Happy new year! The festive season is slowly winding down and the somewhat harsher realities of life (by which we mean weeks worth of unanswered emails at work, restarting coursework, or finally packing away those decorations) are rising back to the surface. But not to worry. Bookbits are also back this month! Grab a warm cup of something nice, shake off the holiday lethargy, and take a moment to escape into the book world by catching up on all the news that took place in the publishing world since November.
– Awards! Starting off with a big one, David Szalay was the winner of the Booker Prize this year with Flesh, a dark yet compelling rags-to-riches story about a boy from Hungary. The winners of the National Book Award were also announced in November, Rabih Alameddine snagging the prize for best fiction with The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother). The nonfiction portion of the award was given to One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, which has been a steady bestseller since its publication.
– R.I.P Sophie Kinsella, beloved author of the Shopaholic series as well as numerous other contemporary romances (also under her real name, Madeleine Wickham), died on 11 December after a battle with brain cancer. Her publisher Penguin wrote one of numerous obituaries.
– Big titles! There have been some rather notable new titles hitting the shelves in the past two months to bring the end of the year in with a literary bang. Patti Smith’s Bread of Angels, an intimate memoir about her teenage years, has been a big hit much like her previous ones. The sequel to The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Mole is also here. Always Remember is perfect for those missing the magical healing charm of the first book. And at this point, is it even news that Brandon Sanderson has a new book out? The prolific author is back on the shelves (and bestseller lists) with yet another book Tailored Realities, this time a collection of short stories mixing fantasy and science fiction accompanied by author’s notes and gorgeous illustrations for each story.
– Trending on Screen! Book adaptations were once again huge hits for the film and TV industry. Award-buzz has already been gathering around Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s book. It also seemed that absolutely everyone was bingeing Heated Rivalry, adapted from Rachel Reid’s book – and obviously somewhat unexpectedly popular as the publisher had to rush to reprint and then reprint again! Other notable adaptations were The Housemaid, Wicked for Good (Part 2), and the second season of Percy Jackson.
– Interviews! The Guardian has recently published a most interesting article featuring Margaret Atwood in light of her latest memoir The Book of Lives, where she is interviewed by other well-known authors such as Rebecca Solnit, Amitav Ghosh, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Ai Weiwei. Over at NPR, the hosts of Fresh Air had a chat with Zadie Smith about her latest essay collection Dead and Alive, delving into her obsession about time and today’s generational tensions.
– Lists! The Guardian released both their favorite hardcovers of 2025 (including The Names, beloved by both Damla and Sophie). LitHub went the visual way, in naming their 173 Best Book Covers of 2025. The great part about this list is that it was put together by cover designers, and includes their reactions to each cover. Since the Netherlands has been buried under snowfall these days (and with more snow on the way), you might also want to check out Reactor Magazine‘s list of SciFi/Fantasy books that are set in an endless winter for a truly immersive reading experience.
– Love is in the air all year round in the publication world, since the romance genre seems to be the rising trend these last five years. From bestseller lists to big screen adaptations, there has been an undeniable rise in the popularity of romance-focused stories. Following on the tail of the trendy fantasy-genre comeback of the last decade is now romantasy and romantic fiction, abound with comforting tropes and happily ever afters. The Guardian looks into why romance fiction is booming.
– And finally, a pointer towards 1000 Libraries, a joyful online magazine highlighting positive literary news, such as these amazing siblings who brought a library to their local community in Ethiopia, or this amazing bookstore owner who put in a vending machine to provide kids with free books. They also have reviews and bookish travel recommendations, so it’s a real happy rabbit hole to fall into!
