James McBride

It is the time of year when we are awash in “Best of” lists, and many worthy publications have put forth their recommendations for the best books of the year that is about to pass us by. A friend of mine professed herself overwhelmed by the lists, and asked me if I would curate them for her.  Here, for Julie and for the rest of you, is my “best of the best,” a list of books I think you should find a time and a place for in your busy schedule.

It’s official: I am a book groupie. I realized this last night as I watched the live stream of the National Book Awards presentation, and became teary over poet Mary Szybist’s acceptance speech. I went into this business in the first place because of one basic belief: books can change lives.  So let’s hear it for the all the wonderful authors of potentially life changing books in the hall last night at the National Book Foundation’s annual gala! 

James McBride has won the fiction award for The Good Lord Bird from Riverhead Books. George Packer has won the nonfiction award for The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Mary Szybist won the Poetry award for Incarnadine from Graywolf Press. The Young People's Literature award went to Cynthia Kadohata for her book The Thing About Luck from Atheneum Books for Young Readers. The National Book Award winners for 2013 were revealed tonight.  You can read free samples of all the winners below to help fill your eReader or tablet.

From multimillion-dollar acquisitions to multimillion-dollar best-sellers, powerful women stand at every pivotal, decision-making point in the book publishing process. Book Business’ first annual “50 Top Women in Book Publishing” feature recognizes and honors some of these industry leaders who affect and transform how publishing companies do business, and what—and how—consumers read.