The Kirkus Prize named finalists, with the winner to be announced on October 7:
Fiction
Kin, by Tayari Jones
This Is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Eating Ashes, by Brenda Navarro & Megan McDowell
Luna, Phoenix, Queen, by Julie Orringer
John of John, by Douglas Stuart
Cool Machine, by Colson Whitehead
Nonfiction
Catch the Devil, by Pamela Colloff
Keeper of My Kin, by Ada Ferrer
London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe
Defiance, by Loubna Mrie
A Hymn to Life, by Gisèle Pelicot, Judith Perrignon, Natasha Lehrer & Ruth Diver
A World Appears, by Michael Pollan
Young Readers
Anger Is Only a Shadow, by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Lovely Dark, by Matthew Fox
Navigating Night, by Julie Leung & Angie Kang
When It’s Your Turn for Midnight, by Blessing Musariri
Electric Birds of Pothakudi, by Karthika Naïr & Joëlle Jolivet
This Is a Door, by Daniel Nayeri
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The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 93+ years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earn the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2026 Kirkus Prize.
Thanks as always, @Anne_Glasgow!
I know you read a lot of award winners. What do you think of the Kirkus Prize nominees? Do you generally agree with their list?
I’ve read two of the fiction nominees (Kin and John of John) and two of the nonfiction nominees (London Falling and A World Appears). Of those, John of John was far superior to Kin, and I feel London Falling was much better than A World Appears, too.
I’ve read This is Where the Serpent Lives and John of John. I’m currently reading Kin.
From nonfic I’ve read London Falling and I’m waiting to get my hands on Catch the Devil.
I did not know Julie Orringer had a new book coming but I will definitely get my hands on Luna, Phoenix, Queen. Eating Ashes sounds good too.
I’m partial to this award because it started in Austin when Kirkus used to office here. For many years the awards were presented here. Now, they office in NYC but they do still have a big presence at the Texas Book Festival so I know several of the authors will be on the program. Once I know which ones I will try to get their books read. They’ve already announced Patrick Radden Keefe and I suspect Pamela Colloff will be too.
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What did you think of This is Where the Serpent Lives?
This is Where the Serpent Lives was really interesting. A glimpse of unfamiliar culture with an unusual character. I suspect there was more to the book than I actually took away but it sure has lingered in my mind.
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