Easily determine exactly what to read next with this helpful guide that’s customizable to your personal preferences.
What to Read: Intro
One of the most common questions I am asked as a full-time book blogger is, “What book should I read?” There’s never a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, and this website now has 500+ blog posts dedicated to improving your bookish life, which may feel overwhelming.
So, to make it super quick and easy for you to decide what book to read next, below is a guide that categorizes my many book recommendations, so that you can pick what books to read based on a few different themes that may strike your interest. It’s meant to be a starting point, since there are so many factors that can come into play in deciding what to read.
Decide what to read now:
- based on what’s popular
- based on non-fiction vs. fiction
- based on reading level (young adult vs adult)
- based on diversity
- by seasonal themes
- by location/setting
- by celebrity book club
- by genre
Want to find a unique answer to the question, “What book should I read?” Then keep reading, and stop and explore when you find something that feels right.
Do you just want to read what’s popular right now?
Some readers just want to read what everyone else is reading right now. Why not?! There’s a lot of social proof in choosing a book this way. If this is you, then check out these posts:
- Bestselling Books Right Now (updated monthly)
- Most Anticipated Books of the Year (updated with reviews after publication)
If this isn’t you, then let’s explore some other options below in order to perfectly answer the question, “What should I read next?”
Do you know that you want to read non-fiction (vs. fiction)?
If you know for sure that you want to read non-fiction right now, then look no further. Here are a few book lists for you to peruse:
- Best Non-Fiction Books
- Best Audiobook Memoirs (because they’re so often better on audio)
The remainder of these suggestions for what to read next is fiction.
Do you want to read fiction based on reading level (young adult vs adult)?
Another thing you may know for sure is whether you need or want a book that’s on a young adult level. If so, then check out these posts for young adult books:
- Reese Witherspoon’s Young Adult Book Picks (great, diverse reads here)
- Guide to The Summer I Turned Pretty Series
- Guide to the American Royals Series
- Guide to the Harry Potter Books
The remainder of these suggestions is mostly for adults.
Do you want to read something diverse?
One more thing readers often know for sure is whether they want to read something diverse. If this is you, below are a few specific posts that may interest you:
If you’re not yet sure, then let’s keep looking at a few more themes to help you decide, followed by specific book recommendations by genre.
Do you want to read by season?
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE seasonal reading. I do it every, well, season! And I keep these lists updated, if you are in the mood for something based on a particular time of year:
- Best Books for Winter
- Best Books for Spring
- Best Books for Summer
- Best Books for Fall
- Best Christmas Books
Do you want to read by location?
Another fun way to read is by location. I certainly don’t have lists on every location for you to peruse, but here are a few that may intrigue you, especially if you live in or are visiting a particular area:
- World Reading Challenge Book Recommendations
- U.S.A Reading Challenge Book Recommendations
- Best Books Set in Italy (where I honeymooned)
- Best Books Set in Philadelphia (where I live)
- Best Books Set in Martha’s Vineyard (where I vacation)
- Best Books Set in New Orleans (where my husband went to college)
- Best Alaska Romance Books (one of my favorite book settings)
Do you want to read from a celebrity book club?
A lot of readers love to follow celebrity book clubs to get book recommendations. Me too! So, I keep updated lists with top picks that you can explore here:
- Current Celebrity Book Club Picks
- Reese Witherspoon Book Club (for books with strong female leads)
- Oprah Winfrey Book Club (for diverse reads and literary fiction)
- Good Morning America Book Club (for the kind of books you want to talk about)
- The Today Show’s Read with Jenna Book Club (for character-driven books and literary fiction)
- Jimmy Fallon Book Club (for popular books)
- Netflix Book Club (for book adaptations)
Do you want to read a certain genre?
If you still haven’t found a list to explore that feels right for you, then keep reading for some specific book recommendations by genre. These recommendations are based on personal picks and what’s popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle in the following genres:
- beach reads
- character-driven books
- classic
- historical fiction
- literary fiction
- romance
- thrillers
Beach Reads
My top beach read recommendation: American Royals by Katharine McGee
This New York Times bestseller is pure escapism. Imagine that modern-day America is ruled by royals, descended from George Washington, and behind the scenes is all of the drama, gossip, and scandal you can imagine.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
My favorite book of 2021 and a page-turning, heart-pumping, satisfying mystery you can read in one day
This massively bestselling book shares salacious pop culture, Hollywood glamour, and intriguing characters.
