30 Books You Should Read in 2026
There is something about a new year that makes me want to stack my nightstand with fresh books and start making reading plans. Maybe it is the promise of quiet evenings, or the excitement of discovering a story that completely pulls you in and makes you forget about everything else for a while.
Every year, I look forward to putting together this list of books I am excited to read and recommend. It is a mix of new releases, buzzy titles, and a few that feel like hidden gems. No matter what kind of reader you are, I think you will find something here that sparks your interest.
If reading more is one of your goals for the year ahead, this list is a great place to start. These are 30 books to add to your reading list for 2026.
Books You Should Read in 2026
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1. The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
2. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
3. The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah
4. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
5. The Oligarch’s Daughter by Joseph Finder
6. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
7. Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
8. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
9. We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
10. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
11. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
12. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
13. That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
14. The Names by Florence Knapp
15. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
16. Joyride by Susan Orlean
17. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
18. Finding My Way by Malala Yousafazai
19. The Favorites by Layne Fargo
20. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
21. Dead Money by Jakob Kerr
22. Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen
23. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
24. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
25. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
26. Crooks by Lou Berney
27. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
28. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
29. Educated by Tara Westover
30. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Previous Years Recommended Books
Which books are you looking forward to reading in 2026?
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