Adult Winter Reading Program
Each January-March, Wolfner Library offers an Adult Winter Reading Program. Each year features a unique theme and a choice of 100 titles to read. Prizes are awarded to top readers and there is a selection of smaller, randomly drawn participation prizes.
Announcing the 2019Adult Winter Reading Program:
And the Award Goes To…
This program will feature the best of the best in our collection. No matter what type of fiction or nonfiction you enjoy, there is a category here for you. Register for the Adult Winter Reading Program and enjoy exploring award winners in a variety of genres.
For 2019, registration opens on Dec. 3, 2018, and the program will start Jan. 2 and run through March 4. We hope the expanded length of the program enhances your enjoyment. The deadline for submitting the number of books read will be March 11, 2019. To qualify for prizes, patrons must read at least 10 titles from the provided reading list.
Patrons may elect to enjoy the program by category or by individual title. Wolfner Library would like to thank the Library Users of Missouri for funding this year’s Adult Winter Reading Program.
A brief description of this year’s ten categories:
Agatha Award Winners
Named after Agatha Christie, the Agatha Award honors books written in the cozy mystery genre. Cozy mysteries feature amateur sleuths, little sex or violence, and for being set in socially intimate communities.
Christy Award Winners
Named for Catherine Marshall’s novel Christy, The Christy Award features the best of Christian Fiction. Subcategories of the award include contemporary, historical, gentle romance, and suspense books written from a perspective of faith.
Edgar Award Winners
Named after the father of the detective mystery tale, Edgar Allan Poe, the Edgar Award honors the best in mystery fiction or non-fiction published in the previous year.
Gateway Award Winners
Named in honor of the St. Louis Arch, the Gateway Award honors the best of young adult literature as chosen yearly by Missouri high school students.
Man Booker Prize
For lovers of international fiction, the Man Booker prize is awarded yearly to one novel published in English within the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth, Ireland and South Africa and is the equivalent of the American Pulitzer.
Hugo Awards
Named after Hugo Gernsback, a pioneer in the science fiction genre, the Hugo Awards honors the best in science fiction and fantasy.
National Book Awards
The National Book Foundation presents yearly awards for the best books in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. The award aims to celebrate the best in American literature and each winner must be a United States author.
Pulitzer Prize Winners
One of the five categories of Pulitzer Prizes awarded each year is the Pulitzer Prize in Literature. Within that category are subcategories for the best fiction, drama, history, biography, poetry, and general nonfiction books written by American authors.
RITA Award Winners
Named after romance author Rita Clay Estrada, the RITA Award honors the best in romance fiction. With subcategories for contemporary, historical, inspirational, paranormal, and young adult, there is a wide variety from which to choose in this category.
Spur Award Winners
If books set in the American West are your favorite, then the Spur Awards are for you. This award honors westerns and other books set in America’s frontier.
Previous Themes:
Below are the available recommended reading lists for previous years. Feel free to explore the themes to find new books to experience! All of the lists are linked to BARD.
2018: Read-a-Likes
2017: Passport to Adventure
2016: Thrillers and Killers (Mysteries and True Crime)
2015: The Beginning of Our Great Nation (American History)
2014: Broaden Your Horizon! Read Locally Produced Books
2013: Books Made Into Movies
2012: Stories from Our Past: American Historical Fiction
2011: Mystery Loves Company
2010: Getting to Know You (Biographies)