Best Fiction Books of 2026

INSIDE : Read along with me this year! Check out the Best Fiction Books to Read of 2026 and see my quick reviews of each of them. Mystery, thriller, memoir, historical fiction and a little self help – I love reading a wide variety of books and I’d love hearing which are your favorites!

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Welcome to one of the favorite blog posts I write each year!

I remember really getting lost in books around the age of 12 and I’ve loved reading ever since. I definitely slowed down the quantity of books read during my children’s younger years, but now that they are in high school and more capable on every level (thank goodness for that!), my reading is back to being one of my favorite activities.

This post will be updated continually throughout 2026, as I read about 10-11 books a month last year!

I’m in two bookclubs (one in person and one online) and do a lot of driving of my kids, so audio books have become a fun resource for reading while on the go! Libby is my favorite way to read online, but Audible.com is great also.

Want to check my favorite books from previous years? 

• Best Fiction Books to read in 2021 (read 23 books)
• Best Fiction Books to read in 2022 (read 35 books)
• Best Fiction Books to read in 2023 (read 65 books)
• Best Fiction Books to read in 2024 (read 99 books)
• Best Fiction Books to read in 2025 (read 109 books)

If you want to see all my recent books in one place, you can check out my Amazon Book page.

So, without further ado here are all the books and my reviews that I am reading in 2026. I’d love you to comment below with your favorite reads, too!

Enjoy!!

2026 book reviews

Best Fiction, Self Help, Memoirs and Spiritual books of the year –

I love doing a wide variety of reading throughout the year and these are the typical genres I stick to. Within each category I dive into sub-genres, but you can see my running list below! Enjoy and please feel free to share your favorite reads!

1. The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison – Fiction

What a read to start the year off with! Phew. This book is a complex story about the cycle of generational trauma. It follows a few of the main characters, but mostly Pecola – an eleven year old Black girl who prays for blue eyes. She believes that if she had “the bluest eyes,” the world would see her as beautiful and the violence / neglect in her life would disappear. We also then learn the stories of both her mother and father. NONE OF IT IS EASY READING.

And I didn’t realize until after finishing this book, that basically sweet Pecola looses touch with reality in the end. Ugh. (I think this is one to read and not listen to. I didn’t realize the subtle shift in narration because I was listening to it and didn’t catch on that she was talking to an imaginary friend. I think you could have caught on to that if reading it with the italic print.)

What a tough read, but it made me feel things and was beautifully written.

I gave it a 5. My heart bent to these characters and I always love that, even if it’s hard to read. The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison

2. The Hiding Place by Cornelia Ten Boom – Spiritual Memoir

I’ve read this book before as a teenager, but wanted to read it again with my children. I have to be honest, the first half is very slow going as it follows quite a few stories about Corrie Ten Boom’s life before the war and during the very initial years of the German invasion. Regardless, it’s a intense but inspiring recount of her life in a concentration camp and her relentless determination of focusing on the blessings God had given her even during some of the most atrocious living conditions during the Holocaust.

Regardless, 5 stars for sure. It’s a hard read and one that sits with you quite some time after you finish it. To only be so mindful of God’s provision and guidance in our life as Corrie was. The Hiding Place by Cornelia Ten Boom

3. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett – Fiction

I’ve loved numerous books by Ann Patchett – The Dutch House, Patron Saint of Liars, (Tom Lake and Bel Canto are my favorites). So I was excited to start Commonwealth.

It follows a family and how one choice can change the course of all of their lives. I loved the premise, but there ended up being TEN family members – four parents and six children. Honestly, it was too many characters to keep track of and remember their individual story lines. I ended up liking only a few of the characters progression and although I wanted to keep reading, it felt more of a chore than I would have wanted.

3 stars for me Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

4. Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki – Memoir

Last year my online bookclub read Memoirs of a Geisha and we all had mixed reviews. I have loved Japanese culture for most of my life and even took Japanese in high school. So on one side I loved Memoirs of a Geisha, but the more I dug around about the history of the book, the less I liked. The author basically stole the stories from a personal interview he had with Mineko Iwasaki (the most famous Geisha in Japan’s history) but then twisted her words and sexualized the story.

When I found out Mineko had written a book to share her actual truth, I decided I wanted to do her justice and read it. I’m glad I did. There is always more than one way to do things, but from what Mineko shared there was great honor and prestige in all she accomplished during her life. I’m glad I took the time to at least read from her perspective what the ongoings of her life were like, mostly she wanted to be a professional dancer and was able to.

