While binge-watching can be cool, nothing beats reading—and the lineup of Amazon Prime books on sale for Prime Day 2022 is helping us make that point. Because there are some incredible books (and book deals) to be had, whether you’re in the market for a new read or want to read the book behind the film adaptation.
The beauty of books is that they can transport you to various places and times without you needing to leave the comfort of your couch—or, if you’re lucky, beach chair. And the picks below are especially good at this, whether you’re into UFOs, Tolkien lore, college friendships, or none of the above. With that, below are 36 of the best Amazon Prime books to get in your cart and on your shelf, stat.
Looking for more deals? Shop the latest and greatest markdowns across Amazon Prime Day 2022, including fashion, beauty, books, under-$50 deals, under-$100 deals, as well as the rival sales that are bringing the heat.
Kindles for Readers of All Ages
The Kindle deals this year are so good…they’ll even convince paperback loyalists to hop aboard the e-reader hype. Pick up the OG model for just $45—it’s one of the best under-$50 deals we’ve scoped out this year—or invest in one of the newer models like the Kindle Oasis, which features an adjustable warm light and water-resistant backing so you can bring it with you in the shower. Even kids’ e-readers are on sale if you’re looking for gifts for new parents and their little ones—pair it with a three-month Kindle membership and you have the perfect present for just about anyone on your list.
#BookTok Favorites
If you’re looking for #BookTok recommends without having to commit to a mind-numbing scroll—or downloading the app for that matter—you’re in the right place. Settle in on the sofa with a newly-released rom-com, like Emily Henry’s can’t-put-down Book Lovers or Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer, which will have you rooting for the main characters from the first chapter. Joan Didion’s essays are also a bookshelf staple, though if you already know her musings about the Santa Ana winds by heart, The Body Keeps the Score marries science with prose for a revealing yet analytical take on understanding trauma. For something hot off the presses, consider Ottessa Moshfegh’s Lapvona or Lisa Taddeo’s Ghost Lovers, the latter a collection of mind-bending essays on lust, life, and love you’ll still be thinking about weeks later.
Fiction You’ll Never Forget
The best books are the ones you can’t put down, even when it’s 2 a.m. on a weeknight and you most definitely have to function at work tomorrow. They’re also the ones that stick with you long after you’ve finished, those that you text your friends about even if no one actually cares which god intervened during the Trojan War. And these fit the bill: Not only are they just really good stories, but they also change you in some way, whether by expanding your worldview or eliciting your sympathy for Greek demigods who are really just agents of chaos.
For instance, Min Jin Lee’s sprawling Pachinko sheds light on an area of history that isn’t often covered in classrooms—namely, Japan’s decades-long rule over Korea. And with Where the Crawdads Sing debuting in theaters on July 13, you’ll want to read it before you get any spoilers from the trailers. If you pick up Song of Achilles (a #BookTok favorite), make sure to stay hydrated and pack some Kleenex as you get near the end.
Sci-Fi That Hits (Too) Close to Home
Aliens! Artificial intelligence! These novels have everything if you’re looking to get out of 2022 and into a distant, but not necessarily brighter, future—but that’s part of the fun, right? Ling Ma’s Severance now reads more like foreshadowing than when it was published in 2019, and if you have literally any interest in the possibility of extraterrestrials, start on The Three-Body Problem (the first of a huge, mind-blowing trilogy) ASAP. It’ll be the only thing you want to discuss for the next five months.
Breezy Beach Reads
Okay, so you’re not interested in reading about our inevitable dystopian future? We’ve got you. While these have more heft than your average beach read, they also have more heart, bringing the romance novel into unexpected places and, in the case of J. Courtney Sullivan’s Commencement, turning the focus on the friendships that stay with us. Pack them in your beach bag for your next vacation.
Memoirs to Make You Laugh and Cry (or Both)
Real life can be a real drag (see: the news), but memoirs bring magic and meaning to the everyday, whether it’s Samantha Irby dropping trou on the side of the road in her heaving-with-laughter lineup of essays, or Suleika Jaouad’s memoir about not only her experience with cancer but the commonly overlooked, underestimated challenges that can accompany survivorship. And if you’ve been a David Sedaris fan since Holidays on Ice, you’ll be happy to know that the hardcover edition of his latest essay collection is marked down too.
Boxed Book Sets
Boxed sets are winners for a few reasons: Not only do you get multiple books for a steal, but you also don’t have to come to a screeching halt in the middle of an engrossing trilogy. (Plus, they make great gifts if you’ve got a bookworm in your life.) With Amazon Prime’s Rings of Power dropping in September, you might want to brush up on your Lord of the Rings lore, and recall what a baddie Elrond is. (It’s true. Sorry, Legolas.) Want to toss a coin to your witcher? Go ahead and do just that with the full series. Sure, it’s not as good as a grumpy yet supremely jacked Henry Cavill, but we’ll take what we can get! If you’re more into romance, there’s Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, which has taken off on Prime Video—and of course, Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton classics.
