And the big day is here—here are the winners of the 2025 National Book Award! I thought A Guardian and a Thief would win for fiction (and it is so worthy), but Raja had my heart and I‘m thrilled to see it. El Akkad as the NF winner is spot on. But I am perplexed by the translated winner. I found this book impenetrable and Sad Tiger is just so good, I really feel it should have won.
pickAt first I thought this book was going to be very depressing and sad, but it ends up being the opposite. It‘s inspiring and makes you think and feel and ponder. In addition to those things it has a great storyline and interesting characters with great dialogue. By the end of the book all the characters are beloved. I highly recommend giving this book a read. No spoilers, you just need to read it.
Phoebe Stone feels eerily familiar.
Two holds became available at the same time and I chose the tagged book over Project Hail Mary.
#currentread
pickThis Chick Lit book was a 4-star read with relatable characters and good prose. There were some funny moments but had a surprisingly sweet and honest outlook on such heavy subjects as grief, suicidal ideation, divorce, and death of a spouse. The relationships that were formed between Phoebe and the wedding people were quirky but positive and respectful. It was an uplifting experience and was very enjoyable.
:As an aside, it has*always* been weird to me how overlooked this prize is (edited) 6d