The finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards have been announced! Established in 1950, the National Book Awards are American literary prizes administered by the National Book Foundation. The awards currently cover the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature. The five finalists for each category were selected by a panel of judges.

Finalists for Fiction:

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

The End of…

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As years go by, time after time, humans around the world are drawn to the same books, connecting us from every corner of the globe: some notable examples include plays, such as Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, classic novels such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, as well as Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to name a few.

But why should we be chained to the books of our past…

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Friends, October is officially O for Overwhelming. I spend each one of these columns trying to cover as many new releases as I can, but there are so many great books published this month, my task is D for Doomed, and omissions will be legion. Let me start at a logical point though, with our Fiction and Nonfiction Books of the Month, both of them undoubtedly two of the publishing highlights of 2023.

Edenglassie is Melissa Lucashenko’s long-awaited follow-up to…

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Readings Carlton bookseller Jason Austin decided to return to a genre he’d enjoyed as a young reader and exclusively read horror books in 2023. Here he shares the results of his experiment.

Like a lot of kids, my love of reading began with comics, but sci-fi and horror were my gateway to reading long-form literature. Horror, in particular, was a genre I was hooked on as a child, and it started with Roald Dahl.

I don’t mean The BFG or…

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Each week our amazing staff bring you a sample of the books or music they're immersed in.

Baz Ozturk is reading Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü & Maureen Freely (trans.)

Translated and published into English for the first time this year, this modern Turkish classic is a beautiful, brutal and surprisingly life-affirming novella. It’s the story of a woman – in and out of psychiatric wards, being forcefully treated with electroshock therapy – struggling to assert her will…

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Olivia from our Teen Advisory Board has curated a selection of all-time favourite fantasy novels to tempt you.

Fantasy novels are totally immersive. They’re perfect for staying up late over summer (or during term!), to read on the tram home from school, or really, just to crack open in any situation! Below are four fantasy books I highly recommend escaping into.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

This is the book that made me fall in love with fantasy; strange…

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The last three months has seen an exciting array of short stories and anthologies ranging from some beloved long-time authors to those making their debut. Here is a selection of recent favourites that we hope you'll enjoy.

Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson

One of the world's great storytellers, and bestselling author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life, conjures a captivating new book. In this first full collection since Not the End of the World,…

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Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley

Nick Wheatley has finished high school, but he isn't ready for the rest of his life. His parents are getting divorced, his sister is downright weird and his best friend and neighbour, Marion, seems to have acquired a boyfriend.

One hot night, Marion's father is killed in a hit-and-run. There are no suspects and no leads. But a sly tip from the local psychic sends Nick and Marion into the undertow of a…

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This month we're reading fiction translated from Japanese, Korean, German and Chinese.

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi's poignant Before We Say Goodbye explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

The regulars at the magical Cafe Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary, secret menu time…

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Each week our amazing staff bring you a sample of the books or music they're immersed in.

Emma Davison is reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

I have been making my way through Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy this week and it’s definitely been a tough read. This isn’t to say I’m not enjoying it, I love McCarthy’s bleak and ruthless writing style, Blood Meridian is a treacherous journey which I am glad I embarked upon.

Based on true historical…

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