I know it’s not the end of the year, but I thought it would be a good idea to have some fellow book lovers with great taste share their favorites to this point. I invited several women whose Instagram accounts I follow to join me in helping readers find their next great book.
I guarantee you will discover some books that you will want to read and/or give as gifts. I’m fairly certain you don’t have enough books on your TBR list, so let’s solve that problem!
Nikki (@_itslitbooks_)
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke – A picture-perfect tradwife wakes up in 1855, and the life she sells online becomes a nightmare. Completely unexpected, biting, and a total wild ride—this one is sure to start a fight at book club.
Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen – Smart, terrifying, and timely, this deeply researched look at how a biological catastrophe could unfold is absolutely chilling. It’s frighteningly hard to put down.
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie – The chemistry, the romance, the Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow vibes—I absolutely loved it! A love story about two performers whose connection stretches across years, success, and heartbreak.
Kin by Tayari Jones – Two childhood friends take very different paths, but their bond runs deep. Tayari Jones’s writing is impeccable—poetic, sometimes harsh, and full of friendship and resilience.
Under Story by Chloe Benjamin – A scientist hiding away in Antarctica encounters a mysterious phenomenon that might offer a second chance at the past. Part love story, part science-driven mystery, it asks how far we would go for more time with the people we love.
Carol Ann Tack (@carolanntack)
Switzy by Emma Cline
The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Morningside by Téa Obreht
Astronaut by Oana Aristide
I’m focusing on these four books in particular, because they provided stories that were incredibly unique and distinct. They all offer beautiful prose, immersive and interesting settings, time slips, and fresh perspectives. I was completely captivated by the humor, heartbreak, beauty, and everything in between — all four are a perfect package of fiction for me. And I loved every page — all those featured will appear on my end of year favorites list.
(With apologies to The Road to Tender Hearts; Luna, Phoenix, Queen; and Contrapposto, all of which are next up on my TBR in that order – or the order the library dictates, ha!)
Laurie (@bookaddictpnw)
Good People by Patmeena Sabit – A story of a death with no answers, leaving me still thinking about it months later
Whistler by Ann Patchett – Connected deeply with my own life and provided one of the best book club discussions I’ve ever been a part of
The Keeper by Tana French – The finale of her Irish countryside mystery series, French is simply brilliant at the construction of a whodunit that she peoples with rich deep complex characters
The Story of a Heart by Dr. Rachel Clarke – Every human involved in the heart transplant of a 9-year-old British patient from a 9-year-old victim, this story is heartwrenching but also one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon – It’s not just the badass female character (tho she’s amazing!), but the unique plotting as we see the maiden, the mother, and then the crone — brilliant and informative
Elisa (@thisfamilyreads.alot)
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton – When the world has you down and you need a pick me up. This book is an utter delight, charming and heartwarming. I read it reluctantly and it became one of my favorite books this year. Be careful though, you may want to raise your own hare afterwards!
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger – A page-turning family drama that weaves in the consequence of AI in our lives, sibling relationships, and responsibility. I couldn’t stop thinking about this one and had my high school senior read it to discuss it with me (and it deals with a graduating senior and responsibility). Trust me, this one is a must-read.
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout – Once again, Elizabeth Strout knocked it out of the park with a quiet book with such gorgeous sentences. You feel like you can hear the characters talking. Thoughtful and real.
Aimee (@theonewhereaimeereads)
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves – My favorite book of 2026. It’s a story about death that’s really about life. Life is messy and finite and death is everywhere. This book challenges us to appreciate life and to live it intentionally. It’s narrated by Death but done so in a way you haven’t seen before.
Odessa by Gabrielle Sher – A powerful and emotional story from the annals of history that feels all too relevant today. It’s a dark story of antisemitism and violence, of fear and memories and of agency, survival and hope.
Homebound by Portia Elan – A beautiful literary science fiction novel. Spanning centuries, this epic takes us to uncharted waters that feel both wholly original and also familiar. It’s a hopeful story of finding oneself, finding connection, and finding home.
Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg – An addicting and voyeuristic look into the life of a young woman who livestreams ridiculous stunts to make fast money. I was either obsessively reading or thinking about this book. The main character is a bit of a mess, but you can’t help but root for her as you question her life choices.
Fallow by Sarah Anderson – An excellent satirical exploration of feminism, bodily autonomy, fertility rights, women in the workplace, sexism, and class inequality. You might think the premise of a woman becoming a corporation’s first in-house gestational surrogate is absurd, but honestly, it felt very believable and realistic.
Jess (@literaryfictionlover)
Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan – One of five kids born into an Irish house plagued by poverty and addiction, O’Sullivan’s memoir is harrowing and heartbreaking, but it’s also so very hopeful.
This is Happiness by Niall Williams – A 70-year-old man looks back to his teenage years in the 1950’s when electricity was first introduced in Faha, Ireland. It’s slow-paced Irish storytelling, but it’s beautiful and the characters stay in your heart.
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout – A high school history teacher struggles with the loneliness and the state of the world today. It’s the secrets we keep. It’s the sadness we store in our hearts. It’s the profound impact one person can have on another, and the lifetime that impact can last.
Whistler by Ann Patchett – A tender novel about familial redemption that has a perfect ending. I had a book hangover for a month after this one.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver – An evangelical family attempts to convert the Congolese people amid their politically tense attempt at Independence. As with any great book, I walked away with a better understanding, a shifted perspective, and an expanded heart.
Geniece Trevino (@birdcage_ink)
Woman Who Glows in the Dark: A Curandera Reveals Traditional Aztec Secrets of Physical and Spiritual Health by Elena Avila – This book was healing. It really dives into the culture and history behind our healing traditions. I love how it touched on the topic of religion and curanderism, which has been difficult for me. I enjoyed learning the healing traditions going all the way back to the Aztecas.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman – I read this for the first time this year and it’s definitely book over movie. The book was darker than most young readers would expect. It made for more of a scary read than the Disney movie portrayal. I would read it again, which says a lot, as very few books call for a reread. I was also kicking myself for not having read it sooner.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero – Loved! Even as an adult it was such a good read. Diary style and touches heavily on what it means to grow up Latina. I felt so seen and represented in this book in so many ways. Tears, laughs, and a bunch of self-reflection, and it wasn’t a long read. You get hooked on finding out what is going to happen next in Gabi’s life.
Sam (@some_bookish_thoughts)
Sula by Toni Morrison – A slim novel by Morrison that plays with the concept of good and evil. A story that is both challenging and unputdownable.
The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje (translated by David McKay) – Identity, nationality, and loyalty are so brilliantly picked apart here. A singular novel that I’ll never forget.
John of John by Douglas Stuart – A beautiful and atmospheric novel (an island off the coast of Scotland in the 90’s) with fully realized characters.
Brawler by Lauren Groff – Her characters speak to that dark and stormy part of ourselves that we sometimes forget we share with everyone else. If you don’t read short story collections, this is the one that will convince you to.
Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett – My kids and I are big fans of Barnett and I was thrilled to finally be his targeted audience. There’s a lot more to this book than that infamous quote; I learned so much on this not-that-talked-about subject.
Katie (@books_nooks_crannies)
Held by Anne Michaels – Gorgeous, luminescent prose looking across four generations of interconnected characters and the imprints that both deep love and grief leave on the heart. The reading experience is like rifling through an old shoebox of yellowed, curling photographs – the images leaping up to tell their fragmented stories.
Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy – Instead of waiting for governments, scientists, and others to address environmental concerns and shore up our increasingly fragile ecosystem, Tallamy – a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology – lays out actions for every person to undertake in their home and yard that will bolster the survivability and resilience of plants, animals, and insects. This is not a utopian playbook for the unattainable ideal. The prescriptions are achievable and implementable and are backed with data measuring their beneficial impact.
