Is 2026 The Year of Book Monoculture?

Books are bringing people together this year in ways Sam has never seen before.

There have been a handful of times in the last few months alone when it felt like he was in one giant book club with his friends, reading the same books, and having deep conversations. It made Sam ask himself … are books actually hot this year? Or should we believe the headlines that Western society is moving toward a post literate society? 

To figure it out, Sam turns to his favorite book people Traci Thomas (The Stacks) and Greta Johnsen (Happy to Be Here). Together they get into the books everybody is reading this year, discuss why reading literacy is in danger, and make a case that there’s a book out there for everyone. 

Plus, Traci and Greta share a few book recommendations to add to your reading list. 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

'John of John' by Douglas Stewart 

'Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage' by Belle Burden

'Yesteryear' by Caro Claire Burke

'Kin' by Tayari Jones

'The Disappearers' by Marlon James 

'The Great Wherever' by Shannon Sanders 

'Sunrise' by Téa Obreht

'Unreasonable Women' by Justine van der Leun

'American Hagwon' by Min Jin Lee

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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.