Still felt like there was a veil of secrecy a bit, but I’m still glad I read her book. 4 out of 5 Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki

5. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez – Fiction

I need lighter reading to start of this year! The world is too heavy, so I decided to read some spicy fluff. It was spicy and it was fluffy. The story line was pretty typical, very successful lady doctor needs an escape from her abusive ex-boyfriend and oppressive parents and falls in love with a small town super handsome boy who just wants to be with her no matter what, ha.

I went along with it all until the town “some mystic power” started making lightening bolts happen with no clouds or storm and trees starting blooming at a moment’s notice to keep the couple together. So now we are dipping into spicy fluffy sci-fi?? It was fine. It was minimal weirdness. The story turned happy by the end, just like all spicy fluffies do. (I just looked it up and for a Abby Jimenez book, the spice level was 3 out of 5.)

3.5 out of 5 Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

6. Now and Not Yet : Pressing in When You’re Waiting, Wanting and Restless for More by Ruth Chou Simons – Spiritual

This was an excellent read. I appreciated that Ruth took a complex topic and made it feel like easy reading. We often feel disappointed with our “life circumstances” (I know I sure do). Are we missing out on our own lives? Why does right now seem so far from where we really long to be?

Ruth reminds us that it’s okay to not like the right now we’ve been given but, we don’t have to like it to lean in. The difficult parts of our lives are actually a unique gift by discovering five ways to flip the script on a hard season.

She reminds us that the right now matters and that God is at work even when you don’t see the progress you are hoping for. Great read.

7. A Marriage at Sea by Sohpie Elmhirst – Memoir

Everything about this book’s synopsis was a yes for me. A married couple takes an adventure of a lifetime to sail the ocean together (did I mention this is a true story). A whale capsizes their sailboat and they are left in the middle of the ocean with whatever they could grab and a life raft. A drift for 4 months their very different personalities emerge. All of that is very up alley and I was excited to get reading!

So, it felt like it took forever to get to the ocean portion of the story and then after being rescued I still had 40% of the book to go. It felt slow in the beginning and even slower at the end. The only interesting part was the middle and it just felt like the book should have been edited down to 4 or 5 chapters, a short story perhaps. Liked this book, but not sure why everyone seems to be talking about it right now.

3.5 out of 5 A Marriage at Sea by Sohpie Elmhirst

8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy – Fiction

My local bookclub read this book last year and I missed that month, so I’ve had it on my read list ever since. It finally was available at the library so I read it last week!

This book was part thriller, part romance, part cli-fi (climate fiction) and I really enjoyed it. It’s about a family living on a remote island when suddenly a woman washes ashore during a wild storm. There is a lot of confusion and secrets about who she is and why she is there, but there seems to be just as many secrets about this family and where all the other people on the island have gone.

Although very isolated, as the family begins to take care of the women, Rowan, both them and her start to warm to the idea of being more than strangers. There are many twists and I actually shed a tear, which is somewhat rare for me in a book. After finishing the book, I definitely googled “What Really Happened to Hank Jones? ” because there were too many questions I had to figure out!

5 out of 5 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

9. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Self Help

This was a wonderful quick read (less than 50 pages). In this personal essay, adapted from Chimamanda’s TEDx talk, Chimamanda shares her definition of feminism for current day living. It’s a great introduction to feminism, touching on the harsh truths of gender inequities while written in a simple and approachable way.

“If we do something over and over, it becomes normal. If we see the same thing over and over, it becomes normal.” Let’s do better.

10. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans – Fiction

My local bookclub is reading this book for the month of January. I’ve heard great things about it and was excited to get started. The story follows Sybil Van Antwerp, as a 73 year old woman. The entire story is told through letters and emails spanning several years. If you liked Olive Kitteridge written by Elizabeth Strout, you will LOVE this book. (I didn’t care for OK.)

Throughout Sybil’s life she has used letter writing as a way of formulating and articulating her thoughts. She’s written numerous well known book authors, movie producers, random people she meets on the street, family members and more. Most mornings, she starts her day by sitting down to write letters.

Sybil thinks her life will go along as it always has, but suddenly it feels like everything in her world is being uprooted. She realizes she needs to find forgiveness in her heart and come to terms with her choices to really move forward.

This book is about trying to correct mistakes and continuing to strive for kindness to ALL around you. She had a very interesting life, but she’s not a likable person or character in my opinion.

I liked that the book was written in letter/email format and I adored the friendship she cultivated with the online customer service representative, Basam. I think he was my favorite story line of the entire book.

