We are a few days past the halfway point of 2026 (we made it!) and I am asking an important, difficult question.
What is your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?
Rules: you may name 1 fiction and 1 nonfiction.
That is the limit.
Yes, I’m know. I’m terrible.
Also: the book does not have to be a 2026 book! Any book you haven’t read before is a new book.
Sarah: I’m the one asking, and here I am thinking, Oof, that’s a tough one, because I’ve read some really, really good books and I’m very happy about it.
My favorite fiction that I’ve read so far this year: Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood. I read this book on vacation in May, and it still gives me warm, fizzy feelings, probably because of the perfect combination of being a book that made me laugh and cry, and a book that I read in a swimming pool. Kirsty was my podcast guest last week talking about this book, too.
My favorite nonfiction, hands down, is Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi, because I am not going to stop thinking about the things I learned in this book for ages. I have been thinking about the children of the original mommy bloggers and influencer families for literal decades, and this book confirmed many of my suspicions about exploitation. It also forced me to confront some of my own conclusions and reevaluate them. (Fortesa Latifi was also my guest on the podcast earlier this year.)
Lara: I have read a handful of truly excellent books this year. If I were cheating, I would choose an author, rather than a book. My introduction to CS Harris/Candice Proctor this year has been glorious. But if you were to really turn the thumbscrews, I would choose Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian. That book had me cheering and breathless with joy for the duration! But if the criteria were which book had the strongest impact on me personally, then I’d say Vera Stein is Fine by Julie Murphy, as Vera and I both have big life changes happening.
Sarah, how badly did I cheat? Oopsy.
Sarah: I’ll allow it.
Amanda: I’ve only had one five star read so far this year and that honor goes to Against a Wall by Cate C. Wells.
Shout out to Katie for the recommendation. She had previously signed up for After Dark recs and we had a convo via email about Cate Wells and where I should start. She recommended this one with the caveat that it’s kind of an enemies to lovers, bully romance if that is or isn’t my bag.
I also want to mention DiscoDollyDeb’s really great description of Wells’s heroes:
As I frequently assert, her heroes tend to be men who want to do better but often lack the emotional bandwidth to do so without blunders. Wells’s style isn’t for everyone, but, if she hits your sweet spot, she’ll undoubtedly become an auto buy.
I really appreciated seeing a hero repeatedly try to get the heroine’s attention or try to understand her and her interests. I also thought it had an interesting take on small towns we don’t often see in romance and certainly, though briefly, touched on the socioeconomic issues and racism that lies at the foundation of these communities.
Elyse: My favorite book of the year so far really surprised me: Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. This is a non-fiction book that recounts a period of time during COVID lockdown when Dalton raised a baby hare she found abandoned in her garden.
Dalton raises the hare with the intention that it returns to the wild (it does), but it also repeatedly returns to her home as well. It’s a beautiful memoir of appreciating wild things and allowing them to be wild, but also about her budding awareness of the natural world outside her home. It’s just an incredibly soothing and intimate read that was wonderfully relaxing for my brain.
What about you? What is your favorite book you’ve read this year?
Remember: you can name up to 1 fiction and 1 nonfiction, and it does not have to be a 2026 book!
Update! Y’all have so many good recommendations that we have some shopping options, should you wish to add these titles to your library or TBR.
First, an an Amazon storefront with your picks (in progress, since you’re still commenting).
And, a Bookshop.org list – don’t forget to pick the store that will benefit from your purchases, from local indie bookshops to friends of the library organizations!
Unsurprisingly: Villain, by Natalie Zina Walschots. It took some waiting but DAMN it was worth it.
Delightful surprise: Trust by Hernan Diaz. Very much a book about how myths are made.
Fiction: a re-read, and a comfort read: Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Armourer’s House. It’s a 1950s children’s historical novel with lots of description and lovely characters. Here’s someone else’s review: Random Jottings.
Non-fiction: I got a lot out of reading Travellers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Ordinary People, by Julia Boyd. Here’s someone else’s review: Finding Time to Write. I will say that it was a four-star for me, despite being the best non-fiction I have read so far this year, so I’m still looking for a five-star.
Fiction:
Tie between T. Kingfisher’s Snake-Eater and Elizabeth Bear’s Angel Maker (sorry, this is an impossible choice)
Nonfiction:
Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham
I’ve read a lot of good things this year (which is not always the case) but the romance that really stands out is Abby Jimenez’s The Night We Met. I gather that it’s quite polarising online but I loved it because it was that rare thing: a romance with a narrative arc that makes us (characters and reader) wait and really earn the HEA. Maybe experiencing it in audio format made it more emotional as well.
