UBN Participant Recommendations

These books were recommended by participants of Ultimate Book Nerd. Any of these books may be used to complete Category #46 of Ultimate Book Nerd 2026.

Updated January 14, 2026
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UBN Participant Recommendations

These books were recommended by participants of Ultimate Book Nerd. Any of these books may be used to complete Category #46 of Ultimate Book Nerd 2026.

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The tainted cup : a novel
Bennett, Robert Jackson
Paper Book
HUGO AWARD WINNER * WORLD FANTASY AWARD WINNER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A Holmes and Watson-style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from acclaimed author Robert Jackson Bennett "Like an endearing fantasy version of Knives Out . . . A great...
Legends & lattes
Baldree, Travis
Paper Book
High fantasy, low stakes - with a double-shot of coffee.After decades of raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream - one that involves pulling more shots than punches. Armed with hope and a hard-earned secret, she plans to...
By any other name : a novel
Picoult, Jodi
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the co-author of Mad Honey comes an "inspiring" (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart--one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays--who are both forced to hide behind another name. "You'll...
WOMEN
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times! From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women--at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a...
We sold our souls
Hendrix, Grady
Paper Book
"A gloriously over-the-top scare fest that has hidden depths. Readers will root for Kris all the way to the explosive, poignant finale."-Publishers Weekly From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires<...
A Crane Among Wolves
Hur, June.
Paper Book
A devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today's world, based on a true story from Korean history.Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly. 1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from...
CORRESPONDENT
EVANS, VIRGINIA
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as "A cause for celebration"--an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. "The...
Nothing to see here
Wilson, Kevin
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller  *  A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, People, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, TIME, The A.V. Club, Buzzfeed, and PopSugar ...
I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU
CHONG, JINWOO
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of Flux comes "an endearing novel about second chances" (The Washington Post), with wise insights into love, family, and the art of sushi. "Wise and poignant [with] mouthwatering descriptions of food . . . I Leave It Up to You...
Name of the wind ; the kingkiller chronicle. Day 01
Rothfuss, Patrick
Paper Book
Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss' epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle. "I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss." --Lin-Manuel Miranda   OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD! DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND ...
Heart the lover
King, Lily
Paper Book
The Goblin Emperor
Addison, Katherine.
Paper Book
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only...
My Friends
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger's life twenty-five years later. Most...
Maid : hard work, low pay, and a mother's will to survive
Land, Stephanie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Evicted meets Nickel and Dimed in Stephanie Land's memoir about working as a maid, a beautiful and gritty exploration of poverty in America. Includes a foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich....
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick! A Printz Medal AND Morris Award Winner! Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground.
Legendborn
Deonn, Tracy
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of...
BEAUTIFUL UGLY
FEENEY, ALICE
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Her best book yet." --Harlan Coben The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . . . . . and revenge.
I see you've called in dead
Kenney, John
Ebook
Boy swallows universe
Dalton, Trent
Paper Book
"The best book I read this decade." --Sharon Van Etten in Rolling Stone "Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. . . . Eli's remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what...
Dungeon crawler Carl
Dinniman, Matt
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series--now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. You know what's worse than breaking up with your...
The wedding people : a novel
Espach, Alison
Paper Book
The runaway New York Times bestseller with over one million copies sold A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and a #1 Indie Next Pick Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, Time,...
Culpability
Holsinger, Bruce W.
Paper Book
Oprah's Book Club Pick * New Yorker Best Books of 2025 * 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist * Kirkus Best Books of 2025 * Real Simple Best Books of 2025 * Washington Post Noteable Fiction 2025 * NPR's 2025 "Books We Love" * Minnesota Star Tribune 20 Best of 2025 ...
A history of the world in 6 glasses
Standage, Tom.
Paper Book
From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history. Throughout human history. certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course...
The Secret of Secrets: (Robert Langdon Book 6)
Brown, Dan
Paper Book
Robert Langdon is back in the long-awaited new race-against-time thriller from the global bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Accompanying celebrated academic, Katherine Solomon, to a lecture she's been invited to give in Prague, Robert...
Uprooted
Novik, Naomi.
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL * Naomi Novik, author of the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale. HUGO AWARD FINALIST * NAMED...
