Award Winning Books of 2022!

Posted On December 9, 2022

Hi Readers! It’s the end of the year and you know what that means. Actually, it means a lot of things, because I always have a lot of year end posts to share. But this time, it’s the list of books that won all the major awards the year round in 2022!

You can read the earlier posts here!

Award Winning Books of 2021

Award Winning Books of 2020

I have included the most prestigious & major book awards here. This includes The Nobel Prize in Literature, The Pulitzer Prize Award, The International Booker Prize Award, The Booker Prize Award Women’s Prize for Fiction, JCB Prize for Literature, National Book Awards, British Book Awards, The Walter Scott Prize, Tata Literature Live Awards and Goodreads Choice Awards. Some of them are with the shortlist and longlist. Some others have multiple categories, so I have only shared the winner for them. Happy Reading!!

~~THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE~~

Annie Ernaux won the Nobel Prize in Literature “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”. I have seen a few bookstagrammers who have read and loved her books. Here are a few!

Simple Passion

Exterior

A Man’s Place

The Years

Suppose A Sentence

Essayism

~~THE PULITZER PRIZE~~

I usually love Pulitzer Prize much more than any of the other awards. There are seven major categories. Check out the winners and the finalists!

WINNER for FICTION

The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family, by Joshua Cohen

FINALISTS

Monkey Boy, by Francisco Goldman

Palmares, by Gayl Jones

WINNER for DRAMA

Fat Ham, by James Ijames

FINALISTS

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, by Kristina Wong

Selling Kabul, by Sylvia Khoury

WINNER for HISTORY

Covered with Night, by Nicole Eustace

Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer

FINALIST

Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction, by Kate Masur

WINNER for BIOGRAPHY

Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, by the late Winfred Rembert as told to Erin I. Kelly

FINALISTS

Pessoa: A Biography, by Richard Zenith

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine, by Janice P. Nimura

WINNER for POETRY

frank: sonnets, by Diane Seuss

FINALISTS

Refractive Africa: Ballet of the Forgotten, by Will Alexander

Yellow Rain, by Mai Der Vang

WINNER for GENERAL NONFICTION

Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City, by Andrea Elliott

FINALISTS

Home, Land, Security: Deradicalization and the Journey Back from Extremism, by Carla Power

The Family Roe: An American Story, by Joshua Prager

~~THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE~~

I was very invested in The International Booker Prize this year, so much so that I read three of the books on the shortlist. I loved Cursed Bunny for its genre-defying collection of short stories that left me baffled. I also loved Elena Knows. I started reading it thinking it would be a mystery, but it turned out to be something else, which I ended up loving. I also read Heaven, which I thought was okay. A lot of focus on bullying and its impacts on the youth. Be that as it may, but I am super proud that an Indian won the award for the first time in the history of it!

WINNER

Tomb of Sand, written by Geetanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell.

Tomb of Sand is the first book originally written in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognised by the award.

Set in northern India, the novel follows the adventures of an 80-year-old woman who unexpectedly gains a new, and highly unconventional, lease of life.

The result is a book that is engaging, funny and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries – whether between religions, countries or genders.

THE SHORTLIST

Heaven

Elena Knows

A New Name: Septology VI-VII

Tomb of Sand

The Books of Jacob

Cursed Bunny

THE LONGLIST

Paradais

Heaven

Love in the Big City

Happy Stories, Mostly

Elena Knows

The Book of Mother

More Than I Love My Life

Phenotypes

A New Name: Septology VI-VII

After the Sun

Tomb of Sand

The Books of Jacob

Cursed Bunny

~~THE BOOKER PRIZE~~

I never even tried to read The Booker Prize longlist or the shortlist. I did read every book’s blurb and was really intrigued by The Trees, Nightcrawling, Trust and Booth. Maybe I will even read them someday. I did, however, enjoy reading the multitudes of posts written on Instagram by the bookstagram community. I felt like I belonged during that phase of the year.

WINNER

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilka

Shehan Karunatilka becomes the second Sri Lankan author to win the Booker Prize.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida tells the story of a war photographer who has woken up dead in what seems to be a celestial visa office. He has ‘seven moons’ to try and solve the mystery of his death and to help unveil a cache of photos that will rock war-torn Sri Lanka.

THE SHORTLIST

Glory

Small Things Like These

Treacle Walker

The Trees

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Oh William!

THE LONGLIST

The Colony

After Sappho

Glory

Small Things Like These

Nightcrawling

Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies

Case Study

Treacle Walker

The Trees

Trust

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Oh William!

Booth

~~WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION~~

There were so many amazing books nominated for this award. For a change, it was good to know that I actually had heard of the nominated books. I had loved Great Circle. I had heard a lot about Sorrow and Bliss, The Sentence and of course Elif Shafak. The books on the shortlist of this award are all on my TBR!

WINNER

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

This is a brilliantly inventive new novel about loss, growing up, and our relationship with things. With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki–bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking.

THE SHORTLIST

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

THE LONGLIST

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Flamingo by Rachel Elliott

Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey

Salt Lick by Lulu Allison

The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

One Sky Day by Leone Ross

~~JCB PRIZE FOR LITERATURE~~

As the years go by, I have been less invested in this one. It could be because of various reasons that I can’t quite put a pin on. But, no reason why that should stop me form sharing some award-winning book recommendations.

