David Nicholls and Rory Stewart shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

Books by David Nicholls, Noreen Masud, Rory Stewart and Jamie Smart are among titles shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, selected by booksellers across the country.

Unveiled ahead of Bookshop Day on 12th October, the shortlists are curated by booksellers and readers are now encouraged to vote on the winners of the awards, which will be announced at  an awards ceremony at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, London, on 12th November.

The shortlist for the 2024 Readers Awards, sponsored by National Book Tokens, features Nicholls, for his new love story You Are Here (Sceptre) and Masud, for her memoir, A Flat Place (Hamish Hamilton). Former Conservative MP and cabinet member Stewart is on the list for his inside story of Westminster, Politics on the Edge (Vintage), shortlisted alongside Asako Yuzuki, the author of Butter (Fourth Estate) and Jamie Smart, the creator of the Bunny vs Monkey series (David Fickling Books).

The shortlist categories open for public vote are Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult Fiction, Children’s Fiction and Breakthrough Author. The public is invited to select a winning title from each shortlist until 11pm on Sunday 3rd November. Readers are also encouraged to nominate their favourite book read in the past year, as the Readers’ Choice winner.

Everyone who votes for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five £100 National Book Tokens. Voters can increase their chances of winning by inviting others to vote via a referral link, with a bonus entry added for the referee for every referral received.

Nicholls, shortlisted for the Fiction category, said: “What a thrill. I love bookshops, was a bookseller myself for many years, and so to find myself on this list is an absolute delight.”

Stewart, shortlisted for the Non-Fiction category, added: “It is so exciting to be nominated by booksellers. Almost nobody–in my experience–knows and loves books more than booksellers. I rely on them so much for my recommendations for guidance on what to read. And I’m deeply honoured that they should have thought of choosing Politics on the Edge.”

The shortlist judging panel comprises Rachel Airey from W H Smith, Jude Brosnan from Stanfords, James Firth of The Stripey Badger in Grassington, Lucy Jakes of Waterstones, Elle Moyse of Sevenoaks Bookshop, Mariasanta Tedesco of Blackwell’s Oxford and Christopher Walthorne of Foyles Charing Cross. Vivien Godfrey, c.e.o. of Stanfords, will be presenting an award at the ceremony.

“I’m very honoured and excited to be included in the panel to select the shortlist. There are some truly incredible nominations, and it was a challenge to narrow it down to just four books for each category," said Firth, the co-owner of The Stripey Badger.

2024 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards shortlist, as chosen by bookshops:

Fiction
Clear by Carys Davies (Granta)
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Pan Macmillan)
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Penguin)
You Are Here by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton)

Non-Fiction
Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld)
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud (Penguin)
brother. do. you. love. me. by Manni Coe & Reuben Coe (Canongate)
Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart (Vintage)

Poetry
Poyums by Len Pennie (Canongate)
Lobster: And Other Things I’m Learning to Love by Hollie McNish (Little Brown)
He, She, They, Us by Charlie Castelletti (Pan Macmillan)
Adam by Gboyega Odubanjo (Faber)

Young Adult Fiction
Northern Soul by Phil Earle (HarperCollins)
Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll (Pan Macmillan)
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (HarperCollins)
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Pan Macmillan)

Children’s Fiction
I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books)
The Clockwork Conspiracy by Sam Sedgman (Bloomsbury)
Bea’s Bad Day by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury)
Dim Sum Palace by X Fang (Pushkin Press)

Breakthrough Author
Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time (Hodder & Stoughton)
Julia Armfield, author of Private Rites (HarperCollins)
Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter (HarperCollins)
Jamie Smart, creator of Bunny vs Monkey (David Fickling Books)