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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Barnes & Noble’s 2025 Book of the Year Finalists
Hot on the heels of their Best Books of 2025, announced last week, Barnes & Noble has revealed the finalists for the 2025 Book of the Year, which is indeed a different thing. The Book of the Year award, introduced in 2019, is selected by booksellers and tends to go to widely recommendable titles that are as close as the book world comes to four-quadrant hits. This year’s list of 14 finalists ranges from Sunrise on the Reaping to a book of New York Times puzzles to the year’s biggest self-help book (which, I must point out, was actually published in December 2024), kids’ books, cookbooks, and Katabasis.
I’m going to go ahead and place my bet on Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser, which was basically until it appeared at the top of B & N’s best fiction of 2025 list week. “A heartfelt tale that stirs the soul and ignites the imagination” about a young girl’s adventures at the art museum with her grandfather sounds like it was factory made to ring all the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year bells.
Booker Prize Introduces New Children’s Book Award
The Booker Prize Foundation has announced a new children’s book award that will begin in 2027. The Children’s Booker Prize aims to”celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old” and will carry a £50,000 purse. Submissions will open in the spring of 2026, followed by a shortlist of eight titles to be announced in November 2026. The winner, selected by a panel comprised of both child and adult judges, will be revealed February 2027. It’s always encouraging to see a new avenue for books to be recognized, especially one with such a hefty prize. I’d love to see the Booker round things out in the future with a prize for young adult books as well.
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Expanded Edition of Gender Queer Coming in 2026
Maia Kobabe’s 2019 graphic memoir about growing up and coming out has been one of the most frequently targeted and banned books in the US since its publication. An annotated edition of Gender Queer will hits shelves in May, containing commentary from Kobabe, along with contributions from queer and trans creators, comics scholars, and activists. May their efforts continue to succeed.
3 Books to Read for Genderfluid Visibility Week
While you’re waiting on your preorder of the annotated Gender Queer to arrive, why not explore these books about genderfluidity.