Our Favorite Book Club Books of 2026 (So Far)!
Finding like-minded people who want to read together is one thing; actually choosing a book you’ll all enjoy is another. When it comes time to decide what you and your book club members will read for the month, it might be more difficult than you’d expect. Learn how to pick the right title for your book club and get inspiration from our favorite books today.
5 Things to Keep in Mind When Picking Your Next Favorite Book Club Book:
- Discussability: Our favorite book club books have enough substance to them to spark debate, inspire in-depth conversations, or require a bit of analysis. If a title is all fluff, there won’t be much to talk about when your book club meets.
- Length: Many book clubs have a page or chapter limit to their selection. Defining a length that works for everyone ensures that all members have time to read it before the discussion.
- Standalone or series: Most book clubs stick to reading standalone titles, as anything with more than one book tends to be a longer-term commitment. Decide with your members if you’re going to read exclusively standalone novels or if the first in a series is on the table.
- Genre: If you’re in a genre-specific book club, the choice for a new favorite book club book may be easy. Otherwise, figure out what book genre you and other members are in the mood for before selecting a title.
- Availability: Before you land on a book, make sure everyone has a way of renting or buying the title. We recommend making sure everyone either has a physical copy, purchases it on their e-reader, or can download it to an audiobook service before finalizing your choice.
Get a Look at Our Current Favorite Book Club Books
Whether you, as the founder, get to pick your title or you do a democratic vote, selecting a novel for your book club is no easy task. Walking the aisles of your favorite indie bookstore or tracking the latest BookTok trends can give you a few ideas for potential favorite books, but why not go with something tried and true? The next time you’re preparing to choose a title, keep this list of our favorite book club books in mind.
The Names by Florence Knapp
After a catastrophic storm sweeps through their town, Cora and her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, set out to register her son’s birth. She’s meant to follow family tradition and name the baby after his father, Gordon, a respected member of the community but a controlling presence in their home. But when the time comes, she hesitates. Split into three alternate storylines, this book club favorite spans the next 35 years, each spurred by a different decision on what to name the baby.
The Names is not just one of our favorite books—the New York Times bestseller was also a Read with Jenna pick. If you’re looking for a title with a unique structure, emotional plot, and the concept of fate and family, this is the book club book for you.
The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
For centuries, Wild Hill, at the tip of Long Island, was inhabited by the ghost of a witch murdered by colonists. That is, until a young Scottish woman named Sadie Duncan arrived. Five generations of her descendants, each more powerful than the last, have been bequeathed strange gifts, with some so dark, they fear using them.
When a terrible tragedy strikes, the last of the Duncan line abandons their ancestral home. Brigid, who moved to California to turn her gift into fame and fortune; her sister Phoebe, who settled on a Texas ranch where women visit for cures and tonics, and Phoebe’s daughter, Sybil, a famous chef who was never told of the bloodline’s abilities. But when the three are brought back to Wild Hill to reclaim their family legacy, they must fulfill their destinies and come together as a family in this book club favorite, The Women of the Wild Hill.
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
In one of our favorite books, Meet the Newmans, Dinah and Del Newman, and their sons, Guy and Shep, have spent two decades as America’s favorite TV family. Each week, millions tune in to watch them play black-and-white versions of themselves. But in 1964, as their idealized family life falls out of popularity, ratings begin to fall, and cracks in the family begin to show.
Determined to take matters into her own hands and keep her family together, Dinah hires Juliet Dunne, a passionate young reporter, to help her bulk up the final episode. But the two have wildly different ideas about what it means to be a family or a woman in the modern age. Can the two work together and change television history? Or will they end up canceled forever?
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Fans of thrillers will love one of our favorite books, The Ghostwriter. When two teenage siblings are found dead in their home one night in June of 1975, the Taylor family shatters. Vincent, the only surviving sibling, never shakes the accusations that he was the murderer, especially as, decades later, his career as a horror writer skyrockets.
Though she’s spent her entire professional life trying to hide her parentage, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont is on the brink of financial ruin. When she’s offered a job finishing her father, Vincent’s, latest book, she has no choice but to take it. But it’s not another horror novel he wants her to write. After 50 years of silence, Vincent Taylor is going to talk about what really happened all those years ago—and she’s the only ghostwriter for the job.
A Few Bonus Favorite Books for Your Book Club:
- The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall
- Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
- Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
Whether you’re looking for a thought-provoking banned book or a breezy beach read for your next book club read is completely up to you! After all, the experience is what you make of it. But if you want to head into your next meeting knowing you have a book of substance to discuss, check out a few of our favorite book club books the next time you’re in Novel.