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The Winners' Circle: Must-Read Award-Winning Books (2024-2025)
20
items There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a book and knowing exactly why it won a prestigious prize. I’ve hand-picked 20 of the most celebrated titles from the last year , covering everything from the Booker Prize to the Pulitzer. Whether y...
Sections
4
The Heavy Hitters (Prestigious Fiction)
The People’s Choice (Goodreads & B&N Favorites)
Deep Dives (Award-Winning Non-Fiction)
The Wildcards (Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Debut)
The Heavy Hitters (Prestigious Fiction)
These are the books that defined the year. If you’re looking for a story that makes you think, challenges your perspective, or just leaves you staring at the wall in awe after the last page, start here. These aren't just award-winners; they’re future...
Award: Winner of the Booker Prize 2024.
A slim but incredibly powerful novel about six astronauts watching the Earth from above. It feels like a long, beautiful poem about humanity.
A slim but incredibly powerful novel about six astronauts watching the Earth from above. It feels like a long, beautiful poem about humanity.
Orbital (Booker Prize Winner)|Hardcover
Award: Winner of the National Book Award 2024 & Pulitzer Finalist.
A brilliant reimagining of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s perspective. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and very necessary.
A brilliant reimagining of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s perspective. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and very necessary.
James (Pulitzer Prize Winner) (National Book...
Award: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2024.
Set after the Civil War in an asylum, this is a haunting story of a mother and daughter trying to heal. The writing is just stunning.
Set after the Civil War in an asylum, this is a haunting story of a mother and daughter trying to heal. The writing is just stunning.
Night Watch: A novel Reviews & Ratings
Award: Booker Prize Shortlist 2024.
Part spy thriller, part deep philosophy. It follows a secret agent infiltrating an eco-activist group in France.
Part spy thriller, part deep philosophy. It follows a secret agent infiltrating an eco-activist group in France.
The Lover, Wartime Notebooks, Practicalities: Introduction by Rachel Kushner|Hardcover
Award: Booker Prize Shortlist 2024.
A twisted, atmospheric story set in 1960s Netherlands. It’s a slow-burn mystery about desire and a dark family legacy.
A twisted, atmospheric story set in 1960s Netherlands. It’s a slow-burn mystery about desire and a dark family legacy.
The Safekeep
Award: National Book Award Finalist.
An emotional look at friendship and exile. It’s a quiet book that stays with you long after the final page.
An emotional look at friendship and exile. It’s a quiet book that stays with you long after the final page.
My Friends: A Novel ~ SIGNED TO TITLE PAGE ...
The People’s Choice (Goodreads & B&N Favorites)
Sometimes we just want a book that we know we’re going to enjoy. This section is all about the ‘unputdownables’ , the books with thousands of 5-star reviews and the ones that trended on BookTok for months. From cozy romances to pulse-pounding thrille...
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Mystery & Thriller 2024.
A young girl goes missing from a summer camp in 1975. This is a "stay up all night" kind of mystery.
A young girl goes missing from a summer camp in 1975. This is a "stay up all night" kind of mystery.
The God of the Woods: A Novel Reviews & Ratings
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Historical Fiction 2024.
Finally, a story focusing on the nurses who served in the Vietnam War. It’s incredibly moving and cinematic
Finally, a story focusing on the nurses who served in the Vietnam War. It’s incredibly moving and cinematic
The Women: A Novel|Hardcover
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Romance 2024.
Emily Henry does it again. If you need a "comfort read" that actually has depth and great banter, this is the one.
Emily Henry does it again. If you need a "comfort read" that actually has depth and great banter, this is the one.
Funny Story|Hardcover
Award: Read with Jenna Pick & B&N Favorite. A surprisingly funny and honest look at a woman who finds herself at a stranger's wedding during a personal crisis.
The Wedding People: A Novel
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Romantasy 2024.
For everyone who loves the "grumpy x sunshine" trope with a magical, slightly evil twist.
For everyone who loves the "grumpy x sunshine" trope with a magical, slightly evil twist.
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Award: Multiple "Best of Year" lists 2024/25. Two brothers navigating grief and very complicated love lives. It’s classic Rooney, intense and very human.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Deep Dives (Award-Winning Non-Fiction)
I love a book that makes me smarter or changes how I see the world. Whether it's a raw, honest memoir or a deep dive into the psychology of our modern world, these titles won awards for being incredibly researched and deeply moving. Perfect for when ...
Award: National Book Award Finalist 2024.
A powerful meditation on life, loss, and the power of art after the attempt on his life. It’s an act of pure courage.
A powerful meditation on life, loss, and the power of art after the attempt on his life. It’s an act of pure courage.
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder
Award: New York Times Bestseller & Top Non-Fiction Pick.
A must-read for anyone curious about how the "phone-based childhood" is affecting our mental health.
A must-read for anyone curious about how the "phone-based childhood" is affecting our mental health.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness|Hardcover
Award: Winner of the National Book Award for Non-Fiction 2024.
A deeply researched and humanizing look at the world of human smuggling. It's intense but eye-opening.
A deeply researched and humanizing look at the world of human smuggling. It's intense but eye-opening.
Soldiers, Kings, and Survival: Hope in a World of Humans and Power
Award: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2024.
The first major biography of MLK Jr. in decades. It shows him as a real person , with strengths, fears, and doubts
The first major biography of MLK Jr. in decades. It shows him as a real person , with strengths, fears, and doubts
King: A Life|Hardcover
Award: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir 2024.
A sister’s search for justice decades after a tragic loss. It’s part memoir, part true crime, and completely beautiful.
A sister’s search for justice decades after a tragic loss. It’s part memoir, part true crime, and completely beautiful.
Liliana's Invincible Summer: Sister's Search
The Wildcards (Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Debut)
This is my favorite section because it’s full of surprises. These are the books that broke the rules , genre-bending stories, magical worlds, and fresh new voices that took the literary world by storm. If you’re tired of the 'same old stories' and wa...
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Debut Novel 2024.
A time-travel romance that is also a spy thriller and a comedy. Truly unlike anything else I've read this year.
A time-travel romance that is also a spy thriller and a comedy. Truly unlike anything else I've read this year.
The Ministry of Time: A Novel [WITH SIGNED ...
Award: Goodreads Choice Winner - Fantasy 2024.
The long-awaited sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. It’s a warm hug in book form.
The long-awaited sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. It’s a warm hug in book form.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Hardcover
Award: National Book Award Finalist & Best Debut Shortlists.
A poet’s first novel about a young man obsessed with martyrs. It’s vibrant, energetic, and totally original.
A poet’s first novel about a young man obsessed with martyrs. It’s vibrant, energetic, and totally original.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar