The librarians at the Topsfield Town Library have developed this resource to highlight books that have been awarded some of the most prestigious prizes in book publishing over the most recent several years. Check out the Topsfield Town Library’s Best of the Year on our Golden Goulds page.
Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to “the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction …” (Source: Nobel Prize website)
2023: Jon Fosse
2022: Annie Ernaux
2021: Abdulrazak Gurnah
2020: Louise Gluck
2019: Peter Handke
2018: Olga Tokarczuk
Pulitzer Prize in Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize in Fiction is awarded to “distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.” (Source: Pulitzer Prize website)
2024: Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips (Finalists: Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park, Wednesday’s Child by Yiyun Li)
2023: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and Trust by Hernan Diaz
Finalists: The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara
2022: The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
Finalists: Monkey Boy by Fransisco Goldman, Palmares by Gayl Jones
2021: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Finalists: A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth by Daniel Mason, Telephone by Percival Everett
2020: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Finalists: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
National Book Award for Fiction
The National Book Award for Fiction is awarded to a piece of fiction written by an American author (see full guidelines here).
2024 Shortlist: Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, James by Percival Everett, All Fours by Miranda July, My Friends by Hisham Matar
2023 Blackouts by Justin Torres (Shortlist: Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal, This Other Eden by Paul Harding, The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylvainen)
2022 : The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Finalists: The Birdcatcher by Gayl Jones, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai, All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
2021: Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Finalists: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, Matrix by Lauren Groff, Zorrie by Laird Hunt, The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
2020: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
Finalists: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
2019: Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Finalists: Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James, The Other Americans by Laila Lalami, Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction honors the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year. (Source)
2024 : What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez (Shortlist: Witness by Jamel Brinkley, Open Throat by Henry Hoke, Absolution by Alice McDermott, Users by Colin Winnette)
2023: The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell, The Islands by Dionne Irving, Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan.
2022: The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine
Finalists: Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Admed, The President and the Frog by Carolina de Robertis, Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell, How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
2021:The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Finalists: Disappear Doppelganger Disappear by Matthew Salesses, The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe, Mother Daughter Widow Wife by Robin Wasserman, Scattered Lights by Steve Wiegenstein
2020: Sea Monsters by Chole Aridjis
Finalists: Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li, The Night Swimmers by Peter Rock, We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award
First presented in 2016, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award honors a work of fiction from the previous calendar year that speaks with an “American Voice” about American experiences. (Source: Mark Twain House & Museum)
2024:Absolution by Alice McDermott (Finalists: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, North Woods by Daniel Mason, This Other Eden by Paul Harding, Wednesday’s Child by Yiyun Li)
2023 : Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh (Shortlist Mother Country by Jacinda Townsend, The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, Trust by Hernan Diaz)
2022: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
2021: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
2020: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
2019: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
2017: Dodgers by Bill Beverly
2016: The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle
Booker Prize
Each year, the Booker Prize is awarded to what is, in the opinion of the judges, the best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK and Ireland. (Source)
2024: Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Shortlist: Held by Anne Michaels, The Safekeep by Yael can der Wouden, Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, James by Percival Everett, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
2023: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Shortlist: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, Western Lane by Chetna Maroo,, This Other Eden by Paul Harding, If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery, Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
2022: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilak
Shortlist: Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, The Trees by Percival Everett, Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout, Treacle Walker by Alan Garner
2021: The Promise by Damon Galgut
2020: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
2019: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
2018: Milkman by Anna Burns
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is given to a debut novel published in the United States between January 1st and December 31st of the competing year, honoring the best debut fiction of the year (Source)
2024: God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas (Shortlist: Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, This Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao, They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar, Ask Me Again by Clare Sestanovich, Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga)
2023: We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White (Shortlist:
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, Lookout by Christine Byl, Pay As You Go by Eskor David Johnson, Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks, Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton, Y/N by Esther Yi)
2022: If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Norr Naga
2021: The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
New England Book Award in Fiction
The New England Book Award in Fiction is awarded to adult fiction materials either about New England, set in New England, or written by an author residing in New England. (Source)
2024: North Woods by Daniel Mason (Shortlist Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash, Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, Sandwich by Catherine Newman, Swift River by Essie Chambers)
2023: Yellowface by RF Kuang
Finalists: When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy, Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, Confessions of Matthew Strong by Ousmane K. Power-Greene
2022: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
Finalists: Babel by R.F. Kuang, Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
2021: Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
2020: Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
2019: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
2018: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction, established in 2012, recognize the best fiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year and serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. It is awarded during the Midwinter American Library Association conference. (Source)
2025 Shortlist: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, James by Percival Everett, Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang
2024: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Shortlist: Denison Avenue by Christina Wong and Daniel Innes, Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
2023: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Shortlisted: The Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, Greenland by David Santos Donaldson
2022: The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
2021: Deacon King Kong by James McBride
2020: Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
2019: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
2018: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Barbara Gittings Literature Award (Stonewall Award)
Sponsored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table, the Barbara Gittings Literature Stonewall Award is honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience. (Source)
2024: Freedom House by KB Brookins
2023: The Other Mother by Rachel M. Harper
2022: Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Finalists: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans, Stone Fruit by Lee Lai, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
2021: Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
2020: Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
2019: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
2018: Meanwhile, Elsewhere edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett
Lambda Literary Awards
In 1989, the Lambda Literary Awards were created to garner national visibility for LGBTQ books, which had established a foothold through a nascent network of lesbian and gay publishers and bookstores. (Source)
Transgender Fiction
2024: Wild Geese by Soula Emmanuel (Shortlist: Bellies by Nicola Dinan, Girlfriends by Emily Zhou, The Rage Letters by Valérie Bah (tr. Kama La Mackerel), Trash by Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny)
2023: The Call-Out by Cat Fitzpatrick
Finalists: All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From by Izzy Wasserstein, Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham, Manywhere by Morgan Thomas, Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
2022: Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton
2021: Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
2020: Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante
2019: Little Fish by Casey Plett
Bisexual Fiction
2024: Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang (Shortlist: All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky, Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly, Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James, , Old Enough by Haley Jakobson)
2023: Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste
Finalists: Meet Us by the Roaring Sea by Akil Kumarasamy, Mother Ocean Father Nation by Nishant Batsha, Roses, In the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman, Stories No One Hopes Are About Them by A.J. Bermudez
2022: We Want What We Want by Alix Ohlin
2021: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
2020: Exquisite Mariposa by Fiona Alison Duncan
2019: Disoriental by Negar Djavadi
Gay Fiction
2024: Family Meal by Bryan Washington (Shortlist: American Scholar by Patrick E. Horrigan, Blackouts by Justin Torres , Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella,, I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani)
2023: The Foghorn Echoes by Danny Ramadan
Finalists: Call Me Cassandra by Marcial Gala, God’s Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu, Hugs and Cuddles by João Gilberto Noll, My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson
2022: 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell
2021: Neotenica by Joon Oluchi Lee
2020: Lot by Bryan Washington
2019: Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Lesbian Fiction
2024: Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (Shortlist: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, , Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang, Our Hideous Progeny by C E McGill, Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee)
2023: Gods of Want by K-Ming Chang
Finalists: Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
2022: Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie
2021: Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopera
2020: Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
2019: The Tiger Flu by Larissa Lai
Hugo Award: Best Novel
The Hugo Awards, first presented in 1953 and presented annually since 1955, are science fiction’s most prestigious award. (Source)
2024: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Shortlist: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera, Starter Villain by John Scalzi , Translation State by Ann Leckie, Witch King by Martha Wells)
2023: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
2022: A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
2021: Network Effect by Martha Wells
2020: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
2019: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel (Hardcover)
The Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel is given at each annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention The award is named for the late Anthony Boucher (William Anthony Parker White), well-known writer and critic from the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times, who helped found the Mystery Writers of America. (Source)
2024: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Finalists: Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper, Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head, Face of Greed by James L’Etoile, The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
2023: Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
Finalists: The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias, The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman, A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny, The Maid by Nita Prose, Secret Identity by Alex Segura
2022: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Finalists: Runner by Tracy Clark, , The Collective by Alison Gaylin, Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara, These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall
2021: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
2020: The Murder List by Hank Phillipi Ryan
2019: November Road by Lou Berney.
