I did this tag for the first time last year and really enjoyed it, so I decided to do it again this year! It’s basically a list of all the awards at the Academy Awards, but for the books I read in 2019. I’ll be picking my winners from all the books I read in 2019, not just the ones that were published in 2019. So I have a total of 91 books to pick from and you can see my full list here if you’re interested. I’ve done my best to avoid selecting the same book for multiple categories, but in some cases I felt the same book really was the best pick for both awards. Here we go:

Best Male Protagonist (Best Actor)

Winner: Han Allister from The Demon King

Reason: Street Lord turned wizard and hero! Han is clever and quick on his feet, but also kind.

Runner ups: Trevor Noah from Born a Crime

Best Female Protagonist (Best Actress):

Winner: Jo March from Little Women

Reason: Jo is stubborn and has a wild temper, but she’s also brave and tenacious and ready to make her own way in the world!

Runner ups: Raisa ana’Mariana from The Demon King, Jane Sinner from Nice Try Jane Sinner, Kamzin from Even the Darkest Stars

Best Male Sidekick (Best Supporting Actor):

Winner: Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings

Reason: Sam is a hero masquerading as a sidekick. One of my all time favourite characters in any book!

Runner ups: There are no runner ups, there is only Sam

Best Female Sidekick (Best Supporting Actress):

Winner: Beth March from Little Women

Reason: It’s impossible not to love Beth March with her quiet and caring demeanor and big heart!

Runner ups: Melissa Yule from Lands of Lost Borders, Nisha from Ember and the Ice Dragons

Best Writer you discovered for the first time (Best Director):

Winner: Cinda Williams Chima

Reason: Cinda knows how to write a clever plot and a large cast of engaging characters.

Runner ups: Andrea Gibson (Lord of the Butterflies), Candice Carty Williams (Queenie), Angie Kim (Miracle Creek), Mary Beth Keane (Ask Again, Maybe)

Best Plot Twist (Best Cinematography):

Winner: Verity by Colleen Hoover

Reason: Verity is a wild and messed up ride. I didn’t see the plot twist coming and it completely blew my mind!

Runner ups: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Best Action in a Book (Best Visual Effects):

Winner: Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Reason: I re-read the series in 2019 and there is really nothing quite like the final action scenes in Return of the King.

Runner ups: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima, Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke

Best Book Cover (Best Costume Design):

Winner: All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett

Reason: I have a thing for starscapes on book covers and the covers of this series are just perfection and match the fantasy world perfectly!

Runner ups: Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris, Ember and the Ice Dragons by Heather Fawcett, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Best Audiobook (Best Musical Score):

Winner: Full Cast in Daisy Jones & The Six

Reason: You couldn’t ask for more from a full cast! This is a masterpiece in character development and the voice actors do a stellar job!

Runner ups: Trevor Noah in Born a Crime, Shvorne Marks in Queenie, Full Cast in The Golden Compass

Most Unique Plot/World (Best Original Screenplay):

Winner: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Reason: A fascinating world where people have daemons, can walk between worlds, and there are armoured polar bears and witches!

Runner ups: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Best Book to Movie Adaptation (Best Adapted Screenplay):

Winner: Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Reason: It’s been a few years since I actually read the book, but the movie captures all the same hilarity without the awkward plot points at the end, which I preferred!

Runner ups: Little Women

Best Graphic Novel (Best Animated Feature):

Winner: Book Love by Debbie Tung

Reason: I admit I didn’t read many graphic novels this year, but Book Love was a cute find!

Runner ups: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

Best Novella or Short Book (Best Short Film):

Winner: Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson

Reason: Gibson is an incredible spoken word poet and this anthology is an important commentary on identity and social justice.

Runner ups: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Best Historical Fiction (Best Documentary):

Winner: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Reason: A moving story about a little known Korean island and an important part of history.

Runner ups: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Best Standalone (Best Picture):

Winner: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Reason: A layered and nuanced story about culture, immigration, disabilities, motherhood, and more, presented as an intriguing courtroom drama.

Runner ups: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson