After reading thousands of books collectively this year, seven Amazon Editors gathered in Charleston, South Carolina, to fight for their favorites.
This literary showdown happens twice a year to crown Amazon’s Best Books of the Year (So Far) in the summer and Best Books of the Year in winter. The latter is finally here.
According to Amazon Books, the best book of the year is “American Hagwon” by Min Jin Lee, one of this year's biggest releases. The latest from the author of "Pachinko" is a family novel about sacrifice and connection, a recurring theme on this year's list.
“So many of these books are really dealing with the integrity of the human spirit," says Al Woodworth, senior editor at Amazon Books. "What do you do when you’re pressed to the brink?”
Amazon reveals 2026 best books of the year
Unlike Amazon’s bestseller list, this one is curated based on editorial judgment, not sales data. A team of former publishing representatives, booksellers, writers, journalists and agents read hundreds of books to prepare.
Amazon also creates additional genre-specific lists with favorites in nonfiction, romance, history, sci-fi and more. New this year is the “Buzzworthy” category, highlighting books that made waves even if they weren’t published in 2026. "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke and "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir made it on this list.
Here’s why Amazon Books editors loved the Top 10 choices, plus a longer list of the Top 20 below.
‘American Hagwon’ by Min Jin Lee
What it’s about: After a personal betrayal and the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Koh family leaves Seoul for Sydney and eventually Southern California, guided by an “all-consuming faith” in educational opportunity for success.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “I talk about this book as a Trojan horse of a book because you’re immediately enraptured by this family, but then it asks really big questions,” Woodworth says. “It’s a book that you can’t stop talking about.”
Buy ‘American Hagwon’ by Min Jin Lee
‘Exit Party’ by Emily St. John Mandel
What it’s about: In 2031, shortly after the collapse of the U.S., Ari Walker attends a party to celebrate curfew finally being lifted. But a doppelganger and a disappearance illuminate a dizzying mystery of alternate realities and surveillance.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “It’s one of those books where you can’t even describe the plot, because to get any further into it, you ruin it,” says Sarah Gelman, Amazon Books' editorial director. “‘Who do you want to be at the end of the world?’ (is) sort of the tagline of this book, and it’s such a powerful message to ask in a book. For a book that sounds so dystopian and sci-fi, it’s just so relatable.”
Buy ‘Exit Party’ by Emily St. John Mandel
‘The Vanishing Family’ by Robert Kolker
What it’s about: Kolker investigates a family of nine siblings who each have a 50-50 shot at developing an unusual form of dementia where their personalities seem to vanish as early as their 40s. But this genetic mutation may also hold the key to a cure for dementia.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “We talk about worldbuilding often in fiction, but (Kolker’s) absolutely doing that within a nonfiction space that makes it very appealing and page-turning from a reader’s perspective,” Woodworth says.
Buy ‘The Vanishing Family’ by Robert Kolker
‘Kin’ by Tayari Jones
What it’s about: Two girls, both motherless, grow up in the 1950s South. Their bond as “cradle friends” continues even as they forge separate paths, one at Spelman College living among affluent peers and the other on a quest to find the mother who abandoned her.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “It's something that we can't quite shake,” Woodworth says. “It's just so beautifully written and resonated in so many different ways with all of us. And it takes place in the '50s, but again, like so many of these books, it just feels so relevant to today.”
Buy ‘Kin’ by Tayari Jones
‘Fruit Fly’ by Josh Silver
What it’s about: A washed-up author searches for a buzzy new topic to revive her career and, having been told to write something gay, sad and dark, becomes obsessed with a struggling, gay addict. How far will she go to convince herself she’s the one who deserves to tell his story?
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “There’s a scene at the end that almost takes on a Freida McFadden feel," Gelman says. "It’s just such a pacey thriller and we love how it just takes the publishing industry to task."
Buy ‘Fruit Fly’ by Josh Silver
‘Land’ by Maggie O’Farrell
What it’s about: A man and his son work to complete a map of Ireland after the Great Hunger, but after an unsettling encounter among the trees, his life and family will never be the same.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “It’s a breath of fresh air, you can feel like you are in this countryside that’s a little mysterious, a little scary, but beautiful,” Woodworth says.
Buy ‘Land’ by Maggie O’Farrell
‘London Falling’ by Patrick Radden Keefe
What it’s about: A true crime investigation into the unexpected death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler, who, unbeknownst to his family, was posing as the son of a Russian oligarch.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “It’s so pulse-pounding and satisfying to read, but again, brings up really big questions about identity,” Woodworth says. “It’s such an interesting and visceral read, and it gives you this sort of history of London and economics in a way that just feels really robust and just so expansive.”
Buy ‘London Falling’ by Patrick Radden Keefe
‘Big Little Truths’ by Liane Moriarty
What it’s about: The children of Moriarty’s bestselling “Big Little Lies” are growing up, and this time it’s the teenagers in the interrogation room, not the moms. It all kicks off when a severed finger arrives in the principal’s office.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “This book, even if you haven’t read the other one, is absolutely amazing,” Gelman says. “Her storytelling is so engrossing and her dialogue is so sharp, you almost just want to read everything out loud to get the nuances of it.”
Buy ‘Big Little Truths’ by Liane Moriarty
‘This Cursed Beautiful Land’ by Evan Gershkovich
What it’s about: A Wall Street Journal reporter reflects on nearly 500 days wrongfully imprisoned in Russia and the multi-country prisoner swap it took to free him.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “The most extraordinary part of this book is just the precision of his reporting,” Woodworth says. “He's trying to observe and persevere and really take this journalistic approach to this story. I think it's just so intimate. It's so page-turning. I think a lot of these nonfiction (books), we talk about how it feels like fiction, and I think that just speaks to the narrative heft of these books.”
Buy ‘This Cursed Beautiful Land’ by Evan Gershkovich
‘Cool Machine’ by Colson Whitehead
What it’s about: Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy comes to an end with this story of New York City in the 1980s, as Ray Carney comes out of retirement and risks his safety for one last heist.
Why Amazon Books editors loved it: “Who doesn’t want to read about robbers and heists?” Woodworth says. “It’s so much fun, so satisfying as a reader and I think just speaks to Colson Whitehead’s insane talent.”
Buy ‘Cool Machine’ by Colson Whitehead
Amazon’s Top 20 Best Books of the Year 2026
- "American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee
- "Exit Party" by Emily St. John Mandel
- "The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia" by Robert Kolker
- "Kin" by Tayari Jones
- "Fruit Fly" by Josh Silver
- "Land" by Maggie O'Farrell
- "London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth" by Patrick Radden Keefe
- "Big Little Truths" by Liane Moriarty
- "This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-American Story" by Evan Gershkovich
- "Cool Machine" by Colson Whitehead
- "Whale Harbor" by Mary Beth Keane
- "Luna, Phoenix, Queen" by Julie Orringer
- "Public Access Afterworld" by Jane Schoenbrun
- "Bad Words" by Rioghnach Robinson
- "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage" by Belle Burden
- "John of John" by Douglas Stuart
- "Yesteryear" by Claire Caro Burke
- "The Disappearers" by Marlon James
- "The Nightingales" by Emil Wilson
- "Night Objects" by Eli Raphael
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, covering buzzy releases, chatting with authors and diving into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amazon reveals its 10 best books of 2026 | Exclusive
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