Favourite non-fiction was also an audiobook with delicious narration: Box Office Poison by Tim Robey. Not the usual catalogue of Hollywood flops but some lesser known fiascos from the silent era to today.
The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow was amazing; my pick for Hugo best novel. It’s just ABOUT so many things. Mythology and national identity and propaganda and King Arthur and Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria and World War I and Fascism and the Brothers Grimm and Tolkien and Wagner and Hitler and Trump but most of all it’s about two people in love trapped by everything that they’re being forced to be and it’s gorgeous.
Easily THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews. First book in a long time that I finished and started rereading the next day. Trying to push off a third read for a little longer. My husband even noted how excited I was about the book.
And it’s the first book I’ve ever bought merch for – yay, beautiful vellum page inserts and stickers!!!
Hmm, fiction is tough – I’ve read a fair bit that I liked, but nothing I’ve really raved about (even the latest Murderbot!). I think the most pleasant surprise was Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman. It’s nice reading an M/F romance written by a man that feels like the author genuinely likes women.
Non-fiction is definitely Super-Infinite hy Katherine Rundell about John Donne. I compare it to sitting next to a random person at a dinner party, asking them what they do and two hours later you are saying, “I had no idea!”
WE COULD BE SO GOOD TOGETHER by Cat Sebastian. This is a re-read for the umteenth time for me. Nick and Andy come across as such real people, as do the communities they have around them. Their trials and tribulations are all on such a human scale. Nick’s anxieties around this family in general and his brother in particular. Andy’s struggles to figure out what he’s going to do with his life and unwanted responsibilities. And they’re so good for each other! They give each other the love and affection they both so desperately need in a supportive and healthy way. It’s just such a satisfying story.
So many of the things already named here were contenders and I didn’t know how I would choose between them (plus Alexis Hall’s Hell’s Heart and EH Lupton’s Renaissance) but then I remembered that there was a new KJ Charles this year. How to Fake It in Society absolutely for the win.
On the non fiction front I mostly read some ok gardening books and some underwhelming cookbooks so even though it’s hardly my favorite book, the best so far is Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants, because at least it has lead to some entertaining conversations about whether an asbestos napkin (conveniently cleaned by fire) or one made from human skin (of your enemies) is preferable.
I’ve read 207 books to date this year and trawling through the journal to pull out all the 5-star reads would take all day, so I will choose only 3 highlights.
5 stars from new-to-me author D.P. Clarence: ‘Much Obliged,’ MM romcom;
5 stars from long-favored author Cat Sebastian: ‘Star Shipped,’ MM road trip;
5 stars nonfiction by Alison Arngrim: ‘Confessions of a Prairie Bitch,’ memoir.
All of these, coincidentally, orbit the world of television.
Hands down, no contest, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, by Ilona Andrews. I was already a huge Andrews fan, but this book is amazing. I want to go full on squealing fan-girl about this book. I never re-read books, and I have re-read this one three times.
Since I’m a cheating cheater and have chronic indecision issues, I have 2 fiction books for the Bitchery’s consideration. Playground by Richard Powers. I never would have picked this one up but for the fact that it was my city’s One Book read this year (and free!) But I absolutely loved it. And The Mars House by Natasha Pulley. Both books are cli-fi in a way (Playground much more so), which I guess considering my last few years favorite books, I’m trying to find hope in the climate crisis.
I read much less nonfiction, only 2 so far this year, so I think I have to go with Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces that shape Your Life. Its from the NPR podcast Planet Money, and its very accessible and also just a really well made object with full color illustrations and diagrams and engaging design. And I finally understand how compound interest works!
Ok, I’m going to play fast and loose with the rules and choose a whole series as my favorite fiction, because I can’t choose just one from it: the Bridge Kingdom by Danielle Jensen. I think it is both excellent fantasy and excellent romance, which isn’t always true of Romantasy. Shout out to the men who are willing to give up their high powered positions so the women they love can pursue what they want and need to do.
for non-fiction, Kathleen Hanna’s memoir Rebel Girl.
The best book I have read this year is The Ippos King by Grace Draven. This is the third book in the Wraith Kings series and came out in 2020 but somehow I missed it, even though I really enjoyed the first two books in the series. (The first book is Radiance, which is on my all-time list of best books ever read. If you haven’t read it, do so, you won’t regret it.)
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, so I don’t have a recommendation for it.
