Friday Mood Recs: 15 years of National Book Award shortlisted fiction titles, ranked

This week I had the honor of attending the 2025 National Book Awards afterparty and it was so much fun. Last year, I went to the ceremony itself and wrote all about it here.

Last year, I read every book shortlisted for the fiction prize that year and thoroughly enjoyed every single one. This year I was less attached to any one book, but there’s still nothing like getting to celebrate the authors, editors, publishers, marketers, agents, etc. that help get books out into the world. It is very special to get to walk up to a person who wrote something you admire and tell them what it meant to you. That’s something that will never get old and I feel so privileged to have these kinds of experiences!

Today, in honor of the National Book Awards, I looked back at 15 years’ worth of shortlisted fiction titles and ranked, in order of personal preference, the shortlisted books I have read. This is entirely subjective and much of it would likely change day-to-day. Plus, it turns out I really like books shortlisted for this prize, so I would actively and authentically recommend every single one of these 38 books to the right reader! But it was very fun to look at all of the excellent books this prize has honored over the years and see which ones have continued to hold strong in my own memory. You can find all the winners and runners-up on the National Book Foundation’s website. I’d love to know your favorites so please jump into the comments and let me know!

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