The 2025 winners are here, after a hard fought “battle of the books!”
The judges on the IRDA panel included top people in all areas of the publishing industry, in concert with IndieReader’s trusty reviewers.
Judging was based on the quality of writing and the originality of the story. There was a first, second and third place winner in each of the fiction and non-fiction categories, in addition to winners in various sub-categories.
Without further ado, meet this year’s winners! Look for their All About the Book interviews, with their acceptance messages, posted on the IR website throughout the next month!
Fiction Winners
The Last Whaler
Cynthia Reeves
The clash between a will to survive in extreme circumstances and utter despondent grief unfolds with heartbreaking mastery in Cynthia Reeves’s THE LAST WHALER. A couple stranded at an Arctic whaling station in the late 1930s has endured so much before their journey that merely pulling through the ordeal may be more than they can handle. Reeves’s use of poignant letters and journaling to share both sides of the tragedy is powerful in its delicacy.
A Fondness for Truth
Kim Hays
A FONDNESS FOR TRUTH, the third book in the Polizei Bern series by Kim Hays, features detectives Linder and Donatelli in an outstanding mystery that never skimps on either the procedural elements of solving the murder or of the humanity of those affected by the crime. The story is tightly plotted and paced, with new revelations peeling back like an onion to reach the heart of the murder. A top-notch mystery by an excellent writer.
The Puppy Prophet
David Cary Lane
Pairing traditional story-telling and lyrical poetry with stunning illustrations (courtesy of Patrick Atkins), David Cary Lane’s THE PUPPY PROPHET offers readers a genre-bending novel that’s truly like no other. Part philosophical exploration, part spiritual journey, this contemplative tale offers a litany of life lessons via a lowly ‘dumpster’ stray navigating some of life’s biggest questions on a journey that will resonate with readers from all walks of life.
Nonfiction Winners
Property of the Revolution
Ana Hebra Flaster
In 1967, six-year-old Ana Hebra Flaster and her family, once proud revolutionaries now despairing of Castro’s government and the communist regime, were forced to leave their Havana barrio and seek refuge in the US. They settled in New Hampshire, and PROPERTY OF THE REVOLUTION is Hebra Flaster’s profoundly absorbing account of the three generations attempting to forge a new life as Cuban Americans while preserving their rich, unique heritage and culture.
The Endless Sphere of Time
Geir Jordahl (Photographer), Rolf Jacobsen (Poetry)
Renowned, Norwegian-born photographer Geir Jordahl pairs his powerful photographs with carefully chosen by poetry by Rolf Jacobsen in the luscious volume THE ENDLESS SPHERE OF TIME. The poems are presented in both their original Norwegian and in English translations. The images themselves, in black and white with stunning composition, contain layers of meaning and symbols that encourage long periods of contemplation and exploration. Paired with the spare modernism of Jacobsen’s poems, the effect is luminous and resonating.
Celebrating Comfy, Cozy Foods from North America
Astrid Tuttle Winegar
CELEBRATING COMFY, COZY FOODS FROM NORTH AMERICA, Astrid Tuttle Winegar’s third cookbook in her Cooking for Halflings & Monsters series, focuses on North American cooking, especially that of her home region of the southwest. The tone of the book is light and fun, with short asides and anecdotes around the recipes. The recipes themselves read clearly and cook up well as written. It’s pleasurable reading, and cooking from the book feels like cooking with a friend.
Category Winners
Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise
Kristine Meldrum
Category: Best First Book (Non-Fiction)
The Day I Had a Dinosaur
Ashley Wall
Category: Children’s (Board books and Pre-reading)
South Korea: The Price of Efficiency and Success
John Gonzalez and Young Lee
Category: Fantasy
Miley Speaks: A True Story of Love, Loss, Grief, and Reconnection
Lisa Peachey, Carol Elizabeth Long
Category: Inspirational/ Spiritual (Non Fiction)
Surviving to Thriving
Jessie Huisken, Craig A. Brockman
Category: Parenting (Child Care/Family)
The Reformer’s Dilemma
Ricardo Rosselló Nevares
Category: Politics/Current Events
Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness
Danila Botha
Category: Women’s Issues (Fiction)
The Quiet Unraveling of Eve Ellaway
Melanie Hooyenga
Category: Young Adult (Fiction)
