If you follow the Minnesota literary scene you may be aware that the Minnesota Book Awards have been awarded since 1988.  Between now and November 16, 2018, submissions are being accepted for the awards that will be announced on April 6, 2019.

Coffman Library’s collection contains many of the books that have been award winners, finalists or nominees during the history of the awards.  Copy the following link into your browser to see the complete list of past award winners and finalists.
https://thefriends.org/minnesota-book-awards/minnesota-book-awards-winners/#past

To be eligible a book must have a 2018 copyright date and only authors, publishers and agents are eligible to make submissions.  If you could make a submission, what Minnesota book would you recognize for the upcoming awards?

By Carol Van Why
Originally published in the September 2018 issue of the 1666 Coffman Newsletter

In June, the Library Committee asked you to tell us what new books you’d like to see in the library. Those titles are among the dozens that will begin to appear on the library’s Recent Arrivals shelves (just inside the second floor door to the right) this week. You can also find them under the “We Suggest” menu item New Books – 2018.
Our statistics tell us that Coffman’s reading interests, in order of popularity, are fiction, mystery, biography, and history. With the help of a financial donation from a resident, the Library Committee has been able to purchase 17 new books in the mystery/thriller genre. Look for new books by favorite authors like Baldacci, Krueger, Penny, Sandford, and Winspear.

You’ll be happy to hear that several of our new fiction purchases are based on such historical figures as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton and Alma Mahler. A new work by a favorite Minnesota author, Julie Schumacher, and popular fiction by contemporary Asian American authors should also be popular with Coffman readers.

Many of our nonfiction purchases are award winners and will grace library shelves for years. Biography highlights include recent works on Grant and Eisenhower. At least two of our history selections are actually true crime tales set in previous centuries. If you liked The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson these may appeal to you.

Though not as popular with Coffman readers, our science and environment collections contain more award-winning titles per shelf than any other library category. We’re pleased to have added important new books on both the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. And most readers will not be able to resist Simon Winchester’s latest. Now there’s an author who has proven to be able to turn any subject into a riveting read.

I hope you’re inspired to browse what’s new in the library. To help, we’ve put together a list of all the new titles, arranged by genre or subject. Pick up your own copy from the library’s table today.

For the next couple of months when the new books are not signed out to others,
you’ll find them on the library’s Recent Arrivals shelves. Thereafter, you’ll find them shelved in their permanent locations.

Don’t forget to sign books out and return them promptly for your fellow residents to enjoy.