Here’s a list of must-read book club books for 2026!
How is your reading year going so far in 2026? I’ve been very happy with several of the new releases I’ve read. And there are plenty of other highly anticipated books publishing later this year!
This year is insane for new titles. There are SO many new books, and several are by very popular authors, including Ann Patchett, Jodi Picoult, Maggie O’Farrell, and more.
This is a handy list of 10 new releases that all promise to be a great fit for your book club. This features a wide range of genres and subjects. I write this one every year, so if you’re looking for my older titles, check out 2025 here and 2024 here.
This is the first of several list posts I will put together. I’ve read several of the titles already and will read each one on this list. So check back for all the reviews and book club questions.
I will also have a summer list (a ton of books publishing this summer!) and a fall/winter one.
Let’s get to the must-read book club books of 2026!
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
This is a good one to pick for those seeking a lot of suspense and intrigue with plenty of moving parts. It follows two very different women who both need each other’s help. But when the plan falls apart, they both need an alibi.
I keep these spoiler-free, so I’ll say that Anatomy of an Alibi is a very entertaining suspense story. There’s so much intrigue, twists and turns, and lots of surprises.
The characters are richly developed, and the motivations are made clear. You won’t want to put this one down. This is a very solid and complete story.
For more about the story, check out my spoiler-free review here. And my book club questions here.
Kin by Tayari Jones
Kin is, without a doubt, one of the top must-read books of this year.
Kin is right up there with An American Marriage, and maybe even more so. I was absolutely captivated by this stirring novel about found family. The story is set during the 1950s and 1960s, a period that was so vivid, yet despite how long ago it was, some of the same social issues remain today.
The story follows two lifelong best friends who, after many years apart, are eventually brought back together, where everything will change.
The two main characters felt so real to me. I loved their close friendship and their sisterhood. It all rang so true and was so profound.
For more about the book, check out my spoiler-free review. And my book club questions here.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is one of the most original and unique stories I’ve ever read. Put it on your must-read list right now.
This novel is quite inventive, a satire about a woman obsessed with the idea of perfection, and tries to be the ideal Christian tradwife. She gets millions of followers and becomes extremely rich, but there’s always something dark lurking.
Then she wakes up in the brutal reality of 1855 and has to determine if it’s a nightmare, time travel, or something else.
Yesteryear will grab your attention from page one and not let go, and once you’ve finished, you’ll find yourself thinking more about this inventive and complex story.
Check out my spoiler-free review here. And my book club questions here.
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
I’m really looking forward to Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old, and few would expect she’s hiding a secret past. But Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.
Sally’s books tend to be more character studies rather than straight-up thrillers. I haven’t read her books in a while, but I’m quite excited for Mad Mabel.
Check back soon for my review and book club questions!
The Midnight Train by Matt Haig
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was a huge success, and I personally loved it. One of my favorites of all time. So I’m very curious what’s in store with The Midnight Train, which is part of The Midnight Library world.
The story asks you to consider, when your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? A magical time-traveling love story that will no doubt pull at your heartstrings.
Check back soon for my review and book club questions!
Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
#1 New York Times Bestseller Elizabeth Strout returns with a new story. A chance incident that sparks a powerful realization in a beloved teacher’s life—a poignant meditation on loneliness, friendship, parenthood, and the importance of truth in a capsizing world.
This will be an engaging book club pick. Check back soon for my review and discussion questions!
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
OK, I have a confession: I have not read a book by Maggie O’Farrell yet. I know, I know. I will start with Land and certainly read the rest.
Land is a historical novel set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Hunger. It’s an ambitious novel about buried treasure, ghosts, and survival.
Check back soon for a review and book club questions!
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
I loved Less by Andrew Sean Greer. That’s one I read on a plane and actually laughed out loud. Honestly, I don’t tend to do that with books. So I’m excited to read Villa Coco.
The story follows a young man who takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills.
I’m anticipating lots of humor and heart in this one. Check back soon for my review and book club questions!
Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim
Fishbone Cinderella is a historical fiction/sci-fi story about a mother and daughter working to break their family’s curse. It’s a multi-generational saga taking the reader from 1940s Hong Kong to 1960s San Francisco.
It sounds fascinating and unique. Check back soon for my review and book club questions!
Hallow Bones by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult writes impactful fiction that gets people talking. Her latest follows a woman who lost her mother due to the 9/11 attacks. As an adult, she helps to save lives, but has a healthy dread of disasters. When the unexpected upends her marriage, everything will change.
The synopsis doesn’t give you a lot, and I’m sure for good reason. Her stories usually involve some type of twist or surprise, which are always handled in a careful way. Looking forward to it!
Which book are you most excited to read this year?
Happy reading!
