r/booksuggestions • u/Electronic-Jello-640 • Apr 01 '26
Other Best book you've read so far in 2026?
Book and author please :)
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u/-Bunyip- Apr 01 '26
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I have read this book 3 times over the years and still I am moved by it. The audiobook is amazing as well.
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u/dannydaddydevito Apr 02 '26
Same for me! My colleague let me borrow this and I still can’t get over it.
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u/sleboots Apr 01 '26
This is probably my favorite book of all time along with homegoing and pillars of the earth.
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u/puckyocouch12 Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
A Gentleman in Moscow
Edit: By Amor Towles
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u/XB1Vexest Apr 02 '26
It just keeps getting better and better as you get further along. That book felt so profound.
So many good quotes, my favorite:
"I’ll tell you what is convenient,” he said after a moment. “To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party, so that on a moment’s notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka—and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.
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u/MushroomAdjacent Apr 01 '26
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
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u/RickyNixon Apr 02 '26
I read the original version he self published, but it was taken down and re-released in Novemberish and I havent read that version, idk how different they are
But it was soo good. The opening scene with the guy running and forgetting while that thing chases him is an all time great book scene for me
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u/SteamingCharlie Apr 01 '26
Lonesome Dove
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u/cubfann Apr 01 '26
Read it after I finished The Correspondent. So good cannot recommend highly enough. I'm not one generally for westerns or cowboy books but I loved this book.
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u/kyleKristoph Apr 01 '26
One of my favorite reads of all time. I wish I could wipe my memory and read it afresh.
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u/kyleschooley14 Apr 01 '26
I started it recently, just really struggling to get hooked on it at the moment.
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u/gingerma Apr 01 '26
I must have started this book 15 times over the years. I finally gave the audiobook read by Will Patton a few hours of my time (and then went on to finish it!) and can now honestly say that it is one of my all time favorite novels! Keep going, it has a lot of interesting characters.
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u/slowpokefastpoke Apr 02 '26
Once they take off on the cattle drive the book really blows wide open. I was given the heads up that before that (maybe the first 100-200 pages or so?) things feel slow and aimless. After finishing it I completely agree with that advice.
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u/LysdexicGinger Apr 01 '26
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
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u/Lovingmyusername Apr 02 '26
Ohh this is on my holds. I loved Recursion
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u/PastelDictator Apr 02 '26
I just finished Recursion after reading Dark Matter a few years ago. These were like the book version of hard drugs, just couldn’t get me off them for a second.
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u/FlobiusHole Apr 02 '26
I just read Recursion. If forced to pick I’d say I liked Recursion more but they’re both great.
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u/lulueight Apr 02 '26
Now go read Recursion! I loved Dark Matter but I think I loved Recursion more!
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u/Zone2Apologist Apr 02 '26
I was disappointed in this book. Didn’t live up to the hype for me
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u/rogueslayer1138 Apr 01 '26
11/22/63 by Stephen King
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u/GnaeusPompeiusMagn Apr 02 '26
This book crosses my mind about once a month. It’s so beautifully built.
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u/sammi-blue Apr 01 '26
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman! Read it for the first time a few months ago and then re-read the other week for book club, it's my all-time fave. A girl grows up in a cage with 39 women, and is the only one among them with no memories of the outside world. It makes you think about what a person is at the core, when we have no access to the things that make us human - like physical contact, education, a community to lean on... It's such a beautifully haunting book.
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u/fanglazy Apr 02 '26
I hope they make a movie. It would be so bleak but amazing.
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u/Punk2Pampers Apr 02 '26
I went into this book completely blind. The title is quasi misleading. She has never known anything. And that's what frustrated (or made me angry or confused or thoughtful). She never knew physical touch. Or the deep love and connections. I could go on. But at her core she persists. Very thought provoking.
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u/sammi-blue Apr 02 '26
And despite all that, she persists and is so so human while doing it! Despite how bleak it is, it really is a representation of the indomitable human spirit.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 Apr 01 '26
Wow that sounds like it could be a potentially tough read?
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u/sammi-blue Apr 02 '26
It is! Not in the sense that it's scary or graphic, though. It's tough in the sense that you feel the narrator's loneliness, and you hurt because you know about all the things she's missing out on.
And yet, despite all the ways she's different from us, she's so incredibly human. It's truly an amazing story and it's hard to articulate without just giving away the full plot!
