Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

The only book awards curated by booksellers and chosen by readers like you!

Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

And the winners are...

At National Book Tokens, we're proud to sponsor the only book awards that reflect the truly diverse tastes of real booklovers and the bookshops they love to visit. The 2024 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards winners, as voted by readers, are:

Fiction

You Are Here by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton)

Non-Fiction

Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld)

Poetry

Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love by Hollie McNish (Little Brown)

Young Adult Fiction

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (HarperCollins)

Children’s Fiction

I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books)

Breakthrough Author

Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter (HarperCollins)

Readers’ Choice

Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld)

Head to your local bookshop to buy any of these brilliant titles. Plus, you could win one of five sets of all the winners over on National Book Tokens Discover!

Books Are My Bag Readers Awards winners 2024

Watch the ceremony

The winners were unveiled at a ceremony in Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London, hosted by author and award-winning journalist and broadcaster Charlene White. You can watch your favourite authors pick up their awards at the link below! 

Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2024 shortlists

The six shortlists in 2024 included books by beloved, bestselling authors and poets, from David Nicholls to Hollie McNish. There were topical and thought-inspiring non-fiction titles from debut authors and political figures, books for children and young adults by new and established voices, and breakthrough authors whose books made a real splash with readers over the year.

Readers across the UK and Ireland voted for their favourite books on the shortlists, and were also invited to nominate the book that has most inspired and entertained them in previous 12 months, whether it was a recent release or an old classic, in the Readers' Choice category. Ten voters were selected at random to win a £100/€120 National Book Tokens gift card to spend in their favourite bookshop. Congratulations to Jeanne, Avital, Michael A., Michael H., Linda, Abigail, Glynda, Eva, Bella and Alison!

Find out more about the 2024 shortlists below, and visit the Books Are My Bag site to discover previous winners of the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.

Discover the shortlists

Discover the shortlists

From beloved bestselling novelists and poets to debut non-fiction authors; from thrilling YA fiction to children's books full of wonder and adventure; find out more about all the books on this year's shortlists, as curated by booksellers across the UK and Ireland.

Every year, thousands of booklovers discover brilliant new books in their local bookshop. This is your chance to nominate your book of the year; the book which most captivated, entertained or inspired you over the last 12 months, whether it was a newly-published novel or non-fiction title, or a classic you finally picked up and enjoyed.

Clear by Carys Davies 

1843. On a remote Scottish island, Ivar, the sole occupant, leads a life of quiet isolation until the day he finds a man unconscious on the beach below the cliffs.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Ever since his mother’s plane was senselessly shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby, Cyrus has been grappling with her death. Now, newly sober, he is set to learn the truth of her life.

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

It's 412 BC, and Athens' invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, and so out of sheer desperation they decide to stage two of Euripides’ greatest tragedies.

You Are Here by David Nicholls

When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.

Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

When Chris Broad landed in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a mistake. With no knowledge of the language or teaching experience, was he about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history?

A Flat Place by Noreen Masud

A love letter to Britain's breathtaking flatlands, from Orford Ness to Orkney, and a reckoning with the painful, hidden histories they contain.

brother. do. you. love. me. by Manni Coe & Reuben Coe

Reuben was struggling to accept that he had Down's syndrome. When Manni received a desperate message from his youngest brother, he knew everything had to change. Together they began an extraordinary journey of repair, rediscovering the depths of their brotherhood.

Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart

Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister - before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise.

Poyums by Len Pennie

Whether she's writing letters to her younger self, advocating for women's rights or adapting fairy tales to process an abusive relationship, Len's voice is bold, unashamedly frank and unmistakably hers.

Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love by Hollie McNish

Why do we live in a world that is constantly telling us to hate, both ourselves and others? McNish brings her inimitable style to the question of what have been taught to hate, and if we might learn to love again.

He, She, They, Us by Charlie Castelletti

This anthology celebrates queerness in all its forms and takes us through the experiences that make us who we are today. It contains an inclusive array of voices, from modern and contemporary poets to those who came before.

Adam by Gboyega Odubanjo

Haunted by the discovery of the remains of a young Black boy in the Thames in 2001, Adam builds from the Genesis myth and from Yoruba culture to examine the disappearance of a child and its implication for all Black lives.

Northern Soul by Phil Earle

The hilariously agonising account of one teenage boy's disastrous attempts to win the heart of the cool new girl at school.

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll

Determined to return to her small town home one last time before leaving for good, Jasper doesn’t bank on accidentally ruining her sister's engagement - or bumping into her teen adversary, budding filmmaker Arthur Lancaster.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and Bel was the only witness. But then she reappears, and life will never be normal again...

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. When her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary.

I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery

Rebel is a good dog, and he loves his life on the farm with his owner Tom – until the war comes too close… Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king’s men. Rebel must bring Tom home before it’s too late.

The Clockwork Conspiracy by Sam Sedgman

Aspiring inventor Isaac Turner lives with his dad, the Chief Horologist in charge of Big Ben. When his father vanishes from the belfry on the night the clocks go back Isaac determines to find him.

Bea’s Bad Day by Tom Percival

Bea is REALLY looking forward to her birthday … until things begin to go wrong. A book about managing disappointment, from the bestselling author of the Big Bright Feelings series.

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang

Liddy is too excited to sleep! Tomorrow she's going to the Dim Sum Palace with her family, so when a tempting smell wafts into her bedroom, she has no choice but to follow it... to a real palace!

Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time

Debut author of The Ministry of Time, a love story, time-travelling tale and state-of-the-nation commentary.

Julia Armfield, author of Private Rites

Author of Salt Slow, Our Wives Under the Sea and Private Rites.

Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter

Author of Butter, the cult Japanese bestseller inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer".

Jamie Smart, author of Bunny vs Monkey

Jamie Smart is a comic artist and author best known for his comic series Bunny vs Monkey.

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