Big Books of 2026

Listopia > Book Lists Voted on by Laura (26 Lists)



First Grave on the Right by Darynda JonesSoulless by Gail CarrigerMagic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Best Funny Paranormal Romances
882 books — 1,713 voters
Soulless by Gail CarrigerThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan MooreThe Affinity Bridge by George MannThe Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
Best Steampunk Books
1,245 books — 4,096 voters

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline CareyPerdido Street Station by China Miéville
Best Fantasy Books of the 21st Century
3,053 books — 9,893 voters
Alanna by Tamora PierceSabriel by Garth NixDealing with Dragons by Patricia C. WredeThe Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Best Kick-Ass Female Characters From YA and Children's Fantasy and Science Fiction
3,072 books — 8,673 voters

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafónThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane SetterfieldFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyInkheart by Cornelia FunkeThe Princess Bride by William Goldman
Stories For Book Lovers
8,337 books — 8,378 voters
Storm Front by Jim ButcherSomething from the Nightside by Simon R. GreenMagic Bites by Ilona AndrewsThe Devil You Know by Mike CareyAnonymous Rex by Eric Garcia
Best Fantasy-Mystery/Detective
262 books — 330 voters

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonA Christmas Carol by Charles DickensHeart-Shaped Box by Joe HillThe Turn of the Screw by Henry JamesThe Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Ghost Stories
1,485 books — 1,879 voters
Moon Called by Patricia BriggsMagic Bites by Ilona AndrewsGuilty Pleasures by Laurell K. HamiltonBitten by Kelley ArmstrongStray by Rachel Vincent
Kick Ass Female Heroines in Paranormal Genre
966 books — 2,011 voters

Moon Called by Patricia BriggsThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. JemisinTempting Danger by Eileen WilksSkinwalker by Faith HunterStorm Born by Richelle Mead
Non-Caucasian Protagonists in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance
2,514 books — 2,757 voters
Moon Called by Patricia BriggsMagic Bites by Ilona AndrewsFantasy Lover by Sherrilyn KenyonBitten by Kelley ArmstrongCry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Best ADULT Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance
4,345 books — 10,091 voters

A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth GeorgeThe Body in the Library by Agatha ChristieNaked in Death by J.D. RobbA Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis PetersThe Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
Best Detective/Mystery Series
2,206 books — 2,294 voters
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafónThe Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoThe Lovely Bones by Alice SeboldThe Secret History by Donna TarttPossession by A.S. Byatt
Best Literary Mysteries
2,551 books — 4,594 voters

The Giver by Lois LowryTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Outsiders by S.E. HintonThe Golden Compass by Philip PullmanA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Best Young Adult Books
13,124 books — 80,171 voters
Dune by Frank HerbertFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleFoundation by Isaac Asimov
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
8,351 books — 24,663 voters

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur GoldenShōgun by James ClavellThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneThe Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Best Historical Fiction
7,393 books — 25,577 voters
Wicked Lovely by Melissa MarrTithe by Holly BlackNeed by Carrie JonesA Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Books about Faery
1,120 books — 2,312 voters

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis KlauseHold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Books You Wish More People Knew About
17,381 books — 10,355 voters
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine HarrisMoon Called by Patricia BriggsFantasy Lover by Sherrilyn KenyonBitten by Kelley ArmstrongCry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Best Paranormal & Fantasy Romances
5,575 books — 9,759 voters

Graceling by Kristin CashoreAlanna by Tamora PierceMoon Called by Patricia BriggsSabriel by Garth NixHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Best "Strong Female" Fantasy Novels
4,456 books — 18,212 voters
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinJ.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set by J.R.R. TolkienHis Dark Materials by Philip PullmanWizard's First Rule by Terry GoodkindThe Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
The Best Epic Fantasy (fiction)
4,208 books — 25,720 voters

Dune by Frank HerbertThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien1984 by George OrwellA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Science Fiction and Fantasy Must Reads
3,946 books — 5,011 voters
Sunshine by Robin McKinleyGuilty Pleasures by Laurell K. HamiltonDead Until Dark by Charlaine HarrisCarmilla by J. Sheridan Le FanuBloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
Best Adult Vampire Books
1,771 books — 4,918 voters

Beauty by Robin McKinleyWildwood Dancing by Juliet MarillierWicked by Gregory MaguireDeerskin by Robin McKinleyThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
The Best Fairytales and Retellings
2,797 books — 9,159 voters
Soulless by Gail CarrigerWicked as They Come by Delilah S. DawsonThe Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady CrossCorsets & Clockwork by Trisha TelepThe Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
Steampunk/Romance
366 books — 927 voters

And Then There Were None by Agatha ChristieRebecca by Daphne du MaurierThe Lovely Bones by Alice SeboldThe Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Best Crime & Mystery Books
7,306 books — 15,547 voters
Moon Called by Patricia BriggsDead Until Dark by Charlaine HarrisNeverwhere by Neil GaimanMagic Bites by Ilona AndrewsAmerican Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Best Urban Fantasy
4,404 books — 12,551 voters