Shortlist for the Indie Book Awards is announced, celebrating the best summer reads
The shortlist has been revealed for The Indie Book Awards 2023, showcasing the best paperbacks of the summer.
The Indie Book Awards are part of Independent Bookshop Week, which celebrates indie bookshops in the UK and Ireland between 17 and 24 June.
Organised by the Booksellers Association, the awards cover four categories – Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s Fiction and Picture Book – and are curated exclusively by independent booksellers.
This year’s shortlist includes the Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart (Young Mungo), Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant (A Pocketful of Happiness), Women’s Prize-shortlisted author Barbara Kingsolver (Demon Copperhead), and comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince (The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity).
Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association said that it was a delight to celebrate the best paperback reads of the summer:
“This year’s shortlist is full of brilliant authors and as they are judged by independent booksellers, you can be sure they’ll be spot-on recommendations for your summer reading list – spanning throught-provoking non-fiction, absorbing novels, delightful picture books and entertaining children’s fiction. We encourage all book-lovers to explore the shortlist, and maybe grab a book or two from your nearest indie bookshop.”
A judging panel of independent booksellers will decide on the four winners, to be announced on Friday 23 June.
THE SHORTLIST
FICTION
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Faber & Faber)
You Made a Fool Out of Death With Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi (Faber & Faber)
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie (Bloomsbury Circus)
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews (Raven Books)
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (Picador)
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Picador)
NON-FICTION
Super Infinite by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber)
The Instant by Amy Liptrot (Canongate Books)
A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E Grant (Simon & Schuster UK)
The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity by Robin Ince (Atlantic Books)
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate)
Consumed: The Need for Collective Change; Colonialism, Climate Change & Consumerism by Aja Barber (Brazen)
CHILDREN’S FICTON
The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna (Welbeck Flame)
Marv and the Pool of Peril by Alex Falase-Koya, pictures by Paula Bowles (Oxford University Press)
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A F Steadman (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)
The Elemental Detectives by Patrice Lawrence (Scholastic)
Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Ruling the World by Louie Stowell (Walker Books)
PICTURE BOOK
A Hero Like Me by Jen Reid and Angela Joy, illustrated by Leire Salaberria (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)
John Agard’s Windrush Child by John Agard, illustrated by Sophie Bass (Walker Books)
The Boy With Flowers in His Hair by Jarvis (Walker Books)
Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)
The Gecko and the Echo by Rachel Bright & Jim Field (Orchard Books)
Timid by Harry Woodgate (Little Tiger)
For more information about the Indie Book Awards and previous winners, see here.
