Reading Time: 5 minutes

Weekend Watch & Read

Welcome to Weekend Watch & Read, your Friday guide to what everyone is talking about before the weekend begins.

Every Friday I’ll round up the Top 10 Netflix shows in the United States and the Top 10 in Brazil, giving you a glimpse into what audiences on both sides of the equator are binge-watching. Sometimes the lists will overlap; often they won’t, and that’s part of the fun. It’s a fascinating look at how culture, language, and storytelling shape what captures our attention.

For readers who would rather turn pages than stream episodes, I’ll also feature The New York Times Best Seller lists for both Fiction and Nonfiction. Whether you’re looking for your next thriller, biography, historical account, or thought-provoking read, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your weekend reading list.

Finally, I’ll share one book from my own bookshelf. It won’t necessarily be a bestseller or the latest release. Sometimes it will be a forgotten classic, a hidden gem, a work of history, or simply a book that made me stop, think, or see the world a little differently. Along with it, you’ll get my honest review and whether I think it’s worth adding to your own reading list.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee, settle into your favorite chair, and see what the rest of the world is watching, what readers are buying, and what one retired American living in Brazil thinks deserves a little more attention. Your weekend entertainment starts here.

Netflix Top 10 United States

1. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2026-07-29
2. Ransom Canyon | Drama, Western | premiered 2025-04-17
3. The Hawk | Comedy | premiered 2026-07-16
4. The Bombing of Pan Am 103 | Drama, Crime | premiered 2025-05-18
5. Raw | Reality | premiered 1993-01-11
6. My Daughter’s Father | Drama | premiered 2026-07-22
7. I Will Find You | Drama, Mystery, Crime | premiered 2026-06-18
8. Ransom Canyon | Drama, Western | premiered 2025-04-17
9. Elite Force | Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-07-22
10. Little House on the Prairie | Western, Drama, Family | premiered 1974-09-11

Netflix Top 10 In Brazil

1. Elite Force | Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-07-22
2. My Name Is Farah | Crime, Drama | premiered 2023-03-01
3. Wrath | Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-07-29
4. My Daughter’s Father | Drama | premiered 2026-07-22
5. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2026-07-29
6. Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2021-07-08
7. Ransom Canyon | Drama, Western | premiered 2025-04-17
8. Spooky in Love | Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | premiered 2026-07-18
9. The Mentalist | Crime, Drama, Mystery | premiered 2008-09-23
10. I Will Find You | Drama, Mystery, Crime | premiered 2026-06-18

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Fiction

1. THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
2. YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
3. WHISTLER by Ann Patchett | Fiction | published 2026-06-02
4. COOL MACHINE by Colson Whitehead | Fiction | published 2026-07-21
5. THE COUNTRY ROAD MURDERS by James Patterson and Mike Lupica | Fiction | published 2026-07-13
6. THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans | Fiction | published 2025-04-29
7. CARL’S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2024-09-24
8. A FORSAKEN PROPHECY by Stacey McEwan | Fiction | published 2026-07-14
9. THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST’S COOKBOOK by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2024-10-22
10. PRINCE OF SWORDS by Elise Kova | Fiction | published 2026-07-21

NY Times Top 10 Paperback Fiction

1. THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi | Fiction | published 2025-10-03
2. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir | Fiction | published 2022-10-04
3. DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2025-12-30
4. THE DEAL by Elle Kennedy | Fiction | published 2015-02-24
5. THE DIVORCE by Freida McFadden | Fiction | published 2026-05-26
6. THE FIVE-STAR WEEKEND by Elin Hilderbrand | Fiction | published 2024-02-13
7. THE MISTAKE by Elle Kennedy | Fiction | published 2015-04-28
8. REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt | Drama | published 2022
9. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman | Fiction | published 2026-06-02
10. THE SCORE by Elle Kennedy | College students | published 2016-01-11

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Non-Fiction

1. REGIME CHANGE by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan | Political Science | published 2026-06-23
2. STRANGERS by Belle Burden | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-01-13
3. THIS IS THE PLAN by Ben Wikler | Political Science | published 2026-07-21
4. COMMUNION by JD Vance | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-06-16
5. DOGS, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS I’VE CRIED ABOUT by Isabel Klee | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-05-12
6. THE DAY AFTER by Brian Tyler Cohen | Philosophy | published 2026-07-14
7. LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe | Family & Relationships | published 2026-04-07
8. CANCEL ME IF YOU CAN by Dave Portnoy | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-06-30
9. REVOLUTION by Eric Metaxas
10. THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE by David Sedaris | Family & Relationships | published 2026-05-26

Book Review:

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Review: A Powerful Examination of America’s Hidden Social Structure

By Isabel Wilkerson

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson is one of the most insightful and thought-provoking books I have read in years. Wilkerson provides an extraordinary historical account that is compelling, accessible, and deeply informative. More than simply a book about racism, Caste examines the underlying structure of social hierarchy in the United States and compares it to caste systems throughout history and across cultures.

This book forces you to reconsider what you know or think you know about American history. It presents a painful but necessary examination of slavery, segregation, discrimination, and the systems that continued long after those institutions were supposedly dismantled. No general history class, unless perhaps at the highest academic levels, truly explores this subject with the depth and detail Wilkerson provides here.

In many ways, Caste feels essential reading. The book reveals shocking historical realities while explaining how deeply embedded caste structures became within American society. Wilkerson carefully connects the American racial hierarchy to the ancient caste system in India and also documents how the Nazi Party studied American racial laws before coming to power in Germany. These comparisons are disturbing, but they are presented with historical evidence and careful research rather than sensationalism.

Some sections of the book can be difficult to read because they confront the reality that caste in America has often been tied directly to skin color, creating rigid social divisions that shaped nearly every part of society. Wilkerson also explores how caste not only separated races but also created divisions within communities, reinforcing social and economic inequality across generations.

What makes the book especially effective is that Wilkerson relies heavily on historical records, documented events, legal systems, and firsthand accounts rather than opinion. She demonstrates how caste structures survived through slavery, the aftermath of the American Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. Even after the advances of the Civil Rights Movement, she argues that many elements of the structure remain embedded within institutions and society today.

Whether readers agree with every conclusion or not, the book challenges people to look at modern America differently. You begin to recognize how historical systems continue to influence politics, economics, education, criminal justice, and social division even now. It is uncomfortable at times, but that discomfort is part of what makes the book so important.

If you are interested in a deeper understanding of American history and race relations, I highly recommend this book. Some parts may be difficult to accept or emotionally heavy, but it is impossible to finish without learning something meaningful. At the very least, it encourages readers to think critically about history and how the past continues to shape the present.

I am also currently reading The Warmth of Other Suns, another outstanding work by Wilkerson about the Great Migration of Black Americans from the South to northern and western cities between roughly 1890 and 1970. While the books can be read independently, I would probably recommend reading The Warmth of Other Suns first to gain additional historical context before moving on to Caste.

★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

Critical Reception

When Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents was released in 2020, it received widespread acclaim from critics, historians, and readers. The book became a bestseller and was praised for its ambitious scope, historical research, and powerful analysis of systemic inequality. Many reviewers described it as one of the most important nonfiction books of the decade, highlighting Wilkerson’s ability to make complex historical and sociological ideas accessible to general audiences.