Traverse City, MI, June 17, 2021—Casting into Mystery, written by Robert Reid with engravings by Wesley W. Bates, garnered a bronze medal in the 2020 INDIES Book of the Year Awards.
Published by The Porcupine’s Quill, the literary fly angling memoir has won two silver medals and one bronze medal in international literary competitions. It was one of seven finalists in the Nature category. Reviewers have praised the book in Canada, the U.S. and England.
‘Wesley and I are thrilled to win a bronze medal,’ Reid said. ‘We thank our publisher, Porcupine’s Quill, and the the 2020 INDIES Book of the Year Awards, including its judges. The award is especially gratifying considering the challenges wrought by the global pandemic over the last two years.’
As part of its mission to discover, review and share the best books from university and independent publishers, Foreword Reviews is announced the medalists on June 17, 2012. The gold went to Walks of a Lifetime in America’s National Parks, while the silver went to Wolf Island.
More than 2,000 entries ranging over 55 genres were submitted for consideration. The finalists were determined by Foreword’s editorial team. Winners were selected by teams of librarian and bookseller judges from across America.
The complete list of finalists can be found at: www.forewordreviews.com/awards/winners/2020/
‘The COVID-19 pandemic did not slow down the quality of great books coming from the independent publishing community in 2020. The finalist selection process was one of the hardest our team encountered due to the number of excellent submissions,’ said Victoria Sutherland, publisher.
‘In typical years, the judging process involves our team gathering and discussing books in real time,’ says managing editor, Michelle Anne Schingler. ‘This year we had to read separately, take notes and convene to discuss the entrants after we’d all taken a turn with them on our own.
‘While at first the change was nerve-wracking, we were delighted to discover that we we’re as much in agreement when the process takes place across miles and weeks as we are when we’re sitting face-to-face. We’re as confident as ever that the finalists reflect the best of the books we’ve had the privilege of reading and evaluating.’
Winners in each genre—along with Editor’s Choice Prize winners and Foreword’s Independent Publisher of the Year—will be announced June 17, 2021.
Since 1998 Foreword Reviews has provided trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses. The magazine is a favourite among librarians, booksellers and readers—an excellent resource when it comes to purchasing books.
2020 Finalist for Nature:
Casting into Mystery
Contributor(s)
Robert Reid and Wesley W. Bates (illustrator)
Publisher
The Porcupine’s Quill ISBN-13
978-0-88984-428-5
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
A Haven in the Sun
Contributor(s)
B.C. Robison and Linda M. Feltner (illustrator)
Publisher
Texas Tech University Press ISBN-13
978-1-68283-063-5
Publication Date: June 15, 2020
The Hidden Life of Ice
Publisher
The Experiment ISBN-13
978-1-61519-699-9
Publication Date: August 18, 2020
Trees
Publisher
Earth Aware ISBN-13
978-1-68383-926-2
Publication Date: July 14, 2020
Wolf Island
Contributor(s)
L. David Mech and Greg Breining
Publisher
University of Minnesota Press ISBN-13
978-1-5179-0825-6
Publication Date: October 13, 2020
Garden Design Master Class
Publisher
Rizzoli New York ISBN-13
978-0-8478-6666-3
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Walks of a Lifetime in America’s National Parks
Publisher
Falcon Guides ISBN-13
978-1-4930-3925-8
Publication Date: July 30, 2020