Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell has been chosen as Waterstones Book of the Year 2023. "This is as close to perfect as fiction gets: immaculate world-building, dazzling storytelling, and adventure galore," Bea Carvalho, head of books, said. "Rundell isn't afraid to trust young readers with weighty themes, but never loses sight of the need to make reading joyous and fun, celebrating humor with as much care as awe and wonder. It is an immediate classic which children will delight in for years to come, and which will remind adults of the genius to be found within the pages of children's books."
In Memoriam by Alice Winn was named Waterstones Novel of the Year, "with our booksellers' deep and abiding love for Alice Winn's breathtaking World War I-set book only too evident," the company noted. "A cinematic tale of slow-burning romance amidst the horrors of the trenches, In Memoriam finds hope and transcendence in humanity's darkest times through the complex relationship between Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood, as they trade their idyllic boarding school for the Western Front. A moving and truly unforgettable reading experience, In Memoriam is fully deserving of the multitude of praise that has been lavished upon it."
Waterstones Gift of the Year was Murdle by G.T. Karber, a "collection of one hundred murder mystery puzzles helmed by the inscrutable Deductive Logico. Marrying its author's fondness for classic crime to a fiendish intellectual challenge reminiscent of Wordle or Sudoku, Murdle invokes codes, maps, illustrations and more to create the perfect gift for all armchair detectives and fans of whodunits," Waterstones noted.