National Book Festival 2023

The National Book Festival was co-founded in 2001 by first lady Laura Bush with the Library of Congress. The festival celebrates creators and draws thousands of readers together each year to engage with writers and the national library. This festival’s theme, “Everyone Has a Story,” celebrates the storyteller in us all.

Book lovers across the nation can join the 2023 Library of Congress National Book Festival on PBS Books, which will host a series of virtual interviews with some of the festival’s featured authors July 20-August 31 in partnership with PBS stations across the country.

You can find the full list of authors here, and links to the PBS Author talks here.




Updated July 19, 2023
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Family Lore
Acevedo, Elizabeth.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! Winner of the NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize From National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes the story...
Warrior girl unearthed
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times bestseller! A #1 Indies Bestseller!A Publisher's Lunch Best YA of 2023! An Amazon Best Book of the Year!Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award!A Horn Book Fanfare Title! A BookPage Best...
Silent spring revolution : John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the great environmental awakening
Brinkley, Douglas
Ebook
New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed presidential historian Douglas Brinkley chronicles the rise of environmental activism during the Long Sixties (1960-1973), telling the story of an indomitable generation that saved the natural world under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon...
Promise boys
Brooks, Nick
Audiobook
How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill.
Brown, Jericho.
Audiobook
I Have Something to Tell You--For Young Adults: A Memoir.
Buttigieg, Chasten.
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! "A perfect juxtaposition of ordinary and extraordinary, told with humor, compassion, and unshakeable hope." --Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda The...
For Lamb
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
An interracial friendship between two teenaged girls goes tragically wrong in this powerful historical novel set in the Jim Crow South. For Lamb follows a family striving to better their lives in the late 1930s Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb's mother is a hard-working,...
All the sinners bleed
Cosby, S. A.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * USA Today Bestseller * Washington Post's The Twelve Best Thrillers of the Year * TIME's 100 Must Read Books of the Year * Goodreads Choice Award Nominee * USA Today's Best Reviewed Books of the Year * BookPage's Best...
Rosewood : a midsummer meet cute
DasGupta, Sayantani
Ebook
Poverty, by America
Desmond, Matthew
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted reimagines the debate on poverty, making a "provocative and compelling" (NPR) argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR...
Soil : the story of a Black mother's garden
Dungy, Camille T.
Ebook
A "heartfelt and thoroughly enriching" (Aimee Nezhukumatathil, New York Times bestselling author of World of Wonders) work that expands on how we talk about the natural world and the environment as National Book Critics Circle finalist Camille T. Dungy diversifies her garden to...
G-man : J. Edgar Hoover and the making of the American century
Gage, Beverly
Paper Book
Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Biography Winner of the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography, the 2023 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy, and the 43rd LA Times Book Prize in Biography | Finalist for the 2023 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld...
The getaway
Giles, Lamar
Paper Book
"Timely, thrilling, and gripping from start to finish. An absolute page-turner." --Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world's most famous resorts. He's got his family,...
Berry song
Goade, Michaela
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book! An Indie Bestseller! Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade's first self-authored picture book is a gorgeous celebration of the land she knows well and the powerful wisdom of elders. On...
The Wager : a tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder
Grann, David
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager...
Captain America : the ghost army
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz (Refugee, Ground Zero) comes an all-new, original Captain America graphic novel! In this thrilling historical adventure set during World War II, Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) and his young sidekick, Bucky Barnes,...
Remember
Harjo, Joy
Paper Book
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER .AN AMERICAN INDIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION HONOR BOOK.A BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK HONOR AWARD . NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal . Publishers Weekly . The Horn Book .NPR . The Bulletin . Kirkus Reviews
Life on delay : making peace with a stutter
Hendrickson, John (Atlantic senior editor)
Audiobook
A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * USA TODAY BOOK CLUB PICK * ONE OF AUDIBLE'S BEST BIOS AND MEMOIRS OF 2023 * "A raw, intimate look at [Hendrickson's] life with a stutter. It's a profoundly moving book that will reshape the way you think about people living with this...
