Best Books of the Year

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Best Books of the Year

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Booker Prize Edgar Award for Best Novel Hugo Award for Best Novel International Booker Prize John Newbery Medal National Book Award for Fiction National Book Award for Nonfiction National Book Award for Poetry National Book Award for Young People's Literature Nebula Award for Best Novel NPR Books We Love Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction Randolph Caldecott Medal The New York Times — 10 Best Books Women’s Prize for Fiction

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Fiction & literature Graphic novels Literary fiction Mystery & crime Nonfiction Picture books Poetry Science fiction & fantasy Translated fiction Young readers

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1A Gate at the StairsLorrie Moore · 2009 · 1 honor
2A Short History of WomenKate Walbert · 2009 · 1 honor
3Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want ItMaile Meloy · 2009 · 1 honor
4Chronic CityJonathan Lethem · 2009 · 1 honor
5Half Broke HorsesJeannette Walls · 2009 · 1 honor

Best Books
of the Year

Twenty years of prize winners and critics’ picks, each traced to the list that chose it.

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© 2026 Best Books of the Year

2006 – 2025 · Every list. Every prize.