Today, the Washington State Center for the Book announced the finalists for the Washington State Book Awards. The list this year is incredibly strong, featuring a number of books that blew me away last year. The judges for this year's awards include booksellers and librarians from all over the state — Bellingham, Seattle, and Spokane are all well-represented.

The winners of this year's WSBA will be announced at a ceremony and party on Saturday, Oct. 12, starting at 7 pm at the downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library. I'm excited to announce that I'll be hosting this year's ceremony. But even with my involvement, you should plan to come anyway: these are some great books and spectacular authors.

Here are the nominees:

FICTION

• The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco, of Seattle (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
• The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu, of Seattle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• So Lucky by Nicola Griffith, of Seattle (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
• Night Hawks by Charles Johnson, of Seattle (Scribner/Simon & Schuster)
• Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira, of Seattle (Viking)

POETRY

• What We Do by Michele Bombardier, of Bainbridge Island (Kelsay Press)
• The Book of Sharks by Rob Carney, formerly of Washington (Black Lawrence Press)
• Instruments of the True Measure by Laura Da’, of Newcastle (University of Arizona Press)
• Between Darkness and Trust by Lorraine Ferra, of Port Townsend (Moonpath Press)
• The Slow Art by Sierra Golden, of Seattle (Bear Star Press)

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR

• Guts by Janet Buttenweiser, of Seattle (Vine Leaves Press)
• The Shame of Losing by Sarah Cannon, of Edmonds (Red Hen Press)
• Nothing Good Can Come from This by Kristi Coulter, of Seattle (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
• The Seminarian by Patrick Parr, of Bellevue (Chicago Review Press)
• Arctic Solitaire by Paul Souders, of Seattle (Mountaineers Books)

NONFICTION

• A False Report by Ken Armstrong, of Seattle (Crown)
• Like a Mother by Angela Garbes, of Seattle (Harper Wave / HarperCollins)
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, of Shoreline (Seal Press)
• Our Native Bees by Paige Embry, of Seattle (Timber Press)
• Uplake by Ana Maria Spagna, of Stehekin (University of Washington Press)
• The Lines That Make Us: Stories from Nathan’s Bus by Nathan Vass, of Seattle (Tome Press)

PICTURE BOOKS

• Summer Supper , illustrated by Mike Austin, of Seattle, and written by Rubin Pfeffer (Random House)
• The Frightful Ride of Michael McMichael by Bonny Becker, of Seattle, and illustrated by Mark Fearing (Candlewick Press)
• Something Smells by Blake Liliane Hellman, of Seattle, and illustrated by Steven Henry, of Seattle (Simon & Schuster)
• Trevor , illustrated by Amy Hevron, of Seattle, and written by Jim Averbeck (Roaring Brook Press)
• All Are Welcome , illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman, of Seattle, and written by Alexandra Penfold (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
• Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse , illustrated by Corinna Luyken, of Olympia, and written by Marcy Campbell (Dial Books)

BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS (ages 6 to 8)

• King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth by Dori Hillestad Butler, of Kirkland (Peachtree Press)
• Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton, of Tacoma (Tundra Books)
• The Sasquatch and the Lumberjack by Crix Sheridan, of Seattle (Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch Books)

MIDDLE GRADE

• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, of North Bend (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt)
• The Ostrich and Other Lost Things by Beth Hautala, formerly of Bellingham (Philomel Books)
• Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey, of western Washington (Graphix/Scholastic Inc.)
• Wish Upon a Sleepover by Suzanne Selfors, of Bainbridge Island (Imprint/Macmillan)

YOUNG ADULT

• Unpresidented by Martha Brockenbrough, of Seattle (Feiwel & Friends)
• A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti, of Kenmore (Simon & Schuster)
• I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall, of Seattle (Viking Books for Young Readers)
• Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough, of Seattle (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
• Fast Backward by David Patneaude, of Woodinville (Koehler Books)
• The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton, of Seattle (Candlewick Press)

Congratulations to all the nominees, and we'll see you on October 12th as the winners are announced and all the nominees are celebrated. What a great year for books in Washington state!