Southern Book Prize winners announced

The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance have chosen the best in southern literature with the 2017 Southern Book Prize. Formerly the "SIBA Book Award," the Southern Book Prize “features an expanded list of categories, inspired by the tastes and inclinations of Southern readers,” according to the association’s website. The books are nominated by booksellers and their customers, narrowed down to a few by bookstores and selected for the award by a jury of Southern booksellers.

According to the website, “…these are the Southern books that Southern bookstores were most passionate about, and inspired the most "you've got to read this" moments and "hand sell" moments in stores across the South. They represent the best of Southern literature, from the people who would know—Southern indie booksellers.”

2017 Southern Book Prize Winners

Coming of Age
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (Harper, 9780062491794)

Family Life: A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe (Gallery Books, 9781501125539)

Historical
Chasing the North Star by Robert Morgan (Algonquin Books, 9781565126275)

Literary
Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks (Hub City Press, 9781938235214)

Mystery & Detective
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter (William Morrow & Company, 9780062430212)

Southern Stories & Stories by Southerners
The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg (Random House, 9781400065950)

Thriller
Redemption Road by John Hart (Thomas Dunne Books, 9780312380366). Read Louisiana Book News' review of this book here.

Juvenile
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart (Delacorte Press, 9780553536744)  

Biography, Autobiography, & Memoir
The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature by J Drew Lanham (Milkweed, 9781571313157)

Cooking
Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard (Little Brown and Company, 9780316381109)

Creative Nonfiction
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J D Vance (Harper, 9780062300546)

For more information about the Southern Book Prize, visit
http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/read-this/siba-book-awards

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.