As the new year approaches, it’s the perfect time to round out your reading log with stories that will remind you why you love books — their power to connect us through emotion. Get ready to experience every feeling, from heart-warming tales of human connection to epic fantasies with devastating twists. Whether you’re looking to end the year with a giggle or a sniffle, these unforgettable titles will be the perfect companions to start your year off right.
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
Get ready to jump into the bustling art culture of 1920s Berlin in Ali’s sweeping historical romance, Madonna in a Fur Coat. The story follows Raif, a timid young man who left his life behind in rural Turkey to pursue an education in Germany.
The city’s unfamiliar, lively nature, which bears stark contrast to Raif’s old life, sets the scene for romance to bud just when he least expects it. When a mysterious, unforgettable young woman walks in and out of Raif’s life, he must learn how to grapple with moving on.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Johnston’s The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is an incredibly moving novel that follows the undeniably kind old man, Frederick Fife. The only problem: Frederick has no one to give his kindness to. After 82 years of living to put a smile on the faces of others, Frederick finds himself alone in life and terrifyingly close to homelessness.
Karma soon takes its course, though, when Frederick is mistaken for a grumpy old man at the local nursing home, leaving him housed and in the shoes of his moral opposite. Although he tries to blend in, his kindness can’t help but seep through the seams of his facade, leading Denise, a caregiver at the nursing home, to become suspicious. When Frederick’s secret is revealed to Denise, they will soon find what they’ve been missing in life in each other, forming a connection that no one could have seen coming.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
When Violet Powell, a young woman recently released from a long prison sentence for killing a woman in a drunk driving accident, encounters Frank, the husband of the woman Violet killed, in a local bookstore, the last thing you’d expect is for the pair to become friends. However, in Wood’s tear-jerking How to Read a Book, that is exactly what happens.
Violet meets Harriet, the woman who hosted the book club Violet was a part of in prison, and Frank, in a Portland bookstore following her release, and their lives become intertwined in the most beautiful ways possible. You are sure to shed a tear, or a few, with this gripping novel that explores second chances and the power that books have to change our lives completely.
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
Trigger Warning: This book contains addiction. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Life-changing family secrets are brought to light in Damoff’s new literary fiction release, The Bright Years, which has already taken the book community by storm. This breathtaking novel follows new parents, Ryan and Lillian Bright, whose dream of being the perfect white-picket-fence couple is shattered when they learn that they are keeping devastating secrets from each other. Ryan is hiding his alcoholism from his wife, while Lillian has yet to tell Ryan about the biological son she gave up for adoption before they met.
Told from three different perspectives, this novel will leave you questioning what is most important to you in life. Will saving face come before the value of family when Lillian’s secret son finds her at the end of a long search for his birth family? Join the Bright family as they are torn apart and sewn back together with the threads of truth.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This magical novel will challenge your view of friendship in every sense, including the concept of friendship across species. Widowed Tova is a janitor working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, trying to keep her mind off the recent death of her husband and the less recent disappearance of her young son, Erik, over thirty years ago.
One night, Tova begins to form a friendship with Marcellus, an octopus that lives at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Marcellus had never pictured himself liking, let alone befriending, a human until he met Tova. When he learns of the disappearance of Tova’s son, Marcellus soon decides to dedicate his time to uncovering the truth. Explore the power that relentless hope has to shape the future in Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Isola by Allegra Goodman
Reconnect with the beauty of nature in this ground-breaking novel exploring the juxtaposition of betrayal and love. Marguerite, the heir to a grand fortune, soon finds her life turned upside down when she is suddenly orphaned and left in the care of her vindictive guardian. When he spends her entire inheritance and forces her to accompany him to New France alongside his servant, she is left terrified for the future.
Incredibly lonely and desperate for a genuine human connection, Marguerite begins a forbidden romance with her guardian’s servant, which is soon found out by her guardian. Seething with rage, Marguerite and her lover are abandoned on a small island without modern technology. The pair must learn to navigate a new life at the mercy of nature. Tune into Isola to watch as Marguerite discovers new faith and the strength of resilience in the face of hardship.
The Elements by John Boyne
Trigger Warning: This book contains sexual abuse and rape. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Boyne’s The Elements is a masterful exploration of the power of perspective that will challenge the strength of your convictions. This novel follows the four interlaced perspectives of a family torn apart by a violent crime, each represented by a corresponding element of nature: water as the enabler, earth as the accomplice, fire as the perpetrator, and water as the victim.
The Elements serves as an incredibly emotionally raw study in human behavior. Each perspective is perfectly woven to piece together a devastating generational story of trauma and betrayal. What are some people willing to do, or not do, to feel loved?
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo
Meet the definition of a gentle giant in this fantastical novel, Life, and Death, and Giants, by Ron Rindo. Gabriel is not only incredibly tall, standing at nearly eight feet tall, but he can also communicate with animals and is extraordinary in every sense of the word. When his caring brother dies, he is taken in by his Amish grandparents, who riddle his life with shame, hiding him away from public view.
One day, the local high school football coach is passing by a hayfield when he spots Gabriel working. Gabriel will soon find a community filled with people who embrace his size, putting his natural athletic ability to use as a professional athlete. Watch as this novel leaves you moved beyond belief.
Go as a River by Shelley Read
Trigger Warning: This book contains racism. Please exercise personal care while reading.
This incredible coming-of-age story will inspire you to see the influence in the smallest decisions, exploring all the possibilities of life. Victoria, a young woman working on her family’s farm, is one day stopped by a stranger asking for directions. A seemingly small interaction causes a devastating butterfly effect that will ripple through the lives of all those involved.
As time passes, Victoria grows farther from the small farm life she has always known and further into chaos. This novel follows the course of Victoria’s life over the following decades, carefully navigating lust, love, and loss. The beautifully imaginative Go as a River will open your eyes and your heart with Read’s intuitive prose.
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
Brown’s What Kind of Paradise is a gripping mystery novel that will glue your eyes to the page. Exploring the difference between blood and bond, this title follows a young woman named Jane. Isolated from the world for the majority of her life, Jane knows nothing more than life in the woods of Montana with her father. Growing increasingly more suspicious about her father’s past, Jane decides to begin some investigating.
When she soon discovers that her father’s past involves violent crime, she begins her journey to run from his controlling grasp. Jane flees to the only other place she knows to go, San Francisco. Jane will need to navigate a new life of community, advocacy, and the rise of technology if she wants to remain free from her father. Discover what it takes to seek freedom in a changing world in this beloved historical fiction novel.
The best books stay on our minds long after we close the cover. They make us laugh, cry, and see the world in new perspectives. As you step into the new year, let these stories remind you to keep seeking connection, emotion, and meaning in every page you read. From tear-jerkers to heart-warming favorites, these books will help you laugh, cry, and reflect before the start of 2026.
Interested in the books that our team would recommend? Check out our Recommendations page!
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