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Mountains & Plains
Independent Booksellers Association
Announces the
Winners of the 2017
Reading the West Book Awards


The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA) is honored to announce the 2017 Reading the West Book Awards Winners in the Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, and Children's Books categories. The Reading the West Book Awards winning authors and their books will be celebrated at a special luncheon at the MPIBA 2018 Fall Discovery Show in October in Denver, Colorado.

MPIBA founded the Reading the West Book Awards (formerly known as the Regional Book Awards) program almost 30 years ago to assist publishers, authors, and booksellers in promoting and building sales for exceptional books and authors in the Mountains & Plains region. Titles are nominated by their publishers, then read and voted on by reading committees made up of independent bookstore staff and other industry professionals.

These adult and children’s titles exemplify the best in writing and/or illustration whose subject matter is set in the MPIBA region or invokes the spirit of the region.

And the Winners Are:
Adult Fiction
by Jamie Harrison

Counterpoint Press
ISBN 9781619029286
ISBN 9781640090361

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

"What keeps you reading is not just the quality of the writing, which is just absolutely wonderful, but also to find out: Is [Dulcy] going to [remake herself]? Can this be successful? Or is she going to be found out?" ―Nancy Pearl, Morning Edition, NPR

The Widow Nash is a riveting narrative, filled with a colorful cast of characters, rich historical details, and epic set pieces. Europe in summer. New York in fall. Africa in winter. The lively, unforgettable town of Livingston, Montana. And in Dulcy, Jamie Harrison has created an indelible heroine sure to capture the hearts of readers everywhere.

"This gorgeously written historical novel follows Dulcy, a young woman in 1904 who attempts to flee her late father's business problems―and her violent ex-fiance's grasp―by traveling west and posing as a wealthy widow." ―Entertainment Weekly
About the Author

Jamie Harrison has lived in Montana with her family for almost thirty years. She has worked as a caterer, writer, and as a technical editor for archaeological, botanical, and biological reports. She is the daughter of Jim Harrison.
Adult Nonfiction
by David Grann

Doubleday: ISBN 9780385534246
Vintage: ISBN 9780307742483

New York Times Bestseller; National Book Award Finalist; New York Times Notable Book

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of Z , a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director,
J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
About the Author

David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the best-selling author of The Lost City of Z , which was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post , and other publications and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. He is also the author of The Devil and Sherlock Holmes . His work has garnered several honors for outstanding journalism, including a George Polk Award.
About the Author

Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. Dusti holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master of Education, but she eventually realized that her true passion was writing. The Day We Met , her self-published YA novel, has sold over 20,000 copies. She currently lives in Carefree, Arizona, with her husband, three daughters, one bobcat, a pack of coyotes, a couple of chuckwallas, several rattlesnakes, and a few herds of javelina.
Children's
by Dusti Bowling

Sterling Children’s Books
ISBN 9781454923459

"Aven is a perky, hilarious, and inspiring protagonist whose attitude and humor will linger even after the last page has turned." --School Library Journal (Starred review)

Chosen for the Autumn 2017
Kids' Indie Next List 

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she'll have to answer the question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It's hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven's about to discover she can do it all ... even without arms.
Thank you to the 2017 Reading the West Committee Members:
Adult Committee: Ben Rybeck, Chair, Brazos Bookstore; April Gosling, formerly of Boulder B ook Store; Betsy Prouty, The King's English Bookshop; Mark Lehnertz and Lucas Sorenson, Tattered Cover Book Store.

Children's Committee: Sarah Hopkins, Chair, The Bookworm of Edwards; Rachel Haisley, The King's English Bookshop; Marilyn Robbins, BookBar; Eugenia Vela, BookPeople Bookstore; Margaret Noteman, Tattered Cover Book Store.
Mark your calendars!
Fall Discovery Show, October 11-13, 2018
Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel




Heather Duncan, MPIBA Executive Director
: Who am I writing for? (Audience
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