The debut shortlist also shows that discovering new literary talent does not have to be limited to young voices, as four of the six debutants are over 45: Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry, Transworld), Louise Kennedy (Trespasses, Bloomsbury), Joanna Quinn (The Whalebone Theatre, Fig Tree), and Bob Mortimer.

Books of the Year – The 2023 shortlists

Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by Good Housekeeping

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Babel by R.F. Kuang

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Debut Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

Crime & Thriller BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by Scala Radio

Murder Before Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Bamburgh by L.J. Ross

Discover BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by Magic Radio Book Club

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Carrie Kills A Man by Carrie Marshall

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel

Home is Not a Place by Johny Pitts and Roger Robinson

Aftermath by Preti Taneja

Pageturner of the Year supported by TikTok
 

The Summer That Changed Us by Cathy Bramley

Sunday’s Child by Dilly Court

Verity by Colleen Hoover

How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Children’s Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Week Junior
 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde by Jeff Kinney

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu

Tyger by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell

Children’s Non-fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Week Junior

Am I Made of Stardust?: Dr Maggie Answers the Big Questions for Young Scientists by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and illustrator Chelen Ecija

A Better Day: Your Positive Mental Health Handbook by Dr Alex George and illustrated by The Boy Fitz Hammond

Girlhood Unfiltered by Ebinehita Iyere

You Can Do It: How to Find Your Voice and Make a Difference by Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka

Queen Elizabeth: (Volume 88) Little People, BIG DREAMS by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrator Melissa Lee Johnson

You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl From Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska

Children’s Illustrated BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by LoveReading4Kids

What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks

The Baddies by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Supertato presents Jack and the Beanstalk by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet

The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman

Bunny vs Monkey: Rise of the Maniacal Badger by Jamie Smart

Camper by Harry Woodgate

Non-fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel

Menopausing by Davina McCall with Dr. Naomi Potter

One by Jamie Oliver

The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Talya Baldwin

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith

The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg et al

Non-fiction: Narrative BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Big Issue

brother.do.you.love.me by Manni Coe and Reuben Coe

A Visible Man by Edward Enninful

Tired and Tested: The Wild Ride into Parenthood by Sophie McCartney

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries by Alan Rickman

Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell

Audiobook: Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR
 

Geneva by Richard Armitage, narrated by Richard Armitage and Nicola Walker and Jane Perry

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, narrated by Shivantha Wijesinha

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, narrated by Fiona Shaw

The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Bill Nighy, Indira Varma, Andy Serkis, Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz et al

Tyger by SF Said, narrated by Sarah Agha

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, narrated by Chris Reilly

Audiobook: Non-Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR

Parenting Hell written and read by Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe

A Visible Man written and read by Edward Enninful

Ten Steps to Nanette written and read by Hannah Gadsby

A Pocketful of Happiness written and read by Richard E. Grant

Menopausing written and read by Davina McCall & Dr Naomi Potter

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing written and read by Matthew Perry
 

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