How BookCon 2026 Became a Moshpit

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

The Most Streamed Audiobooks on Spotify

In celebration of Spotify turning 20 this year, they released a list of their most streamed music, podcasts, and audiobooks of all time. It is a little funny to see the audiobooks list titled “Most Streamed Audiobooks in Premium of All Time” considering that audiobooks have only been part of Spotify Premium since late 2023.

The titles aren’t particularly surprising. Romantasy makes a good showing, taking up six of the twenty spots. There are also some self-help books, celebrity memoirs, BookTok hits, and romance novels.

Personally, the appeal of Spotify Premium audiobook listening doesn’t outweigh the criticism, including its campaign of running ICE recruitment ads in 2025. If you’re looking to switch your audiobook listening hours, Libro.fm is a good alternative to Audible and Spotify that supports indie bookstores.

BookCon is Back, and it’s Leaving Attendees with Bruises

BookCon has been popular and controversial since it began in 2014. While most book conventions are aimed at professionals, BookCon is more focused on fans and bookish influencers. After a seven-year hiatus, it returned this year, and there has been a lot of discourse about it. Tamara Fuentes in Cosmopolitan describes some fairly minor critiques—long lines, not enough food options—as well as the more serious criticism: the chaos around ARCs.

ARCs are Advanced Reader Copies: free, pre-publication versions of books meant to promote upcoming titles. You’ll find them at most book conventions, and competition for the popular ones can get heated. At 2026 BookCon, though, it sounds like this was out of control, with attendees describing it as being a “moshpit,” with people pushing and crowding. People working at the booths described being bruised or otherwise injured from the chaos. The videos do make it look like an overwhelming experience—and definitely not worth risking for a free book.

There’s some debate about whether this is the new, post-2020 lack of fandom etiquette or just the same problems that existed since the beginning of BookCon. Either way, organizers have to have better crowd control strategies to keep attendees and staff safe.

Haruki Murakami is Pushing His First New Novel in 3 Years

Haruki Murakami has announced that his first novel in three years is coming out July 3rd, and it’s called The Tale of KAHO. The novel began as a series of short stories about Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book writer. The upcoming book combines the four stories previously published in magazines and “gives them new life”. This is Murakami’s first “lone, woman protagonist featured in a full-length novel.”

The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

The titles in the top five most read books on Goodreads this week are the same as last week, but the order has shifted: Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry has climbed the ranks, pushing everything else down a spot—except for Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which is still #1. The theatrical release of Project Hail Mary has recently been extended, so I expect we’ll see Weir hold onto that top spot for quite a while longer.