PBS Recommended These 12 Books — Here’s What You Should Read First

Choosing your next book should be exciting, but sometimes it feels like the opposite.

There are thousands of new books published every year, older titles constantly being rediscovered, bestseller lists changing from week to week, and recommendations appearing everywhere from social media to bookstores. Even readers who always have a stack of books waiting can end up staring at their shelves wondering what to read next.

That is one reason curated reading lists can be so useful.

Rather than scrolling endlessly through recommendations, a carefully selected list can introduce you to books that have already caught the attention of serious readers and literary critics.

PBS put together a list of 12 books worth reading, with recommendations involving bestselling author Ann Patchett and longtime NPR book critic Maureen Corrigan. The result is an eclectic collection featuring fiction, nonfiction, crime novels, literary fiction, memoir-style writing, children’s literature, and books that are a little harder to categorize.

Some of the authors will immediately be familiar. Others may be completely new to you.

That balance is exactly what makes the list interesting.

Instead of simply repeating the biggest bestsellers of the moment, these recommendations offer readers an opportunity to discover books they might otherwise overlook.

Here are the 12 books to read according to PBS and why several of them deserve a place on your reading list.

12 Books to Read According to PBS

Here are the 12 books featured on the PBS list:

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang
• King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
• El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
• The Antidote by Karen Russell
• Who is Government? edited by Michael Lewis
• Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
• A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst
• The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow
• Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton
• Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown
• In the Wild by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird

It is an unusual reading list in the best possible way.

There are recognizable bestselling authors alongside writers many casual readers may be encountering for the first time. There is contemporary fiction, crime, nonfiction, literary experimentation, and even children’s literature.

Instead of trying to appeal to one specific type of reader, the list celebrates the range of experiences books can offer.

Why This PBS Reading List Stands Out

Book recommendation lists are everywhere.

Walk into a bookstore and you will find staff picks. Open social media and you will see readers recommending their latest five-star reads. Bestseller lists highlight the books selling the most copies, while awards introduce readers to titles chosen by critics and judging panels.

The challenge is figuring out which recommendations are actually worth paying attention to.

What makes this PBS list interesting is the perspective behind it.

Ann Patchett is not only a bestselling novelist but also one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary American literary culture. Maureen Corrigan has spent years reviewing and discussing books for NPR.

Those perspectives help make the selections feel less predictable than a standard bestseller roundup.

The list contains popular authors, but popularity clearly is not the only requirement.

That matters because some of the best reading recommendations are the books you were not already planning to read.

A Strong Balance Between Famous Authors and New Discoveries

One of the best things about this collection is how well it balances recognizable names with less familiar ones.

Authors such as John Green, Michael Lewis, Karen Russell, Megan Abbott, S. A. Cosby, and Zadie Smith are already familiar to many readers.

Their inclusion gives the list an immediate sense of familiarity.

But the recommendations do not stop there.

Books such as The Correspondent, The Satisfaction Cafe, A Marriage at Sea, and The Salt Stones give readers opportunities to explore titles that may not appear repeatedly on every mainstream recommendation list.

That is exactly what a good curated reading list should do.

There is little value in simply telling readers to pick up the same ten books they have already seen everywhere else.

A memorable recommendation list should contain at least a few titles that make you stop and think, “I have never heard of that.”

PBS’s selections accomplish that.

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby

Fans of crime fiction should immediately recognize S. A. Cosby.

Cosby has become one of the most compelling voices in contemporary American crime writing, known for novels that combine violence, family conflict, social tension, and complicated characters.

King of Ashes is one of the most immediately appealing books on this list for readers who enjoy dark crime fiction.

Cosby’s stories tend to go far beyond solving a crime. His novels often examine family, loyalty, revenge, identity, and the difficult choices people make when their lives begin falling apart.

That emotional depth is what separates his work from more conventional thrillers.

Readers who enjoy gritty crime novels with morally complicated characters should have King of Ashes near the top of their list.

It is also an excellent choice for readers who want literary depth without sacrificing suspense.

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

Many readers first discovered John Green through novels such as The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, but his nonfiction has demonstrated another side of his writing.

Everything Is Tuberculosis tackles an enormous global health topic while using storytelling to make the subject accessible.

That ability is important.

Statistics about disease, healthcare, inequality, and history can quickly become overwhelming when presented only as data. Writers like Green are effective because they connect those larger subjects to human experiences.

That makes a nonfiction book feel less like a textbook and more like a story.

Readers who typically avoid nonfiction may find this an especially approachable choice.

It is also a reminder that some of the best nonfiction books do more than teach readers facts. They change the way readers think about issues they may previously have considered distant or abstract.

