LOS ANGELES – The awards for best reads of 2017 were awarded last night by the Academy of Reading Arts and Sciences during a live telecast from Dorothy Chandler pavilion in Los Angeles. The third annual Hoggie Awards were held earlier than usual this year out of fear the planet would be uninhabitable by mid-January. Academy president Thomas Otto was caught earlier this year at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC on a live mic saying “Atwood couldn’t make this sh*t up. The smell of sulfur coming from 1600 is overwhelming.”
As usual, this year’s ceremony brought out the usual mix of gowns and glamour as the world’s literati arrived to recognize the achievement of the books that most moved, enthralled, and entertained over the past year.
BEST NOVEL – FEMALE
Judgment Day by Penelope Lively
BEST NOVEL – MALE
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
BEST AUDIO RECORDING
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
BEST RE-READ
Ben, In the World by Doris Lessing
TROLLOPE OF THE YEAR
Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope
BEST EPIC BOOKER SHORTLISTED BOOK THAT WAS UNFAIRLY PREJUDGED
4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster
BEST THOUGHTFUL, INTERESTINGLY TOLD, SLIGHTLY ANITA BROOKNERISH NOVEL
Asa, As I Knew Him by Susanna Kaysen
BEST WORK OF NON-FICTION BY NOW DISGRACED POLITICAL HERO
Giant of the Senate by Al Franken
BEST THRILLER IN WHICH TYPEWRITERS PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE
The Intercom Conspiracy by Eric Ambler
BEST NOVEL ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
BEST NOVELS BY NEW-TO-THE-ACADEMY AUTHORS
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
Atlantic Hotel by João Gilberto Noll
Ties by Domenico Starnone
Bitter Almonds by Laurence Cosse
Capital by John Lanchester
THE E.F. BENSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR BEING E.F. BENSON
Mrs Ames by E.F. Benson
hogglestock 
I love all your posts but this one was an especially fine way to round off the year! As well as being a big Trollope fan I also adore Benson. I’ve marked down quite a few to-reads here. Thanks for the blog and good luck for 2018!
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Sadly, Atlantic Hotel left me cold. I often wonder if the judges and I occupy the same planet; I’m so rarely moved by what they celebrate.
4321 was sent to me, an autographed copy no less, by the Book Depository six months ago. Maybe I’ll try it soon for all the hype it’s caused amongst the judges, and disdain amongst the readers.
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My favorite literary event of the year! I have only read Ties, which I also enjoyed. I love those short books that pack a punch.
I look forward to getting to Rachel Ray at some point. I don’t really need to be sold on Trollope but your enthusiastic review certainly made me put it closer to the top of my list!
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A very fun list! I’m hoping 2018 will be my year for reading more Penelope Lively (I’ve loved the 7 or 8 of her books I’ve read so far) and thanks to you perhaps I’ll start with Judgement Day.
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An award list I look forward to every year. I have a premonition that Trollope will enter my life in 2018.
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Great awards list. I am still debating which book I would put in the typewriter category!
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Here’s to hoping our reading lists overlap in 2018!
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Hearty congrats to E.F. Benson.
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We weren’t sure if he was going to get the prize this year. It was neck and neck with E.F. Benson.
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This annual review always makes me chuckle! I haven’t read a single one of these titles, but I admit Nutshell has me intrigued a little bit. I read WAY too many “new releases” in 2017 and plan on moving back to my neglected shelves for some backlist reading this year.
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