The question, “What should I read next?” often confuses all book lovers without exception. This article could be perfect for those googling the best fiction and non-fiction books to read. Let’s not beat around the bush, as we are here to give you some book recommendations for 2026.
Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet by Kate Marvel
The most frightening thing about climate change is what it will make us do to each other.
— Kate Marvel
Human Nature isn’t a new release, but if you ask us what to read next, this book will be at the top of the list. Written by renowned climate scientist and researcher Dr. Kate Marvel, this book is a captivating exploration of climate change told through the lens of nine distinct emotions. Sounds intriguing, right? Each chapter explores a different emotion to explain the science of climate change and to map out a way forward in our rapidly changing world.
If you are unsure about reading the full book, check out our summary of Human Nature.
We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir by Anthony Hopkins
Today is the tomorrow I was worried about yesterday.
— Anthony Hopkins
The Father, The Silence of the Lambs, and even Thor: Ragnarok are just a few works of genius by Anthony Hopkins. Yet, he is much more than his roles in movies. We Did Ok, Kid honestly depicts Hopkins’ path to success with all his achievements and low points.
If you are looking for some inspiration to turn your failures into valuable life lessons, Sir Anthony Hopkins teaches just that and much more in his memoir.
We Did Ok, Kid
99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them by Ashley Alker, MD
We all pick our poison, but this smoking is nearly guaranteed to affect your health. Consider a safer vice, like cage diving with great white sharks.
— Ashley Alker
The title sounds captivating, doesn’t it? What do you think is the most terrifying way to die? A self-described “death-escapologist,” Dr. Ashley Alker not only vividly depicts these ways but also shows how to escape them. As an ER physician, Alker tells her patients’ stories and shares her own experience. This book is like a small encyclopedia on everything from sex and drugs to flesh-eating bacteria.
It will be released on January 13, 2026, so just add it to your TBR list and wait for this powerful survival guide to become a “tough cookie.”
99 Ways to Die
Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling by Danny Funt
... how much harassment of athletes, coaches, and refs are we willing to tolerate? How many match-fixing and point-shaving scandals? How many gambling addictions that wouldn’t have developed otherwise? How many suicides?
— Danny Funt
What should we worry about when it comes to keeping sports honest? Danny Funt is presenting the first investigation into America’s sports gambling industry on January 20. The consequences of the nation transforming into a nation of sports gamblers are alarming. Here, you will read the stories from power players of the betting boom and ways of keeping big losers hooked on gambling.
The question is, “Will you still make a bet after reading this book?”
Everybody Loses
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
My own life has felt like a mess, but when it came to other people, I always seem to know exactly what they should do. It’s time to start taking my own advice.
— Freida McFadden
Freida McFadden, the author of The Housemaid and Never Lie, will surprise, thrill, and perplex you with yet another biting thriller this January. What should you expect from it?
Debbie Mullen’s routine life is going downhill. First, she loses her job as an author of the advice column. Then, her daughters start acting strangely, and her husband is hiding something. Fed up with everything, Debbie decides to take her own advice and ensure the guilty finally face their day of reckoning. What will come out of this?
Dear Debbie
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
It just… fills me with immense joy, being with him, telling him things, waiting to hear what he’ll say back, being reminded of his existence.
The author of Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood, is back with a new romcom novella. If you are a Hazelwood fan, you’ve probably already listened to the audiobook. But as we know, audiobooks aren’t for everyone. So, you have a chance to read the printed version on February 10, 2026.
Two Can Play is set in the world of video gaming. What would happen if we put two rivals, Viola Bowen and Jesse Andrews, on a team-building winter retreat at a remote mountain lodge? Have we mentioned that one of them is male and another is female, and it gets really spicy?
Two Can Play
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything…
— Abby Jimenez
This is the second book in the Say You’ll Remember Me series by Abby Jimenez. If you are not familiar with Jimenez’s works, just trust us that she is a master of romantic fiction.
The Night We Met is about forbidden love. He is her boyfriend’s best friend. Should he make a move anyway, or will it be a betrayal? What if you found your person, but the timing felt off?
The Night We Met
Hope this book list will inspire you to read more in 2026. If you haven’t found anything to your liking here, check out our other lists, like Popular TikTok books or Top books every man should read.
