Amazon Names Its Best Books of 2026: Min Jin Lee's Immigrant Epic American Hagwon Takes the No. 1 Spot
Amazon revealed its Best Books of 2026 list on November 12, naming American Hagwon by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee as the No. 1 pick. Out of thousands of books the Amazon Editors read this year, Lee's multigenerational novel about ambition, sacrifice, the immigrant experience, and the bonds between families rose to the top, the company said. Lee, best known for Pachinko, wrote American Hagwon as the next installment in her planned quartet of novels exploring the Korean diaspora.
Rounding out the top five are Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel, The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia by Robert Kolker, Kin by Tayari Jones, and Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. Sarah Gelman, editorial director of Amazon Books, said this year's books penetrated culture far beyond book clubs, but the one the team cannot stop talking about is Lee's extraordinary and magnetic American Hagwon, and that she exceeded the team's high expectations for the next installment of the quartet.
The Best Books of 2026 list features the Editors' top overall picks alongside favorites across categories including Literature and Fiction, Mystery and Thrillers, Romance and Romantasy, History, Biographies and Memoirs, Book Clubs, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, and Children's Books by age group. A new Horror category joins the list this year along with Buzzworthy, which celebrates the most talked-about titles among readers.
Source: Amazon.com, Inc
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：作家李敏金（Min Jin Lee）2018年在美国国家图书节（资料图，已裁为16:9）。Fuzheado 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Author Min Jin Lee at the U.S. National Book Festival in 2018 (file photo, cropped to 16:9). Photo by Fuzheado, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Netflix Releases Trailer for Swedish Action Comedy Permafrost on November 11: Starring Gustafsson and Opheim, Film Arrives in December2026-11-11
Netflix Documentary on Suzane von Richthofen Premieres November 11: Features Her First On-Camera Interview in About 10 Years, Trailer Released November 92026-11-11