Let's read Our Best Books in 2026

I’ve seen a lot of people asking for recommendations on social media and while I love that, I also think readers will do themselves a favor if they stop and ask themselves…

what am I really looking for?

I’ve compiled a great worksheet (hit the button below) to help all sorts of readers discover what they really love in a book.

Once you know that, then you can not only ask for the best recommendations, but provide them to.

One of the things we love best at Women With Books is knowing ourselves as readers. What ticks our boxes, gets our hearts racing, makes us OBSESS over getting back to that chapter…

I’ve put together this little self-analysis worksheet so that readers can read better in 2026. Ready?

It’s not a test, but there is a worksheet. Download and be honest and you’ll find the next steps to finding your next favorite book!

After you do this, join me at my Women With Books newsletter and we can talk about the best places to find your favorite books - or just trade recommendations. Or just gush about your faves.

Best Books to Read Now - December 2025

The Best Books to Read Now - the December 2025 picks of the Women With Books Book Club

Looking to find exciting, enchanting, intriguing fiction this month?

Here are the best fiction recommendations for your book club… Including THREE great Christmas holiday books

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter Amazon || Bookshop.org

Pick Me by Victoria Schade Amazon || Bookshop.org

A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia Grant Amazon

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson Amazon || Bookshop.org

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Matchmaking Christmas Spirit by Lindsay Emory — - -ON SALE! Amazon

Best Books to Read Now - November 2025

The Best Books to Read Now - the November 2025 picks of the Women With Books Book Club

Looking to find exciting, enchanting, intriguing fiction this month?

Here are the best recommendations for your book club…

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe Amazon || Bookshop.org
The Guest in Room 120 by Sara Ackerman Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold by Ally Carter Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Royal Bodyguard by Lindsay Emory — - - AUDIO ON SALE! Amazon || Bookshop.org

(Mostly) Non-Political Books for a Political Time

So… it’s 2024. A Presidential election year in my country, the US of A.

Everyone has opinions, everyone has feelings.

I got it. This isn’t really one of those blog posts.

Since I was in high school, I’ve read political memoir/ non-fiction from a purely educational/ informational place.

If you, like me, are interested in “political history” but not really wanting politics, I wanted to share my favorite recommendations that give insight into how the presidential elections and the White House work.

I can’t promise that there’s NO politics in these books (and I don’t know everyone’s preferences) but I can promise that these are MOSTLY as nonpolitical as memoir/non-fiction about the White House can get…

The Residence - Kate Anderson Brower

First Women - Kate Anderson Brower

Game Change - John Heileman & Mark Halperin

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea - Alyssa Mastromonaco

I’ll Take Your Questions Now - Stephanie Grisham

If you like getting book recommendations from a reader/ author like me, subscribe to my newsletter Women With Books !

Recommendations for Mother's Day Books!

As a mom, who has a mom, and has friends and relatives who are moms, I think one of the very best gifts you can give a woman is quiet time with a good book. And her favorite beverage.

Partners and children, please take note:
1. Quiet time.
2. Good books
3. Beverage.

If you do all the above (and take her out for a meal she doesn’t have to cook or clean) then you will win.

Without further ado, here are my top book giving recommendations for a woman in your life.
*I purposely picked books that were low on “spice,” for lack of a better term, to better serve a wide swatch of grandmas, teachers, aunts, etc. But hey - if your grandma loves some spice in her books, go find that woman her type of book!

All of these books feature multi-generations of related women, with all the joy and complexity of those relationships. I hope you find something you - or someone you love - will enjoy during your (their) quiet time with your (their) favorite beverage.

The Women - Kristin Hannah

The Mystery in Moonshine - Lindsay Emory

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe - Heather Webber

Dial A for Aunties - Jesse Q. Sutanto

A Little Ray of Sunshine - Kristan Higgins

If you like getting book recommendations from a reader/ author like me, subscribe to my newsletter Women With Books !