Big Books of 2026

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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëA Room of One’s Own by Virginia WoolfThe Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Best Feminist Books
2,555 books — 3,546 voters
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeA People’s History of the United States by Howard ZinnThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerNickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Social Justice: Books on Racism, Sexism, and Class
2,137 books — 1,542 voters

Heartstopper by Alice OsemanThe Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen WangNimona by N.D. StevensonHeartstopper by Alice OsemanFun Home by Alison Bechdel
Graphic Novels Featuring LGBTIQ+ Themes
1,058 books — 1,042 voters
Alanna by Tamora PierceTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareLeviathan by Scott WesterfeldEon by Alison GoodmanIn the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
Girls disguised as Boys
850 books — 959 voters

Soulless by Gail CarrigerThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleAlanna by Tamora PierceThe Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Speculative Fiction that Passes the Bechdel Test
842 books — 831 voters
Night by Elie WieselAngela’s Ashes by Frank McCourtA Walk in the Woods by Bill BrysonRunning with Scissors by Augusten BurroughsMe Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Memoirs by Men
1,714 books — 676 voters

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodWe Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieA Room of One’s Own by Virginia WoolfThe Second Sex by Simone de BeauvoirBad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Women & Gender Studies
1,462 books — 546 voters
Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. VaughanMs. Marvel, Vol. 1 by G. Willow WilsonRat Queens, Vol. 1 by Kurtis J. WiebeWonder Woman, Volume 1 by Brian AzzarelloBatwoman by Greg Rucka
Kickass Women in Superhero Comics
698 books — 503 voters

Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Best Books by Female Authors
1,364 books — 467 voters
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinMiddlesex by Jeffrey EugenidesOrlando by Virginia WoolfTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareAlanna by Tamora Pierce
Best Gender-Bending Books
610 books — 457 voters

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia WoolfThe Purity Myth by Jessica ValentiFeminism Is for Everybody by bell hooksYes Means Yes! by Jaclyn FriedmanThe Vagina Monologues by V (formerly Eve Ensler)
The Ms. Blog's Best Feminist Non-Fiction Reads: Reader's Choice
589 books — 443 voters
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinAnarchism and Other Essays by Emma GoldmanV for Vendetta by Alan MooreChomsky On Anarchism by Noam ChomskyThe Conquest of Bread by Pyotr Kropotkin
Anarchist books
470 books — 372 voters

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire SáenzRed, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuistonHeartstopper by Alice OsemanThe Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
LGBT Books Voted by LGBT Readers Only
895 books — 349 voters
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood1984 by George OrwellThe New Jim Crow by Michelle AlexanderFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Post-Trump Big Questions Canon
522 books — 275 voters

Gentle Rogue by Johanna LindseyDragon Actually by G.A. AikenNatural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth PhillipsA Loving Scoundrel by Johanna LindseyLover Mine by J.R. Ward
Romances with Tomboy/Women in Pants Heroines
370 books — 266 voters
Carry On by Rainbow RowellAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire SáenzThe Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerNimona by N.D. StevensonAsh by Malinda Lo
Casually Queer Books
454 books — 248 voters

Tales of the City by Armistead MaupinDeadly Wrong by Victor J. BanisDeadly Nightshade by Victor J. BanisBottled Up by Andrew GreyShy by John Inman
Gay Fiction by Men
547 books — 234 voters
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootThe Radium Girls by Kate MooreRejected Princesses by Jason PorathGood Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena FavilliHidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
The Overlooked Women of History
951 books — 225 voters

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira GrantThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonCarmilla by J. Sheridan Le FanuWilder Girls by Rory PowerInterview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
LGBTQIA Horror and Dark Fiction
308 books — 209 voters
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert MunschRed Is the Color Of... by Tiffany HaistenRosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea BeatyMadeline by Ludwig BemelmansOlivia by Ian Falconer
Children's picture books with strong females
264 books — 190 voters

Alanna by Tamora PierceTwelfth Night by William ShakespeareEon by Alison GoodmanIn the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora PierceLeviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Best Gender Bender
128 books — 185 voters
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankThe Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia FraserCatherine the Great by Robert K. MassieCleopatra by Stacy SchiffEleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
Biographies of Significant Historical Women
543 books — 175 voters

The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. TepperA Brother's Price by Wen SpencerHerland by Charlotte Perkins GilmanThe Female Man by Joanna RussThe Power by Naomi Alderman
Matriarchal Societies in Fiction
225 books — 160 voters
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge DanticatWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysKrik? Krak! by Edwidge DanticatIn the Time of the Butterflies by Julia AlvarezWhite Teeth by Zadie Smith
Caribbean/West Indian Diaspora Literature - Women (fiction)
205 books — 151 voters

The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia FraserThe Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de PizanThe Life of Elizabeth I by Alison WeirThe Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison WeirThe Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France
From Adam's Rib? -- Women in Medieval and Renaissance Europe
279 books — 134 voters
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff GarvinI Wish You All the Best by Mason DeaverPantomime by L.R. LamMask of Shadows by Linsey MillerEvery Day by David Levithan
Non-Binary and Genderqueer Characters in YA Fiction
119 books — 133 voters

The Courage to Heal by Ellen BassThe Courage to Heal Workbook by Laura DavisThe Daughter of Kurdland by Widad AkreyiLight in Bandaged Places by Liz KinchenTrauma And Recovery by Judith Lewis Herman
Resources for Survivors
185 books — 120 voters
The Will to Change by bell hooksRemaking Manhood by Mark GreeneAngry White Men by Michael S. KimmelThe Macho Paradox by Jackson KatzGetting Off by Robert Jensen
Men and Masculinity
362 books — 105 voters

Peter Darling by Austin ChantThe Burnt Toast B&B by Heidi BelleauCoffee Boy by Austin ChantCemetery Boys by Aiden ThomasStarting from Scratch by Jay Northcote
Books about gay trans men (Fiction and nonfiction)
98 books — 89 voters
Wasted by Marya HornbacherThe Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna ReidAutobiography of a Face by Lucy GrealySuch a Pretty Fat by Jen LancasterUnbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi
Most Excellent Memoirs Relating To Bodies, etc
54 books — 88 voters

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