Reading Time: 5 minutes

Weekend Picks Ideas For Your Weekend – Netflix Top 10 NY Times Best Sellers & a Book Review by Kevin

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. My Life With the Walter Boys | Drama | premiered 2023-12-07
3. The Bombing of Pan Am 103 | Drama, Crime | premiered 2025-05-18
4. Raw | Reality | premiered 1993-01-11
5. Best Medicine | Comedy, Drama | premiered 2026-01-04
6. Ransom Canyon | Drama, Western | premiered 2025-04-17
7. Ms. Rachel | Kids | premiered 2025-01-27
8. The Hawk | Comedy | premiered 2026-07-16
9. I Will Find You | Drama, Mystery, Crime | premiered 2026-06-18
10. Danny Go! | Kids | premiered 2019-08-21

Netflix Top 10 In Brazil

1. Wrath | Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-07-29
2. My Name Is Farah | Crime, Drama | premiered 2023-03-01
3. My Life With the Walter Boys | Drama | premiered 2023-12-07
4. Our Sticky Love | Drama, Comedy | premiered 2026-08-07
5. The Bombing of Pan Am 103 | Drama, Crime | premiered 2025-05-18
6. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2026-07-29
7. Spooky in Love | Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | premiered 2026-07-18
8. The Mentalist | Crime, Drama, Mystery | premiered 2008-09-23
9. My Daughter’s Father | Drama | premiered 2026-07-22
10. Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2021-07-08

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Fiction

1. DAGGERMOUTH by H.M. Wolfe
2. THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
3. YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
4. WHISTLER by Ann Patchett | Fiction | published 2026-06-02
5. SEA OF CHARMS by Sarah Beth Durst | Fiction | published 2026-07-28
6. MEET ME IN PARIS by Kristin Harmel
7. THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans | Fiction | published 2025-04-29
8. CARL’S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2024-09-24
9. GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER by Shari Lapena | Fiction | published 2026-07-28
10. THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST’S COOKBOOK by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2024-10-22

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. JUST FOR THE PLOT by Meghan Quinn | Fiction | published 2026-07-28
4. DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2025-12-30
5. THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach | Fiction | published 2025-06-24
6. THE DIVORCE by Freida McFadden | Fiction | published 2026-05-26
7. THE DEAL by Elle Kennedy | Fiction | published 2015-02-24
8. CIRCE by Madeline Miller
9. REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt | Drama | published 2022
10. THE MISTAKE by Elle Kennedy | Fiction | published 2015-04-28

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Non-Fiction

1. REGIME CHANGE by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan | Political Science | published 2026-06-23
2. BIOLOGICAL WAR by Annie Jacobsen | Political Science | published 2026-07-28
3. STRANGERS by Belle Burden | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-01-13
4. DOGS, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS I’VE CRIED ABOUT by Isabel Klee | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-05-12
5. COMMUNION by JD Vance | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-06-16
6. LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe | Family & Relationships | published 2026-04-07
7. THIS IS THE PLAN by Ben Wikler | Political Science | published 2026-07-21
8. REVOLUTION by Eric Metaxas | History | published 2026-06-02
9. THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE by David Sedaris | Family & Relationships | published 2026-05-26
10. CANCEL ME IF YOU CAN by Dave Portnoy

Book Review: The Warmth of Other Suns Review: A Powerful Story of the Great Migration and the American Dream

By Isabel Wilkerson

★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is the second book I have read by Wilkerson. The first was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which I have also reviewed on this blog. Once again, she delivers a remarkable and deeply compelling work.

This book tells the story of the Great Migration, the movement of millions of Black Americans from the South to northern and western cities following World War I. What began as a slow migration in the late nineteenth century accelerated after the war and continued steadily until around 1970, a period widely considered the end of the migration.

Wilkerson makes a convincing case that this chapter of American history should be taught far more extensively in schools because it fundamentally reshaped the country’s social, political, and economic structures. She presents the migration as both a historical movement and a deeply human story driven largely by the desire to escape the oppression of the Jim Crow South while seeking better jobs, dignity, safety, and opportunity.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is how it challenges common assumptions about the migration itself. Research discussed throughout the book found that many Black migrants arriving in northern cities were often as educated and in some cases better educated than the existing working-class populations they encountered. Many came with strong family structures, work ethic, and determination to build better lives despite enormous barriers.

Even after leaving the South, however, many migrants found different forms of discrimination and segregation in northern and western cities. While there were no formal “white” and “colored” sections like those enforced under Jim Crow laws, migrants still faced hostility, inflated housing costs, discriminatory lending practices, overcrowded neighborhoods, and resentment from people who feared they were competing for jobs. These tensions often contributed to unrest and riots in rapidly growing urban centers.

Rather than presenting the migration only through statistics or historical analysis, Wilkerson focuses on the lives of three individuals who leave the Deep South and journey toward different parts of the country. Their stories span more than fifty years and reveal not only the hardship of migration, but also the perseverance, sacrifice, and hope carried by so many families searching for something better.

One particularly interesting detail is how geography and railroad routes heavily influenced where migrants settled. Families from places like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida often followed established rail lines into cities across Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and New York, as well as other destinations throughout the Midwest and East Coast.

I would highly recommend both of Wilkerson’s books. While parts of this history can be difficult and painful to read, it is essential to better understand the United States today. Wilkerson writes with tremendous compassion and clarity, creating a story that is informative, emotional, and nearly impossible to put down.

At its heart, The Warmth of Other Suns is a story about the human spirit, survival, and the pursuit of the American dream. It reminds readers that, regardless of background, people ultimately want the same basic things: dignity, opportunity, safety, and a better life for their families.

★★★★★ 5/5 Stars

I used ChatGPT for the critical reception because I could not know what was said when the book came out.

Critical Reception

When The Warmth of Other Suns was released in 2010, it received widespread acclaim from critics, historians, and readers alike. The book won numerous awards and was praised for combining rigorous historical research with deeply personal storytelling. Many reviewers described it as one of the defining nonfiction works about race and American history in the twenty-first century. Critics especially praised Wilkerson’s ability to humanize historical events through intimate biographies while still capturing the broader scope of the Great Migration.