Now that we're about halfway through 2026, readers have been sharing some of the best books they've read this year so far. Their picks range from brand new releases to forgotten classics, and they even included a few of my personal favorites, too. Here are 19 books that people are so glad they picked up in 2026:
"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I really loved this book, and just figuring Eleanor out and what was going on in her life and seeing her come out of her shell a little. Her ways of looking at the world and thinking were so interesting, and I found myself just really loving her as a character by the time I finished. I want to listen to the audiobook as well, but I haven't had the chance yet."
"I read The Secret History earlier this year, and thought it was phenomenal. Definitely my favorite."
"The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder). This had an Orwellian vibe to it. It’s a dystopian novel about people on an unnamed island where things get “disappeared” by the government and slowly fade from people’s memory. The people who remember are hunted down by the police. It was weird and eerie, and I loved it."
"My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Ferociously good novel with an absolute steamroller of an ending. Maybe the most impactful final sentence of a book I've ever read."
"A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. My favorite read of the year. It felt like the bookish equivalent of the perfect cup of tea. It's comforting and hopeful. It's about a traveling tea monk who encounters a curious sentient robot. It’s particularly good if you’re feeling a bit lost and directionless. I’d highly recommend it."
"The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. First time in a while that I finished a book and immediately hoofed it to the library to get the rest of the series."
"My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. It does exactly what it's trying to do to perfection. This girl sucks, and she sucks so hard it's incredible to experience."
"Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I had been meaning to read this for such a long time, but it kept sitting on my shelf. Finally, I put in my backpack and was stuck waiting in one of the longest lines I've ever been in to get up a mountain via a cable car. I finished the entire book while waiting; it truly made me forget the line. The only part that sucked was that I had to spend another 45 minutes after I finished it waiting in line."
"The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. This fantastic novel is both historical fiction, low fantasy, and sci-fi, as it covers over a century of the history of colonization and decolonization in Zambia through the stories of three generations of women in different families. Incredibly rich dialogue, and the narrator is an omnipresent cloud of Tsetse flies, and where else are you gonna get that?"
"Human Acts by Han Kang. I love Han Kang, and this is her magnum opus, so it was a long time coming. The story revolves around the 1990 uprising in Gwangju, Korea, and each chapter is told from a different perspective, showing how different people in the city were affected by the events and how trauma reverberates through time and generations."
"Just finished A Short Stay in Hell. What a freaking ride. At the beginning, I’m laughing, and then I’m sad, then terrified, confused, and then just left with acceptance. Amazing book. 100/10 and quick."
"The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I'd seen this recommended a lot for Gothic fiction and horror, and it was a fantastic book. I do like horror books where people are the real monsters."
"Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad. This is the story of a British-Palestinian actress who goes to visit her sister in Haifa and ends up being part of a West Bank production of Hamlet, amidst political turbulence. It explores identity and art as a form of resistance, and it was a really good read."
"The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. If anyone had told me a gothic romantasy would be my favorite book so far this year, I would not have believed them, but I LOVED this book. To the point that I have been creating art about it for two months now. I just really loved Sybil and Rory, and this book didn't have any of the romance tropes that I find annoying. It was a solid story, a really slow burn, with interesting characters. Fear not, Bartholomew!"
"The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez: as a horror fan who also loves political novels, this book scratches that itch like no other and sent me down a Mariana Enriquez completion binge."
"The Delusions by Jenni Fagan. Really weird story whose narrator works in arrivals processing in the afterlife. Her job is to help the newly dead rid themselves of their delusions so they can continue on their journey. Angry, bitter, pissed off with HR, funny, insightful, and thoughtful. So glad I stumbled onto this."
"The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey. I am a big fan of this mystery series featuring India of the 1920s and Perveen Mistry, detective and lawyer."
"The Street by Ann Petry. Top-tier Black classic! Cannot believe this book doesn't have more hype. Single mother trying to navigate 1920s Harlem. This book could be set in modern day with the themes of race, oppression, feminism, single motherhood, and male predation. The ending is so haunting and devastating."
And finally, "So far, my standout favorite is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones. I was a bit hesitant about it at first because I'm not big on vampires, and I really don't care for westerns. But it is set in Montana, where I live, and I heard such good things about it. So I tried it and found it to be phenomenal."
What's the best book you've read in 2026 so far? Let me know in the comments!
This post (books to read 2026) was last edited 4 hours, 6 minutes ago.