As with last year this may be slightly early, as there is a fair chance I’ll read a couple more before the end of the year. (in fact I know I will as there are a couple I am reading at the moment), but building on the tradition started way back in 2021 it is time for my annual Passing Place Blog Books Of The Year Awards. An with last year this award ceremony carries very little prestige, and no prize money… It also doesn’t have a particular order, but does include all the books I have reviewed on the blog ‘this year…’ for a given quantity of twelve months since the last rewards so includes books read in December last year…

The award for best single line in a book, ‘The local unicorns is a pervert’ and the award for best book inexplicably just given away by its creator so you have no real excuse for not reading it, goes to Spells for a Second Sister by the wonder that is Nimue Brown

The Award for unexpectedly fun read randomly picked up off the author at a scifi convention that involves witches, the faye, McDonald’s and a character called Alyssa: goes to Maggie Browns ‘Of Magic and Lies

The award for, the second, third and forth books of a quadrilogy published in a single year which is frankly just showing off now and making the rest of us feel like we aren’t trying hard enough but I’ll let her off because the books are so good, goes to writer and work of fiction, Lilian Brooks Whitby Witches series (link to book 1 review from last year)

The award for Anthology featuring 14 wonderful authors ruining happy childhood memories of teddy bears and some thing about a potted plant and a policeman’s helmet goes to book 13 in the Harvey Duckman anthology series, the Teddy Bear edition

The award for most hotly anticipated finally to a trilogy that lives up to the hype because damn it was good goes to Grave Purpose by Craig Hallam, the third and final Alan Shaw novel, if for no other reason than it had Merry in it…

The award for book exploring the concepts of social exclusion, identity politics, bigotry, genre and sexuality through the medium of were-squirrels goes to Less than Human by the joyous entity that is Steven C Davis

The ‘it’s not Nepotism when its your own book’ award this year goes to The Strange and the Wonderful by Mark Hayes, which is both strange and wonderful and the only book that wasn’t a play I released this year, and I can include it if I want to its my blog…

The Award for most interesting, if odd first book in a series I’ve read this year goes to The Forging of Lady Ghast by Roz White

The Award for book the author did not even want to admit existed, that really needs to be made into a paperback so please let me typeset it for you Jessica , goes to Jack the Re-animator by Jessica Law. with bonus award for best song based on the book

The award for best graphic novel, final book in a series and most wonderful thing in the entirety of everything goes to Hopeless Maine: Survivors written and coloured by Nimue Brown Illustrated by Tom Brown

The award for creepy horror novella I was looking forward to all year and was utterly delighted by by goes to Owl Eyes Motel : Lovers Retreat by Barbara Avon

Not a children’s book children book of the year goes ‘Once Upon a Hopeless Maine’ by Kieth Errington, because tentacles… need we say more.

The first award in the non-fiction category is for the book that could actually save us all if only everyone read it and goes to Beyond Sustainability By Nimue Brown

The second award in the non fiction category goes to Facing the Darkness by Cat Tredwell , for book about depression that is not depression but uplifting in its honesty

The third and final reward in the non-fiction category goes to The Witches Feast by Lilian Brooks mostly for the cocktails…

Special mention award for the manuscript for a Play that is terrible and you really shouldn’t bother to buy a copy but you can if your mad enough to want one, and boy did we have fun doing it (though if the audience enjoyed it is another matter entirely) Goes to The Drag King in Yellow by Mark Hayes

And there we are, that the full list, I don’t really have an overall book of the year. I recommend them all or they would not be on this list, but if you twisted my arm to chose just one then this years book of the year is Grave Purpose by Craig Hallam. Because that’s how you finish off a series, with melancholy joys and resolution ( also it had Merry in it ).