What To Read

National Book Award for Fiction

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

The judges called this novel a "beautiful, biting, darkly comic, and provocative... snapshot of America."  

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

The committee called this "a mordant, linguistically deft historical novel about the ambiguities of the Jewish-American experience, presenting ideas and disputes as volatile as its tightly-wound plot."

Booker Prize

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

The panel said "Karunatilaka’s second novel is a searing, mordantly funny satire set amid the murderous mayhem of a Sri Lanka beset by civil war."

International Booker Prize

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

The judges described this as "an urgent yet engaging protest against the destructive impact of borders, whether between religions, countries or genders."

Women's Prize for Fiction

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

The Women's Prize called this "classic Ruth Ozeki – bold, humane and heartbreaking."

Kirkus Prize for Fiction

Trust by Hernan Diaz

This book was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times and Washington Post. Kirkus called it "a clever and affecting high-concept novel of high finance."

PEN/Hemingway Award for Best Debut Novel

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

The judges hailed Peters' prose for its "unique energy which keeps the narrative moving as she threads in and out of the consciousness of her unforgettable characters."

PEN/Faulkner Award

The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine 

The judges lauded this selection as "a novel that cries out to be heard and that teaches us, both intrinsically and extrinsically, what story can do."

National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (published 2021)

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

The committee commended the author for "weaving several centuries’ worth of ‘songs’ from the ancestors into her narrative of the coming of age and young adulthood of a brilliant Atlanta scholar."

The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga

This novel, also named one of Buzzfeed's best books of the year this week, was praised by the Center for Fiction because it "exposes the gaps in American identity politics and reexamines the faces of empire."

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

The selection committee chair called it "a brilliantly fictionalized reclamation of Asian American history." 

Edgar Award for Best Novel (Mystery)

Five Decembers by James Kestrel

Mystery master Stephen King described this award winner as "Hard-as-nails mystery/suspense/noir set against a backdrop of war in the Pacific. One hell of a good story.”

Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (Mystery)

Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron

Library Journal said fans will want to check out this final installment in Byron's award winning mystery series, which "brings Cajun food, culture, and music together."

Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel (Mystery)

Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day

Writing for the New York Times, author Sarah Weinman called this "an elegantly constructed mystery that on every page reinforces the message that everyone counts."

Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

NPR called the book "addictive, arresting entertainment" that "cements [the author's] ascension as a prince of the literary action thriller."

The Hugo Award for Best Novel (Science Fiction / Fantasy)

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

The New York Journal of Books called this second novel in Martine's Teixcalaan series "timely, intelligent, and fascinating."

Nebula Award for Best Novel (Science Fiction / Fantasy)

Network Effect by Martha Wells

"Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century" said the Nebula Awards panel.