October PrizeCAT - Missed It By That Much

This month, choose a book that made the longlist or shortlist for a prize, but did not win.

SO many books and prizes to choose from!

Please update the wiki here, if you are so inclined.

I'm not doing so well with the PrizeCAT this year, but my hope is this one will be easier to come up with something, since there should be more to choose from!

I'll probably reread a Newbery Medal runner-up. Several of my favorite children's books fall into this category including the last 5 Little House books published prior to Laura Ingalls Wilder's death, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.

>3 sallylou61: I was addicted to Marguerite Henry's books when I was young. My library had large format hardbacks of all her horse books and I devoured them all over and over. I definitely should reread them all!

I have at least 24 books on my TBR that would qualify, and I’m having a hard time narrowing it down! The current front runners are ‪Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, ‬The Rain Heron by ‪Robbie Arnott, and The Little Stranger by ‪Sarah Waters, but I also have several unread (or rather, unlistened to) audiobooks that would count, so if I finish my current audiobook in time, I may give preference to clearing my audio “shelf.”

I am reading Merivel: A Man of His Time by Rose Tremain. It was shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and has been on my wish list for years because it's the sequel to Restoration, which was a five-star read.

I’ve decided to read Popisho (a.k.a. This One Sky Day in the U.K.) by Leone Ross. It made the shortlist for the Diverse Book Awards in 2022 and Goldsmiths Prize in 2021 and the longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022.

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands was on many award lists.
I enjoyed this YA thriller set in 17th century about Christopher Rowe, an apprentice apothecary whose master is murdered. Christopher has learned enough that he is able to decipher a message from his master and identify the cult involved. Exciting and interesting. I would have loved this book when I was young.

The Lively Dead by Peter Dickinson was shortlisted for the CWA gold/silver dagger in 1975.

I read Deadline by John Dunning which was a nominee for the Edgar Award in 1982.

I have set up the 2025 group here: https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24518/2025-Category-Challenge. Feel free to stop by anytime, start suggesting CATs and KITs, and post your threads for the 2025 challenge!

(I'm posting this notification to a bunch of threads, so sorry if you see it multiple times!)

I finished Popisho by Leone Ross, and it was a delight!

I finished The Stanforth Secrets by Jo Beverley, which was a finalist for the Rita Award for best historical romance in 1990.

Aurelia und die letzte Fahrt was on the shortlist for the Leo Perutz Prize, which surprised me, because I found it didn't catch the spirit of 1871 Vienna at all.

I read Where the Wildflowers Grow by Leif Bersweden, which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize and shortlisted for the Richard Jeffries Prize in 2022.

I finally finished A Little Life by Hanya Yanigihara, which I have been reading since October for this challenge. The book was on several shortlists, including the 2015 Man Booker Award.