NZLive.com is making a big fuss and hoopla over the Montana New Zealand Book Awards this year – because we think NZ authors and publishers are worth it!

The judging of New Zealand’s best books published during the 2007 calendar year is carried out across eight categories – Fiction, Poetry, Biography, History, Reference & Anthology, Environment, Illustrative, and Lifestyle & Contemporary Culture.

Each week we will be profiling one or two of these categories right here on the Lively blog. We will have links to reviews, news and interviews – all you need to know about the finalists. We also will have a copy of one of the books from each category to give away on NZLive.com.

Remember to come back each week to learn all about a new category and go into the draw to win one of these lovely books on Lively.

The full list of finalists in the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards by category are:

Fiction:
The Blue by Mary McCallum (Penguin Group (NZ))
Edwin & Matilda by Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Group (NZ))
Luminous by Alice Tawhai (Huia Publishers)
Opportunity by Charlotte Grimshaw (Random House NZ)

Poetry:
Cold Snack by Janet Charman (Auckland University Press)
A Long Girl Ago by Johanna Aitchison (Victoria University Press)
The Pop-Up Book of Invasions by Fiona Farrell (Auckland University Press)

Biography:
The Best Man Who Ever Served the Crown? A Life of Donald McLean by Ray Fargher (Victoria University Press)
The Life and Times of James Walter Chapman-Taylor byJudy Siers (Millwood Heritage Productions Ltd)
Waimarino County & Other Excursions by Martin Edmond (Auckland University Press)

History:
Age of Enterprise: Rediscovering the New Zealand Entrepreneur 1881-1910 by Ian Hunter (Auckland University Press)
Devils on Horses by Terry Kinloch (Exisle Publishing)
Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka Volume II: Te Ara Hou - The New Society by Hilary and John Mitchell (Huia Publishers)

Environment:
Southern Alps by Alison Ballance (Random House NZ)
The Surface of the Sea: Encounters with New Zealand’s Upper Ocean Life by Iain Anderson (Raupo Publishing)
Wetlands of New Zealand by Janet Hunt (Random House NZ)

Illustrative:
Aberhart by Laurence Aberhart, with essays by Gregory O’Brien and Justin Paton (Victoria University Press)
Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning by Jennifer Hay, with Ron Brownson, Chris Knox
and Laurence Aberhart; designed by Aaron Beehre (Christchurch Art Gallery)
Comma dot dogma edited by Aaron Kreisler (Umbrella)

Lifestyle and Contemporary Culture:
InForm: New Zealand Graffiti Artists Discuss Their Work by Elliot O’Donnell (Raupo Publishing)
Mau Moko: The World of Māori Tattoo by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Penguin Group (NZ))
Shot In New Zealand: The art and craft of the Kiwi cinematographer by Duncan Petrie (Random House NZ)

Reference and Anthology:
Look This Way: New Zealand Writers on New Zealand Artists edited by Sally Blundell (Auckland University Press)
A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 years of the New Zealand School Journal by Gregory O’Brien (Learning Media Limited)
The Transit of Venus edited by Mary Varnham (Awa Press)

The winner in each category receives a prize of $5,000. Each category winner is eligible for the Montana Medal for non fiction or the Montana Medal for poetry or fiction, both of which carry a prize of $10,000.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner to be held at the Wellington Town Hall on Monday, 21 July 2008. The winners of the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards will be announced at this ceremony. The winner of the poetry category will be announced on Montana Poetry Day on Friday 18 July 2008.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

Visit the Montana New Zealand Book Awards website.
Visit the Montana Poetry Day website.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under Culture online, Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.