Cleveland, OH -- February 4, 2026. Libby, the renowned library reading app, has announced the finalists for the third annual Libby Book Awards, recognizing the best books of 2025 according to expert librarians. The awards celebrate literary excellence across 20 categories, representing a diverse range of genres. The finalists were nominated by a panel of librarians, and they will now select the winners from across North America.
"The 2025 finalists highlight the outstanding books that have resonated with readers and libraries over the past year," says Jen Leitman, Chief Marketing Officer at OverDrive, the company behind Libby. "This year's finalists feature a range of voices, each demonstrating exceptional storytelling and thought-provoking content that has captured the attention of readers across North America."
Additionally, the 2025 awards introduce a new category, Best Personal Growth, to honor books that inspire self-improvement and personal development. This year also marks the debut of the Reader's Choice awards, where readers voted for their favorite finalists. See the full list of categories and finalists below.
2026 LIBBY BOOK AWARD FINALISTS
Reader's Choice
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Book of the Year – Adult Fiction
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Book of the Year – Adult Nonfiction
- A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland
- A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
Book of the Year – Young Adult Fiction
- Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Audiobook of the Year
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
- My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Debut Author of the Year
- Alchemised by SenLinYu
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Best Book Club Book
- Bog Queen by Anna North
- Wreck by Catherine Newman
Best Comic/Graphic Novel
- Absolute Wonder Woman: Volume 1 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Mattia De Iulis
- Spent by Alison Bechdel
Best Cookbook
- Baking Across America by B. Dylan Hollis
- Turtle Island by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly
Best Fantasy
- Alchemised by SenLinYu
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Best Historical Fiction
- The Antidote by Karen Russell
- Isola by Allegra Goodman
Best Horror
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Best Memoir & Autobiography
- One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
- Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton
Best Middle Grade Book
- All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
- Scarlet Morning: Book 1 by ND Stevenson
Best Mystery
- The Librarians by Sherry Thomas
- Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Best Personal Growth
- Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don't Manage You by Ethan Kross
- We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle
Best Picture Book
- Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor
- Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat
Best Romance
- It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram
- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Best Romantasy
- The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Best Science Fiction
- Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
- What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
Best Thriller
- The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
- Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
Winners of the Libby Book Awards will be announced on March 3, 2026. Readers can stream the show on Kanopy and YouTube starting on March 6, 2026. Explore this year's finalists on the Libby Book Awards website and the Libby Life blog. Additionally, readers can discover and enjoy this year's finalists through the Libby app and their local libraries, where they can borrow and immerse themselves in the award-nominated titles.
About OverDrive
OverDrive is a mission-based company that supports libraries and schools. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive serves more than 92,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries with the industry's largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, video, and other content. OverDrive empowers libraries and schools by expanding access for all through tireless industry advocacy and consistent innovation. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading platform, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks, which offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. www.overdrive.com.