New York Times lists 'Kin' and 'London Falling'

The New York Times Book Review published its “Best Books of the Year (So Far)” list on April 27, naming Tayari Jones’s “Kin” and Patrick Radden Keefe’s “London Falling” among its standout 2026 titles. (nytimes.com) The Times said the list reflects books its staff “can’t stop thinking about” after covering hundreds of releases in the first third of 2026. It split the picks across fiction and nonfiction. (nytimes.com) In fiction, the paper tagged “Kin” as a “lush historical novel about sisterhood.” The novel follows Annie and Niecy, best friends and neighbors in 1950s Louisiana who grew up without their mothers and then pursue the families they longed for. (nytimes.com) (dnyuz.com) The Times described “Kin” as Jones’s fifth novel and quoted its reviewer saying the book created a pull so strong that they “wanted nothing more than to keep reading it.” (dnyuz.com) In nonfiction, the paper highlighted “London Falling” as a “spellbinding true crime story.” It opens with a young man falling to his death from a balcony above the Thames and then reconstructs the chain of events that led there. (dnyuz.com) That book is by Patrick Radden Keefe, whose earlier works include “Say Nothing” and “Empire of Pain.” A separate New York Times review said “London Falling” centers on 19-year-old Zac Brettler, whose 2019 death drew his family into a long search for answers. (dnyuz.com) The midyear list is not a bestseller ranking. It is an editorial reading guide built from books the Times has already reviewed and now sees as likely to stay in contention for its end-of-year lists. (nytimes.com) (dnyuz.com) The framing also gives readers a snapshot of what the Times is rewarding this spring: literary fiction with strong voice and setting, and nonfiction built on immersive reporting. “Kin” and “London Falling” landed on opposite sides of that divide. (nytimes.com) (dnyuz.com) For publishers and authors, a Times best-of mention can extend a book’s shelf life well beyond launch week. For readers, this one arrives on April 27 with the paper saying it is only a third of the way through 2026. (nytimes.com)