Barnes & Noble Announces Their 2022 Discover Prize Shortlist

Today, Barnes & Noble announces its Discover Prize Shortlist, a new prize that celebrates the very best new authors, elevating the joy of spotting fresh voices early on in their careers.  Barnes & Noble booksellers have been at the forefront of championing up-and-coming authors for decades, often propelling them to bestseller status through their passionate bookselling recommendations.  In an extremely exciting publishing year, B&N booksellers across the country have been reading hundreds of debut authors to narrow down to the six books that make up the shortlist.

“There’s nothing better than introducing a fellow reader to their new favorite author,” said Miwa Messer, Executive Producer of Poured Over, The B&N Podcast.  “These are unforgettable, extraordinary books, stories that show us who we are, where we’ve come from—and where we’re headed.  I can’t wait to see these writers become household names.” 

Spanning riveting historical fiction, works of mind-bending realities and harsh truths, equal parts painstakingly tragic and beautiful – these stories have permanently imprinted into our hearts, minds and bookshelves.  In the coming weeks, these six titles will be voted on by Barnes & Noble booksellers to earn the accolade of the 2022 Discover Prize Winner which will be announced on October 12 during a live event hosted in the bookseller’s flagship store in Union Square.  

“’This can’t be a debut’ is a phrase I heard uttered numerous times throughout many lively debates, as the final six books were selected,” said Shannon DeVito, Director of Books, Barnes & Noble.  “With the outpouring of new voices and stories surfacing across genres, the competition was fierce, and the quality of the content was absolutely exceptional.  I’m confident these writers have even more brilliance to come, and their future works are sure to be met with just as much enthusiasm and excitement from readers across the nation.”

Here is the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Shortlist: 

• All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews – “The beauty of this book is in its quiet, completive story of frustratingly messy, sympathetic characters you can’t help but root for through the end.” –Tara Smart, Bookseller
• How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu – “If the books of David Mitchell and George Saunders had a baby, this would be it.  A novel told in stories about our ability to grieve and recover.” –John Sullivan, Bookseller
• Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty – “Told in a series of related short stories, Talty uses humor, tragedy, and a keen sense of observation to share a look into what being Native American means today.  Essential for readers that enjoyed Tommy Orange’s There, There or Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine.” –Kevin Robinson, Bookseller
• The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty – “A masterpiece.  A story of a young woman in a dying midwestern town but also a universal story of love, loneliness and longing … Like the battered heart on the cover, this book beats with life—bloody, real life.” –Brenda Allison, Bookseller
• Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell – “Written like a jazz piece, it starts with a melody: Circus, a trumpet musician.  Then it morphs into different key changes, rhythms, and syncopations, as Circus juggles his music, his many ladies and turning forty … As his melody resolves, his daughter’s takes over and a new song begins.” –Maggie Wardlaw, Bookseller
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy – “From the first page to the very last, Kennedy’s superb prose envelops you in the Northern Ireland of the 1970s.  You experience the division between love and loyalty, family and future, and know that though the Troubles may have passed, we all carry a piece of Cushla in our souls.  A must read.” –Sarah Coombs, Bookseller

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Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. The Company has approximately 600 bookstores across the United States, as well as its online bookstore at BN.com, the Nook Digital business which offers both e-books and an audio book subscriptions service, the SparkNotes educational service, and the publisher Union Square & Co. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be found on the Company’s website at www.bn.com.