The Quality Paperback Book Club® Announces the 2010 Winners of the New Visions/New Voices Awards

NEW YORK, May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quality Paperback Book Club® announced today the winners of the 2010 New Voices/New Vision Awards.  The New Voices Award has been given to Paolo Giordano for his novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers (Pamela Dorman Books), and The New Visions Award has been given to Lisa Miller for her book Heaven (HarperCollins).

The New Voices award is given out yearly to a debut novelist of an outstanding work of fiction. "The Quality Paperback Book Club is proud to champion new writers and the New Voices award is our way or drawing attention to an important new voice in the fiction world," said Michael Connor, Senior Editor, The Quality Paperback Book Club.

"During a recent trip to the U.S., I felt overwhelmed by the thousands of astonishing books available," stated winner Paolo Giordano. "I thought, how would someone possibly pick up the shy and lonely The Solitude of Prime Numbers. They weren't ready for that! So I was shocked and honored when QPB selected my novel for their 2010 QPB New Voices Award. Thank you to QPB and their book-club members. Prime numbers are learning to be bold."

The New Visions award, also given out yearly, is awarded to a nonfiction author who is recognized for changing and or challenging readers' thoughts on a subject in a meaningful way. "It's never easy to break through the noise of popular culture and we're thrilled to be able to call attention to writers who are breaking down barriers and opening up a thoughtful dialogue with their readers through their writing," said Michael Connor. Award winner Lisa Miller said, "I am thrilled to be the recipient of the New Visions Award, and honored given the high quality of the competition. Thank you, QPB!"

Past award winners have included The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti and The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. About the wining books:

The Solitude of Prime Numbers: A prime number can only be divided by itself or by one-it never truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia, both "primes," are misfits who seem destined to be alone. Haunted by childhood tragedies that mark their lives, they cannot reach out to anyone else. When Alice and Mattia meet as teenagers, they recognize in each other a kindred, damaged spirit. But the mathematically gifted Mattia accepts a research position that takes him thousands of miles away, and the two are forced to separate. Then a chance occurrence reunites them and forces a lifetime of concealed emotion to the surface

Heaven: A groundbreaking and accessible history of heaven—from the earliest biblical conceptions of the afterlife to the theologians who frame our understandings to the convictions and perceptions of everyday people. Drawing on history and popular culture, biblical research and everyday beliefs, Heaven offers a new understanding of one of the most cherished—and shared—ideals of spiritual life. Lisa Miller raises debates and discussions not just about our visions of the afterlife, but about how our beliefs have influenced the societies we have built and the lifestyles to which we have subscribed, exploring the roots of our beliefs in heaven and how these have evolved throughout the ages to offer comfort and hope.

Founded in 1974, The Quality Paperback Book Club® is one of the best-known and most respected book clubs in the world.  The Quality Paperback Book Club® serves a large audience of general interest readers, offering a vast selection of the best new titles available only through the club in exclusive paperback editions. Subjects include literary fiction, nonfiction, popular culture, self-help and more.

Direct Brands Inc. is the largest direct-to-consumer club network for books, DVDs and recorded music in the U.S.  The company is home to such market-leading book, DVD and music club brands as Book-of-the-Month Club, Doubleday Book Club and Columbia House, among its 24 multi-platform businesses, as well as several other special interest and lifestyle book clubs. The company serves more than 8 million members in the U.S. through its various club catalogs and online.  www.booksonline.com

SOURCE Direct Brands Inc.