26 Books for Your 2026 Reading List

 

    It’s the new year, and if you’re anything like me, your reading wheels are already turning—imagining what might fill your nightstands and library holds in 2026. I love a fresh start; the feeling of embarking on a new year with a clean slate. I also like to mull over the things that bring me joy, challenge me, and help me to connect with others. Those are the things that I consider when crafting my TBR for the year.

    That has looked different over the years. I’ve aimed for a certain number of books, read along with a favorite podcast, tackled one classic a month, and focused on reading seasonally. (I really do love a book project.) Some years the plans have been ambitious, some more relaxed, but all of them have shaped the way I read—and what I notice—along the way.

My 2026 Reading Goals

    In 2026, my goals are a little of this and a little of that: structured enough to keep me curious, but flexible enough to leave room for surprise. Here’s what I’m aiming for:

1. Read one Shakespeare play each season.
   Shakespeare has always intimidated me, but after dipping my toe—tentatively—into his work, I realized his plays aren’t only for scholars and theater students. One play per season feels like an invitation rather than an assignment.

2. Read one book of poetry each season.
   Poetry tends to fall by the wayside unless I put it in my plan, and I want to give it a designated space in 2026.

3. Read twelve books with my in-person book club.
   Our book club continues to be a highlight in my life! I am excited for the books and discussions we'll have this year.

4. Read all of the Close Reads podcast selections (with the exception of Crossing to Safety and Little Women, both of which I read in 2025.)
   Listening to this podcast is always a rich pleasure. This year's selections include many books that I'd never heard of before they were announced. 

5. Read less historical fiction with female protagonists—and actively seek out other genres and perspectives.
   I love historical fiction, but since it saturates the literary market, I end up reading in that pocket a lot. In 2026, I want to stretch myself toward different voices, forms, and vantage points.

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    I’ll share more about my own 2026 TBR as the year unfolds, but today I thought it would be fun to help you construct yours! What follows is a list of 26 of the very best books I’ve read in the recent years—all five-star reads, all books I still think about and recommend at every opportunity. Taken together, I think they make for a rich, satisfying, and genuinely excellent year of reading.

26 Books for Your 2026 Reading List

YA Fiction:

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

    A coming-of-age story about a young girl living in Brooklyn after the turn of the century. The audiobook narration is fantastic.

2. Navigating Early, by Claire Vanderpool

    A poignant adventure story about two boys on a quest through the Maine wilderness after World War II, blending friendship, loss, and the magic of stories.

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
    Four sisters are growing up in Civil War-era New England, navigating love, loss, and family bonds.

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Non-fiction:

4. Beyond Mere Motherhood, by Cindy Rollins
    A thoughtful guide for mothers on cultivating their own intellectual and spiritual growth. Encouraging, uplifting, and engergizing!

5. The Divided Soul by Heidi White
    A literary exploration of the tension between duty and desire in great stories and human life. Beautifully written, touching, and profound!

6. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
    A memoir-tale of a young Iranian refugee boy sharing his family's harrowing stories to find belonging in America.

7. How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key
    A humorous yet incredibly raw memoir of a marriage tested by infidelity, chronicling betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption. I recommend listening to the author narrate his story in the audiobook. Very moving. Content warnings.

8. On Writing by Stephen King
    A memoir and masterclass on the craft of writing, blending personal stories with practical advice for aspiring authors.

9. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
    A collection of personal essays reflecting on friendship, mortality, creativity, and life's fleeting moments.

10. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi
    A neurosurgeon's poignant memoir confronting terminal illness and searching for meaning in life and death.

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Classics:

11. Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

    A reflective portrait of a woman's life in rural Kentucky, exploring love, loss, community, and the passage of time.

12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

    A gothic coming-of-age story about an orphaned governess finding love and independence amid secrets and hardship.

13. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

    A coming-of-age story about a gifted Hasidic Jewish boy torn between his artistic passion and religious community.

14. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

    A witty romantic comedy about a clever young woman navigating love, class, and misconceptions in Regency England.

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Contemporary Fiction:

15. A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles

    A Russian count confined to a luxury hotel for decades finds purpose and connection within its walls.

16. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

    A gripping dual-timeline story of female spies in World War I and a woman's search for truth in post-World War II. Content warnings.

17. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

    An epistolary novel tracing a retired woman's life through letters, revealing regrets, connections, and redemption. I cannot recommend the audiobook narration highly enough!

18. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

    A mother's epic journey from Dust Bowl Texas to California, fighting for survival and dignity during the Great Depression.

19. Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

    A moving family saga about four sisters and the man who enters their lives, exploring love, loss, and unbreakable bonds. Maura Tierney's narration of this story is superb.

20. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

    An empowering tale of a brilliant female chemist in the 1960s who defies the status quo through science and an unexpected TV career.

21. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

    Four young men embark on a cross-country adventure with many twists and turns in 1950s America, full of interesting encounters and self-discovery.

22. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

    A fantasy about a woman who discovers what makes life worth living by exploring infinite alternate lives in a magical library.

23. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

    A dark-academia campus thriller about a group of elite classics students whose obsession with ancient rituals leads to murder. Content warnings.

24. Trust by Hernan Diaz

    A multi-layered puzzle of narratives unraveling the truth behind a wealthy financier's life and fortune in early 20th-century America.

25. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

    A moving story of two sisters uncovering their distant mother's harrowing past in wartime Russia.

26. The Women by Kristin Hannah

    A powerful story of a young nurse's courage and trauma serving in the Vietnam War and struggling to find her footing upon returning home.

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Reading is always better in conversation, so I’d love to hear which of these titles you’ve read—or which you’re hoping to pick up in 2026. And if there’s a five-star book you love, I’m always looking for recommendations! 

Happy New Year, friends!