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National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists 2025

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The National Book Critics Circle honors outstanding writing and fosters a national conversation about reading, criticism, and literature. Each March, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English the previous calendar year. These are the only national literary awards chosen by critics themselves. The finalists were announced January 20, and the winners will be announced on March 26.  

For more information, check out the National Book Critics Circle Awards.

Here are the NBCC Award Finalists for the 2025 publishing year that are in the TBP collection.

Fiction

ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell (DB 128240, BR 26309 IN PROCESS)
AUDITION by Katie Kitamura (DB 128873)
ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME, BOOK III by Solvej Balle and translated from the Danish by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell (DB 133345 IN PROCESS)
WE DO NOT PART by Kang Han and translated from the Korean by E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris (DB 126775)
WILDERNESS by Angela Flournoy (DB 132815 IN PROCESS)

Autobiography

MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks (DB 127658, BR 26364 IN PROCESS, LB 0001491)
MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME by Arundhati Roy (DB 132952 IN PROCESS)
PAPER GIRL: A MEMOIR OF HOME AND FAMILY IN A FRACTURED AMERICA by Beth Macy (DB 133313)

Biography

LOVE, QUEENIE: MERLE OBERON, HOLLYWOOD’S FIRST SOUTH ASIAN STAR by Mayukh Sen (DB 128319)
PRIDE AND PLEASURE: THE SCHUYLER SISTERS IN AN AGE OF REVOLUTION by Amanda Vaill (DB 133023 IN PROCESS)
TROUBLEMAKER: THE FIERCE, UNRULY LIFE OF JESSICA MITFORD by Carla Kaplan (IN PROCESS)

Nonfiction

AMERICA, AMÉRICA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE NEW WORLD by Greg Grandin (DB 129520)
DAUGHTERS OF THE BAMBOO GROVE: FROM CHINA TO AMERICA, A TRUE STORY OF ABDUCTION, ADOPTION, AND SEPARATED TWINS by Barbara Demick (DB 131346)
EMPIRE OF AI: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES IN SAM ALTMAN’S OPENAI by Karen Hao (DB 129721)
KING OF KINGS: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION: A STORY OF HUBRIS, DELUSION AND CATASTRIOPHIC MISCALCULATION by Scott Anderson (DB 131982)
NO MORE TEARS: THE DARK STORY OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON by Gardiner Harris (DB 128599)

Poems

NIGHT WATCH: POEMS by Kevin Young (DB 132834 IN PROCESS)

Criticism

ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad (DB 127850, LB 0001346)
TO SAVE AND TO DESTROY: WRITING AS AN OTHER by Viet Thanh Nguyen (DB 132412 IN PROCESS)

Gregg Barrios Book in Translation

SAD TIGER by Neige Sinno and translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer (DB 129828)

John Leonard Prize for Best First Book

BALDWIN: A LOVE STORY by Nicholas Boggs (DB 131983 IN PROCESS)
HUNCHBACK by Saō Ichikawa and translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton (DB 129296)
MOOD MACHINE: THE RISE OF SPOTIFY AND THE COSTS OF THE PERFECT PLAYLIST by Liz Pelly (DB 127671)
SLIP by Lucas Schaefer (DB 130508)

2026 TAYSHAS Reading List

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The 2026 TAYSHAS Reading List is here! TAYSHAS takes its name from the Caddo Indian word meaning “friends or allies.” Written as texas, texios, tejas, teyas or tayshas, the word was applied to the Caddos by the Spanish in eastern Texas, who regarded them as friends and allies against the Apaches.

The goal of the TAYSHAS reading list is to motivate young adults to become lifelong readers and to participate in the Texas reading community. Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to read books for pleasure from the list, which includes fiction and nonfiction titles. High school students are sure to find a favorite from this list! Here are the titles from the 2026 list that are in the TBP collection.

For more information, check out the Texas Library Association’s website.

Fiction

ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by DeAndra Davis (DB 129268)
BETTER THAN REVENGE by Kasia West (DB 126531)
BINGSU FOR TWO by Sujin Witherspoon (DB 127165)
CRASHING INTO YOU by Rocky Callen (DB 122976)
CURIOUS KIND OF MAGIC by Mara Rutherford (IN PROCESS)
DARKLY by Marisha Pessl (DB 130776)
EVERY BORROWED BEAT by Erin Stewart (DB 128085)
EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG by Jenna Voris (DB 120296)
EVERYTHING I PROMISED YOU by Katy Upperman (DB 127879)
FAKE SKATING by Lynn Painter (IN PROCESS)
GIRLS LIKE HER by Melanie Sumrow (DB 122609)
HEIR OF STORMS by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (DB 130335)
RULES FOR CAMOUFLAGE by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (DB 122196)
SHAMPOO UNICORN by Sawyer Lovett (DB 130728)
SISTERS IN THE WIND by Angeline Boulley (DB 132294)
SHIPSHOCK by Caroline O’Donoghue (DB 130152)
SUCH LOVELY SKIN by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (DB 124537, BR 26296 IN PROCESS)
EXECUTIONERS THREE by Susan Dennard (DB 132374 IN PROCESS)
KILL FACTOR by Ben Oliver (DB 119820)
THIS IS WHERE WE DIE by Cindy R. X. He (IN PROCESS)
THIS THING OF OURS by Frederick Joseph (DB 131118)
TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW: A LOVE STORY by Jason Reynolds (DB 125122, BR 25712)
UNDER THE SAME STARS by Libba Bray (DB 127015)
WHEN WE RIDE by Rex Ogle (DB 129269)

