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At BookPal, we believe in the power of books to ignite continuous learning and growth. Four years ago, we created the  Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award to recognize books that do just that.

Over the years, we've seen many great titles rise to the top. This year, we continue to highlight fifteen categories that reflect the diverse types of books we sell every day. The five longlisted titles in each category represent top reading recommendations for individuals and teams to inspire new ideas, expand perspectives, and fall in love with reading.

Introducing the five longlisted books in each category:

• Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See in Business and Life by Gillian Tett
• Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success by Ron Friedman
• Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change by April Rinne
• Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed
• Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

• Bringing Up the Boss: Practical Lessons for New Managers by Rachel Pacheco
• Leaders in Lockdown: Inside Stories of COVID-19 and the New World of Business by Atholl Duncan
• Make It, Don’t Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success by Sabrina Horn
• The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders by Adam Bryant & Kevin Sharer
• The Edge: How Ten CEOs Learned to Lead—And the Lessons for Us All by Michael Useem

• Beyond Collaboration Overload: How to Work Smarter, Get Ahead, and Restore Your Well-Being by Rob Cross
• How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace: Simple and Effective Tips for Successful, Productive, and Empowered Remote Work by Robert Glazer
• Just Work: Get Sh*t Done, Fast & Fair by Kim Scott
• The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It by Jennifer Moss
• Work Made Fun Gets Done!: Easy Ways to Boost Energy, Morale, and Results by Bob Nelson & Mario Tamayo

• Ace It!: How Sales Champions Win New Business by Bernie Weiss
• Get Different: Marketing That Can't Be Ignored! by Mike Michalowicz
• Marketing Mess to Brand Success: 30 Challenges to Transform Your Organization's Brand (and Your Own) by Scott Miller
• Sales Management That Works: How to Sell in a World That Never Stops Changing by Frank V. Cespedes
• The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story about Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior by David S. Duncan

• How to Build a Goddamn Empire: Advice on Creating Your Brand with High-Tech Smarts, Elbow Grease, Infinite Hustle, and a Whole Lotta Heart by Ali Kriegsman
• Ladies Get Paid: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career by Clare Wasserman
• Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace by Stacey Vanek Smith
• My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by Indra Nooyi
• Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity by Ella Bell Smith & Stella M. Nkomo

• A Walk in the Words by Hudson Talbott
• Just Being Dalí: The Story of Artist Salvador Dalí by Amy Guglielmo & Brett Helquist
• More Than Fluff by Madeline Valentine
• Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan & Mercè López
• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson, & Nikkolas Smith

• All Ketchup, No Mustard! by Jason Tharp
• Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too! by Maggie P. Chang
• Knight of the Cape by Terry Catasus Jennings & Fatima Anaya
• The Kids of Cattywampus Street by Lisa Jahn-Clough & Natalie Andrewson
• Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery by Raj Haldar & Neha Rawat

• A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr
• Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli
• Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac
• Starfish by Lisa Fipps
• What About Will by Ellen Hopkins

• Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America by Margarita Longoria
• Switch by A.S. King
• The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris
• The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
• We Are the Ashes We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough

• In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
• Somebody’s Daughter by Ashely C. Ford
• The Hard Crowd by Rachel Kushner
• The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine
• We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza

• A Shot to Save the World: The Inside Story of the Life-Or-Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine by Gregory Zuckerman
• An Anatomy of Pain: How the Body and the Mind Experience and Endure Physical Suffering by Abdul-Ghaaliq Lalkhen
• Comparisonitis: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others and Be Genuinely Happy by Melissa Ambrosini
• The Brain Under Siege: Solving the Mystery of Brain Disease, and How Scientists Are Following the Clues to a Cure by Howard L. Weiner
• What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce D. Perry

• 100 Plants That Heal: The Illustrated Herbarium of Medicinal Plants by François Couplan, Gérard Debuigne, & Pierre and Délia Vignes
• Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins: A Trip Through the World of Animal Intoxication by Oné R. Pagán
• Our National Monuments: America's Hidden Gems by QT Luong, Sally Jewell, & Ian Shive
• Per My Last Email: Witty, Wicked, and Wonderfully Weird Workplace Words and Phrases by Stephanie K. Wright
• The Little Book of Cottagecore: Traditional Skills for a Simpler Life by Emily Kent

• Contentment: The Sacred Path to Loving the Life You Have by Tracy Wilde-Pace
• How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion by David DeSteno
• Millennial Nuns: Reflections on Living a Spiritual Life in a World of Social Media by The Daughters of Saint Paul
• Pillars: How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus by Rachel Pieh Jones & Abdi Nor Iftin
• The Vanishing: Faith, Loss, and the Twilight of Christianity in the Land of the Prophets by Janine di Giovanni

• American Marxism by Mark R. Levin
• Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All by Laura Bates
• Peril by Bob Woodward & Robert Costa
• The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal by Mary L. Trump
• The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

• Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer
• I Am a Girl from Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro
• Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli
• The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
• Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson

Sign up for our newsletter to find out which titles make our shortlist and which will win the OWL Award for their category!

This post was written by Megan Habel, the Brand Strategist at BookPal. She is currently reading The Selection by Kiera Cass.