Step aside, Academy—there’s a new star in the awards season spotlight: The Libbys! These prestigious book awards are chosen by librarians, the ultimate literary insiders. And when it comes to great reads, who better to trust than the experts who live and breathe books?

Librarians and library workers across North America narrowed down the list of finalists to bring us the very best books from 2024. Spanning 20 diverse categories, these books pushed boundaries, defied expectations, and delivered pure, page-turning joy.

Here to accept the Libby Awards are the talented authors, expressing their gratitude to public libraries and the librarians who fostered their love for literature and helped shape their journeys as writers.

"Thank you to all the readers, to all the lovers of books like myself. To all the librarians who are the keepers and guardians of humanity's stories, past, present, and future... thank you.” - Denise Young, author of When We Are Seen

Join us in celebrating their achievements with this special video featuring their acceptance speeches:

Congratulations to all of the winners and runners up! 🎉 Check out the full list below and be sure to borrow these award winners on the Libby reading app.

Winner for Book of the Year — Adult Fiction

The Women by Kristin Hannah 🎧

An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Runner up:
James by Percival Everett 🎧

Winner for Book of the Year — Adult Nonfiction

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson 🎧

A vivid recounting of the tense five months between Lincoln’s election and the Civil War’s outbreak, highlighting political chaos and the nation’s slide toward catastrophe.

Runner up:
By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle 🎧

Winner for Book of the Year — Young Adult Fiction

Heir by Sabaa Tahir 🎧

A ruthless and romantic fantasy following three unlikely heroes—an orphan, an outcast, and a prince—as they navigate power, betrayal, and love in a world on the brink of chaos.

Runner up:
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds 🎧

Winner for Audiobook of the Year

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, read by Will Patton & Erik Larson

A gripping audiobook that explores the tumultuous lead-up to the Civil War, masterfully narrated by the author and Will Patton.

Runner up:
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, read by Arian Moayed

Winner for Debut Author of the Year

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 🎧

A witty genre-blending debut about a civil servant who falls for a time-traveling Arctic explorer while uncovering the shocking truth behind a secret government project.

Runner up:
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue 🎧

Winner for Best Book Club Book

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe 🎧

A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman's attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world.

Runner up:
Real Americans by Rachel Khong 🎧

Winner for Best Business Book

When We Are Seen by Denise Young 🎧

From one of the first women of color in Silicon Valley’s C-suite, comes a heartfelt story of growing up Black and female in an unwelcoming world and a practical road map for self-empowerment and uplifting others.

Runner up:
Cultures of Growth by Mary C. Murphy 🎧

Winner for Best Comic/Graphic Novel

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls

An astonishing, deeply moving graphic memoir about three generations of Chinese women, exploring love, grief, exile, and identity.

Runner up:
I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop

Winner for Best Cookbook

Anything's Pastable by Dan Pashman

The innovative James Beard Award-winning podcaster who changed the way you think about pasta shapes with his invention of the viral sensation cascatelli now does the same for pasta sauces in this fun and charmingly obsessive cookbook.

Runner up:
Baking with Pride by Janusz Domagala

Winner for Best Fantasy

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst 🎧

A lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Runner up:
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo 🎧

Winner for Best Historical Fiction

James by Percival Everett 🎧

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

Runner up:
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 🎧

Winner for Best Horror

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle 🎧

A brilliantly bloody satire about a gay actor fighting Hollywood’s deadly tropes—both figuratively and literally.

Runner up:
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones 🎧

Winner for Best Memoir & Autobiography

Knife by Salman Rushdie 🎧

A searing, deeply personal account from Rushdie of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life 30 years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.

Runner up:
Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley 🎧

Winner for Best Middle Grade Book

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell 🎧

Mal and Christopher race to save the world’s last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series.

Runner up:
Weirdo by Tony Weaver, Jr.

Winner for Best Mystery

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman 🎧

A witty father-in-law and daughter-in-law detective duo race across the globe to outsmart a killer in this thrilling mystery.

Runner up:
The Hunter by Tana French 🎧

Winner for Best Picture Book

Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi

A charming collection of short stories celebrating enduring friendships, dreams for the future, and the little pleasures that make everyday life more meaningful.

Runner up:
We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

Winner for Best Romance

Funny Story by Emily Henry 🎧

A shimmering, joyful novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Runner up:
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava 🎧

Winner for Best Romantasy

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas 🎧

In this thrilling third book of the Crescent City series, Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse—with its future resting on their shoulders.

Runner up:
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi 🎧

Winner for Best Science Fiction

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 🎧

A witty genre-blending debut about a civil servant who falls for a time-traveling Arctic explorer while uncovering the shocking truth behind a secret government project.

Runner up:
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei 🎧

Winner for Best Thriller

One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon 🎧

A woman uncovers dark secrets about the seemingly perfect all-Black gated community she’s moved to, leading to shocking revelations.

Runner up:
Where You End by Abbott Kahler 🎧

*Title availability may vary.

💕 Book lovers! Subscribe to Libby Life for more book recommendations delivered to your inbox weekly.

RELATED READ: Announcing the finalists for the 2025 Libby Book Awards