The 25 best new books
The 25 highest-ranked books published in the last five years in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 481 new books in all. How we rank
- 1
James99.0Must-Read ScoreJames
Everett takes one of the most famous books in American literature and turns it inside out.
- 2
Demon Copperhead96.3Must-Read ScoreDemon Copperhead
Demon is one of the great narrators of recent fiction: funny, furious and impossible not to root for.
- 3
Project Hail Mary95.2Must-Read ScoreProject Hail Mary
It's the rare science-fiction novel that's pure joy to read: funny, tense, packed with clever problem-solving, and built on one of the most lovable friendships in recent fiction.
- 4
The Correspondent94.9Must-Read ScoreThe Correspondent
It's a quiet, wise, funny book that sneaks up on you.
- 5
Fourth Wing93.8Must-Read ScoreFourth Wing
It's the book that turned millions of people into romantasy readers: relentlessly fast, with high stakes, real danger, dragons with personality and a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance.
- 6
The Women91.4Must-Read ScoreThe Women
Kristin Hannah gives voice to a group history almost forgot, the women who served in Vietnam, and the result is deeply emotional storytelling that has made readers everywhere cry.
- 7
I'm Glad My Mom Died91.3Must-Read ScoreI'm Glad My Mom Died
The title is shocking, but the book is the opposite of cheap: it's funny, brutally honest and full of hard-won wisdom about family, control and recovery.
- 8
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This90.6Must-Read ScoreOne Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
It's angry, personal and beautifully written, and it puts words to things many readers have felt but not said.
- 9
King: A Life90.2Must-Read ScoreKing: A Life
It brings King down from the monument and back to life as a real person: funny, doubting, exhausted, flawed and extraordinarily brave.
- 10
The Housemaid89.3Must-Read ScoreThe Housemaid
It's the definition of a page-turner: short chapters, a twisty plot and a payoff that made millions of people pass it on to friends.
- 11
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty89.2Must-Read ScoreEmpire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
It's a gripping, meticulously reported story of greed and consequence that reads like a novel and makes you furious.
- 12
Things in Nature Merely Grow88.0Must-Read ScoreThings in Nature Merely Grow
It's among the most honest books ever written about grief, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir.
- 13
Remarkably Bright Creatures87.4Must-Read ScoreRemarkably Bright Creatures
It's charming, funny and full of heart, and Marcellus, who narrates some chapters himself, is one of the most beloved characters in recent fiction.
- 14
The Anxious Generation87.3Must-Read ScoreThe Anxious Generation
It's one of the most influential books of the decade, already reshaping school phone policies and family rules around the world.
- 15There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America87.2Must-Read Score
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America
It won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
- 16
Quicksilver87.1Must-Read ScoreQuicksilver
It's an addictive enemies-to-lovers romantasy with fast-paced action, sharp banter and a slow burn that readers devour.
- 17
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice86.7Must-Read ScoreNobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
It's a harrowing, important first-hand account of how powerful people abused and covered up, and a testament to one survivor's courage in refusing to stay silent.
- 18
How the Word Is Passed86.6Must-Read ScoreHow the Word Is Passed
It's a moving, generous and quietly powerful book that makes history feel present, with Smith listening to everyone, including people who disagree with him.
- 19
The Tainted Cup86.2Must-Read ScoreThe Tainted Cup
It's Sherlock Holmes in a strange, inventive fantasy world, a genuinely clever mystery with a delightful detective duo, and it won the Hugo Award.
- 20
Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice86.0Must-Read ScoreLiliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice
It's both a heartbreaking elegy and a powerful investigation into how society failed to see the violence against Liliana.
- 21
Atmosphere85.9Must-Read ScoreAtmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid combines a love story with a vivid, inspiring portrait of the women who fought to get into space.
- 22
Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World85.9Must-Read ScoreFire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
The fire chapters are as gripping as any thriller, and the bigger story is essential for understanding the world we're entering.
- 23
Everything Is Tuberculosis85.7Must-Read ScoreEverything Is Tuberculosis
It's short, compassionate and surprisingly gripping, and it makes the history of a disease feel personal and urgent.
- 24Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space85.7Must-Read Score
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
It's gripping, heartbreaking and meticulously researched, the definitive account of a disaster that could have been prevented.
- 25Native Nations: A Millennium in North America85.3Must-Read Score
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
It won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History, along with the Bancroft Prize and the Cundill History Prize.