Who Is Government? edited by Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis has built much of his career around explaining complicated systems.

Whether the subject is finance, economics, sports, statistics, or institutions, Lewis has a talent for finding the people inside those systems and using their stories to explain how everything works.

Who Is Government? continues that tradition from a different angle.

Instead of treating government as one enormous and faceless institution, the book focuses attention on the people working within it.

That perspective makes the subject more personal.

Government often appears in public conversations as policies, elections, agencies, budgets, and bureaucracy. But every institution is ultimately made up of individuals doing specific jobs.

Looking at those individuals can reveal a side of public service that readers rarely encounter.

For anyone who enjoys nonfiction about institutions, public policy, or the hidden systems that influence everyday life, this could be one of the most interesting selections on the PBS list.

The Antidote by Karen Russell

Karen Russell has always been difficult to place neatly inside one genre.

That is part of her appeal.

Her work often blends literary fiction with surrealism, fantasy, folklore, history, and strange elements that make familiar worlds feel slightly unsettling.

The Antidote is therefore one of the best choices on this list for readers who enjoy ambitious literary fiction.

Russell’s writing tends to reward readers who are willing to embrace the unusual.

Rather than following the straightforward conventions of a genre novel, her fiction often uses imaginative ideas to examine very human emotions and experiences.

Readers who enjoy books that feel distinctive, strange, and difficult to compare with anything else should consider giving The Antidote a try.

It may also appeal to fantasy readers hoping to explore more literary fiction without completely abandoning speculative elements.

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott

Anyone who regularly reads suspense and crime fiction has probably encountered Megan Abbott.

Abbott is known for psychological tension, complicated relationships, ambition, obsession, and characters whose seemingly ordinary lives begin to unravel.

That makes El Dorado Drive one of the most appealing selections for readers who prefer suspense.

Abbott’s novels often focus less on traditional detective work and more on the psychological pressures surrounding her characters.

Secrets accumulate.

Relationships become unstable.

People make increasingly questionable decisions.

That type of slow-building tension can be even more effective than constant action.

Readers looking for a character-driven crime or suspense novel should keep this title on their radar.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

One of the joys of a curated list is discovering books that were not already on your radar.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans fits that category for many readers.

Books like this are often the reason to pay attention to recommendations from critics and authors.

A bestseller does not necessarily need additional exposure. Lesser-known novels, however, can benefit enormously when trusted readers bring them to a wider audience.

The Correspondent offers exactly the kind of discovery that makes exploring an unfamiliar reading list worthwhile.

Sometimes the book you know the least about ends up being the one you remember the longest.

The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang

The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang is another title that broadens the list beyond the most obvious mainstream choices.

Wang is a writer worth watching for readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction centered on relationships, identity, personal reinvention, and modern life.

Its presence also demonstrates something important about this PBS list: these recommendations are not simply built around genre.

Character-focused fiction sits comfortably beside crime novels and serious nonfiction.

That creates a list where readers can move from one completely different experience to another.

For anyone who regularly reads literary or contemporary fiction, this is one of the titles worth investigating further.

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst

Stories about survival have fascinated readers for generations.

But the most compelling survival books are rarely just about surviving.

They are often about relationships, decision-making, fear, resilience, and what happens when ordinary rules disappear.

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst brings a relationship-focused dimension to the broader selection.

The title alone suggests the intersection between adventure and personal connection, giving the list another nonfiction option for readers who enjoy dramatic real-life stories.

It also provides a nice contrast with books focused on broader political, historical, or social subjects.

Sometimes nonfiction works best when enormous questions are explored through the lives of only a few people.

The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow

The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow may be one of the lesser-known titles for many readers scanning the list.

That makes it one of the recommendations worth noticing.

Readers often discover their favorite books because someone pointed them toward a title that algorithms, bestseller charts, and social media trends failed to surface.

Books do not have to dominate bestseller lists to be worthwhile.

In fact, one of the benefits of following recommendations from experienced critics is discovering writing outside the most heavily promoted titles.

The Salt Stones adds another unexpected option to the list and helps prevent it from feeling overly commercial.

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton is another unconventional inclusion.

Books connected to sports do not always fit neatly into traditional categories.

They can be memoirs, cultural criticism, reflections on competition, or explorations of memory and identity.

That flexibility can make them surprisingly rewarding, even for readers who have little interest in sports themselves.

Swimming becomes a lens through which much larger ideas can be examined.

That makes Swimming Studies a good example of how this list encourages readers to stretch beyond their usual choices.

You may start a book because of its subject and end up connecting with it for entirely different reasons.

Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown

Perhaps the most unexpected selection on the list is Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown.

