BookRank

Best of the year

Best books of 2026

53 highest-rated books first published in 2026.

← 2025

Why A Parade of Horribles is #1

A Parade of Horribles (Matt Dinniman) scores 8.7/10 from 957 ratings — 0.2 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 Fantasy957 ratings
    8.78.7 / 10
  2. A Trade of Blood
    A Trade of BloodRobert Jackson Bennett · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy197 ratings13
    8.58.5 / 10
  3. Heartstopper: Volume Six
    Heartstopper: Volume SixAlice Oseman · 2026New Graphic novels64 ratings
    8.58.5 / 10
  4. Twelve Months
    Twelve MonthsJim Butcher · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy156 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  5. Rites of the Starling
    Rites of the StarlingDevney Perry · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy117 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  6. The Poet Empress
    The Poet EmpressShen Tao · 2026 Fantasy161 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  7. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
    This Kingdom Will Not Kill MeIlona Andrews · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy151 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  8. Threshing Day
    Threshing DayRebecca Yarros · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy187 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  9. The Fires of December
    The Fires of DecemberBrandon Sanderson · 2026New Fantasy85 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  10. The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI
    The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AICory Doctorow · 2026NewNYT bestseller Technology & IT78 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  11. We Burned So Bright
    We Burned So BrightT. J. Klune · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy75 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  12. The Tapestry of Fate
    The Tapestry of FateS. A. Chakraborty · 2026New Fantasy51 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  13. The Things We Never Say
    The Things We Never SayElizabeth Strout · 2026NewNYT bestseller Literary fiction50 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  14. Children of Strife
    Children of StrifeAdrian Tchaikovsky · 2026 Fantasy123 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  15. Crown Me Yours
    Crown Me YoursLiv Zander · 2026 Fantasy58 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  16. The Calamity Club
    The Calamity ClubKathryn Stockett · 2026NYT bestseller Historical fiction68 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  17. The Red Winter
    The Red WinterCameron Sullivan · 2026 Fantasy57 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  18. The Faith of Beasts
    The Faith of BeastsJames S. A. Corey · 2026NYT bestseller Science fiction185 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  19. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter
    Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat ShelterHeather Fawcett · 2026 Fantasy100 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  20. The Ballad of Falling Dragons
    The Ballad of Falling DragonsSarah A. Parker · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy58 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  21. Platform Decay
    Platform DecayMartha Wells · 2026NewNYT bestseller Science fiction368 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  22. Strangers
    StrangersBelle Burden · 2026NYT bestseller Biography & memoir114 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  23. The Infinite Extent
    The Infinite ExtentDennis E. Taylor · 2026New Science fiction91 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  24. 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 · 2026NYT bestseller Crime & mystery108 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  25. The Midnight Train
    The Midnight TrainMatt Haig · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy74 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  26. Transcription
    TranscriptionBen Lerner · 2026 Literary fiction70 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  27. Fury Bound
    Fury BoundSable Sorensen · 2026NewNYT bestseller Fantasy74 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  28. Operation Bounce House
    Operation Bounce HouseMatt Dinniman · 2026NYT bestseller Science fiction423 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  29. Starside
    StarsideAlex Aster · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy80 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  30. In Her Own League
    In Her Own LeagueLiz Tomforde · 2026NYT bestseller Romance77 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  31. Exit Party
    Exit PartyEmily St. John Mandel · 2026NewNYT bestseller Dystopian52 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  32. Lost Lambs
    Lost LambsMadeline Cash · 2026 Short stories69 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  33. Japanese Gothic
    Japanese GothicKylie Lee Baker · 2026 Fantasy109 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  34. Game On
    Game OnNavessa Allen · 2026NYT bestseller Romance101 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  35. Scion
    ScionJames Islington · 2026New Fantasy104 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  36. Crown Me Dead
    Crown Me DeadLiv Zander · 2026 Fantasy74 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  37. Fruit Fly
    Fruit FlyJosh Silver · 2026New Thriller75 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  38. This Story Might Save Your Life
    This Story Might Save Your LifeTiffany Crum · 2026 Crime & mystery99 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  39. The Night We Met
    The Night We MetAbby Jimenez · 2026NYT bestseller Romance133 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  40. Wolf Worm
    Wolf WormT. Kingfisher · 2026 Horror73 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  41. Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief
    Everyone in This Bank Is a ThiefBenjamin Stevenson · 2026 Crime & mystery51 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  42. Yesteryear
    YesteryearCaro Claire Burke · 2026NYT bestseller Thriller721 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  43. The Astral Library
    The Astral LibraryKate Quinn · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy82 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  44. It's Not Her
    It's Not HerMary Kubica · 2026NYT bestseller Crime & mystery76 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  45. Vigil
    VigilGeorge Saunders · 2026NYT bestseller Fantasy60 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  46. My Husband's Wife
    My Husband's WifeAlice Feeney · 2026NYT bestseller Thriller198 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  47. Dear Debbie
    Dear DebbieFreida McFadden · 2026NYT bestseller Thriller197 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  48. The Caretaker
    The CaretakerMarcus Kliewer · 2026 Horror106 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  49. The Epic of Gilgamesh
    The Epic of GilgameshAnonymous · 2026New Poetry227 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  50. Molka
    MolkaMonika Kim · 2026 Horror61 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  51. The Ending Writes Itself
    The Ending Writes ItselfEvelyn Clarke · 2026 Crime & mystery67 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  52. The Divorce
    The DivorceFreida McFadden · 2026NewNYT bestseller Thriller84 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  53. Half His Age
    Half His AgeJennette McCurdy · 2026NYT bestseller Contemporary fiction191 ratings
    7.07.0 / 10

Other years