Oprah Winfrey has been sharing her favorite books since she founded Oprah’s Book Club in 1996. Over the decades, Winfrey has been guiding bibliophiles thanks to her deep love of reading, and 2026 marked the 30th anniversary of her incredible club. With so much time and expertise under her belt, Winfrey’s picks for 2026 are epic. Though it’s worth noting that Oprah’s Book Club picks from 2025 ranked by reviews are pretty exceptional, too.
As anyone who follows book clubs knows, they’re a wonderful space for readers. They make the solitary act of reading something social. Book clubs, particularly one as popular as the Oprah Book Club, can also expose a reader to new genres and authors, thus broadening a reader’s horizons. In short, a reader ends up picking up books they might not normally select. Book clubs are world-building spaces, and Winfrey’s book club really has it all. There are the best romance picks from Oprah’s book club; there are also Oprah Book Club picks that have sequels and companion novels for those who couldn’t get enough the first time. There’s something for everyone in Oprah’s Book Club. Ranked from lowest rating to highest, Winfrey’s favorite books from 2026 are sure to satisfy even the most picky reader.
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Maria Semple’s Go Gentle was the April 2026 pick
Oprah Winfrey holding a pink copy of Go Gentle on Instagram – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
Maria Semple’s novel “Go Gentle” was the Oprah Book Club pick for April 2026. Semple became widely known for her 2012 novel “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” which was made into a movie in 2019 starring Cate Blanchett. So fans were full of anticipation when Semple published “Go Gentle,” a novel about Stoic philosopher Adora Hazzard. She lives in New York with her daughter and is content with the life she has. Suddenly, the arrival of a handsome stranger flips Hazzard’s world on its head. Counter to her stoic philosophy, Hazzard has to recon with uncharted desire and chaos in her life.
“This is one wild ride of a story,” Oprah Winfrey said of the novel on Instagram when she announced it as her April pick. “Be prepared to stay up late into the night,” she added, “because you won’t want to put it down.” Semple’s novel earned a 3.51 score on Goodreads and a 3.9 from Amazon readers. It also got a spice rating of three kisses from Beyond the Bookends, with an age recommendation of 18+ so those who like a little heat are in for a real treat.
Oprah’s collaborative book Enough was the January 2026 highlight of her book club
Oprah Winfrey reading from her book Enough on Instagram – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
Oprah Winfrey didn’t pick a book of the month for January 2026, but she did highlight a very special project that month. Winfrey herself collaborated with endocrinologist Ania M. Jastreboff on the book “Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It’s Like To Be Free.” It was a truly vulnerable project for Winfrey, and one where she shared her personal experience with weight and her relationship with her own body.
“It’s about the fact that obesity is a disease,” Winfrey began on Instagram, discussing her new book. “I no longer want people to blame and shame themselves and want people to know that it’s not their fault if they’re carrying the gene of obesity.” The book was hugely successful, earning a 3.98 rating on Goodreads and a 4.6 from Amazon readers. Backed by Dr. Jastreboff, Winfrey shares what she’s learned about biology and its relationship to “food noise” and food fixations. While the book is about obesity, it’s also a useful text on overall health and wellness and achieving peace with one’s body as backed by science.
Tayari Jones’ Kin was Oprah’s February 2026 pick
Oprah Winfrey holding up a copy of Kin outdoors – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
“This is a masterpiece of a novel,” Oprah Winfrey said on Instagram of Tayari Jones’ “Kin.” Chosen as the Oprah Book Club pick for February 2026, “Kin” is set in Honeysuckle, Louisiana in the 1950s, following the two main characters, Vernice and Annie. Vernice’s mother died when she was a child, while Annie’s mother abandoned her as a child. The two women call each other “cradle friends” since they shared the same cradle when they were infants. Vernice and Annie go on to carve out their paths as adults, taking different turns but staying connected.
The novel earned a 4.24 on Goodreads and a 4.4 from Amazon readers, and it became a New York Times bestseller. Set in the American South, the novel delves into the different paths and challenges that these two Black women face. It’s an exploration on friendship, love, and the meaning of family. As Winfrey says, this novel will take you back if you were raised in the South, just like Winfrey was.
Douglas Stuart’s John of John was Oprah’s May 2026 pick
Oprah Winfrey holding up a copy of John of John on Instagram – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
Douglas Stuart’s “John of John” is one of the highest ranked book on Oprah’s Book Club in 2026 so far. Earning a spot as the May 2026 Oprah Book Club pick, the novel tells the story of a father and son. After going to art school, John-Calum Macleod returns to his childhood home on the Isle of Harris where he reunites with his father, John, a humble sheep farmer. Weaving in complications around family duty, faith, secrets, and cultural roots, Stuart delivers an unforgettable story of family ties.
“Just a satisfying, rich, full read,” Winfrey raved when she introduced her May 2026 pick on Instagram. The novel earned a 4.31 on Goodreads and a 4.4 from Amazon readers. It was also named one of the most anticipated books of 2026 by The New York Times and the Washington Post, so there was no shortage of hype around this vivid portrayal of family bonds.
Little Wonder by Sophie Chen Keller was Oprah’s June 2026 pick
Oprah Winfrey holding up Little Wonder on Instagram – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
At the top of the list, “Little Wonder” by Sophie Chen Keller is all about a mother’s love. Oprah Winfrey announced the novel as her June 2026 Oprah Book Club pick and raved about the immersive novel. “I have a new book that will make you consider the extraordinary power and devotion of a mother’s love in a whole new way,” Winfrey said on Instagram.
“Little Wonder” is set in Northeast China with Song, a humble food delivery worker, and her son, River. Quickly becoming a musical prodigy, River is invited to work with a renowned music teacher in Beijing. But at the Beijing Railway Station, River and Song lose each other in the crowd, and the novel reaches full momentum as the two try to find each other. The intense novel earned a whopping 4.29 on Goodreads and a 4.6 from Amazon readers, making it the highest pick of 2026 so far from Oprah’s Book Club.
How we picked Oprah’s Book Club picks for 2026
Oprah Winfrey posing with author Sophie Chen Keller on Instagram – oprahsbookclub / Instagram
Since we curated this list of Oprah’s 2026 Book Club picks so far, we were able to include every single book that Oprah Winfrey has included in her book club this year. It’s also worth noting that Winfrey did not include a book for March 2026 in her book club selection. Starting from the lowest rating, we organized the list by tallying up reviews from both Goodreads and Amazon readers together. To create ease and simplicity, we included the month that each book was selected in the sub-heading, since this list was ranked by review score rather than chronologically.
To say that we started by the lowest rating is by no means a dig at Maria Semple or her excellent novel “Go Gentle.” It’s simply where the ratings began. As any reader or author can imagine, getting published is a victory. Then, having one’s published novel get chosen by Winfrey for the Oprah Book Club is such an honor, that simply existing within Winfrey’s book club is pretty much a gold-standard testament to an author’s talent. While Sophie Chen Keller’s “Little Wonder” earned the highest rating, each book on our curated list is a worthwhile read and a living embodiment of an author’s hard work and dedication. Since Winfrey knows good books, these novels are sure to deliver heartwarming stories and gripping tales.
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