The finalists for the 2013 Orion Book Award have been revealed. Below, we’ve linked to free samples of the finalists for your reading pleasure.
The prize honors both nonfiction and fiction, producing a unique mix of authors. Here’s more about the prize:
Each spring, just before Earth Day, an important book is presented with the Orion Book Award in recognition of its success in addressing the human relationship with the natural world in a fresh, thought-provoking, and engaging manner … This year’s selection committee includes National Book Award winner and celebrated essayist Ursula K. Le Guin; best-selling author of The Devil’s Highway and The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Luis Alberto Urrea; renowned book critic and founder of BookSlut.com, Jessa Crispin; author and Orion contributing editor Erik Reece; and Orion’s associate editor, Hannah Fries.
Free Samples of the 2013 Orion Book Award Finalists
Apocalyptic Planet by Craig Childs (Pantheon Books)
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)
Things That Are by Amy Leach (Milkweed Editions)
The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane (Viking)
The Mountain and the Fathers by Joe Wilkins (Counterpoint)
If you want more free book samples, we made similar literary mixtapes linking to free samples of the most overlooked books of the year, the ALA Youth Media Award winners, the 2012 Man Booker Longlist, the Best Horror Novels of the Year, the LA Times Book Prize nominees, and the Nebula Award nominees.