Introducing the Bookety Book Books Top 100+10

Well, this year’s Bookety Top 100 sparked more debate than ever. Seriously. But we suppose that’s part and parcel of…

30 October 2026

Well, this year’s Bookety Top 100 sparked more debate than ever. Seriously. But we suppose that’s part and parcel of reaching over one million people on social media.

And look, we don’t usually publicly tout our social media views, because it’s a fickle space to be in, and frankly, a bit of an ick. But we think it’s helpful to understand just why this year’s comments section looked so different from our usual lists. Because, aside from the occasional troll or out-of-the-blue negative comment, our little corner of the internet is generally a pretty friendly place to be. But some of the comments this year? Ruthless.

And while part of us wants to say, well, thanks for the engagement, I guess? Some of the comments left us more than a little embarrassed, quite frankly. Particularly given that several of the authors featured in the list were tagged in our posts, and some even joined the conversation themselves. There’s a difference between discussing a book you didn’t enjoy and being unnecessarily unkind about someone else’s work. Anyway, we’re currently writing an article titled We Need to Talk About How We Talk About Books… Again, so there’s plenty more to come on that particular subject.

Top 100 lists are entirely subjective. Ours is entirely reader voted, and we don’t tamper with the results whatsoever, regardless of our personal opinions. It’s ultimately a really fun exercise in which a community of readers comes together to create a resource for other readers. No list is going to appeal to every reader, nor does it need to. And for that matter, nor should you expect to love every single book on it. To find a Top 100 in which all 100 books appeal to your personal reading tastes, you’d probably have to curate it yourself.

All of this got us thinking, though. If you have such strong opinions about what makes a good Top 100 list, we’d genuinely love to hear them. Rather than declaring, “I’d never trust a Top 100 that includes [insert offending title here],” why not tell us what you actually think deserves a place?

So that’s exactly what we invited you to do. We opened voting for an additional ten books, giving everyone, including those who voted in the original list, another opportunity to nominate their favourites. Any genre, any publication year, fiction or non-fiction. The only rule was that the books couldn’t already feature in our 2026 Top 100.

And a whole bunch of you took us up on it. So thank you for voting, for sharing your favourites and for reminding us just how wonderfully varied our reading tastes can be.

Introducing your Bookety Top 100 + 10.

My Brilliant Friend

Growing up in a working-class neighbourhood of 1950s Naples, Elena and Lila form an intense, complicated friendship shaped by ambition, rivalry and their desire for a different future. As their lives unfold against the backdrop of a changing Italy, their relationship becomes a portrait of female friendship, class, education and the social expectations placed on women.

Burial Rites

In 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is sentenced to death for her involvement in the murder of two men in northern Iceland. Sent to live with a farming family while awaiting execution, Agnes gradually reveals her version of events, raising questions about guilt, justice and truth. Based on real events, this atmospheric historical novel explores isolation, prejudice and the complexities of human nature.

Beloved

Set in the aftermath of American slavery, Sethe is a formerly enslaved woman haunted by the horrors of her past and the death of her infant daughter. When a mysterious young woman appears, long-buried memories resurface, forcing Sethe to confront unimaginable trauma. A haunting, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about motherhood, freedom, memory and the enduring legacy of slavery.

A Fine Balance

Set in 1970s India during a period of political upheaval, four strangers from vastly different backgrounds find themselves sharing a small flat. As their lives become increasingly intertwined, unexpected friendships emerge amid poverty, caste discrimination and political oppression. A devastating yet deeply humane novel about resilience, dignity and the fragile balance between hope and despair.

Sky Daddy

Linda is doing her best to live an ordinary life, but she harbours a rather unusual secret: she is sexually attracted to aeroplanes and dreams of marrying one by dying in a plane crash. When an opportunity arises to fulfil her unconventional romantic destiny, she must decide between normality and desire in this darkly funny, wonderfully strange novel.

Orbital

Over the course of a single day, six astronauts aboard the International Space Station orbit Earth sixteen times, observing its extraordinary beauty from above. As they witness vast landscapes, changing weather and the fragility of life below, their thoughts turn to home, loss and humanity’s place in the universe. A contemplative novel about our relationship with the planet.

Land

In 1865, Tomas and his ten-year-old son Liam are mapping the Irish landscape in the aftermath of the Great Hunger. Determined to preserve a record of the devastation, Tomas finds his work disrupted by a mysterious encounter that changes everything. Set against Ireland’s turbulent history, this sweeping novel explores family, grief, survival and the enduring relationship between land and memory.

Piranesi

Piranesi lives alone in a mysterious, labyrinthine House filled with endless halls, towering statues and rising tides. His days are spent documenting its wonders, with only a strange figure known as the Other for company. But when mysterious messages begin to appear, Piranesi starts questioning everything he knows about his world, uncovering secrets that threaten his understanding of reality.

Homegoing

Two sisters, separated by fate in eighteenth-century Ghana. One is married to a British slave trader, the other sold into slavery. Spanning seven generations, their descendants’ stories unfold across Africa and America, tracing the enduring consequences of slavery, colonialism and displacement. A sweeping, deeply moving novel about family, identity and the legacy of history.

Fruit Fly

Seven years after becoming a literary sensation, Mallory is struggling with writer’s block and a fading career. When she meets Leo, a vulnerable young addict surviving on the streets, she sees the perfect subject for her next bestseller. But exploiting someone else’s trauma comes with consequences she may not anticipate.

About Mandy Myles

Mandy Myles is the founder and editor of Bookety Book Books. A former bookseller, she writes about books, reading culture and the wider literary world.

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