If you read this blog regularly, you've probably heard me talk about my love/hate relationship with LDS fiction (meaning books written by members of the church for other members of the church). So much of it is cheesy, overwritten, unrealistic and just ... not good. But, I believe that it's improving. And I believe in supporting the crafting of books that are clean, uplifting and celebrate the unique lifestyles of LDS people. I also love how LDS authors are taking the mainstream publishing world by storm. One glance at the YA shelves at your local bookstore proves the popularity of writers like Stephenie Meyer, Shannon Hale, James Dashner, Brandon Mull, Ally Condie, Bree Despain and many more.

Since there are so many LDS authors out there, it makes sense to have a literary award just for them. This is where the Whitneys come in. Named for Orson F. Whitney, an early church apostle who prophesied that we would have Shakespeares and Miltons of our own, the Whitney Awards honor LDS writers who excel in their field. Awards are given every year to the books/authors who receive the most votes from a large panel of experts including authors, booksellers, book bloggers and more.

To encourage people to read the finalists for this year's competition, the lovely ladies over at LDS Women's Book Review are hosting the Read 'Em All Challenge. The challenge involves reading all 35 of the books which are in the running for awards. It's a lot, but the hostesses are making it worth it - members of the Whitney Academy can enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card, while those who are not are in the running for a $50 card. Nice, right? Even if you don't win the big prizes, there are lots of fun books on this year's list and you may be surprised by how many you've already read (Matched, Paranormalcy, The Scorch Trials, etc.). To sign up for this fun contest, click here.

Happy Reading!