The Best Books of 2026 So Far, According to Barnes & Noble

In today’s roundup of book news, we have Barnes & Noble’s picks for the best books of the year so far, audio erotica narrated by your celebrity crush, new queer books out this Pride Month, and more.

Barnes & Noble’s Picks for the Best Books of 2026 So Far

The “Best Books of the Year So Far” lists continue! This time, it’s Barnes & Noble’s picks. Some of the titles are common to most other lists we’ve seen so far, like Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Kin by Tayari Jones, and Strangers by Belle Burden. But there are also some unique choices, like Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu and The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. You’ll find a greater variety of genres here than something like The New York Times‘ best of list, including sci-fi, romantasy, cookbooks, self-help, and horror. Also check out their lists of the best audiobooks, YA books, and kids’ books of the year so far.

Audio Erotica + Sexy Celebrity Narrators = Profit

In a genius move, the women-focused audio erotica platform Quinn has been capitalizing on thirsty fans by hiring celebrities to voice their content. For example, you can listen to Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy story about rival fae princes, or The Pitt‘s Shawn Hatosy as a Michelin-star chef in a forbidden romance, or Off Campus‘s Mika Abdalla and Stephen Kalyn in a roommates-to-lovers romantic drama. I think publishers have been falling down on the job in terms of capitalizing on this demand—how did we not get a Heated Rivalry audiobook narrated by the show’s stars the second it aired? Did the publishing industry learn nothing from the Andrew Garfield and Andrew Scott 1984 audiobook TikTok phenomenon? (I apologize if I’m the one to introduce this to you.)

Choose Your Own Adventure Books are Finally Going Digital

New Choose Your Own Adventure books are being published every year, but at least to me, they do feel like a relic of the 80s. For the past 15 years, after a failed experiment, they haven’t been available in ebook format—but that’s changing. Chooseco has signed an agreement with Open Road Integrated Media to adapt all 101 titles as ebooks, using links to make choices within the story. Most will come out this year, with the last 25 out in 2027. I’m surprised it took so long to get here: hyperlinks aren’t exactly cutting-edge tech. But I’m glad they made it to the 21st century eventually! There’s even a Choose Your Own Adventure audiobook now, with the first four books in one—just be ready to skip around chapters on your listening app.

Must-Read New Queer Books Out in June

Around here, we read queer all year. But there’s something to be said about turning that up a notch for Pride Month. Luckily, there is a tidal wave of enticing new queer books out in June 2026, whether you’re looking for a sweet queer love story, a Latine and sapphic gothic novel, or a mystery following disaster gays. Sign up for All Access to read a bonus list of 40 more new queer books out this week!