Bookish Academy Awards 2021

This is one of my favorite book tags. I have done this for the last two years and it’s always a ton of fun! This takes Academy Awards categories and puts a bookish spin on them. There are various versions of this tag/ questions so I have just kind of mashed them up together. The only books that are eligible to fill these categories are books from the previous year (2020) and I always love to mention old favorites. In 2020, I managed to read 66 books. Because I have so many options to choose from, I will only be mentioning each book or series once.

Best Actor – Best Male Protagonist

Realistically, I feel like another character could fit this spot better. The two that I would have used fit other categories better. That doesn’t mean that the main characters in this one doesn’t have a special place in my heart though! I love Lazlo! He’s not your average hero. He’s a very shy librarian that really lacks confidence in himself. I love his gentle and loving soul! 😭

Best Actress – Best Female Protagonist

Nita is one of the most villainess characters that I have ever seen! She is determined, ruthless, and she doesn’t care if she has to cut someone down. May I also mention that she is insane?

Best Cinematography – Best Plot Twist

Okay, I managed to guess the killer pretty early in this one. However, the twists getting there were wildly fun. I really enjoyed the suspense and unreliable narrator as we piece together the events of what unfolded. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I really want to!

Best Costume Design – Best Book Cover

There were some gorgeous covers last year. I went with this one because it’s very simple. I think it really captures the dark atmosphere of the story.

Best Supporting Actor – Best Male Sidekick

Jupiter North is one of the most wacky and eccentric characters that I’ve ever read about. One of his outfits is a lemon yellow suit and purple dress shoes. He is rarely serious but he becomes a father figure to our main character.

Best Supporting Actress – Best Female Sidekick

Lehabah, or Lele, is a fire spirit librarian (basically) and I really liked her! She doesn’t have a lot of page time but she was an amazing friend to the main character. I feel like she was seriously underappreciated.

Best Original Screenplay – Most Unique Plot/World

All of Brandon Sanderson’s books belong in this category, if I’m being honest. This world is so big and there are so many cultures and different people. There are also different orders of Knight’s Radiant and they each have different abilities. I can’t tell you how much world building is packed into this book.

Best Adapted Screenplay – Best Book to Movie Adaptation

I’m pretty excited because I don’t normally have something to fill this category. I read and watched The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit this year. It is one of my favorite film series of all times and it totally deserves this spot. This is my second time reading Lord of the Rings and I will be revisiting them. I feel like I appreciated the series so much more reading and watching them together.

Best Animated Feature – A Book That Would Be A Great Animated Movie

This is a middle grade novel that I think would be a great animated film because it takes place in the elven world. There is lots of magic, unusual characters, mythical creatures, and colorful settings.

Best on Screen Kiss – Best Couple/ Romance

Lou and Reid are such a wonderful couple. I love how they grow and change for each other. This book takes popular gender personality traits and spins them on their heads. Also, a book about a witch being forced to marry a witch hunter is something I’ve wanted my entire life.

Best Director – Best New-to-You Author

I’ve only read one book by Katherine Arden but her writing is beautiful and atmospheric. The Russian and folklore elements really hit the spot. It was a favorite read of mine and it’s perfect for the winter seasons.

Best Picture – Best Standalone Novel

This is one of the only standalone novels I read last year. Fortunately, it was one of my favorite reads of the year. How can you go wrong with a magical library?

Best Short Film – Best Novella or Short Story

I cheated on this question because I don’t really read short stories or novellas. At 314 pages, this is the shortest book I read that I rated high. I really enjoyed the harsh desert setting and the characters.

Best Documentary – Best Historical Fiction or Non-Fiction

My grandmother recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it. This book follows the story of one of the first female deputy sheriff in the United States. The author did a lot of research and tried to keep it mostly historically accurate. It was very slow but very entertaining.

Best Original Soundtrack – Best Audiobook

This science fiction novel is written in a very interesting format, often times using interviews to convey the story to the reader. The full cast audiobook is the best way to consume the story.

Best Visual Effects – Best Combat in a Book

Sanderson has earned another spot on this list because he is a jack of all trades. I love that his fight scenes are so detailed and easy to follow along with. He really puts a lot of effort into writing these. I also like how he incorporates magic into the fight scenes too. They always feel very cinematic (if that even makes sense).

Best Foreign Film – Best Book with Diverse Representation

There are so many wonderful characters in this book with different backgrounds, religious beliefs, and personal struggles in this book. There isn’t a single character that I don’t love and I don’t think that happens very often. I love the fantasy elements in this 1920s setting too!

Have you read any of these? What books would you put in some of these categories? Thank you for reading!

Blake