Amazon editors have released their list of the best books of 2026 so far, highlighting a top 20 selection across genres.
The list places Tayari Jones’s Kin at number one. The novel follows two motherless girls coming of age in the Jim Crow South. Other titles in the top 20 include London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Strangers by Belle Burden, Night Objects by Eli Raphael, Land by Maggie O’Farrell, John of John by Douglas Stuart, Crux by Gabriel Tallent, Famesick by Lena Dunham, and Transcription by Ben Lerner. The editors also introduced a new best book club reads section. Observers noted limited diversity in the overall list, with only two titles by authors of color.