As some of you might have heard, my 2026 resolution can be summed up in four words: scroll less, read more. To that end, and in an effort to hold myself accountable, I’ve started a book club! I’m so excited. My goal is to read in community, as they say, one book a month. (I’ve already passed that marker.)
I'll be talking to the chosen book authors and we'll be hosting the conversations on Substack. It’s a great platform, with the quality and collaborative features that are perfect for these kinds of interactive discussions. If you have questions for an author, you can send them to info@katiecouric.com.
Aren’t on Substack? It's so easy to sign up — here's how to create an account:
And if you’re one of my paid Substack subscribers (let's call you "friends with benefits," get it?), you’ll be able to ask questions in real time in the comment section. There will be other fun offerings for FWB, which you’ll learn about in the future!
So…are you all in? Here are my KCBC book club selections so far:
Katie Couric Book Club Picks
January, 2026: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
The January selection was Virginia Evans's novel The Correspondent, a book that was given to me for Christmas by my good friend Carmela Ciuraru. (Carmela is an author herself, and her book about the dynamic between famous writers and their partners, called Lives of the Wives, is also fabulous!)
When I floated the idea of featuring Virginia's epistolary novel to my followers on Instagram, you were enthusiastic, to say the least.
During the inaugural KCBC meeting, Virginia revealed that what's especially exciting about the success of her book is that it’s her eighth — yes, eighth — but the first one that actually got published. (All those agents who said “no thanks” to representing her must be ruing the day.) Virginia’s experience reinforced two things I’ve always believed: “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration,” and the more you work at something, the better you become. Why has this book struck such a chord with so many of us? If you have some thoughts on the “why” of it all, let me know! I’m sure many of the answers revolve around Sybil, the tenacious, occasionally taciturn letter-writing septuagenarian protagonist.
I loved talking about the characters that emerged from Virginia’s imagination. You can read more of my recap here and watch the full conversation below.
February 2026: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
By popular demand, our second KCBC selection was Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. I was excited to dive into this novel that so many of the book clubbers requested. It was such a joy to speak to Allen about his touching New York Times bestseller about generosity, wonder, quiet kindness, and friendship. You can watch the conversation below.
March 2026: More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen
Elin Hilderbrand was raving about this book so I picked it up and was immediately hooked. But I'm not surprised — Anna Quindlen is so prolific. I've been reading her fiction and non-fiction for years; I feel like we've aged together, in a way. In fact, we've become friends and she was very excited to meet for our book club chat. For anyone who's ever been curious about their ancestry and tempted to take one of those DNA tests, this novel is for you. Between her struggles to get pregnant and tending to her ailing parents, high school English teacher Polly Goodman is at a pivotal point in her life when her book club pals give her a DNA testing kit sort of as a joke. She takes the test, and it upends everything. I was delighted to speak with Anna, and so were you. Watch the conversation below.
April 2026: James by Percival Everett
Everyone has heard of this book, and if you're like me, you've been meaning to read. I bought James a few months ago because I heard such incredible things, and then I learned that the paperback is actually coming out later this month (on the 21st), so I figured it was a sign that this was meant to be.
For those of you who aren't familiar, James is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from Jim’s point of view. It won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer, so needless to say, it's made an impact. I am so excited to read it with you all.
Join Percival and me over on Substack Live on April 28th at 5 p.m. ET to dive into every element of his masterpiece.
