CHICAGO- The Notable Books Council, first established in 1944, has released the 2026 selections of the Notable Books List, an annual best-of list comprised of twenty six titles written for adult readers and published in the US including fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The list was released as part of Reference & User Services Book & Media Awards Media Blitz Day.
The 2026 selections are:
Fiction
“Great Black Hope: A Novel” by Rob Franklin [Summit Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC]
In this lively debut, a young Black Stanford graduate struggles with grief and family expectations after a drug arrest in the Hamptons.
“Guatemalan Rhapsody: Stories” by Jared Lemus [Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers]
In twelve unflinching yet tender stories, the author portrays the desperation and hope of characters who are at defining moments in their lives.
“Small Ceremonies: A Novel” by Kyle Edwards [Pantheon Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC]
A hockey team of Indigenous high school students finds strength from each other when their families fall apart.
“The Dream Hotel: A Novel” by Laila Lalami [Pantheon Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC]
Sara Hussein’s life is upended when she is flagged as a potential murderer because of her dreams, which are under surveillance by a company that promises to improve one’s sleep.
“The Emperor of Gladness: A Novel” by Ocean Vuong [Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
A lyrical novel about grief, survival, and chosen family centering on an unlikely bond between a young Vietnamese American man and an elderly Lithuanian woman.
“The Ferryman and His Wife: A Novel” by Frode Grytten and translated by Alison McCullough [Algonquin Books, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc]
A boatman’s reflection on his life in brief vignettes, remembering big and small moments that connected his community.
“The Lilac People: A Novel” by Milo Todd [Counterpoint Press]
When the Allies liberate the camps and begin arresting the queer population, Bertie, a trans man; his girlfriend; and their friend escape to America to evade the Nazis.
“The Slip: A Novel” by Lucas Schaefer [Simon & Schuster]
A character-driven narrative that captures the humor and chaos of misunderstandings while exploring the tensions of identity, vulnerability, and the fragile architecture of human connection.
“The Sunflower Boys: A Novel” by Sam Wachman [HarperCollins Publishers]
Amidst the cataclysmic Ukrainian War, two young brothers fleeing their home must survive a long journey, fight illness, and escape destruction in order to reunite with their father.
“Where Are You Really From: Stories” by Elaine Hsieh Chou [Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
Six stories and a novella propel readers into myriad lives, peeling away the safety of our constructed fictions to expose the dark truth beneath.
Nonfiction
“A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children” by Haley Cohen Gilliland [Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC]
Argentinian abuelas pursue the truth about their children, murdered by the military junta of the late 70s and early 80s, and search for their missing grandchildren.
“America, América: A New History of the New World” by Greg Grandin [Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
A sweeping history that examines the paradox of a nation founded on liberty yet driven by conquest, while exploring how ideals of democracy intertwine with exploitation, violence, and empire.
“Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection” by John Green [Crash Course Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
A comprehensive overview of the continuing devastation of a curable disease made personal with stories from the past and present.
“Is a River Alive?” by Robert Macfarlane [W.W. Norton & Company, Inc]
Gorgeous prose describing the efforts of water protectors in Ecuador, India, and Canada to have rivers recognized as living beings with rights of their own.
“Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary” by Victoria Amelina [St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers]
In this posthumous work, a Ukrainian writer gathered a collection of honest, intimate accounts revealing the ravages of war and the cost of resistance.
“No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson” by Gardiner Harris [Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC]
A shocking exposé of one of America’s oldest and most trusted pharmaceutical companies, who covered up dangerous and fatal side effects of several of their commonly used products.
“One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad [Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
The author unpacks his viral social media post pointing out the moral cowardice and hypocrisy of Western nations who preach humanitarian principles, yet frequently betray these in practice.
“Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism” by Eve L. Ewing [One World, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC]
A historical and sociological exploration of the ways that the U.S. education system reaffirms and upholds racial inequity.
“Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America” by Michael Luo [Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House LLC]
Follows the overlooked story of Chinese migration and how their welcome changed over time.
“There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” by Brian Goldstone [Crown, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC]
A thoughtful account of Atlanta families struggling to survive within a system set up against them.
“Things in Nature Merely Grow” by Yiyun Li [Farrar, Straus and Giroux]
An elegant, reflective examination of loss from the perspective of a mother whose two sons died by suicide.
“Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer’s Families and the Search for a Cure” by Jennie Erin Smith [Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC]
A gripping portrait of a community within the remote mountains of Colombia afflicted with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease—and the researchers racing to cure it.
Poetry
“Becoming Ghost” by Cathy Linh Che [Washington Square Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC]
Che winds and unwinds the personal and public history of her parents—refugees of the Vietnam War cast as extras in Apocalypse Now—recentering them in their own narratives.
“Gaza: The Poem Said Its Piece” by Nasser Rabah and translated from the Arabic by Ammiel Alcalay, Emna Zghal, and Khaled Al-Hilli [City Lights Books]
A bilingual Arabic-English collection by a prominent Palestinian poet featuring ethereal imagery and lyrical lines infused with longing.
“Resting Bitch Face: Poems” by Taylor Byas [Soft Skull Press]
This collection presents a diverse yet cohesive exhibition of poems that provoke reflection about art, the creator, and the subject.
“The Opposite of Cruelty: Poems” by Steven Leyva [Blair, an imprint of Carolina Wren Press]
Interweaving pop culture and mythology, these poems remind us to see beauty and possibility against the world’s darkness.
The winners were selected by the Notable Books Council whose members include eleven passionate, discriminating readers, many of whom are expert readers’ advisory and collection development librarians. The Council considers titles based on stellar reviews published in standard library reviewing sources and other authoritative sources. Derived from this list is the longlist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, ALA’s highest honor for books written for adults.
The Council includes Marianne Ramirez, Sayville Library, chair; Paige Bentley-Flannery, Deschutes Public Library, vice-chair; Jessica Oelcher, Copiague Memorial Library; Sarah Barbara Watstein, Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons; Stacey Hayman, Rocky River Public Library; Michelle Young, Hawaiʻi State Public Library System; Valerie Freeman, South Piedmont AHEC; Crystal Chen, Facing History & Ourselves; Nanette Donohue, Champaign Public Library; Teresa May, Durham County Library; and Bill Kelly, Cuyahoga County Public Library. The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at www.rusaupdate.org.