The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry – Berry may be considered the unofficial poet laureate of the way things were with a curmudgeonly attitude toward technology, though it is far more productive to read Berry as a proponent of humanity who is incensed by corporate mindsets of efficiency and profit over the dignity of human skill and work. This is Berry’s best-known work, in which he argues that the undermining of the traditional agrarian way of life in favor of capitalistic exploits erodes people’s worth, communities, and the land.
Things In Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li – A memoir by a profoundly skillful writer who thinks but does not rationalize her way through the deaths of both her sons by suicide. Li is still a mother, though the objects of her mothering have left this earth while she remains. This work partially reads like philosophy as she navigates the meaning and impact of her reality.
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak – Tells the story of three individuals whose lives are connected by a single drop of water that cycles and recycles itself through the ages. Though the plot is engaging, it is the author’s paean to the power and importance of stories to weave together the fabric of humanity that resonates most.
Tanya (@cozycornerbookstagram)
The Vanishing Family by Robert Kolker follows a family of nine siblings as one by one they are diagnosed with FTD, a hereditary, early-onset dementia. It explores the challenges of caring for loved ones as they decline, and the anguish felt in facing the decision to test themselves for this mutation. This one simple blood test defines whether their life will be as a sufferer of the disease or the caregiver of their siblings suffering from the disease. This was very well researched science writing packed with a lot of emotion.
Three Women by Lisa Tadeo is a non-fiction book that is written by a female journalist who selects three random and vastly different women as they seek to understand their sexuality and desires, and how it has affected their lives and relationships. It explores how women scrutinize one another for how we express ourselves and our sexualities. I thought it was a very empowering read and decided to watch the limited series by the same name on Starz, which I felt was equally well done.
Famesick is a memoir by Lena Dunham. I had no idea who she was when my book club chose this. Lena is a very complex person. In the book she takes ownership of her faults. This memoir became a very personal reading experience for me when Lena writes how she was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and how validating it was to finally have a diagnosis to confirm all her health symptoms that everyone thought she was fabricating. I was recently diagnosed with EDS and although my experience has been much different, the feeling of validation was completely relatable. This book was empowering in the sense that we are all deserving of love, acceptance, and grace.
Heart the Lover by Lily King is the second book in a series that can be read as a standalone. It felt like I was reading a memoir. It follows three friends in a love triangle that spans decades. We get to know and love/hate the characters. I became emotionally invested in them and felt so much angst. I was emotionally devastated at the end for such a short book.
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver is written and expressed through the lens of music. Livia is a music prodigy who falls in love with an older man, Sigurd, who dedicates his life to political activism for equality. Their relationship ends from consequences beyond their control. Decades later Livia receives a call from Sigurd wanting to reunite. Livia struggles with the unresolved conflict she has had since their breakup and the devastation she experienced that changed the whole trajectory of her life. This was another emotional read. Kingsolver includes a playlist of classical music to listen to that deepens the reading experience. Music carries an emotional component that words cannot express and I absolutely loved that!
Annette (@sparks_of_curiosity)
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth – This was an unputdownable, all-the-feels reading experience, full of endearing and memorable characters. It managed to be both fun and thought-provoking, making it an unexpected favorite and a book that will stay with me.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Books 1-8) by Beth Brower – This series is the epitome of delightful, and the perfect world to escape to when the world feels heavy and hard. After being late to the party, I devoured the entire series in two weeks, and I can’t wait for the next book. Take me to St. Crispian anytime!
No One’s Coming by Kevin Hazzard – This book tells the story of a rescue mission of two Americans who contract Ebola, but it’s also an inspiring story about people who risk their lives to help others. This book is narrative nonfiction at its finest.
Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer – A literary fiction lover’s dream. A quiet story, but also a moving one.
This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman – A collection of interconnected stories about a Jewish family that felt nuanced and realistic. While this book was a good reminder for me about why representation matters, it’s not just for Jewish readers; it’s for any reader who loves character-driven stories or slice of life stories about family dynamics.
Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo (YA) – Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors. Her words are beautiful and vulnerable, but also impactful, and her imagery gives me chills.
