Library of Michigan announces the 2026 Michigan Notable Books list

LANSING — The Library of Michigan announced the 2026 Michigan Notable Books list, honoring “a diverse collection of works that highlight the state’s vibrant literary landscape and the voices shaping its cultural narrative.”

Each year, the Michigan Notable Books list features 20 books published during the previous calendar year that are about the Great Lakes, set in Michigan or the Great Lakes, or written by a Michigan author. 

“Our state offers endless opportunities for creative expression,” Mindy Babarskis, reference librarian for the Library of Michigan and coordinator of the Michigan Notable Books program, said in a press release. “Michigan’s beautiful landscape and diverse subject matter provide a rich palette for writers. This year’s Michigan Notable Books selections exhibit the magnetism of Michigan and open doorways to the voices and experiences across generations of people.”

2026 Michigan Notable Books include: “Bear County, Michigan: Stories,” by John Counts; “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A Veteran’s Memoir,” by Khadijah Queen; “The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North,” by Michelle Adams; “Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard,” by C.M. Kushins; “Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project,” by Jeffrey M. Holden; “Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, a Writer’s Life,” by Todd Goddard; “Forever in the Path: The Black Experience at Michigan State University,” by Pero G. Dagbovie; “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” by John U. Bacon; “The Hours are Long, But the Pay is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music,” by Rob Miller; “The House of David: Salvation, Scandal, and Survival in a Modern American Commune,” by Evelyn Sterne; “How to Talk to Your Succulent,” by Zoe Persico; “An Ignorance of Trees: A Memoir in Essays,” by Jim Daniels; “Miss Betti, What is This?: How Detroit’s School Lunch Lady Got Good Food on the Menu,” by Lela Nargi, illustrated by Kristen Uroda; “No Human Involved: The Serial Murder of Black Women and Girls and the Deadly Cost of Police Indifference,” by Cheryl L. Neely; “Roy Reuther and the UAW: Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights,” by Alan Reuther; “Stepping off the Boat: Stories From North Manitou Island,” by Susan Hollister Wasserman; “Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir,” by Jeffrey Seller; “This Magnetic North: Candid Conversations on a Changing Northern Michigan,” by Tim Mulherin; “The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan,” by Robert “Carlos” Fuentes, illustrated by Kristen Wasil; and “Waterline: A Novel,” by Aram Mrjoian.

The books and authors will be honored at the annual Night for Notables reception on Saturday, April 18, at the Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in Lansing, with past two-time Michigan Notable Books honoree Angeline Boulley giving the keynote speech. Participating authors will travel to libraries across the state on the Michigan Notable Books authors tour to share their experiences and engage with local communities. 

Michigan Notable Books is sponsored in part by the Library of Michigan Foundation and Michigan Humanities.

For more information or questions, contact the Library of Michigan at (517) 335-1477 or email Michigan- Notable-Books@michigan.gov.