The perfect wife : a novel
Delaney, JP
Paper Book
The perfect life. The perfect love. The perfect lie. From the bestselling author of The Girl Before comes a gripping psychological thriller. . . . "Mind-bending . . . Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone."--The New York Times Book Review
As I lay dying : the corrected text
Faulkner, William
Paper Book
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time From the Modern Library's new set of beautifully repackaged hardcover classics by William Faulkner--also available are Snopes, The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, Absalom, Absalom!, and Selected...
HEBREW TEACHER
ARAD, MAYA
Paper Book
"Intensely readable and beautifully observed . . . full of wisdom, generosity, humor, and sharp insights."--Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The Idiot NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR HEBREW...
We came, we saw, we left : a family gap year
Wheelan, Charles J.
Paper Book
Charlie Wheelan and his family do what others dream of: They take a year off to travel the world. This is their story. What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre-COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family...
The last hour between worlds
Caruso, Melissa
Paper Book
A whip-smart adventure fantasy packed with reality-bending magic, and sapphic romance, The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award-nominated author Melissa Caruso. In the Deep Echoes, no one can save you.<...
A prayer for Owen Meany
Irving, John
Paper Book
A deluxe collector's edition of John Irving's beloved A Prayer for Owen Meany--a coming-of-age tale that ranks among the most cherished American classics, including To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye. In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys--best friends--are playing in a...
YELLOWFACE
KUANG, R.F.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "Hard to put down, harder to forget." -- Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who...
Wake up and open your eyes : a novel
Chapman, Clay McLeod
Paper Book
"Clay McLeod Chapman is one of my favorite horror storytellers working today."--Jordan Peele "If talking politics with family has become a horror show, this book's for you."--New York Times Book Review From master of horror Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless social...
TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA
SANDERSON, BRANDON
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a rollicking, riveting tale set in the Cosmere universe--a standalone adventure perfect for fans of The Princess Bride. The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean...
Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy)
Doocy, Maiga.
Paper Book
Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics. He can summon butterflies with a song or turn someone's hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don't earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo...
TOM LAKE
PRATCHETT, ANN
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America's finest writers. "Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than...
The hate u give
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting!" --Jason Reynolds ...
Eleanor & Park
Rowell, Rainbow
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Best Seller! "Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book."-John Green, The New York Times Book Review Bono met his...
Crave
Wolff, Tracy
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times Bestselling Series Glitter Magazine's #1 Pick for Best YA of 2020 Optioned for Film by Universal My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it....
I'm glad my mom died
McCurdy, Jennette
Paper Book
* #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD! A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor--including eating...
Dr. No : a novel
Everett, Percival
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2023 PEN/JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD A sly, madcap novel about supervillains and nothing, really, from an American novelist whose star keeps rising The protagonist of Percival Everett's puckish new novel is a brilliant professor of mathematics who goes by...
The Briar Club : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
"Quinn evocatively balances the outward cheerfulness of the 1950s with historical observations exploring racism, misogyny, homophobia and political persecution in this sharply drawn, gripping novel." - People Magazine The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond...
Atomic habits : tiny changes, remarkable results : an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones
Clear, James
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 25 million copies sold! Translated into 60+ languages! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of...
The house at Watch Hill : a novel
Moning, Karen Marie
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning is back with a gripping, imaginative, and seductive new series in which a young woman moves to Divinity, Louisiana, to inherit a large fortune and a Gothic mansion full of mysteries and ominous secrets... Zo Grey is reeling from...
The hobbit, or, There and back again
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paper Book
This popular paperback edition of the classic work of fantasy, with a striking new black cover based on JRR Tolkien's own design and featuring brand new reproductions of all his drawings and maps. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely...
Gender queer : a memoir
Kobabe, Maia
Paper Book
2020 ALA Alex Award Winner 2020 Stonewall -- Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was...
How the Garcia girls lost their accents
Alvarez, Julia.
Paper Book
"A joy to read."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
The search
Roberts, Nora.
Paper Book
'If you're after the perfect pick-me-up, take-me-away-from-the-world read, then she's your woman' The Guardian 'Nora Roberts is, quite simply, a one-woman phenomenon' Heat 'I love Nora Roberts' Stephen King
Before the coffee gets cold
Kawaguchi, Toshikazu
Paper Book
The first book in the multi-million copy bestselling series about a cosy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time. Toshikazu Kawaguchi's heart-warming Before the Coffee Gets Cold, translated from Japanese, explores the age-old question: what...