She talks about how we all will be forgotten with age. Your children will remember you and hopefully your grandchildren, but beyond that you will merely be a photo in a book… but words and letters live on.

4 out of 5 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

11. The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin – Fiction

I read this book with my online bookclub for the month of January. I was looking for a light easy read and I think The Music of Bees does just that, but I’m not sure if it’s in a good way.

It felt too much like a warm, cozy Hallmark movie – so that should tell you how I felt about it, ha. I really don’t care for books that miraculously wrap up with a pretty bow. I didn’t like how the neglected, wild teenage wheelchair bound boy, Jake never once missteps once working for Alice. He is agreeable, hardworking and in the end even finds a girlfriend. Each character is like this, heartbroken and battered, but by the end happy and living their best life. So unrealistic and personally I think sort of boring.

I enjoyed learning about beekeeping as that is something I have always founds rather intriguing. I loved the healing through nature aspect of the book. It wasn’t a bad read, but felt a little too sweet and tidy to me. It definitely read like a YA book, but I’m not sure it is.

3 out of 5 for me The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

12. The Summer I found You by Jennifer O’Brien – Fiction

An Interior Blogging friend of mine, turned author – so cool Jennifer O’Brien!!

After finishing The Summer I Found You I am legit ready to pack my bags and head straight to the beautiful coast of the Northeast. Give me that slow beach house life in the North Fork of Long Island any day, thank you very much.

This is a contemporary romance/family mystery that follows Dahlia, a 38 year old woman looking for a fresh start after leaving her difficult marriage. I especially loved the mystery component of this book – a found letter and a missing key that leads to clues of a long time family secret. This part really hooked me.

If you love stories about second chances, romance (the spice is high in this book, FYI) and mystery – you’ll enjoy this one. Great debut book! Thank you to Alcove Press for sending me an Advanced Copy to read and review.

13. The Elements by John Boyne – Fiction

WOW. This book was an intense ride. I found myself holding my breath to get through a few parts (HIGH TRIGGERS!) but in the end, really enjoyed it as a whole. This book is broken up into four elements – water, earth, fire and air (apparently it was written originally as 4 separate novellas). The fire chapter by far, made me the most uncomfortable to read.

We follow four main character threads in this book and how each of them navigated trauma, guilt, blame and redemption. In each story there is a different perspective on a crime – an enabler, an accomplice, a perpetrator and a victim.  Also it shines a huge light on cause and effect and how decisions we make, have real life impacts on not only our lives and our choices, but everyone around us. It was such a fascinating way the author wove all four stories together and connected them to the elements.

This book is dark, but so well written. 5 out of 5. The Elements by John Boyne

14. There there by Tommy Orange – Fiction

I saw this was on a New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year list and living in New Mexico with a higher population of Native Americans thought this would be a great book to read.

I had mixed feelings about it, to be honest. My heart broke the entire time for each of the 12 characters. Zero of them were in good life situations and from my proximity to many Native Americans where we live, it just felt too “close to home” sad.

This story felt like an eye opening telling for people who aren’t aware of the constant suffering many Native people deal with not only from long ago atrocities, but also current day suffering. I didn’t finish the book with a positive outlook that things might get better, but felt the same way I started – heartbroken.

I’m not sure there is a “happy ending” to their story, but I felt like the author could have woven in more redemption and hope and for that reason I gave it a 3 out of 5. There there by Tommy Orange

15. I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt – Memoir

I was hooked during the first few chapters of this book. When he’s talking about a white woman being scared of him and he just keeps repeating different scenarios where he says, “If she truly knew me, she would not be afraid, but might even like me. ” GAH – gutted. And isn’t that the TRUTH! How many times do people judge others without seeing or listening to them AT ALL. I’m listening to this one because I read he does an amazing job reading it and I love his voice. Not even done and I am loving it.

Other favorite quote, “Distance breeds suspicion. But proximity breeds empathy.”

Update, I just finished this book and it was a solid 5 out of 5 for me. Tyler is honest, funny and dives deep into religion, his personal flaws and racial divides. Beautifully written, beautifully read. I’m already excited to read his next book. I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt

16. Before I forget by Tory Henwood Hoen – Fiction

This was a sweet, although slightly “woo woo” book halfway through. The story follows Cricket Campbell as she is mid-20’s and still not entirely sure what she wants to do with her life. She heads home to visit her Alzheimer diagnosed father and caretaking sister and in a sudden shift of plans, decides she is going to quit her lack luster “wellness” job in NYC and become her father’s full time caretaker.

As the book continues we learn she left in the first place after her high school boyfriend had died and she’s never fully recovered from that. There is much beauty in her spending time with her father and repairing their relationship, even if her father doesn’t remember they were distant for many years.