A satisfying Nantucket wedding murder mystery by the “Queen of the Beach Reads”
For even more, check out the best beach reads.
Character-Driven Novels
My top character-driven novel recommendation: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
This New York Times bestseller is my favorite book of all time. It’s an absolute masterpiece about a tumultuous lifelong friendship between two poor women from Naples, Italy, and ultimately, what happens when one becomes educated and the other does not.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
My favorite book of 2019, an epic sibling saga narrated exquisitely by actor Tom Hanks on audio
This Oprah’s book club pick is the biblical saga of two families in California, struggling between good and evil
The heartwarming book about a grumpy, yet unforgettable, elderly man with layers to unpeel
For even more, check out the best character-driven novels.
Classics
My top classic recommendation: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
It’s both immersive and really easy to consume for a classic. It’s impossible *not* to love this one at any age.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
This Oprah’s book club pick is the biblical saga of two families in California, struggling between good and evil
The most classic of all love stories, an enemies-to-lovers tale
The portrait of a well-known character, exquisitely crafted and quick to read
For even more, check out these posts:
Historical Fiction
My top historical fiction recommendation: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
This #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year is popular and beloved for its emotional depth, conveying the harrowing story of two different sisters in World War II France in the most captivating way.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
One of my favorite books, based on a true story about shocking experiments conducted on women in a World War II concentration camp (yet it also provides hope)
This popular Reese’s book club selection teaches the history of Cuba with both suspense and intrigue that keep you turning the pages
This book is an absolute tour de force that stretches contents and generations, beginning in 18th Century Ghana, where one sister is a slave and the other leads a life of comfort
For even more, check out these posts:
Literary Fiction
My top literary fiction recommendation: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Another mega award winner (#1 New York Times bestseller; named a best book of 2020 by the New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, People, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Glamour; 2021 Women’s Prize Finalist) and one of my favorite modern books about two light-skinned Black sisters, who go on to live life as different races, with a full cast of unforgettable characters and thoughtful themes.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
A multi-layered coming-of-age story, which keeps you thinking for weeks afterward and has a major plot twist
The Swedish hockey version of Friday Night Lights, filled to the brim with competition and community-based drama
An Oprah’s book club pick about a grumpy old woman who learns about life and love through her human experiences and interactions
Romance
My top romance recommendation: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
This gripping, emotional love story is a dark and deep one that leaves you rooting for the female lead on her journey to true happiness in a really difficult situation. It’s been one of the most massively bestselling books of the past several years.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
EVERYONE loves this enemies-to-lovers rom-com about a maid of honor and best man who end up going on the newlyweds’ couple in their place.
This New York Times bestseller is the only book that made me sob, about a relationship gone astray, and it’s also a Reese’s book club pick and consistently one of the bestselling books on my blog.
For fans of character-driven novels, this beloved book chronicles two complex young adults whose timing with each other never seems to align as they come of age.
For even more, check out:
- Best Fiction Love Stories
- Best Colleen Hoover Books
- Best Small Town Romances
- Best Alaska Romance Books
Thrillers
My top thriller recommendation: The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
An international bestseller, Reese’s book club pick, and one of the bestsellers on The Literary Lifestyle, about a cunning young woman who befriends a wife in order to become her replacement.
If you already read it or want to read something else instead:
EVERYONE loves Verity. I read it in one sitting, and it was one of the most shocking and disturbing thrillers I’ve read. It will leave you gasping. That’s all I’m going to say!
This massively bestselling thriller unravels the story of a psychotherapist and his patient, a convicted killer who won’t speak, and it does so with a really massive twist
A Reese’s book club pick that quickly became a New York Times bestseller, with a moody setting on an isolated Irish wedding and a death for which someone there must bear responsibility
For even more, check out these posts:
- Best Psychological Thriller Books
- Books to Read If You Loved The Last Mrs. Parrish
- Locked Room Mystery Books
- Thriller Books Like Verity
Conclusion
Now you know exactly what to read next based on what you are looking for. Pin this post to Pinterest because you can refer back to it when you’re deciding what to read.
