[dropcap]Since [/dropcap]the 2019 Atlantic Book Awards have been given out, it seemed like a good time to lock in my 2019 long list for the summer. Any books I am currently reading will be put on the 2020 long list (if deemed worthy, of course). I will announce a shortlist in August. 
It was a very good year for reading, and I found myself adding book after book to the list (that’s why it’s a long list, right?). I was particularly impressed by the past year’s non-fiction titles. They were quite diverse, from ships to trees of New Brunswick, to Afghanistan to poor houses in Nova Scotia, just to name several subjects. While many books have origins here in Atlantic Canada, there are some excellent small press publishers in Quebec producing English-language titles (or translations from French). Baraka Books, QC Fiction, and Linda Leith Publishing all have books on the Fiction list. Finally, I would like to declare that there is a tie in the Short Fiction category, as there are only two collections of short stories that made the list, and I didn’t want to have to choose between them! So, congratulations to Aaron Kreuter and Kris Bertin for sharing a “The Very Best! Book Award for Short Fiction!
Here are all 33 titles, separated into Fiction, First Book and Non-Fiction.
Fiction (15 Titles)
- Explosions by Mathieu Poulin (Translated by Aleshia Jensen)
- In the Wake by Nicola Davison (also Best First Book: Fiction)
- Circle on the Surface by Carol Bruneau
- The Madrigal by Dian Day (guest-hosted review at Consumed by Ink)
- Hutchison Street by Abla Farhoud
- The Small Things That End the World by Jeannette Lynes
- The Crackie by Gary Collins
- Ramya’s Treasure by Pratap Reddy
- The Philistine by Leila Marshy (also Best First Book: Fiction)
- The Death and Life of Strother Purcell by Ian Weir
- At The Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham
- Fog by Rana Bose
- Celtic Knot: a Clara Swift Tale by Ann Shortell
- Land Beyond the Sea by Kevin Major
- A Joy to Be Hidden by Ariela Freedman
Best Short Fiction (2 Titles, therefore a tie)
- You and Me, Belonging by Aaron Kreuter (Short Fiction)
- Use Your Imagination! by Kris Bertin (Short Fiction)
Best First Book, Fiction or Non-Fiction (5 Titles)
- The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau (Fiction)
- Deli Meat by Tom Halford (Fiction)
- Peacock in the Snow by Anubha Mehta (Fiction)
- Under the Floorboard by Wendy Ranby (Fiction, YA)
- La Brigantessa by Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli
Non-Fiction (11 Titles)
- Hiking Trails of New Brunswick by Marianne Eislet and H.A. Eislet
- Fishing the High Country: A Memoir of the River by Wayne Curtis
- A Wholesome Horror: Poor Houses of Nova Scotia by Brenda Thompson
- Cops in Kabul: A Newfoundland Peacekeeper in Afghanistan by William C. Malone (also best First Book: Non-Fiction)
- A Family of Brothers by J. Brent Wilson
- Canadian Confederate Cruiser: The Story of the Steamer Queen Victoria by John G. Langley
- In the Court of Better Fiction by Debra Komar
- The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster by Bruce Campbell
- About Face: Essays on Recovery, Therapies, and Controversies of Addictions in Canada Edited by Douglas Gosse
- Airborne: Finding Foxtrot Alpha Mike by Jonathan Rotondo (also First Book: Non-Fiction)
- The Great Trees of New Brunswick (2nd Edition) by David Palmer and Tracy Glynn
Winners will be announced in mid to late September. In the meantime, I’m going to use the summer months to revisit all the books here and transition to a shortlist in August. I’ll be highlighting books from this list on the official Miramichi Reader’s “The Very Best!” Book Awards Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theverybestbookawards
James M. Fisher is the Founding Editor of The Miramichi Reader. He began TMR in 2015, realizing that there was a genuine need for more book reviews of Canadian literature. It has since become Canada’s best-regarded source for the finest in new literary releases. James has been interviewed about TMR on CBC Radio and other media sites. He works as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologist and lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick with his wife Diane, their tabby cat Eddie, and Buster the Red Merle Border Collie.
