Fantasy Book Critic: 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards Round 1 Open and My Votes (by Liviu Suciu)

Goodreads is running their third annual Goodreads Choice Awards in three rounds. Note that eligibility is restricted to books published from late December 2010 till November 30st 2011 for obvious reasons.

The process is a little complicated as Goodreads offered 15 official nominees in the various categories based on a statistical analysis of the readers preferences, but in the first round until November 13 you have a chance to vote for write-ins too and the top five write-ins will be added to make a longlist of 20 books in each of the 22 categories.

Then in the second round until November 20 you can change/keep your vote or even vote in a category you did not consider earlier if one of the extra 5 write-ins attracts your attention. Top 10 vote getters in each category become the shortlist and you have from November 21 till November 30 to vote for your choice with final results announced in December.

When official lists for an award are published, it is usually a waste of vote to choose a write-in even if allowed, but since in this case the first round is sort of preliminary, it is worth to mention your favorite and I did that in 4 of the 6 fiction categories I voted in.

I will present the cover collage of each of the six fiction categories I voted in and my vote plus my second choice if I chose a write-in that won't make that extra five.

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1: Favorite Book of 2011 (click for titles)

Write-in vote: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Second choice from the list: A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

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2: Best Fiction of 2011 (click for titles)

Vote from the list: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

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3: Best Historical Fiction of 2011 (click for list of titles)

Write-in vote: A Place Called Armageddon by CC Humphreys
Second choice from the list: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

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4: Best Fantasy of 2011 (click for list of titles)

Vote from the list: A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

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5: Best SF of 2011 (click for list of titles)

Write-in vote: The Clockwork Rocket by Greg Egan
Second choice from the list: Leviathan Wakes by James Corey

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6: Best Book by a Goodreads Author of 2011 (click for list of titles)

Write-in vote: Leviathan Wakes by James Corey
Second choice from the list: None

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Here is the full official announcement:

We want to know which books you loved from 2011. Choose the year's best books in our 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards decided entirely by readers. Select your favorites in 22 categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery & Thriller, Memoir & Autobiography, Young Adult Fantasy, and many more! Will Tina Fey's Bossypants win Favorite Book of 2011? Who has more steam—Jodi Picoult or Haruki Murakami? Will the Steve Jobs biography be a late-breaking contender? Grab a seat ringside, because it's going to be a battle until the polls close November 30! We analyzed statistics from the 87 million books added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2011 to list 15 books in 22 categories—that's 330 nominations. We did not consult a panel of experts or form a secret committee of publishing insiders. Readers know what's good and what's great. These nominations are based on a book's number of ratings and average rating as pegged by the more than 6 million readers on Goodreads. To emphasize reader's choice even more, the opening round also accepts write-in votes. So you can vote for any 2011 book published before November 30 (December books will be eligible next year). You have three chances to vote. The opening round lasts until November 13. Vote now to make sure your favorite books make it into the semifinals. On November 14, the top 5 write-in votes in each category become official nominees, bringing the total to 20 nominees in each category and you have a second opportunity to cast your vote. The final elimination round launches November 21. We will narrow the field to the top 10 books in each category, and you will have one last chance to vote. Final voting closes November 30, and winners will be announced in December.