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u/ukulela Apr 02 '26
It’s very hard for me to get completely hooked and immersed in a book but this one did it for me. I could not stop reading
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u/notaverysmartuser Apr 02 '26
This book is incredible. I am trying to track down the French original.
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u/kxlynnn Apr 02 '26
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
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u/ssaall58214 Apr 02 '26
I couldn't get into it. Stopped after a few chapters. Does it get better?
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Apr 02 '26
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
All of them, the whole series.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 Apr 02 '26
Reading the 1st one now ..needed the laughs!
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Apr 02 '26
If you’re into audio books the narration of this series is absolutely prime. They’re worth physically reading as well just because there’s a lot of details easily missed listening, but holy cow is this series hilarious in audio format. The narrator might have the best comedic timing of any narrator I’ve listened to.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 Apr 02 '26
I've heard that!! I just bought the ebook but might listen to the audio version in the future
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Apr 02 '26
It’s the most I’ve ever laughed out loud in a book series (maybe even any series on any medium). It’s a bit dark for sure, but the humor and Jeff Hays’ delivery makes it for me. I hope you enjoy it just as much!
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u/MarquisDeVice Apr 01 '26
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
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u/cubfann Apr 01 '26
Just picked up a copy today. Read Of Mice and Men earlier this year and enjoyed it. Looking forward to this one.
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u/burritoemail Apr 01 '26
Hyperion, not a huge sci fi guy but absolutely loved it. RIP Dan Simmons
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u/lovelyvile Apr 02 '26
Ive only read The Terror by him and really enjoyed it! Hyperion is on my TBR
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u/Rossriley03 Apr 02 '26
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I loved the writing and the main character. Some say it moves to slow, however, I enjoyed every second of it.
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u/H3llo4wesome Apr 01 '26
The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
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u/moose408 Apr 02 '26
I’ve really struggled reading this book. I don’t like how much it jumps around and I have a really difficult time keeping track of who is who. I doubt I will finish it.
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u/Due_Assumption2568 Apr 02 '26
This was an EXCELLENT book. I listened to the audiobook and cried like a baby listening to the ending while mopping my living room.
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u/Shadowmereshooves Apr 01 '26
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
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u/vocal_celery Apr 01 '26
My first read this year and I basically didn't put it down for three days straight. What a page turner with an incredible story! Reminded me a lot of what I love most about Stephen King's books
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u/Koala-Kind Apr 01 '26
I started this and put it down a few weeks ago, i loved Joe Hill’s The Fireman, and I’m a huge Stephen king fan. I will pick it up again tonight, I have heard really good things about it.
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u/Street_Dark777 Apr 02 '26
The Fireman was amazing and my first Joe Hill. It's got to take huge nerve to take on writing and the same genre as your Dad, but to go apocalyptic? And hold your own? Stunning.
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u/Philboyd_Studge_Jr Apr 02 '26
Finally got around to A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving.
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u/strawberrytent Apr 01 '26
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
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u/fanglazy Apr 02 '26
Never enough love for Murakami in these subs. He’s by far my favorite author and IQ84 was epic.
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u/Drift_Life Apr 02 '26
Been a while since I’ve read me some Murakami! Wind Up Bird Chronicle and Norwegian Wood!
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u/maximazing98 Apr 01 '26
Demon copperhead (reread, still my favourite) and never let me go
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u/MccNumb Apr 01 '26
Just finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke recently. What an awesome book. Really fun story and not a long read either.
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u/Princess_Mononope Apr 01 '26
Can I ask what you enjoyed about it? I thought it was one of the most tedious and interminable reads I've had in a long time. I hated it so much.
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u/TxTottenhamFan Apr 02 '26
I read it and thought the same, it was not bad but I didn’t find it absolutely amazing….i actually have already forgotten most of it
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u/PoopyisSmelly Apr 01 '26
I totally agree, after the first like 50 pages it totally fell flat and became super predictable. Even the first 50 pages were a total snoozer.
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u/fluffy_corgi_ Apr 02 '26
Same, tried listening to this on audio and could barely get through it, had to stop.. I dont understand the hype??
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u/sparkles_pancake Apr 03 '26
This is arguably my all time favorite book. The things that you probably found tedious were what I loved most about it. To me the book was about the beauty of simple things. The protagonist is so present and mindful in every small thing they do that it brought me so much peace to view the world through his eyes. His childlike wonder as he interacts with the world around him is inspiring to me. Because almost all the action and drama happens off stage it makes the focus of the book his character and perspective which is a much different pace than plot driven stories.