Brown is best known for children’s literature, including one of the most famous picture books ever published, Goodnight Moon.

Including children’s literature alongside contemporary fiction and nonfiction may initially seem strange.

But it makes sense.

A great book does not stop being meaningful simply because it was written for younger readers.

Children’s books can be nostalgic, beautifully illustrated, emotionally resonant, funny, comforting, and surprisingly profound.

Adults sometimes become so focused on reading serious or complex literature that they forget how powerful simplicity can be.

Mister Dog gives this list personality and makes the selections feel genuinely curated rather than designed around a predictable formula.

In the Wild by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird

Zadie Smith is easily one of the most recognizable literary names on the list.

Her work has earned a devoted readership because of her sharp observations about society, culture, identity, class, family, and modern life.

Pairing Smith with Nick Laird gives readers another intriguing entry on a list already filled with variety.

It is also another example of why author recognition can be useful.

Sometimes a familiar name encourages readers to explore a type of book they might otherwise overlook.

Readers who have enjoyed Smith’s novels or essays may naturally be curious to see what she does in a different format.

One of the Best Things About This List Is the Variety

The strongest feature of this PBS reading list might simply be its range.

Many recommendation lists are built around one category:

• best thrillers
• best fantasy books
• best historical fiction
• best nonfiction
• best romance novels
• best books of the year

Those lists are extremely useful when you know exactly what you want.

But sometimes you do not.

Sometimes you simply want a good book.

That is where a list like this succeeds.

There are books for readers who enjoy literary fiction, crime, nonfiction, memoir, unusual storytelling, and even children’s books.

You could read all 12 titles without repeatedly having the same reading experience.

That variety also makes the collection useful for readers trying to escape a reading slump.

Switching genres is often one of the easiest ways to refresh your reading habits.

If you have spent months reading thrillers, try nonfiction.

If you have been reading dense literary fiction, pick up something completely different.

A varied recommendation list gives you permission to experiment.

Why Curated Book Lists Still Matter

Book discovery has changed dramatically.

Readers now get recommendations from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Goodreads, Amazon, newsletters, podcasts, friends, book clubs, influencers, bookstores, newspapers, websites, and countless other sources.

With so much information available, it might seem like curated reading lists have become less important.

The opposite may actually be true.

When there are endless recommendations, thoughtful selection becomes more valuable.

A good curator is essentially saying: out of everything available, these books are worth your attention.

That does not mean you will love every selection.

No reading list can guarantee that.

But a strong list can expose you to books you would never have discovered on your own.

And occasionally, one of those unexpected choices becomes a new favorite.

Use the List to Read Outside Your Comfort Zone

Most readers have comfort genres.

Fantasy readers frequently return to fantasy. Mystery fans reach for another mystery. Historical fiction readers look for their next historical novel.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Reading should be enjoyable.

But occasionally stepping beyond those boundaries can make reading even more rewarding.

A list like this provides an easy way to do that.

If you normally read fiction, try Everything Is Tuberculosis or Who Is Government?

If you primarily read nonfiction, try King of Ashes or The Antidote.

If you usually ignore children’s literature, revisit something like Mister Dog.

The goal is not to force yourself through genres you dislike.

It is simply to remain curious.

Some of the most memorable books are the ones we almost did not read.

Which PBS Book Should You Read First?

That depends on the type of reader you are.

Crime and thriller fans may want to begin with King of Ashes or El Dorado Drive.

Readers interested in accessible nonfiction should consider Everything Is Tuberculosis or Who Is Government?

Literary fiction readers may gravitate toward The Antidote, The Correspondent, or The Satisfaction Cafe.

Readers looking for something more unexpected could explore Swimming Studies, The Salt Stones, or Mister Dog.

There is no wrong place to start.

In fact, the best choice may be the title that sounds least like something you would normally read.

Final Thoughts on the 12 Books PBS Recommends

The 12 books recommended by PBS offer the kind of variety that makes a reading list genuinely useful.

There are established authors alongside newer voices, fiction next to nonfiction, crime beside literary writing, and even a children’s classic mixed into the collection.

Most importantly, the list encourages discovery.

Anyone can look at the bestseller chart and find the books everyone is already discussing. The best recommendation lists go further by introducing readers to books they might never have noticed.

That is what makes this collection worth revisiting.

Reading lists may be created at a particular moment, but great recommendations do not necessarily expire. A worthwhile book can be discovered months or years later and still become exactly the book you needed.

So if your current read is almost finished and you are already wondering what comes next, these 12 PBS book recommendations are a great place to start.

You may recognize a few titles.

You may know almost none of them.

Either way, your next great read could be somewhere on this list. you’re trying to figure out what to read next, this is a great place to start.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook