The best books to read right now
- May 6
- 4 min read
If you’ve been on a quest for the best books to read right now, you’re not alone.
Every month, thousands of readers embark on this journey, seeking that one book that will transform their thinking, ignite new ideas, or simply transport them to a world richer than their own. However, with millions of titles available and new releases emerging weekly, selecting the right book can feel like an insurmountable task.
That’s precisely why this guide exists.
Instead of presenting you with a random list, we’ve meticulously curated a selection of books that are trending, critically acclaimed, and genuinely impactful across various genres, including fiction, self-help, business, and memoir. Whether you’re craving a page-turning novel, a mindset upgrade, or a book that broadens your perspective, you’ll find something here that’s worth your time.
By the end of this blog, you won’t merely have a reading list; you’ll have your next great read.
Let’s embark on this literary adventure together.
Not so Happily Married
SALIS MANIA CHOICE AWARDS 2026 NOMINEE
He didn’t believe in love.
She dreamed of nothing else.
Their marriage was never meant to be a fairytale—until it started to feel like one.
Ayush Singhania, heir to the Singhania Industries empire, has no time for romance—or marriage. As the driven CEO, his focus is on building his legacy, not settling down. But when family pressures force him into an arranged match, he reluctantly agrees. And then he meets her—Khanak.
Khanak Tyagi, a spirited architect with dreams of love and success, never imagined her parents would corner her into marriage. But bound by duty, guilt, and something she doesn’t understand, she says yes, too—hoping to find companionship, maybe even love. What she finds instead is a harsh reality far from all her dreams and expectations.
Inside the opulent Singhania Mansion, her dreams begin to shatter. But something else starts too—something raw, unexpected, and deeply human.
Because real life doesn’t end with the wedding; it begins there.
Will Ayush and Khanak find love in the middle of the mess? Or will they always remain not so happily married?
The Stubborn Wolf
SALIS MANIA CHOICE AWARDS 2026 NOMINEE
The Stubborn Wolf is a story about two people who don’t believe in settling — neither in places nor in love.
Aarya is a documentary filmmaker who chooses roads over roots, stories over comfort, and truth over safety. She doesn’t belong to cities, families, or expectations. She belongs to movement. To unanswered questions. To the quiet strength of walking away when staying would mean losing herself.
Arjun is a man shaped by responsibility and restraint, carrying a past he rarely speaks about. When their paths cross, it isn’t fate or romance that binds them — it’s friction.
Two stubborn minds.
Two guarded hearts.
And a journey that refuses to stay simple.
As miles pass and conversations deepen, the road becomes more than a destination. It becomes a mirror — forcing them to confront loneliness, fear, love, and the cost of choosing freedom in a world that demands conformity.
This is not a story about perfect love.
It’s about choosing someone without owning them. About staying without trapping. About loving a soul wild enough to walk away — and strong enough to come back.
For readers who believe some people are not meant to be tamed, only understood.
All the Way to the River
By Elizabeth Gilbert
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
“A delicious mashup of narrative that’s by turns harrowing and healing.” –People
“Entertaining, insightful, wrenching … punch-to-the-gut powerful.” –The Washington Post
“A blockbuster: brutally honest, lurid, transcendent, and compelling…Gilbert is undoubtedly a force.” —Boston Globe
In her first nonfiction book in a decade, the #1 bestselling writer who taught millions of readers to live authentically (Eat Pray Love) and creatively (Big Magic) shows how to break free.
In 2000, Elizabeth Gilbert met Rayya. They became friends, then best friends, then inseparable. When tragedy entered their lives, the truth was finally laid bare: The two were in love. They were also a pair of addicts, on a collision course toward catastrophe.
What if your most beautiful love story turned into your biggest nightmare? What if the dear friend who taught you so much about your self-destructive tendencies became the unstable partner with whom you disastrously reenacted every one of them? And what if your most devastating heartbreak opened a pathway to your greatest awakening?
All the Way to the River is a landmark memoir that will resonate with anyone who has ever been captive to love—or to any other passion, substance, or craving—and who yearns, at long last, for liberation.
Small Things Like These
By Claire Keegan
NEW YORK TIMES TOP 100 BOOK OF THE 21st CENTURY
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is a poignant novella set in a small Irish town during the winter of 1985. The story unfolds in the weeks leading up to Christmas and follows Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, as he navigates his modest life and work.
The novella grapples with the challenges of doing the right thing in the face of societal and institutional pressure. It highlights the importance of family and small acts of kindness, emphasizing how these small things can have a profound impact. Keegan subtly critiques the oppressive power of the Catholic Church in Ireland and its role in perpetuating societal injustices, such as the operation of Magdalene laundries.
As Bill goes about his deliveries, he discovers unsettling truths about the local convent, which operates a Magdalene laundry where women are exploited and mistreated. This revelation forces him to confront his conscience and decide whether to take a stand, even if it means risking his own family's stability.
Keegan's prose is sparse yet deeply evocative, capturing the essence of a working-class life and the moral dilemmas that arise in it. Her writing is rich in atmosphere, creating a vivid sense of place and time.
Small Things Like These has been praised for its quiet power and emotional depth. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and has been celebrated as a modern classic for its timeless themes and exquisite storytelling.
This novella is a powerful reflection on courage, humanity, and the ripple effect of small acts of decency in a flawed world.
