You know those viral LinkedIn posts with business book recommendations? The ones that are always Good to Great, Atomic Habits, and whatever Simon Sinek or Adam Grant book someone skimmed on a flight?
I’m an avid reader. I read 100+ books a year, yet I’m 100% sure that none of my actual favorites would ever make those lists.
But I’m going to recommend them anyway. These are the books I actually find myself stopping and thinking about because they either shaped the way I see the world or were just a lot of fun to read!
If you’re looking for recommendations that you might actually enjoy, instead of books that look impressive in social media posts or on your bookshelf, read on. 🙂
The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown
The Book of Doors is about a bookseller who inherits a magical book that can open any door to anywhere, launching her into a dangerous world where collectors hunt for powerful books with reality-bending abilities. It’s part fantasy heist, part love letter to the magic of books themselves.
This was my top book of 2024, easily. I’ve recommended it to so many people since then, and every single one has become as obsessed as I am. This was even the book that got my husband into reading fiction, which has since become a major hobby for him!
Read this for: the pure fun of reading a magical, fast-paced story that transports you to another world you’ll never want to leave.
True Grit, by Charles Portis
True Grit is about fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross, who hires a hard-drinking U.S. Marshal to track down the man who murdered her father in 1870s Arkansas. She’s stubborn, brilliant, and refuses to be dismissed. The ending is surprisingly modern.
The protagonist of this story, Mattie Ross, is hands-down one of my favorite characters in all of literature. She is bold in a way that inspired me to stand up even more for myself and what I want. She’s also funny. This is another book that was super popular among the people I’ve recommended it to. Don’t be intimidated by the 1968 publication date. The storytelling and pacing pass the test of time.
Read this for: a gutsy, inspiring protagonist and a well-paced story about perseverance.
Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary is about a lone astronaut who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, only to discover he’s humanity’s last hope to save Earth from extinction. Bonus points, the movie version will be released in 2026!
This is the book that got me hooked on science fiction. I was a huge science nerd growing up (and only narrowly avoided going into the sciences as a career), but never really got into the genre because I thought it didn’t focus on developing characters. Boy, was I wrong! PHM had exceptional storytelling and character development, an interesting amount of science, and an unexpected twist mid-book that completely hooked me. The best summary I can give is that there’s a reason this book is as virally popular as it is!
Read this for: a story about problem-solving, unexpected friendship, and figuring out who you are when everything you thought you knew gets stripped away.
The Unseen World, by Liz Moore
A girl discovers her brilliant computer scientist father is losing his memory and hiding secrets about his past, leading her on a decades-long quest to understand who he really was. It’s about how we’re shaped by the people we love, what we inherit from them, and how grief and memory intertwine.
The Unseen World was not at ALL what I thought it would be. It’s hard to say more without giving away a major plot twist, but the book was deep and beautiful in a way I never imagined. It examines our relationship with technology (and where that is headed) in one of the most level-headed, human ways I’ve ever come across. Yes, I was bawling at the end.
Read this for: reconnecting with your humanity in an unexpected way and appreciating even more the bonds that tie us to the people we love most.
Be Ready When the Luck Comes, by Ina Garten
Ina Garten’s memoir traces her journey from nuclear policy analyst to reluctant specialty food store owner to beloved cooking icon, revealing the pivots, self-doubt, and calculated risks behind her seemingly effortless success.
I had a banger of a reading year in 2025, but this just might be the book that impacted me the most. I always knew of Ina as the “store-bought is fine” icon she is, but never really knew how she got to where she is today. Yes, there was a bit of luck involved, but the sheer amount of bravery to take risks and hard work to back it up that got this woman to where she is today is inspiring. I read this in one sitting because it is incredibly interesting and well-written. Even if food and cooking aren’t your thing, this is worth picking up.
Read this for: an entertaining story about reinvention, trusting yourself, and building a life that actually fits who you are.
Sometimes the best books aren’t actually trying to teach us anything. And honestly, sometimes escaping to a different world at the end of a long day simply because it’s fun is justification enough to pick up a new book.
So if you’re trying to read more in 2026, I challenge you to read for pleasure. Read for beauty. Read to find protagonists like Mattie Ross who inspire you to be a better version of yourself every day in a way few “business books” have for me.
P.S. If you’d like to follow each other on Goodreads, find me here. I’d love to see what all of you are reading and have your reading suggestions!
