Waterstones unveils Book of the Year 2024 shortlist

Books by Sally Rooney, Percival Everett and Colm Tóibín are among those in contention for Waterstones Book of the Year 2024, with the winner to be announced on Thursday 28th November.

Every year Waterstones booksellers are called on to nominate an outstanding book they particularly enjoyed recommending to readers over the previous year. Previous winners range from Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell to Charlie Mackesy, Paul McCartney and Katherine Rundell.

On this year’s 15-strong shortlist are Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo (Faber), Ferdia Lennon’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize-winning Glorious Exploits (Penguin General), TV presenter and historian Alice Loxton’s Eighteen (Macmillan) and Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price (Farshore).

Also on the list are Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Canongate Books), James by Percival Everett (Mantle), Easy Wins by Anna Jones (4th Estate), The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing (Picador), The Siege by Ben Macintyre (Viking) and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (4th Estate). 

Making up the shortlist are I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books), Cloudspotting For Beginners by Gavin Pretor-Pinney and illustrated by William Grill (Particular Books), Shakespeare’s First Folio: All the Plays – A Children’s Edition, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Walker Books), Long Island by Colm Tóibín (Picador) and Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton (4th Estate).

Bea Carvalho, Waterstones head of books, said: “We are delighted to unveil the shortlist for Waterstones Book of the Year 2024, as voted for by booksellers. These 15 books showcase a stellar year for publishing across genres, with new books from some of the biggest and most beloved authors at work today alongside dazzling new discoveries and word-of-mouth bestsellers.

“Here, booksellers champion books which shift perspectives on well-known histories and classic works of literature as well as insightful novels which skewer the glorious messiness of contemporary real life. We also celebrate mysteries which grip with pure page-turning brilliance, and stunning odes to the natural world which honour the joy to be found in nature, or in our bonds with animals. There is something for readers of all tastes and ages to pore over here: we cannot wait to share these wonderful books with readers everywhere.”

The title named Waterstones Book of the Year 2024 will receive the full backing of Waterstones shops and booksellers across the UK, as well as support online and through its loyalty card programme, Waterstones Plus, which reaches over one million readers.