Spotlighting Our LA Times Book Prizes Finalists

The Los Angeles Times announced the finalists and honorees for its 46th Annual Book Prizes, recognizing outstanding literary achievement across 13 categories and celebrating the highest quality of writing from authors at every stage of their careers.

This year, PRH author Amy Tan will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, and our partner We Need Diverse Books will be honored with the Innovator’s Award. PRH author Adam Ross will also be recognized with the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose.

Winners will be announced on Friday, April 17, at a ceremony held at USC’s Bovard Auditorium—a prologue to the 31st annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which takes place April 18–19. The Festival of Books remains one of the country’s largest and most beloved literary gatherings, bringing together writers, readers, and publishers in celebration of storytelling.

We’re proud to share that several Penguin Random House authors and imprints are represented among this year’s finalists. Congratulations to the authors and teams who brought these books to life!

Our LA Times Book Prizes Finalists

Achievement in Audiobook Production, Presented by Audible

HOW TO LOSE YOUR MOTHER by Molly Jong-Fast (Viking)

PEOPLE LIKE US by Jason Mott (Dutton)

THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press)

THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans (Crown)

Biography

PAPER GIRL by Beth Macy (Penguin Press)

Current Interest

THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US by Brian Goldstone (Crown)

Mystery/Thriller

EL DORADO DRIVE by Megan Abbott (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Science & Technology

THEY POISONED THE WORLD by Mariah Blake (Crown)

EMPIRE OF AI by Karen Hao (Penguin Press)

WHEN IT ALL BURNS by Jordan Thomas (Riverhead Books)

Young Adult Literature

MY MOTHER, THE MERMAID CHASER by Jamie Jo Hoang (Crown Books for Young Readers)