Barbara Langhorst's experience with living on the prairies is clearly evident in her debut novel, Want. Langhorst and her work have been nominated for the Saskatchewan Book Awards' prestigious Book of the Year Award, sponsored by the Regina Public Library. Langhorst was hoping for a nomination in the Best Fiction category and was surprised to learn that she was given the nod for a Book of the Year nomination. Her humility about the award is evident when she confesses, "It is (a prestigious award), and I'm up against some really impressive books so I'll be very surprised if I win."

The novel portrays a central character who is the product of an upbringing in an eccentric family. As a response to the turmoil, the central figure's mother used home redecoration to cope. Flash ahead many years to the protagonist's life on a hobby farm near Humboldt. With the onset of troubling global issues, the young woman reverts to what she knows. Langhorst explains, "Things are scary; people are talking about climate change and Ebola in Africa. People are preparing for the end of the world, and all she really wants is a new kitchen." The reader takes on a journey from this simple motivation.

Langhorst attributes the universal appeal of Want to a simple notion: "I think most people are unsettled by things that are happening in the world around them; I think most of us are a little distracted. One way we try and make ourselves feel better is to make our homes nice, to try and settle in like birds in a nest." 

The nomination follows an extensive reading tour. Langhorst details, "We read in a lot of different places in Saskatchewan: Muenster, Humboldt, Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert. We also read in Edmonton. Then we went to Ontario and read in Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto.

The Saskatchewan Book Awards will be held on April 27th in Regina.