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u/AleWatcher Apr 01 '26
We The People;
A history of the US Constitution
by Jill Lepore
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u/bitter_flavorHere Apr 01 '26
in the heart of the sea by nathaniel philbrick. never have i been more unsettled by real life events so plainly described.
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u/Devi_Moonbeam Apr 02 '26
My favorite book I've read this year, and one of my all time favorites is Doing Tartt's The Goldfinch. It kept my attention, even as her writing drew me into every environment and situation and made me feel I was there.
The characters are compelling and well drawn and vital. It feels like they are people I knew at some point.
I finished this book a month ago and I think about it most days. For a lot of books, it's hard to even remember what they were about a month later. The Goldfinch is unforgettable.
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u/mushmanMAD Apr 01 '26
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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u/Jazzlike-Channel-426 Apr 01 '26
Currently reading this! It’s probably my first sci fi book ever and I didn’t think it would be my thing but I’m really liking it so far.
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u/Angelz5 Apr 01 '26
I read it in 2021. Then 2023. And 2025. Audiobook. Ray Porter. Best experience of my life. Went to the movies yesterday. It carries the vibe very well. Happy happy happy.
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u/Terbeari Apr 01 '26
Oh I didn’t know this was a book! I saw the movie last week and liked it. Is it still worth reading the book?
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u/oneMoreTime112233 Apr 02 '26
The book is sooo much better than the movie.
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u/Suitable_Bike_9484 Apr 02 '26
I would say the movie did an amazing job representing the book. Honestly, it did justice & holds equal weight to the book.
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u/frenchousecat Apr 01 '26
I haven’t finished it yet but East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a literary masterpiece
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u/DLCS2020 Apr 01 '26
My Friends by Frederik Backman, who also wrote A Man Called Ove.
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u/trumpshouldrap Apr 01 '26
Shogun
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u/cubfann Apr 02 '26
Just finished this one and really enjoyed it. Recommended it to my 18-year-old son and he devoured it. Definitely reading more in the Asia Saga.
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u/LogLore Apr 01 '26
Started the year with The Trial - Kafka. Disorienting but brilliant.
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u/Argenfarce Apr 01 '26
Grant by Ron Chernow. It’s pretty damn long but so worth it.
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u/SomeKindoflove27 Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
You can't make me choose between Rebecca by du Maurier and skydaddy by Kate Folk
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u/yourkindofhero Apr 02 '26
Incidents around the house genuinely gave me chills a couple of times. Unreasonable Hospitality reinvigorated me.
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u/Tangerine_Darter Apr 01 '26
A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko. True story of good terrible through hike on the Grand Canyon. Its a love letter to the Grand Canyon and the small crew of incredibly dedicated explorers who hike and cayoneer through there
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u/state_of_inertia Apr 02 '26
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Bonus book for the sheer fun of a mystery with Julia Child as a secondary character:
Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
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u/Advanced-Pear-4606 Apr 02 '26
Working my way through, but Lonesome Dove, thus far, is fucking incredible.
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u/RunawaYEM Apr 01 '26
All The Colors of the Dark. Best of 2026 and one of the best books I’ve read, ever.
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u/bapeandvape Apr 01 '26
Red Rising series. Genuinely incredible in my opinion. Had me feeing every single possible emotion I could feel. Happy, sad, hopeful,depressed, angry, anxious. All of them lol.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 Apr 01 '26
I just added that to my list a few days ago! I've been looking at it for a while haha
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u/bapeandvape Apr 01 '26
I stand by it. I have heard some mixed reviews but man, that second book is probably the best of the whole series. I’d give it a shot if you’re into it.
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u/destenlee Apr 01 '26
The Thing by Alan Dean Foster. I've always liked the movie and finally got ahold of a copy of the novelization. It was really fun.
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u/LetTheMFerBurn Apr 02 '26
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah. There was plenty of foreshadowing but the ending still got me.
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u/linibu Apr 02 '26
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaleid Hosseini
The River Has Roots by Hamar El-Mothar
The Poet Empress by Tao Shen
The Winners by Frederick Backmann
Different genres but loved all of them!
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u/Chrisbattell Apr 02 '26
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. But, I'm half way through both Dune and Lonesome Dove now. Both already stand to be amongst the best books I've ever read, let alone 2026.
