Los Angeles Times Book Awards

The Los Angeles Times has announced its nominees for the best books of 2006. It’s always interesting to see what crossover there is with other awards. In this case, Debby Applegate’s biography of Henry Ward Beecher got a nod (it’s also a candidate for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography) Daniel Mendelsohn’s The Lost was nominated for biography. (I think it was in the general nonfiction category in the NBCC awards) and Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower was one of the New York Times best books of the year. Terri Jentz’s Strange Piece of Paradise made at least two lists.

I will point out that two Bay Area authors are being honored: Peter Orner was nominated in fiction for The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo. (I have this book sitting in the back of my car; I think this nomination will get me to finally put it at the top of my TBR pile) Janice Cooke Newman, who teaches writing in the Bay Area and wrote a non-fiction book on international adoption, was nominated in the First Fiction category for her historical novel on Mary Todd Lincoln, called Mary.

The Los Angeles Times awards are interesting because they offer a western sensibility, often recognizing books that are overlooked by East Coast critics. The newpaper’s editors announce the nomination in New York, but the awards are given out in Los Angeles.

No announcement, however, about the rumored changes to the book section.

Update: Ed links to this story from Publisher's Weekly about the LA Times Book Review. It seems the editors are still tossing around ideas for the section, but it doesn't look like it will remain a stand alone section in the huge Sunday paper.