V.E. Schwab, R.F. Kuang Among 2026 Libby Book Awards Finalists

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the finalists for the 2026 Libby Book Awards, announced Feb. 4 by Libby and OverDrive. The annual prize, chosen by librarians, honors outstanding ebooks and audiobooks published in the previous calendar year; finalists and winners are voted on by public librarians across North America.

Authors among this year's finalists include R.F. Kuang, V.E. Schwab and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Sample finalists named in PEOPLE's list include Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor, What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark and Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang, and the article shows covers for works by Schwab, Kuang and Fredrik Backman.

This year introduces a Readers’ Choice Awards that invited the public to pick a top title, and it will be the first time the Libby Book Awards are held in person; the ceremony is set for March 3 at the Brooklyn Public Library.

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