THE NEW YORK TIMES Selects the Best Books of 2026 So Far

THE NEW YORK TIMES picks the best books of the year so far, a hopeful update on bookstores, a new BookTok bestseller list, and more

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THE NEW YORK TIMES Selects the Best Books of 2026 So Far

THE NEW YORK TIMES picks the best books of the year so far, a hopeful update on bookstores, a new BookTok bestseller list, and more

Vanessa Diaz

May 2, 2026

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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Here are the biggest headlines from last week, from an early "best of" list to a preview of May’s must-reads.

The NYT Selects the Year’s Best Books So Far

I had to check my calendar for the date before clocking that the NYT Book Review staff acknowledged that their selection of the best books of the year so far is being released but a third of the way into the year. The list hints at what might appear on the section’s end-of-year list, so let’s get into it with some highlights that floated to the top of the so-far. Who’s surprised that Tayari Jones’ Kin gets the very first mention? Not I. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book and, halfway through it myself, I understand why. I also see one of my most anticipated books, This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin, and my most recent TBR addition, Yesteryear (A tradwife tossed back to the mid-19th century? I’m already laughing). All of the books have a header suggesting the kind of reader who might be interested in each title. Kin , for example, is listed under “I want a lush historical novel about sisterhood,” to better help you figure out what to pick up next. Find the full list here.

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Why Bookstores Are Booming Again

As attraction to a more analog lifestyle grows, literary chic stomps the runway and the streets, and bookish social media continues to dominate , it may come as no surprise that bookstores are seeing better days. Bookshop.org founder and CEO Andy Hunter sat down with Fast Company to talk about Independent Bookstore Day and the success of indie bookstores, in spite of Amazon:

“People are really galvanizing around bookstores as a force for good in our culture,” he says. “You see that in the fact that there are about 70% more bookstores now than there were six years ago in the United States. After 20 years of declining numbers, they’re coming roaring back.”

The article celebrating Independent Bookstore Day gets into the origins of the book lover’s holiday, what the day and participating bookstores offer, and how readers and Bookshop.org are contributing to the success of indies.

A New BookTok Bestseller List

The UK now has an official #BookTok bestseller list thanks to a collaboration between German-launched Media Control and TikTok. Combining sales data from NielsenIQ BookData and #BookTok community engagement, Media Control’s algorithm creates this monthly ranking of books. The first month of stats is for March 2026 with Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid topping the chart. But Irish romance author Chloe Walsh dominates the list with six titles, starting with Taming 7 in second place. I’m almost certain Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros would dominate a U.S. version of this list (they do have three titles each on the UK top 20) but, for now, the U.S. only has lists of books popular on BookTok compiled by various outlets rather than anything formal. You can check out Barnes & Nobles’ most popular BookTok books here, and read more about how the collab impacts the world of books at BBC.

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Previews of New Books Out May 2026

April is coming to an end and previews of next month’s new releases are beginning to trickle in. The New York Times released its list of 26 books out in May, Library Journal released it Prepub Alert for next month , and the American Booksellers Association published its Indie Next List Preview, to name a few. Here are some highlights from the lists:

Canon by Paige Lewis: I’m seeing this book everywhere and it sounds like a romp. I mean, a madcap story following a nonbinary artist with O.C.D. and a prophet? Gimme.

Ghalen: A Romance in Black by Walter Mosley: The prolific author of the legendary Easy Rawlins series is back with a coming-of-age novel following a neurodivergent Black man, and it sounds wonderfully tender.

One Leg on Earth by ’Pemi Aguda: The celebrated author of Ghostroots, a short story collection and National Book Award Finalist, has a debut novel out this year about a curse inflicting pregnant women on a Lagos housing development.

Books bound to be bestsellers include The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, and The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. Explore the lists and bookmark your must-reads!

Adaptations to Stream

The big news is that the much-discussed, horny adaptation of Wuthering Heights is streaming on HBO Max this weekend. You will definitely want to check out our Zero to Well-Read podcast episode about the book; listen to the Wuthering Heights discussion on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you pod, or watch the rundown of Brontë’s classic on YouTube. If you’re a Netflix girly, then you’re in luck because the streamer released a meaty list of new book adaptations out this year. Highlights include Part 2 of One Hundred Years of Solitude adapted from the book by Gabriel García Márquez; Heartstopper Forever, the film finale of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series; and a reimagining of Little House on the Prairie based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder books (can I petition for an adaptation of Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House ?). Check out the list and ward off the curse that is streaming ennui.

What are you reading? Let us know in the comments!