This has been a strange year, reading-wise. Because of ongoing house renovations, almost all of my available free time has been spent getting the house ready to be renovated and then putting the house back in order after said renovations. As a result, I’ve read far fewer books than I normally would have read by the middle of the year—and, I gotta be honest, nothing so far has really jumped out at me as a top-tier read, even books from my reliable favorite authors. On the other hand, I love that Cate C. Wells is getting some love. I’m really looking forward to her next Five Packs book, THE MOON-BLESSED WOLF’S REJECTED MATE, which will feature a heroine who becomes a male wolf when she shifts. It will be interesting to read Wells’s take on that scenario.
I’m enjoying reading everyone else’s answers, and decided to add mine. My favorite fiction book I’ve read this year is “Meet The Newmans,” by Jennifer Niven. Dr. Kate Sister’s “A Curious History Of Sex” was my favorite non-fiction book. Kate has a podcast called “Betwixt The Sheets” which is a lot of fun, a blend of history and a bit of spicy humor.
Another vote for THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME which I got in hardcover and then reread in audio from the library. I am not a rereader.
The only non-fiction I’ve read so far this year is THE SECRET LIFE OF GROCERIES: THE DARK MIRACLE OF THE AMERICAN SUPERMARKET by Benjamin Lorr, which was really eye-opening. Pretty grim in a few spots and the author’s style can be annoying, but a fascinating read.
Definitely This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews. I’ve read the the physical, ebook and audiobooks. Really trying to hold off of another reread already… but I’ll wait a month or two and probably pick it up again. Nothing is quite hitting the same except other rereads right now.
My fave book so far is definitely the one I’m reading now. The Shape of Monsters by Tessa Gratton. Which, on page 209, I had to reread what I’d just read because what was happening hadn’t sunken in yet. And once it had I physically said ‘oh,’ bc in my head was not enough. It’s just so delightfully lush in it’s writing, and I have no idea where it’s going to end, but I’m here for it, wherever it may lead.
If forced to limit myself to one fiction I’m also going to hype Everlasting by Alix Harrow (my Hugo pick for best novel as well DejaDrew). That one hit at the right moment for me, it’s one of the books that reminds me how fiction can be used to tell an imaginary story that also tells the truth. Like about the power of story in shaping the narratives we use to define worldviews and fragility of empires.
For non-fiction I’ll go with another right place, right time pick: Cory Doctorow’s latest The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI is an extremely pithy look at state of the tech sector and investor classes current infatuation with all things AI.
All but one of my five star books this year have been rereads: Blood Over Bright Haven, The Raven Scholar, the Illuminae trilogy, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Midnight in Chernobyl, lots of Jane Austen, lots of Jasper Fforde. I will also plug The Everlasting though it was one of my last books of 2025.
My one new five star discovery was To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. A young indigenous girl finds a dragon’s egg and raises the baby dragon in accordance with her culture and traditions, while also navigating the white settlers of North America, who in this alternate world are Viking descendants rather than WASPs. A dragon story, a school story, a coming of age story, and a book I could not bear to put down.
I am not a rereader at all, yet I refused to turn on the WiFi on my Kindle for two months just so I could reread my library copy of THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews several times. I then solved the problem by buying my own copy.
As for nonfiction, I realized I haven’t read any this year. Looks like it’s time for a new book resolution to read at least one a month.
For me, best fiction read for the first half of 2026 is DOLLY ALL THE TIME by Annabel Monaghan, for all the reasons described in @Lara’s SBTB review, plus all of the FMCs poignant and funny observations.
Best non-fiction (or at least the book I’ve remembered most) is THE GREATEST SENTENCE EVER WRITTEN by Walter Isaacson, a 70-page extended essay about the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence– the one that ends with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s a thoughtful and hopeful explication of how and why the words were written in 1776, and what they can mean for us today. (FYI, the ebook edition is $1.99 at Amazon; I haven’t checked prices elsewhere.)
I haz list! But I’ll behave. Basically the last book added to my list was Good at Being Alive by Elizabeth O’Roark. It’s an unconventional contemporary romance and is as much a story of grief, family, and complicated feelings as it is a love story.
Also, SB Lara’s favorite is on my list and is a strong contender. for the same reasons she mentions.
My nonfiction book is easy, Jenny Lawson’s LET’S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, made me laugh hysterically and also cry. It’s the first book I’ve read of hers, even though I’ve seen them around for years.
Fiction is tougher because I feel like I’ve read a lot of good books this year. I think I’ll go with BROMANTASY by Maire Roche because it’s one I’ve read recently and think about often.
Another for THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews.
Nonfiction, NO CURE FOR BEING HUMAN by Kate Bowler, a memoir about being diagnosed with a rare cancer when fairly young. Part wrestling with medical professionals to get information about her own illness and treatment, part coping with the table-flipping of one’s life that such a diagnosis brings.
