From sweeping novels to page-turning nonfiction, the 2026 Reading List is filled with books that will spark conversation long before July arrives.

With so many wonderful titles this year, it can be hard to know where to begin. The below guide will help you navigate the list and discover where to start. Happy reading!

I want to discover a fresh new voice.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Go as a River by Shelley Read
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker
We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat

History is my jam.

Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by Ilyon Woo
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell
The American Revolution by Ken Burns
We the People by Jill Lepore
A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power by Abby Phillip

Give me a book to read that makes me want to write.

Joyride by Susan Orlean
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limon (release date April 7)

I want to learn more about the natural world.

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis

Life is hard. Make me laugh.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
Glory Days by Simon Rich
Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart

Life is hard. Give me hope.

Abundance by Derek Thompson
Dirtbag Billionaire by David Gelles
Startlement by Ada Limon

Give me a story I’ll love (even if it breaks my heart).

Flashlight by Susan Choi
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Wild Things by Barbara Wansbrough
Exit Wounds by Peter Godwin

I want to read a book everyone is (still) talking about.

A World Appears by Michael Pollen
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby (release date March 31)

Tell me about a forgotten/misunderstood chapter in American history.

The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis
Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by Ilyon Woo
1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression and the Making of the Modern World by Liaquat Ahamed (release date June 2)
A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power by Abby Phillip
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson

I can’t get enough of politics, history, and global economics.

Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell
1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression and the Making of the Modern World by Liaquat Ahamed (release date June 2)
New Cold Wars by David Sanger
The American Revolution by Ken Burns (documentary series)

Poetry is where it’s at.

Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limon
Startlement by Ada Limon

A riveting biography is what I’m looking for.

The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby (release date March 31)
Dirtbag Billionaire by David Gelles
A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power by Abby Phillip

I love crossovers. What books have been adapted into movies or tv shows?

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The American Revolution by Ken Burns
Dopesick by Beth Macy

Take me away! Give me a book about a road trip/long travel/faraway land.

Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by Ilyon Woo
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Exit Wounds by Peter Godwin
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

I love audiobooks, especially when read by the author.

Paper Girl by Beth Macy
Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limon (release date April 7)
Joyride by Susan Orlean
Exit Wounds by Peter Godwin
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker (release date May 19)

Teach me something I didn’t know.

The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby (release date March 31)
Abundance by Derek Thompson
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker (release date May 19)
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
A World Appears by Michael Pollan

I want to read a book outside my comfort genre.

• IF YOU READ MOSTLY FICTION, TRY….
  The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby (release date March 31)
  New Cold Wars by David Sanger
  We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat
  Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell

• IF YOU READ MOSTLY NONFICTION, TRY….
  The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
  Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart
  Table for Two by Amor Towles
  The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

• FOR EVERYONE….
  Startlement by Ada Limon
  Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limon (release date April 7)

In the end, it’s all about family.

Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart
Flashlight by Susan Choi
Paper Girl by Beth Macy
We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat
Wild Things by Barbara Wansbrough
The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis
Go as a River by Shelley Read

Make me laugh, make me cry. I love a book that walks the line book between funny and poignant.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart

Give me a book to meet this sesquicentennial moment.

We the People by Jill Lepore
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
The American Revolution by Ken Burns

I’m busy! Short stories are where it’s at.

Table for Two by Amor Towles
Glory Days by Simon Rich

I want to hear from a voice that’s been on the front lines.

New Cold Wars by David Sanger

I love a fresh take on old ideas.

How to Rule the World by Theo Baker (release date May 19)
Abundance by Derek Thompson
Dirtbag Billionaire by David Gelles

I want a dramatic history that reads like a novel. Or maybe a dramatic novel that teaches me about history?

1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression and the Making of the Modern World by Liaquat Ahamed (release date June 2)
Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by Ilyon Woo
Flashlight by Susan Choi
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
We the People by Jill Lepore
Go as a River by Shelley Read

What’s on the backlist? Give me a not-to-be-missed book that might’ve slipped past me.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (#1 New York Times bestseller)
Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed (2010 Pulitzer Prize for History)
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (one of New York Times Book Review’s “Ten Best Books of 2006,” James Beard Award)
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (2019 National Book Award for Fiction)
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (2006 Man Booker Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction)
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (#1 NYTimes bestseller)
“The Shutdown of USAID has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands” by Atul Gawande