The editors at The New York Times Book Review spend almost the entire year discussing, debating and sometimes arguing about the year’s best books. We’re halfway through 2026, which means it’s time for the host Gilbert Cruz and the Book Review editors Joumana Khatib and MJ Franklin to talk about some of the best releases of the year as well as a few hidden gems that captured their attention and affection.

Fiction

“Whistler,” by Ann Patchett

“The Calamity Club,” by Kathryn Stockett

“Transcription,” by Ben Lerner

“The Keeper,” by Tana French

“Kin,” by Tayari Jones

“This Is Where the Serpent Lives,” by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Nonfiction

“Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage,” by Heather Ann Thompson

“Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: My Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground,” by Zayd Ayers Dohrn

“Trash!,” by Simon Paré-Poupart

“London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth,” by Patrick Radden Keefe

“Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Ordinary People Forging a Revolution,” by Anand Gopal

Hidden Gems

“Lost Lambs,” by Madeline Cash

“A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies,” by David Thomson

“American Han,” by Lisa Lee

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let’s Talk About the Best Books of the Year (So Far)

The Book Review

Let’s Talk About the Best Books of the Year (So Far)