Libby Book Awards Announces Finalists — See the List! (Exclusive)

The Libby Awards are just around the corner — and we’ve got the full list of finalists!

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, OverDrive and Libby announced the finalists of the 2025 Libby Awards, the second annual prize that that honors the best books that were published in 2024 as chosen by librarians.

“With the incredible response to last year’s inaugural Libby Book Awards, we’re excited to bring them back and celebrate another year of outstanding books,” Jennifer Leitman, CMO of OverDrive told PEOPLE in a statement.

This is the second year that a list of finalists was selected from nominations by an expert panel of librarians. Over 1,100 librarians and library staff members from across North America will vote to select the winners.

“Librarians are unmatched in their ability to connect readers with stories that resonate, and these finalists reflect the books that captivated communities across the country,” Leitman said.

“The Libby Book Awards aren’t just about recognizing great books — they’re about celebrating the joy of reading and the role libraries play in fostering that passion,” the CMO added. “We hope these finalist lists inspire even more readers to discover their next favorite book, all with a little help from their local library and Libby.”

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They’re also a chance for librarians and authors to celebrate books together, since many professional writers first fell in love with reading — and writing — with the help of a librarian or two.

“I have librarians to thank for so many things: for letting me be a bookmobile groupie when I was a weird and lonely kid (I followed them everywhere!); for introducing me to the books and genres that would eventually shape my work and for continuing to foster a love of exploration and reading in a world that often values clickbait over imagination,” author Abbott Kahler told PEOPLE in a statement. “Librarians are my heroes, and I wish I could personally thank every one of them for introducing [my book] Where You End to their readers.” 

Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television, shared that she actually wrote her book in a library.

“Libraries are my favorite spaces to focus, think and write,” she told PEOPLE. “Much love and gratitude to the wonderful, free-thinking librarians across the country who are championing literacy and literature and who have encouraged readers to discover Colored Television.”

See the full list of finalists below:

Audiobook of the Year

• A Letter to the Luminous Deep – Sylvie Cathrall
• Martyr! – Kaveh Akbar
• Sipsworth – Simon Van Booy
• The Demon of Unrest – Erik Larson
• Women and Children First – Alina Grabowski

Book Club Book

• Colored Television – Danzy Senna
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe
• Real Americans – Rachel Khong
• Shred Sisters – Betsy Lerner
• The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich

Book of the Year – Adult Fiction

• James – Percival Everett
• Long Island Compromise – Taffy Brodesser-Akner
• Playground – Richard Powers
• The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
• The Women – Kristin Hannah

Book of the Year – Adult Nonfiction

• By the Fire We Carry – Rebecca Nagle
• Challenger – Adam Higginbotham
• Revenge of the Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
• The Demon of Unrest – Erik Larson
• There’s Always This Year – Hanif Abdurraqib

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Book of the Year – Young Adult

• Ariel Crashes a Train – Olivia Cole
• Don’t Let the Forest In – CG Drews
• Heir – Sabaa Tahir
• Looking for Smoke – K.A. Cobell
• Twenty-Four Seconds From Now – Jason Reynolds

Book of the Year – Business

• Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing) – Salman Khan
• Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations – Mary C. Murphy
• Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings – Steven G. Rogelberg
• The Art of Small Business Social Media: A Blueprint for Marketing Success – Peg Fitzpatrick
• When We Are Seen: How to Come Into Your Power–and Empower Others Along the Way – Denise Young

Book of the Year – Comic/Graphic Novel

• Feeding Ghosts – Tessa Hulls
• I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together – Maurice Vellekoop
• Kagurabachi, Volume 1 – Takeru Hokazono
• Transformers – Daniel Warren Johnson
• Watership Down – Richard Adams

Book of the Year – Cookbook

• Amrikan – Khushbu Shah
• Anything’s Pastable – Dan Pashman
• Baking with Pride – Janusz Domangala
• Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice – Christina De Witte
• The Bean Book – Steve Sando; Julia Newberry

Book of the Year – Debut Author

• Headshot – Rita Bullwinkel
• I Hope This Finds You Well – Natalie Sue
• Martyr! – Kaveh Akbar
• Swift River – Essie Chambers
• The Ministry of Time – Kaliane Bradley

Book of the Year – Fantasy

• A Fate Inked in Blood – Danielle L. Jensen
• Immortal Dark – Tigest Girma
• The Bright Sword – Lev Grossman
• The Familiar – Leigh Bardugo
• The Spellshop – Sarah Beth Durst

Book of the Year – Historical Fiction

• Clear – Carys Davies
• James – Percival Everett
• The Heart in Winter – Kevin Barry
• The Seventh Veil of Salome – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• This Strange Eventful History – Claire Messud

Book of the Year – Horror

• A Sunny Place for Shady People – Mariana Enriquez
• Bury Your Gays – Chuck Tingle
• Horror Movie – Paul Tremblay
• I Was a Teenage Slasher – Stephen Graham Jones
• Sacrificial Animals – Kailee Pedersen

Book of the Year – Memoir

• Another Word for Love – Carvell Wallace
• Grief is for People – Sloane Crosley
• Knife – Salman Rushdie
• We Loved it All – Lydia Millet
• Whiskey Tender – Deborah Jackson Taffa

Book of the Year – Middle Grade

• Ferris – Kate DiCamillo
• Impossible Creatures – Katherine Rundell
• Louder Than Hunger – John Schu
• Olivetti – Allie Millington
• Weirdo – Tony Weaver Jr.

Book of the Year – Mystery

• Bright Objects – Ruby Todd
• Cahokia Jazz – Francis Spufford
• Smoke Kings – Jahmal Mayfield
• The Hunter – Tana French
• We Solve Murders – Richard Osman

Book of the Year – Picture Book

• Fighting With Love: The Legacy of John Lewis – Lesa Cline-Ransome; Illustrated by James E. Ransome
• Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller – Breanna J. McDaniel; Illustrated by April Harrison
• Little Shrew – Akiko Miyakoshi
• The Dictionary Story – Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
• We Are Definitely Human – X. Fang

Book of the Year – Romance

• Funny Story – Emily Henry
• I’ll Have What He’s Having – Adib Khorram
• The Prospects – KT Hoffman
• The Truth According to Ember – Danica Nava
• This Could Be Us – Kennedy Ryan

Book of the Year – Romantasy

• Faebound – Saara El-Arifi
• Five Broken Blades – Mai Corland
• House of Flame and Shadow – Sarah J. Maas
• The Hemlock Queen – Hannah Witten
• The North Wind – Alexandria Warwick

Book of the Year – Science Fiction

• Beautyland – Marie-Helene Bertino
• Hum – Helen Phillips
• The Mercy of Gods – James S. A. Corey
• The Ministry of Time – Kaliane Bradley
• The Stardust Grail – Yume Kitasei

Book of the Year – Thriller

• Anna O – Matthew Blake
• Hero – Thomas Perry
• One of Our Kind – Nicola Yoon
• Where You End – Abbott Kahler
• You Will Never Be Me – Jesse Q. Sutanto