The 2025 literary awards season kicked off at LibLearnX with the announcement of the Andrew Carnegie Medals, the Notable Book Awards, and many more. We proudly congratulate all of our award-winning authors.
Select the titles below to access audio clips, excerpts, reading guides, and more.
Jump to our Alex Award winners.
The 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
James: A Novel by Percival Everett (Doubleday)
Want the full list of Penguin Random House Carnegie honorees, past and present?
View the collection.
2025 ALA Notable Books
Fiction
James: A Novel by Percival Everett (Doubleday)
Martyr!: A Novel by Kaveh Akbar (Alfred A. Knopf)
The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck (Viking)
Wandering Stars: A Novel by Tommy Orange (Alfred A. Knopf)
Whale Fall: A Novel by Elizabeth O’Connor (Pantheon)
Nonfiction
Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabr (Random House)
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal (Random House)
No Road Leading Back: An Improbable Escape from the Nazis and the Tangled Way We Tell the Story of the Holocaust by Chris Heath (Schocken Books)
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib (Random House)
Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication by Arik Kershenbaum (Penguin Press)
Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters by Charan Ranganath, PhD (Doubleday)
Alex Award Winners
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.
Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Graphic)
Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung (Berkley)
How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel by Kristen Perrin (Dutton)
Want the full list of Penguin Random House Alex Award Winners, past and present?
View the collection.
RUSA Reading List (Genre Winners)
Mystery Winner:
How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel by Kristen Perrin (Dutton)
Mystery Short List:
The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan (Soho Press)
Adrenaline Short List:
First Lie Wins: A Novel by Ashley Elston (Penguin Books)
Historical Fiction Short List:
All We Were Promised: A Novel by Ashton Lattimore (Ballantine Books)
The Frozen River: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon (Doubleday)
Relationship Fiction Short List:
How to Age Disgracefully: A Novel by Clare Pooley (Pamela Dorman Books)
Romance Short List:
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon (Ace)
The Prospects: A Novel by KT Hoffman (Dial Press Trade Paperbacks)
Essential Cookbooks 2025: The CODES List
Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques [A Cookbook] by Joe Yonan (Ten-Speed Press)
Zoë Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Cookies and Bars by Zoë Franςois (Ten-Speed Press)
2025 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature
Adult Fiction Winner:
Same Bed Different Dreams: A Novel by Ed Park (Random House)
Adult Fiction Honor:
Green Frog: Stories by Gina Chung (Vintage)
Adult Non-Fiction Honor:
Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice by Eddie Ahn (Ten Speed Graphic)
2025 Sophie Brody Medal
Noteworthy Title:
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft (Del Rey)
Noteworthy Title:
No Road Leading Back: An Improbable Escape from the Nazis and the Tangled Way we Tell the Story of the Holocaust by Chris Heath (Schocken Books)
Noteworthy Title:
The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss by Margalit Fox (Random House)
Noteworthy Title:
We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge (Hogarth)
2025 RUSA Listen List
The Frozen River: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon. Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer and Ariel Lawhon (Books on Tape)
James: A Novel by Percival Everett. Narrated by Dominic Hoffman (Books on Tape)
Victim: A Novel by Andrew Boryga. Narrated by Anthony Rey Perez (Books on Tape)
2025 Odyssey Award Children’s Honor Audiobook
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson.
Narrated by Renée Watson (Listening Library)
Click here for more Youth Media Award winners available on audio from Listening Library including Newbery Honors, Printz Honors, and more!
Learn More About all 2025 Youth Media Award Winners Here.