Somewhere around the halfway mark, it does get a bit out there with like spirits of her dead boyfriend lingering around and her father becoming a well reguarded “oracle” being able to give wisdom and prophecies to people, ha. I wasn’t really into that portion of the story to be honest, but if you can just read it at face value and take what you want from it, it was a sweet book.

4 out of 5 for me, Before I forget by Tory Henwood Hoen

17. Heart the Lover by Lily King – Fiction

Ok, I LOVED THIS BOOK! I either want huge feelings of heartbreak and tragedy in the darkest of turns or I want soft tender and so deep. This book was the soft tender so deep book. I didn’t want to finish this one because I didn’t want it to be over.

This book follows Casey, mostly known as Jordan for all of the book and the three stages of her life : 1 – while she is in college to become an author, 2 – her early adult years (mid 20’s) and then 3 – her middle adult years (probably early 40’s). The thing about this book that is brilliant is it’s the “before AND after” of Lily King’s Writer’s and Lovers book, which I read two years ago (and also enjoyed)! You can read that book’s review in my 2024 Fiction Books post.

This book follows the love triangle of “Jordan”, the rigid Sam and the magnetic Yash (and her eventual husband, Silas is later introduced briefly). What the author does so well is build depth and empathy for all the men. Somehow I’m wilding rooting for Yash AND Silas, which can’t be – but somehow I am!

“How do you honor the life you’ve built while grieving the one that might have been?” Whoa, so good. Also she opens the whole book with this line, “You knew I’d write a book about you someday.” Talk about a grabbing opening line!

Read this book. Then read Writers and Lovers. 5 out of 5 for me! Heart the Lover by Lily King

18. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill – Fiction

This is a unique read. After reading When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill a few years ago, I was so intrigued by it and wanted to find other books she wrote. I finally got around to reading this one and although I liked it – it wasn’t as good in my opinion as the dragons one was.

It’s about a midwest family who is really going through a lot. The father has passed away and it’s up to the three remaining to carry on. The mother is a local weaver and sells her art for the family income, but recently she’s become obsessed with a large 6′ crane. But it’s not just a crane, it’s her LOVER.

Her mom slowly abandons the world around her to weave a masterpiece the crane demands, all the while becoming more and more neglectful to her children and their home. They barely have enough to eat and local authorities make well check visits. Also the mother gets more and more abused by the crane with time.

It’s a dark read, lots of magical realism. Although I liked this book, it felt much more bleak and hopeless to me than When Women were Dragons. If you are intrigued by the concept of this storyline, I suggest reading the other one instead. 4 out of 5 even though I liked the other one more. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

19. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry – Fiction

I needed some lighter reading in my life, so Emily Henry to the rescue. She is typically not an author I gravitate towards, but there is a time and place for her light romance women’s lit writing.

This book follows journalist Alice Scott and the very grumpy, but well aclaimed Hayden Anderson who are going head to head for the chance to write the biography of a very well known heiress, Margaret Ives. While participating in the one month trial before an author is chosen, there are many secrets uncovered, a budding romance and many truths discovered.

I appreciated that although a “romance/women’s lit” this book had a bit more mystery woven into the storyline, which I think took it from a 3 star to a 4 star for me! Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

20. Pictures of You by Emma Grey – Fiction

I found this book really intriguing. It reminded me a bit of What Alice Forgot which I reviewed in my 2025 books. It follows Evie Hudson who wakes up after a car crash and can’t remember anything about her life. She thinks she’s 16 still, when she’s really 30 something.

People from her past start to show up in her life and she begins the very interesting challenge of piecing her life and memories back together and question why why why she made many of the choices she made along the way.

* This book does touch on emotional abuse and controlling behavior.

4 stars Pictures of You by Emma Grey – Fiction

21. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert – Fiction

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and have decided to read more by this author. This book is told from the perspective of 19 year old, Vivian Morris as she leaves her home and goes to live with her Aunt in New York during the 1940’s. The entire book, it appears she’s writing a book or a letter to someone named Angela. Isn’t not until the last 1/4 of the book, do we learn who Angela is. This was a light hearted story of a young girl finding her place in the fast paced world of NYC before World War 2. She is a talented seamstress and makes all the costumes for her Aunt’s small showgirl theater. She drinks. She has lots of sex. And in general loves the glam of the time. There are ups and downs and we watch as she learns to move forward with the outcomes of her choices. The book ends with her as an 80 year old woman.

