winner.
Madeleine Knowles, editor of NB Magazine and prize judge, said: “The beauty of a book prize entirely supported by book bloggers is a shortlist that is an accurate reflection of the readers who promote books purely for the love of reading. Although it will be a difficult task to choose only one winner from such a stunning shortlist of diverse writing, I’m hugely looking forward to discussing the merits of these wonderful books with our judging panel. Wish us luck.”
