The best books of 2026 (so far)
We're officially halfway through 2026, which means it's time for the most important reading season tradition: the best books of the year (so far).
Our Libby Librarians have been reading all year—and we mean all year—so you don't have to guess what's worth your time. The result is a top 100 list that spans literary fiction and atmospheric crime, sweeping historical novels and debut voices, the kind of books that will dominate every "best of" roundup and the ones that quietly become the most important reads of your year. And the best part is that you can borrow all these books from your local library using Libby.
Before you dive into the full list, here are the ten titles that rose to the top.
John of John
by Douglas Stuart
A vivid, moving novel following a young man returning to his Hebridean island home, a portrait of a father’s expectations and a son’s desires.
The Keeper
by Tana French
On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Ardnakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she’s dead in the river.
Kin
by Tayari Jones
An unforgettable novel that sparkles with wit and intelligence and deep feeling about two lifelong friends whose worlds converge after many years apart in the face of a devastating tragedy.
Land
by Maggie O'Farrell
The award-winning, bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait returns with a soaring historical novel set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Hunger.
London Falling
by Patrick Radden Keefe
A spellbinding account of a family devastated by the sudden death of their 19-year-old son, only to discover that he had created a secret life which drew him into the dangerous criminal underworld that lies beneath London’s glittering surface.
On Morrison
by Namwali Serpell
An illuminating, electrifying exploration of the work of Toni Morrison by an award-winning novelist and Harvard professor.
Star Shipped
by Cat Sebastian
A witty, emotional, and deliciously slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance between two costars on a popular sci-fi television series.
Strangers
by Belle Burden
Burden revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed.
Transcription
by Ben Lerner
A lightning flash of a novel that is at once a gripping emotional drama and a brilliant examination of the devices, digital and literary, we use to store—or to erase—our memories.
Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke
A traditional American woman, a “tradwife” influencer, suddenly awakens in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.
*Title availability may vary.
Room for more on your TBR? Keep browsing! 👇
Published Jun 19, 2026
Madison Stoneburner Simon
Madison Stoneburner Simon is a marketing & communications specialist for Libby. When she’s not working, you can find her reading or creating content for her Bookstagram, teaching Pilates, or spending time with her husband and their three perfect pups. She is a proud member of The Junior League of Cleveland and loves volunteering in her community.