There have been the usual end of year best-of lists popping up over the last few weeks, and it’s been fantastic to see Scribe so well represented amongst the bigger publishers.
In The Age, Australian authors chose their favourite books of the year, with Tim Winton saying of Kim Mahood’s Position Doubtful: ‘If anyone's written more beautifully and modestly about this country and its people I'm not aware of it. I think it's a treasure.’ Jacinta Halloran also gave a nod to Position Doubtful, as did Lisa Gorton.
In The Guardian’s wrap-up of best books, Position Doubtful was selected by author Di Morrissey, who said of Kim Mahood, ‘her clear-eyed understanding of the landscape and its people, is written with a raw honesty that marries the poet and the painter, and places us there, with her, to follow, learn and understand.’
Hannah Kent gave a nod to Anna Westbrook’s Dark Fires Shall Burn from earlier in the year, Graeme Simsion enjoyed Tania Chandler's crime thriller Dead in the Water, and Nikki Savva selected Troy Bramston’s new biography Paul Keating: the big-picture leader as her book of 2016.
Nikki Savva’s own account of more recent political events, The Road to Ruin: how Tony Abbott and Peta Credlin destroyed their own government was on the Dymocks best of 2016 list, as well as Tiffany McDaniel’s award-winning The Summer That Melted Everything.
The Australian Book Review 2016 Publisher Picks also included Position Doubtful (selected by Terri-ann White, Director of UWA Publishing), and Georgia Blain’s Between a Wolf and a Dog (selected by Jane Palfreyman, publisher at Allen & Unwin). Jane praised Georgia's ‘intelligence, compassion, acuity, and sheer talent’.
In The Age author picks, Toni Jordan and Charlotte Wood both chose Between a Wolf and a Dog as a highlight of the year. Charlotte said, ‘Whenever I need reminding of the preciousness of ordinary life I return to this stunning novel of forgiveness and family, which gives clear, beautiful voice to the fierce luck of being alive.’
Also represented on the list were Melissa Broder’s So Sad Today (which also made the Publisher’s Weekly best nonfiction list), John Elder Robison’s Switched On: a memoir of brain change, emotional awakening, and the emerging science of neurostimulation, Thomas Frank’s Listen, Liberal, and Jane Mayer’s Dark Money.
Dark Money made the illustrious New York Times top 10 books of the year, described as a ‘thoroughly investigated, well-documented book’. The book has been receiving a lot of attention in the aftermath of the recent US election, and was also selected by James McNamara as his book of the year in The Australian.
Readings put together a fantastic list of 50 great reads by Australian women authors which included Kim Mahood, Georgia Blain, and Tania Chandler, as well as Jacinta Halloran for The Science of Appearances, and Laura Elizabeth Woollett for her short story collection The Love of a Bad Man, which was also praised in the Alpha Reader favourite books of 2016 list.
Booklover Book Reviews gave a hat tip to Amy Stewart's rollicking romp Girl Waits with Gun, and to Nadia Dalbuono’s The American.
Scribe’s cover designs were also praised in end of year wrap-ups, with Amy Vuleta from Readings saying, ‘Scribe publishing house are known for designing some pretty gorgeous (and award-winning) covers’, mentioning Laura Thomas’ stunning cover for The Love of a Bad Man, Allison Colpoy’s designs for The Near and the Far, and Between a Wolf and a Dog, as well as Jenny Grigg’s design for A Beautiful Young Wife.
The Casual Optimist also praised Allison and Jenny in their epic end of year list of notable book covers.
Finally, Scribe's children's imprint Scribble has done well, with I Am Doodle Cat, My Donkey Benjamin, and My Pig Paulina getting some end of year love.
Like last year, it has been wonderful to see so many Scribe titles praised around the world. We at Scribe endeavour to share quality stories that are important, and it’s very encouraging when other people agree.