I don’t have a standout book for this year yet but if I had to choose, I’ll go with WINTER SOLSTICE by Rosamunde Pilcher. The perfect rainy (or even snowy!) day book. Close second is APHRODITE by Phoenicia Richardson. I’ve read three books on Aphrodite this year and this is the most irreverent and exuberant one of the lot.
@ella-I adore Rosamunde Pilcher, I’ve read everything she wrote. Also have a wonderful nonfiction Christmas book by her. Not sure if you’ve read her others but The Shell Seekers is one of my very favorite books, and the follow up September is great. I love to see her name in the comments!
I LOVED Raising Hare! I’ve read twice. I also loved The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing.
My fave fiction this year is one I also read last year, My Friends by Frerik Backman.
I have had a lot of rereads this year/trouble getting into new things but a couple of standouts for me were Only on Game Day, the new Kristen Callihan (listened to audiobook and read ebook/back and forth based on how I was able to read at the time) or (finally reading) Angelina M Lopez’s Lush Money and the two other books in the series.
Seems I haven’t finished a nonfiction this year but acquired a bunch.
Another whose best fiction this year is This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, which also wins the first book I have ever reread immediately I finished it award. I seriously considering rereading it again.
Non-fiction has not been books, but getting up to date on a couple of general science magazine subscriptions. I’ve paid for them I really should try to read them in a timely manner.
I haven’t had the kind of A+ fiction book this year that I want to push into everybody’s hands, the way THE FROZEN RIVER was for me last year. Lots of solid B’s though. In non-fiction, I’m not very far into it, but BARBARIAN DAYS by William Finnegan is great.
I just finished the ARC of THE ROMAN HOLIDAY RULE, and it was so good–not a member of an author team or publisher team for this. Before that, ROAD TRIP was my favorite.
I don’t real a lot of non-fiction, but if you like sports, the Kelce Brothers and their podcast, and don’t mind sophomoric humor, No Dumb Questions
And All of Our Dumbest Answers is a great read which will have you laughing.
Completely agree with everything @DejaDrew (sidenote – ha! Two Drews!) said about The Everlasting. Since that one is already sufficiently represented I want to add:
Fiction: I adored The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar – a novella with dark fairy tale feels, a magic system that uses music, and some wonderful world building and prose. More a sister story than a romance, but there is that too, just atypical in many ways.
Non-fiction: Super heavy and ALL the trigger warnings (it is a memoire of dealing with the death of both of her sons by suicide), but Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li was heartbreaking, compassionate, philosophical, and somehow darkly beautiful… and deserves all the awards it is getting.
A runner up and far less triggering is Jenny Lawson’s new book How to be Okay When Nothing is Okay, which was lovely.
I hate being asked for just one favorite. I hate when people ignore the rules and post three or four. Arghhhh! I don’t know what to do!
Cheat.
Brynne Weaver’s Ruinous Love trilogy. I read them back to back in a week. Shouldn’t that count as one? It was outside my wheelhouse, but it’s also the books that have taken up a good deal of my brain. The ones I’ve told people they need to try. Turns out I am a fan of murderous mayhem, that hysterically funny things can happen in the middle of bloody vigilante justice and swoon worthy romance can lighten the darkest souls.
Update: I’ve added two shopping options for all your recs in this post, one at Bookshop.org, and one at Amazon.
Another THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME vote. There were many books I really enjoyed, but this one took me by surprise.
I’m joining the cheaters since I’m unable to choose between ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid and WHISTLER by Ann Patchett. They were nothing alike but were both exquisite. And I’m feeling most nonplussed because unlike so very many who have commented, I couldn’t get interested in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. I think I need to feel a faster attachment to the main character, and it just wasn’t there for me. And I lose far too many hours everyday reading newspapers and journals to have time right now for non-fiction.
For fiction, Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley. This book rewrote something in my brain.
For nonfiction, if it counts, MANIAC by Benjamin Labatout, which is… well it’s about real people and real events and has a long history of computer chess and go programs in the middle? I don’t have good words for this book, but it was the first book in my life that captured the delirious ecstasy of truly understanding a math problem in a way that did not rely on the reader knowing math already.
If it doesn’t count, More Everything Forever by Adam Becker. It’s a book about the horrifying ideology fueling Silicon Valley overlords, and for me personally, a book about the insidious trap I avoided when, as a math student, I had a choice: spend more time on rationalist / effective altruist forums, or read more romance. Truly, I will never be not grateful for having chosen romance and not becoming an absolute monster.
@DonnaMarie, THANK YOU for my best laugh of the week.