MN Book Awards - and the winner is...

A good friend is one of the judges for the Minnesota Book Award "Genre Fiction" category this year. (He himself is a past honoree.) I am not exactly sure what all his responsibilities are, but I know he has to at least read all four of the nominees. It may take him awhile since he moves his lips when he reads. Happily though, he suggested I read them as well. I did, and here are my short reviews.

____________________________

The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman

A very good mystery set in a remote small town in either Minnesota or Wisconsin. The narrator, a deputy sheriff, attempts to discover how and why a boy has disappeared, leaving only his bicycle by the roadside. (Shades of Jacob Wetterling.) The disappearance remains a mystery for 10 years until another clue is discovered. The book has unusual depth for a mystery novel - a mysterious adoption of an abandoned child, older adults in stages of dementia, and complex relationships among the members of the small community. Highly engaging read in which I actually cared about the characters. Bought a copy for my mom. 

From the Grave: A MacKenzie Novel by Dave Housewright

While I enjoyed this book (especially the references to Twin Cities locations and restaurants), I was disappointed that the plot revolved around supernatural happenings that were never resolved by non-supernatural explanations. This is the first McKenzie novel I have read in the series and I wish I could say I liked the protagonist more but he seemed, well, a bit bland and insensitive to me. Fast, entertaining read.

Get Idiota by Nate Granzow

Very funny (silly, actually) fast paced read. Being immature myself, I did enjoy the immature humor. Plot revolves around two simpletons trying to escape a deranged Mexican drug lord and his sexy assassin with an old truck full of marijuana and an emu, encountering a village of sex-crazed Amazons along the way. Improbable situations and broad, nutty characters might make this a good movie, but I am not sure it has the gravitas to be given a Minnesota Book Award.  Oh, neither the characters nor setting had anything to do with Minnesota.

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green

I was not prepared to like this book. I usually prefer male authors of historical fiction, straight narrative rather than epistolary style, and less religion. But this book was extremely well researched, brilliantly written, and so relevant to today's atmosphere of xenophobia that it really kept me reading - and thinking. The female protagonist is articulate and assertive (to the dismay of much of her small town) and the other characters fully-drawn. Interesting details on WWII POW camps in Minnesota that I had not given much thought to previously. A bit heavy on the prayer and such, but enjoyed it so much I bought a copy of this title for my mother too.

____________________________

So there you are. You can probably tell from my reviews how I would rank them were I a contest judge. Knowing these books were all submitted for recognition of being the best in their category, I perhaps read them with a bit more critical eye. And I had to ask myself - what exactly makes a high quality book? For me, it revolves around readability, uniqueness, and especially, characters about whom one cares. And a little sex and violence plus a murder or two, never hurt.

I may make reading the genre fiction entries of the MBA an annual event!