WINNER

The Paradise of Food by Khalid Jawed, translated from Urdu by Baran Farooqi

This is a landmark Urdu classic translated for the first time telling the story of a middle-class Muslim joint family over a span of fifty years.

THE SHORTLIST

The Paradise of Food by Khalid Jawed, translated from Urdu by Baran Farooqi

Imaan by Manoranjan Byapari, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha

Valli by Sheela Tomy, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell

Song of the Soil by Chuden Kabimo, translated from Nepali by Ajit Baral

THE LONGLIST

The Paradise of Food by Khalid Jawed, translated from Urdu by Baran Farooqi

Imaan by Manoranjan Byapari, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha

Valli by Sheela Tomy, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell

Song of the Soil by Chuden Kabimo, translated from Nepali by Ajit Baral

Crimson Spring: A Novel by Navtej Sarna

Escaping the Land by Mamang Dai

Rohzin by Rahman Abbas, translated from Urdu by Sabika Abbas

Spirit Nights by Easterine Kire

The Odd Book of Baby Names by Anees Salim

~~NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS~~

These are the US National Book Awards across various categories. I have not heard of majority of them, so I will really try to expand my reading horizons by reading a few of these.

WINNER in FICTION

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

FINALISTS

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

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 Matthews

The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela

WINNER in NONFICTION

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry

FINALISTS

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry

The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke

Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus by David Quammen

His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels

WINNER in POETRY

Punks: New and Selected Poems by John Keene

FINALISTS

Punks: New and Selected Poems by John Keene

Look at This Blue by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke

Balladz by Sharon Olds

Best Barbarian by Roger Reeves

The Rupture Tense by Jenny Xie

WINNER in TRANSLATED LITERATURE

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell

FINALISTS

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell

A New Name: Septology VI-VII by John Fosse

Kibogo by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated from French by Mark Polizzotti

Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, translated by Sarah Booker

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada, translated by Margaret Mitsutani

WINNER in YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

FINALISTS

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist For Justice by Tommie Smith

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee

~~BRITISH BOOK AWARDS~~

I work for the UK geography, so I have a vested interest in everything British. And, the books on this award actually end up being good reads for me. So, check them out and read some of them. They are again across various categories.

FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

DEBUT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

CRIME & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin, William McIlvanney

NON-FICTION LIFESTYLE BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

The Lyrics by Paul McCartney, Paul Muldoon

NON-FICTION NARRATIVE BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera

PAGETURNER BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

THE DISCOVER BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER

Keisha The Sket by Jade LB

~~THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE~~

My love for Historical Fiction has never dwindled and so here we are with the best HiFi book recommendations of the year! This one again had a shortlist and a longlist.

WINNER

News Of the Dead by James Robertson

THE SHORTLIST

News Of the Dead by James Robertson

Rose Nicolson by Andrew Greig

News Of the Dead by James Robertson

Fortune by Amanda Smyth

The Magician by Colm Tóibín

THE LONGLIST

News Of the Dead by James Robertson

Rose Nicolson by Andrew Greig

Fortune by Amanda Smyth

The Magician by Colm Tóibín

Blue Postcards by Douglas Bruton

Snow Country by Sebastian Faulks

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

The Ballad Of Lord Edward And Citizen Small by Neil Jordan

The Sunken Road by Ciarán McMenamin

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed

China Room by Sunjeev Sahota

Learwife by JR Thorp

Still Life by Sarah Winman

~~TATA LITERATURE LIVE AWARD~~

This is a new addition to my posts. I thought it was essential to add it to the post to have more than one Indian award on here.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Mahesh Elkunchwar

POET LAUREATE AWARD

Gieve Patel

BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD – FICTION

The Map and the Scissors by Amit Majmudar

BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD – NONFICTION

Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas by Anirudh Kanisetti

FIRST BOOK AWARD – FICTION (DEBUT)

We Move by Gurnaik Johal

FIRST BOOK AWARD – NONFICTION (DEBUT)

Whole Numbers and Half-Truths by Rukmini S

~~GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS~~

Lastly, we have the Goodreads Choice Awards. It’s always super fun to vote in the two rounds only to find that your favorite didn’t win. But, I still do it every year and enjoy it. This year wasn’t as much a letdown. I was really happy that some books won, such as Carrie Soto is Back, The Office BFFs, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Heartstopper: Volume 4 and Lessons in Chemistry. Not so happy about Book Lovers and The Maid. Anyway, here are the winners across various categories.

WINNER in FICTION

Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

WINNER in MYSTERY & THRILLER

The Maid by Nita Prose

WINNER in HISTORICAL FICTION

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

WINNER in FANTASY

House of Sky And Breath by Sarah J. Maas

WINNER in ROMANCE

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

WINNER in SCIENCE FICTION

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

WINNER in HORROR

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

WINNER in HUMOR

The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey

WINNER in NONFICTION

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown

WINNER in MEMOIR & AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

WINNER in HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY

Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller

WINNER in GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS

Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

WINNER in POETRY

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

WINNER in DEBUT NOVEL

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

WINNER in YOUNG ADULT FICTION

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

WINNER in YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

WINNER in MIDDLE GRADE & CHILDREN’S

I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us by Andie Powers

So it all comes down to this. 10 Awards. 45 winners. 88 finalists. All set to create your 2023 TBR?

Until next time,