This year Fulton County is celebrating the Year of the Book and Overdrive/Libby is celebrating the joy of reading and honoring books in their own way via the Libby Book Awards. This yearly event highlights the best of books selected by librarians and library workers across a variety of genres and categories such as science fiction, horror, cookbooks, memoirs, and more!
Check out these 2025 Libby Book Award Winners (and Runner ups!)
Book of the Year- Adult Fiction
Runner up: James by Percival Everett
Book of the Year- Adult Nonfiction
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
Runner up: By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle
Book of the Year- Young Adult Fiction
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Runner up: Twenty-four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
Audiobook of the Year
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
Runner up: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Debut Author of the Year
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Runner up: I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
Best Book Club Book
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Runner up: Real Americans by Rachel Khong
Best Business Book
When We Are Seen by Denise Young
Runner up: Cultures of Growth by Mary C. Murphy*
Best Comic/Graphic Novel
Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls
Runner up: I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop
Best Cookbook
Anything's Pastable by Dan Pashman*
Runner up: Baking with Pride by Janusz Domagala
Best Fantasy
The Spellshop by Sara Beth Durst
Runner up: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Best Historical Fiction
James by Percival Everett
Runner up: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Best Horror
Bury your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Runner up: I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Best Memoir & Autobiography
Knife by Salman Rushdie
Runner up: Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
Best Middle Grade Book
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Runner up: Weirdo by Tony Weaver, Jr.*
Best Mystery
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Runner up: The Hunter by Tana French
Best Picture Book
Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi
Runner up: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang*
Best Romance
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Runner up: The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Best Romantasy
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
Runner up: Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Best Science Fiction
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Runner up: The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Best Thriller
One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon
Runner up: Where You End by Abbott Kahler
If you enjoyed this list of award winning books, check out the nominees for the 2026 Libby Book Awards! This year Libby users are able to cast their vote for a new category: the Readers' Choice Award. Patrons can let their voice be heard by voting for their favorite book from the most borrowed books in Libby in 2025. Libby users can cast their vote here once per day until January 30th. Check out or subscribe to Libby Life, an Overdrive/Libby blog for updates about the winners of the 2026 Libby Book Awards. Save the date for the announcement of the award winners on March 3rd at 7 PM EST.
Happy Reading!
*Titles are available in print format, but not currently available in Overdrive or the Libby app.
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