Book of the year voting is open and you get to choose your favourite

There’s plenty of variety on offer in The Courier-Mail’s search for Best Book of the Year 2021 – with $10,000 on the line for the talented nominees. VOTE NOW

A book which follows the exciting adventures of a rich botanist’s unintentional trip through Queensland with James Cook joins the ranks as The Courier-Mail searches for the best book of the year.

Lust, science, adventure, Grantlee Kieza’s book Banks has it all. The Queensland-heavy storyline follows Joseph Banks, the rich patron and botanist who accompanied James Cook on his voyage of discovery in 1770.

They were shipwrecked at what is now Cooktown and Kieza’s book gives us a new take on that adventure.

Banks by Grantlee Kieza is one of eight books (four fiction, four nonfiction) nominated for The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award for 2021 which will net the winner $10,000 as part of the Queensland Literary Awards (QLA).

Kieza is one of three former Courier-Mail journalists nominated including Susan Johnson, nominated for her novel From Where I Fell and Trent Dalton for his acclaimed second novel All Our Shimmering Skies.

All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton is a nominee for this year’s The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year award

Kieza says he’s thrilled to be nominated.

“It’s fantastic because Banks was at the forefront of the early exploration of Queensland,” he says. “And he was the first European to write extensively about Queensland so you could say he was our first tourism writer. He and Cook and the crew spent several weeks on the Endeavour River where Cooktown is now repairing the Endeavour. He had so much clout, he became president of the Royal Society and was a pre-eminent scientist.”

The QLA judges who chose the shortlist said “Queensland writing truly had a bumper year”.

“We read a mix of crowd-pleasers, heartbreakers, and even some mind-benders that offered new ways of thinking about the world. Queensland is the home to some of the country’s very best authors, as well as a host of up-and-coming voices who bring perspectives unlike any we’ve read before. These stories reflect the diverse experiences of people and their encounters with our extraordinary environment. Each book is a snapshot of humanity, full of warmth and big ideas.”

Former dancer and Queensland ballet mistress Mary Li has been nominated for her book Mary’s Last Dance

The Courier-Mail editor Chris Jones said the People’s Choice award is an important part of the literary landscape.

“The Courier-Mail has a long tradition of promoting writers and writing in our state,” Jones said.

“This award gives all Queenslanders a chance to encourage and get behind local talent.”

The winner will be announced at the Queensland Literary Awards ceremony at the State Library of Queensland on Thursday, September 9.

Voting is open until 5pm on Monday, August 16.

Find where to vote at the State Library of Queensland website.

BOOKS NOMINATED:

FICTION

All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Publishers)

A magical and imaginative fable of hope, wonder, optimism and the search for truth and goodness, filled with unforgettable characters. A WWII story of curses, promises, gifts, a quest, hidden treasure, grief, love and revenge. Molly Hook, gravedigger’s daughter, conquering her fears as she embarks on a wild, evocative journey.

All the Murmuring Bones by AG Slatter (Titan Books)

Miren O’Malley is the last of the O’Malley lineage, a once-great family that now finds

itself on hard times. An clever mix of gothic tale and short story, this brilliant novel builds a world that makes you believe in magic and monsters. Truly a magnificent achievement.

From Where I Fell by Susan Johnson (Allen & Unwin)

An engaging epistolary novel on struggle, family, and a chance friendship. It gives an engrossing insight into the lives of two women on opposite sides of the globe whose worlds become

shared. Johnson cracks her characters open, revealing their hearts with audaciousness, intelligence, and generosity.

Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings (Picador Australia)

A dazzling gothic fairy tale of rural Australia. The disappearance of Bettina Scott’s family members leads her to uncover truths about her home – the haunting spectacle of small-town psyche expertly sewn throughout the novel. There is a magic rooted in this story that grows more real with every page.

NONFICTION

With My Little Eye by Sandra Hogan (Allen & Unwin)

A delightful surprise – original, very different, and often funny (but also painfully frank at times).

This is history on an intimately human scale, and sometimes as surreal as The Sullivans meets Get Smart. Hogan lets us see through her subjects’ eyes, giving us a unique perspective on Brisbane’s past.

Banks by Grantlee Kieza (ABC Books)

A lively, interesting and well-researched biography of the naturalist who accompanied Cook on the

Endeavour and later became the most influential man in Britain’s scientific world. Banks sponsored many voyages of discovery, helped found scientific institutions, was instrumental in recommending that Botany Bay become a penal colony, and remains controversial even today.

A Question of Colour by Pattie Lees with Adam C Lees (Magabala Books)

Lees’ recollections of racism, colourism, and abuses of varying kinds are unflinching, honest, and a testament to the resilience of First Nations people. An important read for all, it forces readers to confront the atrocities and violence perpetrated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children – acts that continue to this day.

Mary’s Last Dance by Mary Li (Penguin random House)

This is the memoir of Mary McKendry who grew up in Rockhampton in a large family, went on to make her way and star in the unforgiving world of ballet, who married ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ Li Cunxin, and who returned in triumph to Queensland. There’s an understory too of the personal heartache which remained hidden from view.