Nonfiction

DEATH IN THE JUNGLE by Candace Fleming (DB 129360)
ROAD HOME by Rex Ogle (DB 122589)

2026 Lone Star Reading List

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The Lone Star Reading List is developed by public and school librarians from the Texas Library Association’s Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books.

Here are the titles from the 2026 list that are in the TBP collection.

For more information, check out the Texas Library Association’s website.

SINGULAR LIFE OF ARIA PATEL by Samira Ahmed (DB 129799)
WESTFALLEN by Ann and Ben Brashares (DB 127249)
LEGEND OF THE LAST LIBRARY by Frank L. Cole (DB 125675)
IT’S WATCHING by Lindsay Currie (DB 130337)
STRONGEST HEART by Saadia Faruqi (DB 130966)
GIRL WHO KEPT THE CASTLE by Ryan Graudin (DB 126811)
BLOOD IN THE WATER by Tiffany D. Jackson (DB 131092)
ON AGAIN, AWKWARD AGAIN by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia (DB 130931)
VANYA AND THE WILD HUNT by Sangu Mandanna (DB 129117)
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY by Maria Marianayagam (DB 130482)
TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messner (DB 130798)
WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy (DB 127603)
EXPERIMENT by Rebecca Stead (DB 132806 IN PROCESS)
CHRONICALLY DOLORES by Maya Van Wagenen (DB 120512, BR 25757)

Goodreads 2025 Choice Awards Announced

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The social cataloging website for book lovers, Goodreads, has just announced their readers’ Choice Awards for 2025. The Texas Talking Book Program has a good number of them in our collection. We also have some of them in Spanish. They appear in the list below in BOLD. No matter which genre you enjoy, the bibliophiles at Goodreads have chosen a favorite book within that genre, published this year. Contact us and we can help you find your next favorite book.

For more information check out the Goodreads Website.

Best Fiction

MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman (DB 129483, BR 26313 IN PROCESS)

Best Historical Fiction

ATMOSPHERE: A LOVE STORY by Taylor Jenkins Reid (DB 129909, BR 26357 IN PROCESS, en español DB 132477 IN PROCESS)

Best Mystery and Thriller

NOT QUITE DEAD YET by Holly Jackson (DB 131109, LB 0005721)

Best Romance

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry (DB 129103, BR 26246 IN PROCESS, LB 0003604, en español DB 132355 IN PROCESS)

Best Romantasy

ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros (DB 127035, BR 25749 IN PROCESS, en español DB 127448)

Best Fantasy

BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL by V. E. Schwab (DB 130243, BR 26386 IN PROCESS, LB 0005773)

Best Science Fiction

COMPOUND by Aisling Rawle (DB 130769)

Best Horror

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Grady Hendrix (DB 126950, BR 25753, LB 0002960)

Best Debut Novel

ALCHEMISED by SenLinYu (IN PROCESS)

Best Audiobook

ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros and narrated by Rebecca Soler, Ted Hamilton, Justis Bolding, and Jasmin Walker (DB 127035, BR 25749 IN PROCESS)

Best Young Adult Fantasy

SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins (DB 127954, BR 26205 IN PROCESS, en español DB 128635)

Best Nonfiction

EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS: THE HISTORY AND PERSISTENCE OF OUR DEADLIEST INFECTION by John Green (DB 128745)

Best Memoir

HOUSE OF MY MOTHER: A DAUGHTER’S QUEST FOR FREEDOM by Shari Franke (DB 126942)

2025 Texas Writer Award – Dr. Peniel Joseph

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Austin-based historian, educator, and author, Dr. Peniel Joseph has been named the 2025 Texas Writer Award recipient. The award honors a writer who has made outstanding contributions to Texas literature. Dr. Joseph will be honored with a custom pair of handmade boots from renowned El Paso-based bootmaker, Rocketbuster, during a special Festival Weekend ceremony. Learn more about Dr. Joseph’s work and life in his interview with TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel. Check out the interview on the Texas Book Festival’s website.

