50 books, ranked (#1-25)

This is the second part of my ranked 50 books - read part one here:

muppet of a girl

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Aug 18

2026 brought with it the lethal combination of unemployment, moving to a house, finally getting a dog-walking gig, and discovering audiobooks. The former three steps were the means and the latter element was the mode to how I am able to say I have read 50 books this year so far.

As a preface to this second part, I read a lot of good books this year. A lot of these are only ranked lower because they were beat out by a fraction of a percentage by others. I would, in clear conscience, recommend any book on this list.

Dark comedy, mystery, short stories

A very easy, one-sitting read with a lot of heart. The physical book is also incredibly adorable:

Cozy, sci-fi, novella

The definition of a feel-good read. Get used to see Chambers’ name on this list.

Dark academia, fantasy

I love an original idea for a novel, and Kuang delivers on both plot and prose for this one.

Dark comedy, literary fiction

This was recommended to me from a TikTok of a book store employee talking about overlooked books, and I’m very grateful I listened to that recommendation. A book that mentions Mandy Patinkin can never be bad.

Horror, dark comedy

I typically stay away from Reese Witherspoon Book Club choices, but this one intrigued me too much to avoid any longer. Big fan of this one, but not as much as the other Hendrix book you’ll see later on this list.

Horror, dark comedy

My third Tingle book. Again, didn’t love this one as much as his book ranked higher on this list (this one had very “first author jitters” energy), but still really liked.

Sci-fi, cozy

The fourth book in the Wayfarers series. I am so infinitely grateful I picked these books up this year. All of them are amazing, but I ranked ones higher where I liked the characters just a liiiitle bit better.

Sci-fi, cozy

See above! Except this is the third book in the series.

Dystopian, thriller

Bumped up a few rankings more than it probably deserves purely for nostalgia - Collins’ writing has remained the same throughout the years in the best way. Whoever said young adult fiction is inferior is wrong, by the way.

Sci-fi, humor, short stories

Apparently I repeat-read a lot of the same authors this year. I’ve always been a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut - the biggest issue I have with his stories is how hard it is to fathom that he predicted the future so vividly.

Horror, dark comedy

Truly an amazing original premise that had me picking up this book any time I had even thirty seconds to read.

Horror, dark comedy

What this says about me I’m not sure, but I am the exact target demographic of this novel.

Dark fantasy, sci-fi

The first book in the Alchemical Journeys series by McGuire, and by far the best one. The other two still have amazing prose and dialogue, but this one takes the cake with plot.

Mystery, comedy

You know the other eleven novels on this list are good good because this one is all the way down at the twelfth spot. I love the Thursday Murder Club series - please read it if you’ve only watched the Netflix movie, it doesn’t do the books justice.

Sci-fi, comedy

The definition of saying a book is both hilarious and heartfelt. I could read this a million times and never get sick of it.

Fantasy

Two words: Lesbian. Vampires.

Sci-fi, comedy

Me when I’m basic. This book and series really deserves all the hype it has acquired, though.

Comedy, literary fiction

Had me spitting out water I was laughing so hard. A book I would recommend to literally anyone, especially if I wanted them to think I have good taste.

Sci-fi, comedy

Better plot than the first book and not as much for the reader to be required to remember as later books in the series. Also features really good side characters.

Comedy, literary fiction

I should have read this book when it first came out, but I’m so happy I finally got to read it. I’ll always be a big fan of a book with an unreliable/unlikeable narrator, and this book scratched that itch perfectly.

Sci-fi, cozy

I want to adopt every single one of these characters. My one and only issue with the Wayfarers series is that each book focuses on different storylines, so these cuties disappear after this first book. Another book I could read a million times and never get sick of it.

Sci-fi, cozy

All of the books in this series are excellent, but this one is truly perfect.

Horror, dark comedy

Beautifully written, perfectly suspenseful, and anti-AI - what more could a reader possibly want?

Dark fantasy

“Dark fantasy” but also not really fantasy anymore, is it? Another book I held off reading for far too long. I expected to like the plot as much as I did (even if I was also throwing up at how real it now feels), but I didn’t expect just how much I would fall in love with Atwood’s writing style. It has already influenced the way I write every day.

Literary fiction

Unfortunately I’m really biased in the direction of this book because its story is one that I myself have been trying to write for years - quite literally in both plot and style. I loved it so much that I borrowed it at the library and then went out and bought my own copy to destroy with annotations. Yes, it’s a pretty basic #1 pick, but it’s too relatable for me not to love. This one is tattooed on my heart forever, for better or worse.