Reviews+ Reviews+

The Oregon Book Award winners are announced. Cyrus Cassells wins the Jackson Poetry Prize. Finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards and German Nonfiction Prize are announced, along with longlists for the CWA Dagger Awards and the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Mystery Writers of America’s 79th Edgar Awards will be celebrated tomorrow, May 1; CrimeReads hosts a roundtable with the nominees to discuss the state of crime writing. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for this week’s top holds title, 25 Alive by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro. British novelist Jane Gardam has died at the age of 96.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prize winners are announced, including Jiaming Tang, Laura Beers, Jesse Katz, Jennine Capó Crucet, Andrea Freeman, Danielle Trussoni, and Kelly Link. The Plutarch Award shortlist, is announced along with the finalists for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards for Emerging Writers and the Theakston Awards longlist. Globe Pequot is purchasing Square One Publishers, while Alliance has canceled an agreement to purchase the bankrupt Diamond Comics. Plus, Philip Pullman will publish The Rose Field, the third and final volume in “The Book of Dust” series, in October.

25 Alive by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Danielle Steel, Kristen Perrin, Sarah Penner, and Liann Zhang. Five LibraryReads and eight Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is Notes to John by Joan Didion. Plus, interviews arrive with Isabel Allende, Jason Bailey, Sarah Penner, Liann Zhang, Drew Harvell, and Bill Belichick.

Tommy Orange’s Wandering Stars wins the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Denene Millner’s One Blood wins Georgia’s top literary award, the Townsend Prize. A coalition of literary advocates are opposing Florida House Bill 1539, which would require schools to remove any book deemed harmful to minors within five days of a challenge. People explores how a Department of Education shutdown could impact book bans. Plus, Page to Screen and where to start with the works of Terry Pratchett.