I found this book intriguing and gave it a solid 4 out of 5. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

22. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson – Fiction

What an interesting story line! I don’t remember where I heard about this book, but it reminds of me of the same style of story as When Women were Dragons and The Crane Husband – which I enjoyed. This book follows a well todo political family who have to care for the husband’s legitimate 10 year old twins after their mother has passed away. They hire a close friend to look after the children at their huge estate and try to “keep them out of the public”… because they can catch themselves on fire.

It’s a very quick read and I think quite beautiful to be honest. It felt tender and whimsical at the same time. 4.5 out of 5! Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

23. The Art Thief : A true story of love, crime and a dangerous obsession by Michael Finkel – Fiction

Everything about this book was intriguing and especially because it was a true story. However, like many real stories, it felt… slow. I never felt connected to the main character or his girlfriend. It’s the story of a man and his gf who stole more than 200 pieces of art in the middle of the day. Their collection grew to $2 billion and he never sold any of them.

I felt like I was watching the ultimate con artist, but I never really discovered his why. Only 3 stars of out 5 for me. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

24. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – Self help

I found Gretchen on Instagram and was very intrigued by the idea of her book, “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decides to dedicate a full year to her happiness project.

I enjoyed this read more than I thought I would. She broke the entire book into 12 sections, one for each month of the year. Not all of them did I particularly resonate with, but I liked the analytical way she approached them all. Singing, dancing, spending time outdoors and being adventurous with my kids are huge happiness bumps for me!

4 out of 5 stars The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

25. The Making of Biblical Womanhood : How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr – Spiritual

Oh snap. This book was excellent. 5 out of 5 read. Like with ALL things, there are always arguments for and arguments against all things. This is obviously Beth Barr’s interpretation, but it was one I found very fascinating and felt quite grounded in truth to me.

Biblical womanhood–the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers and joyful homemakers pervades North American Christianity. Yet biblical womanhood isn’t “biblical”, says historian Beth Allison Barr. It arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments.

Beth shares context for contemporary teachings about women’s roles in the church, explaining why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ, shares some of her story of being a Baptist pastor’s wife and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world.

She also makes the connection not only to women, but also MANY people groups that are moved to the sidelines because of these similar narratives. So good. Really thought provoking. The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Barr

26. Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant – Memoir

This is a true story written by 50 year old Steve Grant. He was laid off in March of 2020 during the pandemic. He needed health insurance for himself and his family and after trying for multiple jobs closer to his well paying educated career, he found the only option available and took it. So began his one year employment with the US Postal Service, carrying mail in rural Appalachia.

This was a very comical telling of the ins and outs of the postal service. From delivering a refrigerator over a river, to large quantities of dog food and heirloom tomato seeds. He shares in depth details of how Amazon turned the mail into a free for all frenzy, to being chased by dogs at the front doors of homes.

He also talks about his family legacy of rage and the anxiety of having lost his identity along with his corporate job. I finished this book having a HUGE respect for my local mailmen and a determination to thank them much more often. Also I found Steve to be an excellently entertaining writer and able to mix humor with deep thought.

4.5 out of 5 Mailman by Steve Grant

27. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi – Fiction

Stop right now and get this book. It was SO GREAT! I have to be honest, the middle slightly lags but keep with it because I love how it full circles connects by the end. So many beautiful things to love about it though – a constant eye for wonder and delight, a reminder that ALL people are worthy of hearing and seeing, a lesson in compassion, etc!

This story follows Theo, no last name, just Theo as he recently has moved to the city of Golden, GA. Shortly upon his arrival he stumbles upon a local coffee shop with 90+ portraits of Golden residents. They are available for purchase, but no one clearly buys them. He is completely mesmorized by the artistry and the capture of truth behind each one and slowly, one by one, he buys them. He finds their owner and gifts their portrait to them, but not before sitting down in the middle of the town square and spending time getting to know them and bestowing the goodness he seems in their portrait. Oh my, if you are looking for a FEEL GOOD book of HOPE, read this one!

Easy 5 out of 5 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

28. Raising Mentally Strong Kids by Daniel G. Amen MD & Charles Fay PHD

I’m about halfway through this book and I’m HIGHLY recommending to all parents everywhere. This book is excellent! It connects body and brain, which I don’t think I’ve ever read a parenting book that helps you understand how the brain actually impacts all us. Tons of tips, worksheets, and honestly I may immediately read it again. Super applicable right away.

29. 10 Questions every teen should ask (and answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

30. The Relationship Cure : 5 step guide to strengthen marriage + friendships by John M. Gottman

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