Good News For Bookworms: National Book Award Nominations Announced

Bookworms unite: The National Book Awards finalists have been announced. So whether you’re a keen reader, eagerly awaiting the winners’ names like a film fan at the Oscars, or looking for tips on your next literary adventure, keep reading to find out which writers are in contention.

The fiction finalists include; A Hologram for the King - about an American businessman in Saudi Arabia - by Dave Eggers, The Round House: the story of an Ojibwe boy whose mother is attacked, by Louise Erdrich, This Is How You Lose Her, short stories by Junot Diaz, The Yellow Birds, a debut novel by Iraq veteran Kevin Powers, and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, by Ben Fountain. The latter novels both surround the Iraq War, as more and more literature is released surrounding political events of the last few years. Both books, which have received positive reviews in The Washington Post amongst others, are powerful tales about soldiers returning from the battlefield. Other categories include best non-fiction, poetry and young people’s literature.

To be eligible for this year’s prize, a book must have been written by an American and published by an American publisher, between December 1 of 2011 and November 30 of 2012. Self-published books are eligible if the writer also publishes works by other authors. The National Book Awards were established in 1950, and all the finalists will receive $1,000. The winners, announced in New York on Nov. 14 at a ceremony hosted by Faith Salie, will each receive $10,000.