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

Over the years, we've seen many great titles rise to the top.  This year, we've expanded the field immensely to reflect the diverse types of books we sell every day. The result is fifteen categories under overarching themes of business, education, and miscellaneous. 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:

• • Everyday Chaos by David Weinberger
  • Indistractable by Nir Eyal
  • Loonshots by Safi Bahcall
  • Range by David Epstein
  • Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

• • Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis & Bing West
  • It’s the Manager by Jim Clifton & Jim Harter
  • Management Mess to Leadership Success by Scott Miller
  • The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell by Paul Smith
  • Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, & Alan Eagle

• • How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown
  • Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
  • Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson
  • The Remix by Lindsey Pollak
  • Unstoppable Teams by Alden Mills

• • Connected Strategy by Nicolaj Siggelkow & Christian Terwiesch
  • Follow the Feeling by Kai D. Wright
  • Get the Meeting! By Stu Heinecke
  • Hello, My Name is Awesome, 2^nd Edition by Alexandra Watkins
  • The Iconist by Jamie Mustard

• • Becoming Super Woman by Nicole Lapin
  • Dig Your Heels In by Joan Kuhl
  • Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
  • Slay Like a Mother by Katherine Wintsch
  • The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You by Lydia Fenet

• • Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum by Dr. Seuss & Andrew Joyner
  • Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor & Rafael Lopez
  • Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o & Vashti Harrison
  • The Neighbors by Einat Tsarfati
  • When Sadness Is at Your Door by Eva Eland

• • Allies by Alan Gratz
  • Child of the Dream by Sharon Robinson
  • Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney
  • Guts by Raina Telgemeier
  • Hicotea by Lorena Alvarez

• • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Adapted for Young Readers) by Trevor Noah
  • Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
  • The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
  • White Bird: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio

• • Color Me In by Natasha Díaz
  • Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
  • Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee & Michael Dante DiMartino
  • The Truths We Hold (Young Readers Edition) by Kamala Harris

• • A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
  • I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying by Bassey Ikpi
  • Parkland by Dave Cullen
  • The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
  • The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

• • Best Self by Mike Bayer
  • Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
  • The Mission of a Lifetime by Basil Hero
  • The Positive Shift by Catherine A. Sanderson
  • The Power of Agency by Paul Napper & Anthony Rao

• • 1000 Places to See Before You Die, Deluxe Edition by Patricia Schultz
  • Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds by Ian Wright
  • How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo
  • How To by Randall Munroe
  • The Moviemaking Magic of Marvel by Eleni Roussos

• • Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor
  • How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado
  • How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns
  • Joseph and the Way of Forgiveness by Stephen Mitchell
  • Your Battles Belong to the Lord by Joyce Meyer

• • Don’t Label Me by Irshad Manji
  • Grace Will Lead Us Home by Jennifer Berry Hawes
  • Represent by June Diane Raphael & Kate Black
  • The Threat by Andrew McCabe
  • The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

• • After Life by Alice Marie Johnson
  • Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love by Thomas Tarrants
  • Formation by Ryan Leigh Dostie
  • Sea Stories by William H. McRaven
  • They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, & Harmony Becker

Sign up for our blog 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 Formation by Ryan Leigh Dostie.