B&N Reads, Best Books Of The Year, Fiction, History, Memoirs, Mystery, Romance, Science

Best Books of the Year (So Far)

By Isabelle McConville / June 5, 2024 at 1:01 am

At the halfway point of the year, you might be wondering: have I hit my reading goals? How is it already June? Do I need to start my holiday shopping? While we unfortunately can’t stop the world from spinning, we can help you amp up the year’s reading. From spicy romance to cozy fantasy, powerful memoirs to heavy hitting history and spine-tingling horror, the books from the first half of 2024 have shaped up to be total winners. Read on to discover 12 lists we’ve gathered of this year’s best of the best (so far) to keep your shelves stocked and literary appetites satiated. Looking for even more? Check out the other top contenders of the year here. Let’s get started!

Modern Love: 6 Novels That Changed the Way We Think About Relationships

Love is in the air here at B&N, and that doesn’t always mean it’s the romantic kind. From novels about coming-of-age when the world tells us we should already be of age, to stories about complicated relationships — familial, romantic and platonic — to books about self-discovery and the complexities of grief, these novels are as big-hearted as books get.

Good Material (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition)

By Dolly Alderton

Hardcover $25.20 ~~$28.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers: A Novel

By Abraham Chang

Hardcover $26.99 ~~$29.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

All Fours

By Miranda July

Hardcover $26.10 ~~$29.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Husbands: A Novel

By Holly Gramazio

Hardcover $26.10 ~~$29.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Green Dot: A Novel

By Madeleine Gray

Hardcover $25.19 ~~$27.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

You Are Here (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition)

By David Nicholls

Hardcover $27.00 ~~$30.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Let it Linger: 4 Works of Literary Fiction We Didn’t Want To End

This reader is always on the hunt for that perfect novel that ticks every box: vibrant characters, a setting that feels alive, and a story we can’t get out of our heads, no matter how hard we try. Those books — the ones you’d feverishly call all your friends about as soon as finishing the last page — are hard to find, but this lineup is tried and true.

Clear: A Novel

By Carys Davies

Hardcover $21.60 ~~$24.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Wandering Stars: A novel

By Tommy Orange

Hardcover $26.10 ~~$29.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

James: A Novel

By Percival Everett

Hardcover $25.20 ~~$28.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Long Island (Oprah's Book Club)

By Colm Tóibín

Hardcover $24.64 ~~$28.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

A Moment in Time: 9 Histories From Today’s Heavy Hitters

The best part about history is learning where we came from and where we’re headed. From tales of the triumphant starts of empires to the toppling of same, detailed accounts of pivotal moments and tragic days already cemented in our brains, these books leave us all a bit smarter after reading.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By Erik Larson

Hardcover $31.50 ~~$35.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations

By Eric H. Cline

Hardcover $28.80 ~~$32.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present

By Fareed Zakaria

Hardcover $26.99 ~~$29.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873

By Alan Taylor

Hardcover $35.99 ~~$39.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Burma '44: The Battle That Turned World War II in the East

By James Holland

Hardcover $27.00 ~~$30.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day

By Garrett M. Graff

Hardcover $29.25 ~~$32.50~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space

By Adam Higginbotham

Hardcover $31.50 ~~$35.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq

By Steve Coll

Hardcover $31.50 ~~$35.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

By Doris Kearns Goodwin

Hardcover $31.50 ~~$35.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

They Write, We Score: 10 Sports Romances We Cheer For

What are some of your favorite tropes? Are you an enemies-to-lovers fan or is forced proximity more your groove? No matter your preference, these sports romances are hard to beat. From scenes that make us giggle to the ones that make us sweat, these books are a perfect ten.

Daydream (Maple Hills Series #3)

By Hannah Grace

Paperback $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Game Changer

By Lana Ferguson

Paperback $19.00

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Au Pair Affair (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Tessa Bailey

Paperback $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2) (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Elle Kennedy

Paperback $16.19 ~~$17.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Head Coach & Virgin Territory: A Hellions Hockey Romance Collection

By Lia Riley

Paperback $16.19 ~~$17.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Cross the Line

By Simone Soltani

Paperback $17.10 ~~$19.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

You Should Be So Lucky: A Novel

By Cat Sebastian

Paperback $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Hearts on Thin Ice: A Novel

By Katie Kennedy

Paperback $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Art of Catching Feelings

By Alicia Thompson

Paperback $17.10 ~~$19.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Killer Instincts: 8 Tales of Murder, Mystery, & Mayhem

These eight murder mysteries are gripping tales that dare you to solve the twist before our protagonists. You’ll want to break out the conspiracy boards and plan a mystery night with all your besties after reading these.

Looking for Smoke

By K. A. Cobell

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Holly Jackson

Hardcover $18.89 ~~$20.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Two Sides to Every Murder (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Danielle Valentine

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

By Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Summer She Went Missing

By Chelsea Ichaso

Paperback $10.79 ~~$11.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Wilderness of Girls

By Madeline Claire Franklin

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The One That Got Away with Murder

By Trish Lundy

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Wander in the Dark

By Jumata Emill

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Horror Rewind: 5 VHS Thrills & Chills

Yelling “Don’t go in there!”, rooting on the “final girls” and shaking our heads at the age old “hey, let’s split up” are just a few of the many reasons we all love classic horror movies and novels. These five books will make you grab a giant bowl of popcorn and keep an eye out for things that go bump in the night.

