Goodreads Choice Awards 2026

Hard to believe, but it is that time of year again. It is time for readers to cast their votes for their favorite books of 2026 in the Goodreads Choice Awards. I am ready for the surprises (I think), and of course, to discover books that I have not yet had a chance to pick up.

Two DSNs have made it into the category for Favorite Fiction: Patmeena Sabit's Good People, and R.F. Kuang's Taipei Story (review coming in early December). In one, readers are told the compelling, but often conflicting story of an immigrant family. In the other, a young Chinese American student spends a summer in Taipei in an intense language program. I will be giving my vote to Sabit's Good People, but this is also the push I need to hurry up and read John Green's Hollywood, Ending, which is also nominated. 

For Favorite Historical Fiction, the family epic The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams is joined by Sadeqa Johnson's Keeper of Lost Children, and M.L. Stedman's A Far-Flung Life. In my opinion, all three are strong choices, but I personally will put my vote behind Keeper of Lost Children, a story of identity and adoption during and after World War II. 

Only one DSN made it into the Favorite Fantasy category, though I am always surprised when I manage to pick up any fantasy book that ends up as a nominee. Kate Quinn's The Astral Library brings readers into a place where books are worlds that can be lived in. Library patrons can choose to join Sherlock Holmes as he solves a mystery, or attend the party where Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr. Darcy. Honestly, the book did not quite go in the direction I thought it would, but I will still give it my vote anyway.

I am so pleased that both Operation Bounce House and Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel (review coming later this month) have been nominated for Favorite Science Fiction. They are both books that will be difficult to forget, but I will have to go with Dinniman's Operation Bounce House, where inhabitants of a far-off distant planet must defend their home against invaders from Earth sent to destroy it as part of a game.

It is easy for me to once again cast my vote for Patmeena Sabit's Good People in the Favorite Debut Novel category, and not only because it is the only DSN to appear there. If it wins for both this category and Favorite Fiction I will be beyond delighted. 

Seeing Shannon J. Spann's A Stage Set for Villains as a nominee for Favorite Young Adult Fantasy and Sci-Fi makes me happy for a few reasons. I feel like this book deserves more attention for the intricate world and story the author has crafted, and since it has been nominated, maybe it will receive that attention and find more readers. Spann created a land where stage performers are dangerous, but also worshipped, and one young girl must make a deal with one to save her life. 

While I am not usually into reimaginings or retellings, Katie Bernet's Beth Is Dead, which tells a different story of the five March women from Little Women, was both interesting and thrilling. Not sure how it will stand up against Marissa Meyer &Tamara Moss's The Escape Game in the Favorite Young Adult Fiction category, or even Elizabeth Acevedo's Anger Is Only a Shadow, which currently sits on my to-read shelf.

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson, and Catch the Devil by Pamela Colloff, have both made it into the Favorite Nonfiction category, but they are very different books. Lawson approaches the issues of our current reality with her signature honesty and humor, while Colloff's book follows the life of a con-artist, chronicling just how he managed to get away with his crimes. It is a close call honestly, but I will go with Lawson's book for this category. 

The Favorite Memoir category includes two DSNs that affected me greatly. Christine Applegate's You With the Sad Eyes, and Ke Huy Quan's Never Say Die are two memoirs that I would recommend to almost anyone. Honest, fascinating, and heartbreaking, but in different ways, these are two books that will take readers on intense emotional journeys. I will pick Quan's book, but fully expect them both to go far, maybe even all the way to the final round of voting. 

So there are 15 DSNs that have been nominated across nine categories, and no matter how high or low that number ends up being, I am always surprised. This first round of voting will close on Sunday, November 22, with the final round opening on Tuesday, November 24. Readers have nearly two weeks to make their decisions and cast their votes, so happy deciding.