The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

Launched in 2016 and voted for by both booksellers and readers, the Books Are My Bag Awards number Matt Haig, Philip Pullman, Madeline Miller, Maggie O’Farrell and Michelle Obama amongst their former winners. We are delighted to announce the category winners of this year’s awards.

Fiction Winner 2025

Tell Me Everything (Paperback)

Elizabeth Strout

Price: £9.99

Paperback

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The Pulitzer Prize-winning author delivers another luminous tale of human bonds and the search for the meaning of life, as Lucy Barton befriends the town lawyer who has become enmeshed in a murder investigation and finally also meets the legendary Olive Kitteridge.

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Non-Fiction Winner 2025

Raising Hare: The heart-warming true story of an unlikely friendship (Paperback)

Chloe Dalton, Chloe Dalton

Recommended Retail Price: £10.99 Price: £7.99

Paperback

10+ in stock

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Perfect reading for fans of H is for Hawk and George: A Magpie Memoir, Dalton's charming account of unexpectedly raising a leveret during lockdown is a feel-good, life-affirming treat.

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Poetry Winner 2025

To the Women - The New Collection of Wise Words Every Woman Needs (Hardback)

Donna Ashworth

Price: £12.99

Hardback

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Fully updated with over seventy brand-new and inspiring poems, Ashworth's reassuring and passionate collection is a profound tribute to the power of women everywhere.

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Young Adult Fiction Winner 2025

Wish You Were Her: Exclusive Edition (Paperback)

Elle McNicoll

Recommended Retail Price: £8.99 Price: £6.99

Paperback

10+ in stock

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Overnight-famous actor Allegra heads to a remote book festival for some peace and quiet only to find herself entangled in an entirely new kind of drama in this witty and addictive romcom from the beloved author of A Kind of Spark and Some Like it Cold.

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Children's Fiction Winner 2025

The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)

Katherine Rundell

Price: £14.99

Hardback

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The mesmerising follow-up to Katherine Rundell's Waterstones Book of the Year 2023-winning Impossible Creatures finds Christopher embroiled in an elaborate rescue mission as he returns to the magical world of the Archipelago.

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Picture Book Winner 2025

Otto The Top Dog (Paperback)

Catherine Rayner, Catherine Rayner

Price: £7.99

Paperback

10+ in stock

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From the acclaimed author-illustrator of Arlo: The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep comes another visually gorgeous animal tale, as lovable Otto shares his beloved basket with the neighbourhood dogs with distinctly mixed results.

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Reader's Choice & Newcomer of the Year Award Winner 2025

Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea! - Cruise Ship Kid (Paperback)

Emma Swan

Price: £7.99

Paperback

10+ in stock

Usually dispatched within 1-2 days

Tom Gates meets Cluedle, the first rip-roaring entry in Swan's mystery series teams young readers up with junior sleuth Silver, who lives on a cruise ship and solves crimes at sea.