Home Is Where the Bodies Are (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Jeneva Rose

Hardcover $27.99

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive: A Novel

By Craig DiLouie

Paperback $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Horror Movie: A Novel

By Paul Tremblay

Hardcover $30.00

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

I Was a Teenage Slasher (Signed B&N Exclusive Book)

By Stephen Graham Jones

Hardcover $29.99

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The House That Horror Built

By Christina Henry

Paperback $16.20 ~~$18.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Cutting Edge: 8 Spredges We’re Obsessed With

Who doesn’t love a pretty book? These are some of our most eye-catching stenciled and sprayed edges (or spredges, if you will) that will be the star of your bookshelf and the envy of your book club. From fantasy to paranormal romance and literary fiction, we’re so obsessed with these edges.

Gothikana

By RuNyx

Hardcover $26.99 ~~$29.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

A Fate Inked in Blood: Book One of the Saga of the Unfated

By Danielle L. Jensen

Hardcover $26.99 ~~$29.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Night Ends with Fire

By K. X. Song

Hardcover $27.00 ~~$30.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Real Americans (Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition)

By Rachel Khong

Hardcover $26.10 ~~$29.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Five Broken Blades (Deluxe Limited Edition)

By Mai Corland

Hardcover $29.69 ~~$32.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Heavenbreaker (Deluxe Limited Edition)

By Sara Wolf

Hardcover $29.69 ~~$32.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief Deluxe Collector's Edition

By Rick Riordan

Hardcover $31.49 ~~$34.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Beth Lincoln
Illustrator Claire Powell

Paperback $8.99 ~~$9.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Time for a Story: 8 Phenomenal Picture Books

One of the best parts of childhood is cracking open a fresh, funny picture book to read with the whole family. From stories about adorable house pets to sweet sentiments on the power of love and adventure, 2024 has already given us a plethora of picture books that kids will look back on as their favorites to read while growing up.

The Truth About the Couch

By Adam Rubin
Illustrator Liniers

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog

By Dev Petty
Illustrator Mike Boldt

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

May You Love and Be Loved: Wishes for Your Life (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Cleo Wade

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

While You're Asleep (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Emmy Kastner
Illustrator Emmy Kastner

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Buffalo Fluffalo

By Bess Kalb
Illustrator Erin Kraan

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Book That Can Read Your Mind

By Marianna Coppo

Hardcover $16.19 ~~$17.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

I Lived Inside a Whale (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Xin Li

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Why Not?: A Story about Discovering Our Bright Possibilities

By Kobi Yamada
Illustrator Gabriella Barouch

Hardcover $17.05 ~~$18.95~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Mystery Solved: 8 Best Young Detectives on the Case

There’s a sleuth in all of us — no matter our age. From a band of lovable misfits to whimsical worlds in need of young heroes and mysteries that only the cleverest minds can solve, these eight novels are sure to inspire any young detective to close a case of their own.

A Royal Conundrum (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Misfits #1)

By Lisa Yee
Illustrator Dan Santat

Hardcover $13.49 ~~$14.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Secret Library

By Kekla Magoon

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The World-Famous Nine

By Ben Guterson
Illustrator Kristina Kister

Paperback $8.99

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Labyrinth of Lost and Found (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Jordan Lees

Paperback $8.99

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms

By Lindsay Currie

Hardcover $15.29 ~~$16.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Liars Society

By Alyson Gerber

Hardcover $13.49 ~~$14.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Roswell Johnson Saves the World! (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Chris Colfer

Hardcover $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Pari Thomson

Hardcover $16.19 ~~$17.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

It’s Good To Be Bad: 5 Cozy Fantasies With an Edge

If you’ve scrolled through #BookTok, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term “cozy fantasy.” Magical realms of incredible world-building and wonder (without the heavy stakes of a high fantasy) make this subgenre a winner year-round.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

By Django Wexler

Paperback $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Dreadful (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Caitlin Rozakis

Paperback $17.99

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Where the Dark Stands Still (Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Edition)

By A. B. Poranek

Hardcover $17.99 ~~$19.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

By Kimberly Lemming

Paperback $17.09 ~~$18.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

By John Wiswell

Hardcover $25.20 ~~$28.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

The Examined Life: 6 Varied and Unforgettable Memoirs

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live in someone else’s shoes and see the world a bit differently, memoirs are a fantastic way to start. Heartfelt stories that will make you cry and hard-hitting narratives with witty, wry voices that will make you laugh, these memoirs teach us about the world around us, and even a little bit about ourselves.

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension

By Hanif Abdurraqib

Hardcover $28.80 ~~$32.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife

By Sebastian Junger

Hardcover $25.19 ~~$27.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir

By Tessa Hulls

Hardcover $36.00 ~~$40.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees

By Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Hardcover $24.29 ~~$26.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Did I Ever Tell You?: A Memoir

By Genevieve Kingston

Hardcover $26.09 ~~$28.99~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

By Salman Rushdie

Hardcover $25.20 ~~$28.00~~

Please enable javascript to add items to the cart.

Micro to Macro: 7 Science and Nature Titles To Explore

There’s a whole wide world out there and these science and nature titles are just a slice of what we can go out and experience. Whether you’re wondering what the effects new technology will have on the world, digging for the secrets deep in the sea, or you’re hoping to get familiar with the birds in your own backyard, these titles will resonate with the scientist in all of us.