Authors from all over the world came together last week to celebrate the best and brightest in contemporary literature at the 2014 PEN Literary Awards.
The ceremony honors both recently published authors and those whose work has been pivotal in crafting the modern literary scene. Prize-winning books ranged from deep dives into the world of sports medicine to playful children's stories to enchanting literary fiction.
[seealso slug="books-that-change-with-age"]
These books are all must-reads, but in case you need more convincing to check out these titles, here are seven reasons why you should be reading this year's 2014 PEN Literary Award winners.
[nggallery id=19021 layout="list" title="top"]