Wrong place, wrong time
McAllister, Gillian
Paper Book
It's every parent's nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime- murdering a complete stranger. You don't know who. You don't know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost. That night you fall asleep in...
All my rage
Tahir, Sabaa
Paper Book
National Book Award WINNER Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature WINNER An INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An INSTANT INDIE BESTSELLER! A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century "All My Rage is a love story,...
Belladonna
Grace, Adalyn
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal. ​ Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one...
Looking for Jane
Marshall, Heather
Paper Book
This "clever and satisfying" (Associated Press) #1 international bestseller for fans of Kristin Hannah and Jennifer Chiaverini follows three women who are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother's love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose--inspired by true...
The extraordinary life of Sam Hell : a novel
Dugoni, Robert
Paper Book
Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni's coming-of-age story is, according to Booklist, "a novel that, if it doesn't cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border." Sam Hill always saw...
NOS-4R2 : a novel
Hill, Joe.
Paper Book
Summer. Massachusetts. An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business. Anyone could be next. We're going to Christmasland... NOS4R2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense....
First lie wins
Elston, Ashley
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK | #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through." --Reese Witherspoon Evie Porter has...
The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club) A Novel
Lamb, Wally
Ebook
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK A USA TODAY BESTSELLER #1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, a...
ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI
CHAKRABORTY, SHANNON
Paper Book
"A thrilling, transportative adventure that is everything promised-Chakraborty's storytelling is fantasy at its best." -- R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and The Poppy War "An exhilarating, propulsive adventure, stitched from the threads of real history, Amina's...
ANYONE'S GHOST
THOMPSON, AUGUST
Paper Book
A 2025 Lamda Literary Award finalist * Longlisted for The Center For Fiction's 2024 First Novel Prize * Named a Best Book of 2024 by Elle, Vogue, and Debutiful "This new novel is a real heart-squeezer. Beautiful, one of a kind and perfectly titled." --Matt...
The cruel prince
Black, Holly
Paper Book
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will...
STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU
HARMEL, KRISTIN
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who "is the best there is at sweeping historical drama" (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a...
REFORMATORY
DUE, TANANARIVE
Paper Book
*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award * "You're in for a treat...one of those books you can't put down...Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King ...
Breath : the new science of a lost art
Nestor, James
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR   "A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe--and how we've all been...
FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP
HENDRIX, GRADY
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER VOTED GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD BEST HORROR NOVEL OF 2021 A Good Morning America Buzz Pick "The horror master...puts his unique spin on slasher movie tropes."-USA Today A can't-miss summer...
Problematic Summer Romance
Hazelwood, Ali.
Paper Book
What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of Deep End. Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life. ...
Sky in the deep
Young, Adrienne
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A Most Anticipated Young Adult book from debut author Adrienne Young, Sky in the Deep is part Wonder Woman, part Vikings--and all heart. OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE. Raised to...
Jurassic Park
Crichton, Michael
Paper Book
On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. Now one of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true. Creatures that have been extinct for millions of years roam Jurassic Park, and all the world can visit them - for a price. But when a...
Temeraire
Novik, Naomi.
Paper Book
Naomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Will Laurence has been at sea since he...
Out of the dust
Hesse, Karen.
Ebook
Billie Jo has a great deal to forgive: her father for causing the accident that killed her mother; her mother for leaving when Billie Jo needed her most; and herself for being the cause of her own sorrow. Daddy's too wrung out to help her, and there's no one else to care. So at fourteen, Billie Jo...
The Lion Women of Tehran
Kamali, Marjan.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER An "evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism" (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran--from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali. In 1950s Tehran,...
MAGNOLIA PALACE
DAVIS, FIONA
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions....
The plot
Korelitz, Jean Hanff
Paper Book
** NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ** The Tonight Show Summer Reads Winner ** A New York Times Notable Book of the Year** "Insanely readable." --Stephen King Hailed as "breathtakingly suspenseful," Jean Hanff Korelitz...
The lost year
Marsh, Katherine
Paper Book
*A National Book Award Finalist* From the author of Nowhere Boy - called "a resistance novel for our times" by The New York Times - comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that...
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