Goodreads just dropped its list of the most-read books of 2026 so far, and honestly, this list is LEGIT. From a Ryan Gosling–fueled sci-fi revival to a thriller that’ll make you change your locks, readers everywhere are devouring these titles and there’s a good chance Bath County Memorial Library has exactly what you’re looking for.
Here are the top five most-read books of 2026 (so far), plus a few standout picks from the genre breakdowns you won’t want to miss.
(Full list via Book Riot.)
#1 — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Ryan Gosling movie adaptation sent this one straight to the top — and it absolutely deserves it. Ryland Grace is a junior high science teacher who wakes up alone in space with no memory of how he got there. His mission? Save Earth from extinction. It’s gripping, funny, and surprisingly emotional for a book about math and microbes. Hard sci-fi fans, this one’s for you.
#2 — Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
An advice columnist who has spent years telling other women to get out of bad marriages suddenly has to take her own advice — because her husband is hiding something big. If you’ve burned through every McFadden thriller already, good news: this one just dropped and it’s already one of the most-read books of the year.
#3 — The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The quiet sleeper hit of the year. A woman who has written letters her whole life receives one back from someone she thought was long gone — and suddenly she has to revisit a part of her past she’d rather leave behind. Word-of-mouth carried this one to over 600,000 Goodreads ratings. Katie Couric made it her book club’s first pick. Need we say more?
#4 — Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
A rivals-to-lovers hockey romance that broke the internet (and reportedly broke its publisher’s supply chain when demand outpaced printing). The TV adaptation only poured more fuel on the fire. If you love slow-burn tension, enemies with excellent jawlines, and hockey, this is your book.
#5 — My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
You come home. Your key doesn’t work. A stranger opens the door — and says she’s your husband’s wife. That’s the whole setup, and it only gets more unhinged from there. Alice Feeney is having a moment right now (the His & Hers TV adaptation aired earlier this year), and this new thriller proves exactly why.
Also Worth Your Attention: Standout Picks from the Genre Lists
Goodreads also broke down the most-read books by genre — and a few titles from BIPOC authors are getting well-deserved attention:
James by Percival Everett (Historical Fiction) A retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s point of view — and it’s every bit as powerful as that sounds. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and the inspiration for the film American Fiction.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (Fantasy) A student of magic has to descend into Hell to save her professor — alongside her bitter rival. Dark academia meets literal underworld. R.F. Kuang (Yellowface, Babel) does not miss.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Horror) A Blackfeet vampire seeking revenge for a 19th-century massacre. This one is bloody, brilliant, and unlike anything else on the list.
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