Included are all of Dr. Joseph’s books in the NLS Collection:

DARK DAYS, BRIGHT NIGHTS: FROM BLACK POWER TO BARACK OBAMA (DB 71445)
FREEDOM SEASON: HOW 1963 TRANSFORMED AMERICA’S CIVIL RIGHTS REVOLUTION (DBC 32386)
SWORD AND THE SHIELD: THE REVOLUTIONARY LIVES OF MALCOLM X AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. (DB 99933)
THIRD RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA’S STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY (DB 113669)
WAITING ‘TIL THE MIDNIGHT HOUR: A NARRATIVE HISTORY OF BLACK POWER IN AMERICA (DB 64301)

2025 Longlist for the National Book Awards

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The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture. Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature published each year. For more information on the National Book Awards, check out their website.

The longlist for the 2025 National Book Awards was announced on September 10-12. The Finalists in all five categories were announced on Tuesday, October 7 with the New York Times. Winners will be announced live at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

For more information, check out the National Book Award’s website.

The nominees for this year’s National Book Awards in the TBP Collection (finalists are bolded):

Fiction

FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi (DB 129795)
ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell (DB 128240, BR 26309 IN PROCESS)

Nonfiction

ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad (DB 127850, LB 0001346)
BLACK MOSES: A SAGA OF AMBITION AND THE FIGHT FOR A BLACK STATE by Caleb Gayle (DB 132241 IN PROCESS)
THINGS IN NATURE MERELY GROW by Yiyun Li (DB 130140)

Nobel Prize Winner 2025 – László Krasznahorkai

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Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai took the prize this year for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” said the Swedish Academy. For more information, check out the Nobel Prize website.

Books by László Krasznahorkai in the TBP Collection:

English Titles

BARON WENCKHEIM’S HOMECOMING (DB 97582)
HERSCHT 07769: FLORIAN HERSCHT’SBACH NOVEL (DB 125872)

Títulos Españoles

MELANCOLÍA DE LA RESISTENCIA (DB 129392)

2025 Business Book of the Year Longlist Revealed

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The Business Book of the Year Award, inaugurated in 2005 and continuously evolving in prestige and scope, recognizes the most insightful and influential works in the genre. This globally esteemed award was conceived by the Financial Times and is supported by various prestigious partners celebrating excellence in business writing. The longlist was announced on August 18. The shortlist for this year’s prize will be revealed on September 24, with the winner announced on December 3.

For more information check out the Business Book of the Year’s website.

HOUSE OF HUAWEI: THE SECRET HISTORY OF CHINA’S MOST POWERFUL COMPANY by Eva Dou (DB 126340)
CHOKEPOINTS: AMERICAN POWER IN THE AGE OF ECONOMIC WARFARE by Edward Fishman (DB 128110)
ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (DB 128624)
GENIUS MYTH: A CURIOUS HISTORY OF A DANGEROUS IDEA by Helen Lewis (IN PROCESS)
EMPIRE OF AI: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES IN SAM ALTMAN’S OPENAI by Karen Hao (DB 129721)
NO MORE TEARS: THE DARK STORY OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON by Gardiner Harris (DB 128599)
THINKING MACHINE: JENSEN HUANG, NVIDIA, AND THE WORLD’S MOST COVETED MICROCHIP by Stephen Witt (DB 128472)

Kirkus Prize Finalists 2025

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Since 2014, the Kirkus Prize has been given annually by Kirkus Reviews to books of exceptional merit. The finalists were announced on August 27, and the winners will be announced during a ceremony at the TriBeca Rooftop in New York on October 8. It will also be livestreamed on Kirkus’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern). Here are some of the finalists for 2025 in the TBP collection.

For more information check out the Kirkus Prize website.

Fiction

ISOLA by Allegra Goodman (DB 127226, LB 0002549)
FLESH by David Szalay (DB 130331)

Nonfiction

MARRIAGE AT SEA: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE, OBSESSION, AND SHIPWRECK by Sophie Elmhirst (DB 131217 IN PROCESS)
KING OF KINGS: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION: A STORY OF HUBRIS, DELUSION AND CATASTROPHIC MISCALCULATION by Scott Anderson (IN PROCESS)
BALDWIN: A LOVE STORY by Nicholas Boggs (IN PROCESS)
AMERICAN, AMÉRICA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE NEW WORLD by Greg Grandin (DB 129520)
BLACK IN BLUES: HOW A COLOR TELLS THE STORY OF MY PEOPLE by Imani Perry (DB 130763)

Teen and Young Adult

DEATH IN THE JUNGLE by Candace Fleming (DB 129360)

2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Longlist

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Founded in 2009, The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction celebrates quality, innovation, and ambition of writing for books published in the last year in the UK, Ireland, or the Commonwealth. In order to qualify, the majority of the storyline must have taken place at least 60 years ago. The winner was announced at the Borders Book Festival on Thursday, June 12.

For more information check out the Prize’s website.

Longlisted titles in the NLS Collection are:

HEART IN WINTER by Kevin Barry (DB 122515)
GLORIOUS EXPLOITS by Ferdia Lennon (DB 125459)
SIGN OF HER OWN by Sarah Marsh (LB 0000111)