Big Books of 2026

Listopia > Book Lists Voted on by Sarah (29 Lists)



The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
[ATY 2021] - Short Stories, Essays, or Poetry
407 books — 79 voters
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Best Short Stories
1,761 books — 1,046 voters

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted ChiangThe Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Redemption of Galen Pike by Carys DaviesFortune Smiles by Adam JohnsonThunderstruck & Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken
Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Contemporary Short Story Collections
121 books — 73 voters
Remnant Population by Elizabeth MoonChildren of Time by Adrian TchaikovskySongs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. ClarkeThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Most Under-rated Science Fiction
2,079 books — 2,147 voters

My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Best Books Ever
76,029 books — 282,431 voters
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Best Science Fiction
3,650 books — 6,959 voters

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise ErdrichThe Painted Drum by Louise ErdrichTwo Old Women by Velma WallisCaleb's Crossing by Geraldine BrooksThe Woman Who Married a Bear by John Straley
Native American Fiction
837 books — 638 voters
McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy
Find Your Next Vacation...in a Book!
346 books — 265 voters

Biggest Elvis by P.F. KlugeThe Ha-Ha by Dave KingSongdogs by Colum McCannBehind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate AtkinsonThe Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Best Books You've Probably Never Read
618 books — 411 voters
My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim PotokThe Prince of Tides by Pat ConroyThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest HemingwayBel Canto by Ann PatchettThe Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Favorite Books
14,234 books — 9,887 voters

Little, Big by John CrowleyLife After Life by Kate AtkinsonThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerThe Night Circus by Erin MorgensternThe Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Favorite Magical Realism Novels
1,304 books — 4,514 voters
The Dog Stars by Peter HellerAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanNever Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroShades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
3,745 books — 25,983 voters

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth PfefferShades of Grey by Jasper FfordeAlas, Babylon by Pat FrankWorld Made by Hand by James Howard KunstlerA Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
"After the blowup there was radiation and stuff" - post apocalyptic
106 books — 57 voters
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie WillisThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Best Historical Fiction Set in UK and Ireland
1,346 books — 1,582 voters

A Christmas Memory by Truman CapoteMy Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim PotokThe Prince of Tides by Pat ConroyThe Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony MarraLet the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Books You Would Recommend to Strangers
12,266 books — 7,855 voters
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca WellsEllen Foster by Kaye GibbonsCrazy in Alabama by Mark ChildressMurder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne GeorgeMusic of the Swamp by Lewis Nordan
Quirky Southern Fiction
968 books — 1,906 voters

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley JacksonFlowers for Algernon by Daniel KeyesFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. KonigsburgWhere the Red Fern Grows by Wilson RawlsThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Best School Assigned Books
766 books — 2,063 voters
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinDune by Frank HerbertNever Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
8,348 books — 24,650 voters

My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim PotokA Christmas Memory by Truman CapoteBel Canto by Ann PatchettThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest HemingwayThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once
31,461 books — 119,781 voters
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. KonigsburgSarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlanJacob Have I Loved by Katherine PatersonIsland of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'DellJulie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Most Deserving Newbery
113 books — 2,998 voters

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
1,318 books — 5,839 voters
Lamb by Christopher MooreThree Men in a Boat by Jerome K. JeromeCold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Best Humorous Books
4,313 books — 7,859 voters

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel ShriverLord of the Flies by William GoldingIt by Stephen KingNever Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Most Disturbing Books Ever Written
3,191 books — 11,286 voters
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. KonigsburgHarriet the Spy by Louise FitzhughMrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonaldBeezus and Ramona by Beverly ClearyThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Favorite books from my childhood
4,424 books — 7,425 voters

The Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleA Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleThe Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
The Most Begun "Read but Unfinished" (Started) book ever
2,602 books — 13,132 voters
Good Omens by Terry PratchettAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanLamb by Christopher MooreJesus’ Son by Denis JohnsonThe Book of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley
Best Dark Humor
730 books — 1,632 voters

Lamb by Christopher MooreCold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Books that Make you Laugh
3,495 books — 5,003 voters
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Dark hilarious witty books
181 books — 155 voters

Songdogs by Colum McCannThe Secret Scripture by Sebastian BarryLet the Great World Spin by Colum McCannAngela’s Ashes by Frank McCourtMcCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy
Best Irish Literature
632 books — 718 voters