National Books Council, Alex ‘21 Best-Of: Mott, Kendi, Ishiguro, More
Amid the American Library Association curation of the numerous January annual Youth Media Awards, is also an occasion for the best of the previous year’s noteworthy library-centric Adult titles to be celebrated. We conclude our Igloo multi-part ALA citations’ coverage with our titles selected for two prominent Honors lists.
Notable Books List
The National Books Council compiles an annual best-of list of 25 U.S. fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles written for Adult readers that appeal to teen audiences. From PRH and PRHPS publishers:
Fiction
- HELL OF A BOOK by Jason Mott (Dutton, Penguin Audio, narrated by JD Jackson and Ronald Peet) Also, the 2021 National Book Award winner.
- KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf, Random House Audio, narrated by Sura Siu)
- MATRIX by Lauren Groff (Riverhead, Penguin Audio, narrated by Adjoa Andoh) Also, a 2021 NBA Fiction finalist.
And:
WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD by Benjamin Labatut (New York Review Books, a PRHPS client publisher)
Nonfiction
- A LITTLE DEVIL IN AMERICA by Hanif Abudurraqib (Random House, Random House Audio, read by JD Jackson). Also, winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction and a 2021 NBA Nonfiction finalist.
- EMPIRE OF PAIN by Patrick Radden Keefe (Doubleday, Random House Audio, read by the author)
- FOUR HUNDRED SOULS, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (One World, Random House Audio, read by various voices)
2022 Alex Awards
Bestowed to ten-best Adult Books that appeal to teen readers.
- THE WITCH’S HEART by Genevieve Gornichec, ACE (Berkley, Penguin Audio, narrated by Jayne Entwistle)
- LORE OLYMPUS: Volume One by Rachel Smythe (Del Rey)
- MALICE by Heather Walter (Del Rey, Random House Audio, narrated by Ann Marie Gideon)
Congratulations to our authors and their publishers.