Next Read ClubBest Books to Read in 2026
Not every book published this year — the ones we'd actually hand a friend in 2026, across genres and moods.
A quick honest note before this list: this isn't an attempt to cover every book published in 2026.
Nobody reads everything, and a list that pretends to is usually just a press-release roundup with no actual opinion in it. This is the other kind of list — the books we'd genuinely tell a friend to start this year, pulled from across our catalog, organized by what you're in the mood for.
If you want a page-turner
1.
Andy Weir
Science fiction, mystery, and genuine humor in one of the most purely fun books in our catalog.
2.
Richard Osman
A lighter mystery with real warmth underneath the jokes.
If you want something that lingers
3.
Matt Haig
Still one of our most-recommended books, and still worth it if you haven't gotten to it yet.
4.
Kazuo Ishiguro
Quiet, strange, and one of the gentlest, saddest narrators in recent fiction.
If you want to disappear into another world
5.
Erin Morgenstern
Atmospheric, romantic, and one of the most purely immersive books we recommend.
6.
Madeline Miller
Greek mythology retold with a genuinely compelling main character at the center of it.
If you want nonfiction with real ideas
7.
James Clear
Still the clearest, most practical habit-building book we recommend — a reasonable one to actually start the year with.
8.
Yuval Noah Harari
Big-picture nonfiction that's genuinely readable, not just genuinely long.
For more by genre, our best fantasy books, best fiction books, and best self-development books hubs go deeper than any single yearly list can.
Want a pick made just for you?
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