How to sell a haunted house
Hendrix, Grady
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Wildly entertaining."-The New York Times "Ingenious."-The Washington Post New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that...
It. goes. so. fast. : the year of no do-overs
Kelly, Mary Louise
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller "This voice-driven, relatable, heartfelt and emotional story will make any parent tear up." --Good Morning America, "15 Delightful Books Perfect for Spring Reading" Operating Instructions...
Secret city : the hidden history of gay Washington
Kirchick, James
Paper Book
The New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book of 2022 Named one of Vanity Fair's "Best Books of 2022" "Not since Robert Caro's Years of Lyndon Johnson have I been so riveted by a work of history. Secret...
In the lives of puppets
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND INDIE BESTSELLER! New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts. Most Anticipated...
Sunshine : how one camp taught me about life, death, and hope
Krosoczka, Jarrett,
Paper Book
The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo. When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried:...
Lone women : a novel
LaValle, Victor
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Blue skies, empty land--and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an "absorbing, powerful" (BuzzFeed) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of...
Don't ask me where I'm from
De Leon, Jennifer
Paper Book
"A funny, perceptive, and much-needed book telling a much-needed story." --Celeste Ng, author of the New York Times bestseller Little Fires Everywhere "Written with humor and grace, with intimacy and empathy, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From is the perfect coming of age...
Once upon a book
Lin, Grace
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2023! A Smithsonian Magazine Best Kids Books of 2023! From Caldecott and Newbery Honoree Grace Lin and bestselling author Kate Messner comes a modern folktale about the joy of reading. ...
The parrot and the igloo : climate and the science of denial
Lipsky, David
Audiobook
The dirty tricks department : Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the masterminds of World War II secret warfare
Lisle, John
Paper Book
John Lisle reveals the untold story of the OSS Research and Development Branch--The Dirty Tricks Department--and its role in World War II. In the summer of 1942, Stanley Lovell, a renowned industrial chemist, received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar...
I have some questions for you
Makkai, Rebecca
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Named a Best Book of 2023 by The Washington Post, People, USA Today, NPR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, The Boston Globe, CrimeReads and more "A twisty, immersive...
Cain named the animal
McCrae, Shane
Paper Book
A prophetic new collection of poems from Shane McCrae, "a shrewd composer of American stories" (Dan Chiasson, The New Yorker) Writing you I give the death I take I know I should feel wounded by your death I write to you to make a wound write...
One of us is lying
McManus, Karen M.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * BUZZFEED * POPCRUSH "Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club" (Entertainment Weekly) in this addictive mystery about what happens when five strangers...
The song of the cell an exploration of medicine and the new human
Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Paper Book
Winner of the 2023 PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences and the 2023 Chautauqua Prize! Named a New York Times Notable Book and a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Oprah Daily, BookPage, Book Riot, the New York Public...
Everything sad is untrue : (a true story)
Nayeri, Daniel
Paper Book
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award Christopher Award Winner Middle East Book Award Winner National Indie Bestseller NPR Best Book of the Year New York Times Best of the Year Amazon Best of the Year Booklist Editors' Choice ...
The Golden Frog Games
Ortega, Claribel A.
Ebook
Into the light
Oshiro, Mark
Paper Book
When you're like me, you have to lie. It's been one year since Manny was cast out of his family and driven into the wilderness of the American Southwest. Since then, Manny lives by self-taught rules that keep him moving--and keep him alive. Now, he's taking a chance on a...
Pageboy : a memoir
Page, Elliot
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2023" A TIME Magazine "100 Must-Read Books of 2023" A Washington Post "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction" An Autostraddle "Best Queer Books of 2023" "Vivid...Moving...
White Bird: A Novel: Based on the Graphic Novel
Palacio, R. J.
Paper Book
Now a major motion picture, starring Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson! R. J. Palacio's unforgettable graphic novel debut is a story about the power of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war. SYDNEY TAYLOR AWARD WINNER * A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR...
Omar rising
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
"Irresistibly appealing and genuinely inspiring--a story that helps us to see the world more clearly, and to see ourselves as powerful enough to change it." --Rebecca Stead, author of Newbery Award Winner When You Reach Me In this compelling companion to New York Times...