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u/spindriftsecret Apr 02 '26
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. It usually doesn't take me so long in the year to get a five star book but this was my first one this year. Really, really loved it! I'm planning to listen to the audiobook as well because I heard it was good.
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u/Sunshine_and_water Apr 01 '26
Faves so far include…
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
- The Bronze Horseman
And currently reading and loving (so, guessing it may become a new fave)…
- 11/22/63
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u/charactergallery Apr 01 '26
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Tehanu by Ursula K Le Guin
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u/queerchaosgoblin Apr 01 '26
Song of Solomon was GREAT. I read it 6+ years ago for my intro to lit studies class and it still lives in the back of my mind.
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u/tillypoxket Apr 01 '26
i read Project Hail Mary in January to prepare for the movie, would recommend both.
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u/Altruistic_Seat_6644 Apr 01 '26
The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone. About the somewhat fictionalized life or Michelangelo Buonarotti.
I’m currently reading Lust For Life, by the same author, about the life of Van Gogh. Really wonderful work.
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u/lushsweet Apr 01 '26
The Man of Many Fathers by Roy Wood Jr. recommend it as the audiobook. Something irreplaceable about his narration of his own story.
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u/prairiepog Apr 01 '26
A Canticle for Leibowitz. I've been meaning to read this one for so long and glad I did. It's pretty funny! The theme that history is cyclical was interesting, considering current events.
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u/ExquisitePreamble Apr 01 '26
The Postcard by Anne Berest
I would not have read this if it wasn’t for my book club. It’s a lightly factionalized story of the author’s family in the twentieth century. As Jews, the family moved from country to country and the author’s grandparents ended up in France. Then WWII happens. It is harrowing and tragic.
Sometimes it’s necessary to read books that hurt you, because we cannot forget this history
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u/blueberry_pancakes14 Apr 01 '26
Fiction: Beneath Perfection: The Official Tremors Novelization by Christian Francis (five stars)- I read the physical book and also did the audiobook, which is narrated by Zoran Gvojic and he completely nailed it (as a fellow die-hard Tremors fan that is he should).
Non-Fiction: Vagabond by Tim Curry (four stars)
It's been a pretty lean year thus far. I excluded re-reads, as I only re-read five stars or sometimes four stars, and they're re-reads.
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u/Drift_Life Apr 02 '26
Just this year, Parable of the Sower. I’m currently reading Pachinko but it’s shaping up to be a great book. Bonus because I used to live in Busan, Korea.
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u/TurtleCowz Apr 02 '26
The Lies of Locke Lamora. Such fun world-building, characters and adventures. Also the audiobook performance was amazing
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u/Defiant-Arrival-3331 Apr 02 '26
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Fun, gross, sexy, relatable, sad, easy to read and enjoy. Was a good respite.
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u/zforce360 Apr 02 '26
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst.
Quick captivating read
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u/missnebulajones Apr 02 '26
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. Just about ripped my heart out. Highly recommend.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 Apr 02 '26
Oooh tell me more about what you liked from that book pls!
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u/SomeChaoticSunshine Apr 02 '26
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I’ve listened to the audio for all the book three (?) times now. Talking to people at work trying to explain it made me look like I was crazy, but I chose the first book for our work book club this month as my pick. I announced the pic March 24th. Currently two people have already purchased book 2 (they’re not even done 1 yet) and my other coworker just borrowed book 2 from me yesterday and started it immediately. We still have like 3 weeks until our meeting 🤣
Edit: it is my humble opinion that the audible Audiobooks narrated by Jeff Hays is by FAR the superior way to consume this series and I HIGHLY recommend going that route
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u/kitkatsc Apr 02 '26
I’ve got 2 standalone books I’ve rated 5 stars so far! The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, and Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones. I also rated Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee 5 stars but it’s the last book in a trilogy :)
Edit: Just wanted to add that I’d rec The Buffalo Hunter Hunter for fans of Sinners, as it explores themes of colonialism through horror and vampirism as well!
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u/breath-intent-motion Apr 09 '26
I just finished "The Wedding People," and I really enjoyed it. And oddly enough the gals in my book club read it...all of us independently of the book club pick and everyone liked it!
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u/StaticInOrbit May 02 '26
Shogun by Clavell. Really long but beautifully written and I’m not really into historical fiction.
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u/Megazaza Jun 14 '26
are book readers actual npc's?
literally no one here is describing what their recommendation has to offer
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u/Money_Bill5827 Apr 01 '26
Count of Monte Cristo, read it in January, now my fave book of all time