2023 Book Awards Shortlist
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) is a non-profit association of independent bookstores from five Northwest states, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia. The Association produces educational and promotional events and materials for its members and offers literacy, free speech, and author promotional vehicles through its member stores.
Since 1965, our annual Book Awards have recognized such luminary figures in Northwest literature as Ivan Doig, Ursula K. Le Guin, David James Duncan, Cheryl Strayed, Jonathan Evison, Molly Gloss, Chuck Palahniuk, and Brian Doyle. Many of these authors were honored by PNBA before they received national attention. A history of past winners of the Pacific Northwest Book Award can be viewed on the Book Awards homepage.
PNBA's Awards Committee is comprised of nine volunteer booksellers from throughout our member region. This year's Committee considered more than 370 nominated titles published during 2022 for the 2023 award.
These titles, announced in early November, comprise the list from which up to six 2023 winners will be selected.
Winners be announced in early January 2023 and promoted by our member stores during the winter and spring of 2023.
Since 1965, our annual Book Awards have recognized such luminary figures in Northwest literature as Ivan Doig, Ursula K. Le Guin, David James Duncan, Cheryl Strayed, Jonathan Evison, Molly Gloss, Chuck Palahniuk, and Brian Doyle. Many of these authors were honored by PNBA before they received national attention. A history of past winners of the Pacific Northwest Book Award can be viewed on the Book Awards homepage.
PNBA's Awards Committee is comprised of nine volunteer booksellers from throughout our member region. This year's Committee considered more than 370 nominated titles published during 2022 for the 2023 award.
These titles, announced in early November, comprise the list from which up to six 2023 winners will be selected.
Winners be announced in early January 2023 and promoted by our member stores during the winter and spring of 2023.
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Gunfight
My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America Ryan Busse A former firearms executive pulls back the curtain on America's multibillion-dollar gun industry, exposing how it fostered extremism and racism, radicalizing the nation and bringing cultural division to a boiling point. Public Affairs Books / Hachette |
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The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
A Novel Jamie Ford Jamie Ford explores the relationship of mind, spirit, and personal history in this gorgeous, multigenerational novel. Atria Books / Simon & Schuster |
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Lesser Known Monsters
of the 21st Century Stories Kim Fu Mesmerizing, electric, and wholly original, Kim Fu's stories blur the boundaries of the real and fantastic, offering intricate and surprising insights into human nature. Tin House |
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Red Paint
The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe An Indigenous artist blends the aesthetics of punk rock with the traditional spiritual practices of the women in her lineage. Counterpoint |
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The Wok
Recipes & Techniques J. Kenji L ópez-Alt Featuring more than 200 recipes, The Wok provides endless ideas for brightening up dinner. W.W. Norton & Company |
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The Boy with a Bird in His Chest
A Novel Emme Lund A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about the things that make us unique and lovable. Atria Books / Simon & Schuster |
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Fat Girls Hiking
An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability Summer Michaud-Skog Summer Michaud-Skog creates space for marginalized bodies with an insistent conviction that outdoor recreation should welcome everyone. Timber Press |
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A Home Under the Stars
Andy Chou Musser Magical and heartfelt, A Home Under the Stars explores the difficulties and anxieties that accompany moving, as well as the journey to find a sense of belonging in a new place and to call it home. Little Bigfoot / Sasquatch Books |
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Ma And Me
A Memoir Putsata Reang In her startling memoir, Reang explores the long legacy of inherited trauma and the crushing weight of cultural and filial duty. MCD / Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
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The Necessity of Wildfire
Poems Caitlin Scarano Caitlin Scarano's collection wrestles with family violence, escaping home, unraveling relationships, and the complexity of sexuality. Blair |
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How To Not Be Afraid Of Everything
Poems Jane Wong Explores the vulnerable ways we articulate and reckon with fear. Full of elegy and resilient joy, these poems speak across generations of survival. Alice James Books / Consortium |
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Thrust
A Novel Lidia Yuknavitch A dazzling novel of body, spirit, and survival, Thrust will leave no reader unchanged. Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House |
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