Hot dog
Salati, Doug
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL * This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated--and overwhelmed--pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic! NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS...
Las Madres.
Santiago, Esmeralda.
Paper Book
From the award-winning, best-selling author of When I Was Puerto Rican, a powerful novel of family, race, faith, sex, and disaster that moves between Puerto Rico and the Bronx, revealing the lives and loves of five women and the secret that binds them together They refer...
Liberation day : stories
Saunders, George
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "One of our most inventive purveyors of the form returns with pitch-perfect, genre-bending stories that stare into the abyss of our national character. . . . An exquisite work from a writer whose reach is galactic."--Oprah Daily  
The Kaiju Preservation Society
Scalzi, John
Paper Book
The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy. When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps....
You: the story : a writer's guide to craft through memory
Sepetys, Ruta
Ebook
The nonfiction debut by #1 New York Times bestselling and Carnegie Medal-winning author Ruta Sepetys. Perfect for fans of Burn After Writing and Bird by Bird. Life is story in motion. Each day, you add to your story, revise it, and view it from a different...
Everfair
Shawl, Nisi
Paper Book
From noted short story writer Nisi Shawl comes a brilliant alternate-history novel set in the Belgian Congo. What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the...
Penny draws a best friend
Shepard, Sara
Paper Book
A humorous, heartfelt, highly illustrated middle grade series about friendship, feelings, and finding your people, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard. Why does the cubby room always smell like farts? Who etched the words "I Am Bug Man" inside my desk...
A gift for Nana
Smith, Lane
Paper Book
Two-time Caldecott Honor author/illustrator Lane Smith tells a whimsical story about a little rabbit searching for the best gift for someone very special. A thoughtful little Rabbit sets out to find the perfect gift for his Nana. He knows she will love anything he brings her but...
Our migrant souls : a meditation on race and the meanings and myths of "Latino"
Tobar, Haector
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION Named One of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2023 One of Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 | A Top Ten Book of 2023 at Chicago Public Library A new book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer...
The Lincoln highway
Towles, Amor
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More than ONE MILLION copies sold A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick A New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Readers' Choice Best Book of the Century, and Chosen by Oprah Daily, Time, NPR,...
She is a haunting
Tran, Trang Thanh
Paper Book
William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller This house eats and is eaten . . . "A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which...
Good night, Irene
Urrea, Luis Alberto
Paper Book
This New York Times bestselling novel tells an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman's heroic frontline service in the Red Cross. "Urrea's touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his...
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively...
Flirting with Danger: The Mysterious Life of Marguerite Harrison, Socialite Spy.
Wallach, Janet.
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE "A compelling story that pulsates with the energy of a thriller"-The Wall Street Journal "Suspense, elan and a generous helping of glamour- Think George Smiley in a mink-trimmed coat."-The New York Times Book Review...
Sing, unburied, sing : a novel
Ward, Jesmyn
Paper Book
*WINNER of the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD for FICTION *A TIME MAGAZINE BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR and A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 OF 2017 *Finalist for the Kirkus Prize *Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal *Finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize...
That self-same metal
Williams, Brittany N.
Paper Book
This stunning YA fantasy debut "seamlessly weaves together history, fantasy, culture, magic, and love" (New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older) and is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and Justina Ireland. The Forge &...
Now is not the time to panic : a novel
Wilson, Kevin
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of the Year by: Time * Kirkus Reviews * USA Today * Entertainment Weekly * Garden & Gun * Vox * Atlanta Journal-Constitution A Most Anticipated Book of Fall from: Associated Press * Atlanta Journal-Constitution * BookPage * Book Riot * The...
Monster in the middle
Yanique, Tiphanie
Paper Book
When Fly and Stela meet in New York City, it seems like fate. He's a Black American musician from a mixed-religious background who knows all about heartbreak. She's a Catholic science teacher from the Caribbean, looking for lasting love. But are they meant to be? The answer goes back decades - all...
Song of silver, flame like night
Zhao, Ame?lie Wen
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation's past--and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China. "Brims with pure magic....

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