BookRank

Best of the year

Best 2026 books

32 highest-rated books first published in 2026.

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Why A Parade of Horribles is #1

A Parade of Horribles (Matt Dinniman) scores 8.7/10 from 740 ratings — 0.3 points ahead of A Trade of Blood in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. A Parade of Horribles
    A Parade of HorriblesMatt Dinniman · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy740 ratings
    8.78.7 / 10
  2. A Trade of Blood
    A Trade of BloodRobert Jackson Bennett · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy125 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  3. The Poet Empress
    The Poet EmpressShen Tao · 2026 Fantasy125 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  4. Rites of the Starling
    Rites of the StarlingDevney Perry · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy91 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  5. Twelve Months
    Twelve MonthsJim Butcher · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy132 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  6. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
    This Kingdom Will Not Kill MeIlona Andrews · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy116 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  7. Transcription
    TranscriptionBen Lerner · 2026 Literary fiction50 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  8. Children of Strife
    Children of StrifeAdrian Tchaikovsky · 2026 Fantasy98 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  9. We Burned So Bright
    We Burned So BrightT. J. Klune · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy53 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  10. The Faith of Beasts
    The Faith of BeastsJames S. A. Corey · 2026NewNYT bestseller Science fiction157 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  11. Wolf Worm
    Wolf WormT. Kingfisher · 2026New Fantasy55 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  12. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter
    Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat ShelterHeather Fawcett · 2026 Fantasy86 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  13. Starside
    StarsideAlex Aster · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy53 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  14. Fury Bound
    Fury BoundSable Sorensen · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy54 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  15. The Midnight Train
    The Midnight TrainMatt Haig · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy52 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  16. Platform Decay
    Platform DecayMartha Wells · 2026NewNYT bestseller Science fiction287 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  17. Japanese Gothic
    Japanese GothicKylie Lee Baker · 2026New Fantasy81 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  18. Operation Bounce House
    Operation Bounce HouseMatt Dinniman · 2026NYT bestseller Science fiction362 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  19. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
    London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for TruthPatrick Radden Keefe · 2026New Crime & mystery79 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  20. Game On
    Game OnNavessa Allen · 2026NewNYT bestseller Romance76 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  21. In Her Own LeagueLiz Tomforde
    In Her Own LeagueLiz Tomforde · 2026NYT bestseller Romance63 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  22. This Story Might Save Your Life
    This Story Might Save Your LifeTiffany Crum · 2026 Crime & mystery74 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  23. The Night We MetAbby Jimenez
    The Night We MetAbby Jimenez · 2026NYT bestseller Romance111 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  24. The Astral Library
    The Astral LibraryKate Quinn · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy70 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  25. Vigil
    VigilGeorge Saunders · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy52 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  26. Yesteryear
    YesteryearCaro Claire Burke · 2026NewNYT bestseller Thriller532 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  27. My Husband's WifeAlice Feeney
    My Husband's WifeAlice Feeney · 2026NYT bestseller Crime & mystery163 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  28. It's Not Her
    It's Not HerMary Kubica · 2026NYT bestseller Crime & mystery61 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  29. The Caretaker
    The CaretakerMarcus Kliewer · 2026New Horror82 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  30. Dear Debbie
    Dear DebbieFreida McFadden · 2026NYT bestseller Thriller156 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  31. The DivorceFreida McFadden
    The DivorceFreida McFadden · 2026NewNYT bestseller Thriller63 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  32. Half His AgeJennette McCurdy
    Half His AgeJennette McCurdy · 2026NYT bestseller Contemporary fiction169 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10

Frequently asked questions

What is the best book of 2026?

A Parade of Horribles (Matt Dinniman) — 8.7/10 from 740 ratings, in the snapshot of September 21, 2026.

How many books from 2026 are ranked here?

32, all first published in 2026, scored from 4.5K reader ratings.

How is the best book of 2026 chosen?

By reader score, not by prizes or sales. Every title first published that year and carrying enough ratings is scored the same way as everywhere else on the site, and the list is the result — so a book can climb or fall between snapshots as more people rate it.

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