International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel
The Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel is awarded to the best hardcover novel thriller, published in English for the first time, anywhere in the world, in the past calendar year. (Source)
2024: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Shortlist: Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni, It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison, The Secret Hours by Mick Herron, FIXIT by Joe Ide, The Drift by C.J. Tudor)
2023: Sundial by Catriona Ward
Finalists: The Violence by Delilah Dawson, Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier, The Fervor by Alma Katsu, The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon, Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone, The Fields by Erin Young
2022: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Finalists: The Turnout by Megan Abbott, Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall, Red Widow by Alma Katsu, I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad
2021: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
2020: The Chain by Adrian McKinty
2019: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating & honouring fiction written by women. (Source)
2024: Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan (Shortlist: Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville, River East River West by Aube Rey Lescure, Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, , The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright)
2023:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Finalists: Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris, Pod by Laline Paull, Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
2022: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
2021: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
2020: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
2019: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel is awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, and honors the best in mystery fiction. (Source)
2024: Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke
2023: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Finalists: Devil House by John Darnielle, Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett, Gangland by Chuck Hogan, The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias, The Maid by Nita Prose
2022: Five Decembers by James Kestrel
Finalists: The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen, Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, How Lucky by Will Leitch, No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield
2021: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
2020: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
2019: Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosely
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. (Source)
2024: Tremor by Teju Cole
2023: Horse by Geraldine Brooks and The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
2022: The Trees by Percival Everett
2021: Deacon King Kong by James McBride
2020: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
2019: There There by Tommy Orange
2018: Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
This award honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. (Source)
2024: Iwo, 26 Charlie by P.T. Deutermann
2023: The Last Paladin by P.T. Deutermann
2022: The Eagles Claw by Jeff Shaara
2021: A Quiet Cadence by Mark Treanor
2020: Darkness at Chancellorsville by Ralph Peters
2019: And The Whole Mountain Burned by Ray McPadden
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction
The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. (Source)
2024: Countries of Origin, Javier Fuentes
2023: Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah
Finalists: Activities of Daily Living by Lisa Hsiao Chen, Shutter by Ramona Emerson, Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej, Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong
2022: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
2021: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
2020: A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar
2019: There, There by Tommy Orange
Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction
The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature published by current Commonwealth residents.
2024: Kantika by Elizabeth Graver (Shortlist: The Light of Seven Days by River Adams and Shark Heart by Emily Habeck)
2023: The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali by Uzma Aslam Khan
Honorees: Horse by Geraldine Brooks, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
2022: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Honorees: An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon, Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke
2021: The Bear by Andrew Krivak
Honorees: Inheritors by Asako Serizawa, The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner
2020: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
2019: The Unmade World by Steve Yarbrough
Gold Dagger Award
This award is for the best crime novel by an author of any nationality, originally written in English and first published in the UK during the judging period. (Source)
2024: Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion (Shortlist: Over my Dead Body by Maz Evans, The Secret Hours by Mick Herron, Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, Black River by Nilanjana Roy, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto)
2023: The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green
Finalists: The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan, A Killing in November by Simon Mason, The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola, The Winter Guest by WC Ryan, The Silent Brother by Simon Van der Velde
2022: Sunset Swing by Ray Celestin
2021: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
2020: Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
2019: The Puppet Show by M.W. Craven
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize, inaugurated in 2006, is the first and only annual U.S. literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace. The Dayton Literary Peace Prize invites nominations in adult fiction and nonfiction books published within the past year that have led readers to a better understanding of other cultures, peoples, religions, and political points of view. (Source)
2024: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
2023: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
2022: The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
2021: We Germans by Alexander Starrit
2020: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Nebula Award for Best Novel
The Nebula Award for Best Novel annually recognize the best novel of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. (Source)
2024 The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Shortlist: The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang, Translation State by Ann Leckie, The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz, Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufan by Wole Talabi, Witch King by Martha Wells)
2023: Babel by R.F. Kuang
Finalists: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Spear by Nicola Griffith, Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher, , Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, The Mountain and the Sea by Ray Nayler
2022: Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Finalists: The Unbroken by C. L. Clark, Machinehood by S.B. Divya, A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine, Plague Birds by Jason Sanford
2021: Network Effect by Martha Wells
2020: A Song For A New Day by Sarah Pinsker
2019: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Bram Stoker Award: Superior Achievement in a Novel
Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Bram Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization’s incorporation in 1987. (Source)
2023: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (Shortlist: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones, Lone Women by Victor LaValle, Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig)
2022: The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
2021: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
2020:The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
2019: Coyote Rage by Owl Goingback
Updated: November 2024
