2026’s Best Book Releases To Get Excited For
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1 week ago
Your reading list is sorted
Pledged to read more in 2026? Keep things interesting with a new release. Resident Book Reviewer Belinda Bamber and Digital Culture Editor Olivia Emily pick the 38 biggest new book releases to have on your radar in 2026.
MORE: 10 Books To Read Before You Watch The Film Adaptation In 2026
Best New Books Coming In 2026
Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy
Starting 2026 with a bang is Jeanette McCurdy, whose confessional memoir (and soon-to-be TV series) I’m Glad My Mom Died made waves in 2022; her debut novel Half His Age – a black comedy about a yearning 17-year-old in love with her creative writing teacher – will hit shelves in January.
20 January, £16.99
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Glyph by Ali Smith
Hot on the heels of her luminous 2024 sci-fi Gliff, Ali Smith returns with the second half of the duology, Glyph, about sisters and strange stories.
19 January, £20
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Departure(s) by Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes’ final novel Departure(s) feels like the semi-autobiographical farewell of a writer facing the end of his life.
22 January, £18.99
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The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusappin
The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusappin sees sisters Agathe and Véra reunited to empty their childhood home in rural France after their father’s death.
29 January, £14.99
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Vigil by George Saunders
Look out for George Saunders’ Vigil, the follow-up to his Booker-winning Lincoln in the Bardo.
27 January, £18.99
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The Roof Beneath Their Feet by Geetanjali Shree
In February don’t miss the UK publication of an Indian classic, The Roof Beneath Their Feet by Geetanjali Shree.
3 February, £14.99
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Nonesuch by Francis Spufford
There’s also the launch of Francis Spufford’s fantasy novel Nonesuch set in the Blitz, in which two young women fight on London’s rooftops to save history.
26 February, £20
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A Better Life by Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver’s new novel A Better Life spins a unique tale of the migrant crisis.
17 February, £22
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Wants and Needs by Roxy Dunn
There’s a satisfyingly honest novel about youthful expectations of romance in Wants and Needs by Roxy Dunn.
29 January, £16.99
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Lean Cat, Savage Cat by Lauren J Joseph
For a wild and witty ride of sex, parties and transvestism in Berlin, go for Lean Cat, Savage Cat by Lauren J Joseph, in which a typical night in a basement speakeasy sees ‘Two ripped dykes grinding together like the molars of a lazy student on results day’.
26 February, £16.99
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Love Lane by Patrick Gale
March is packed with goodies, including a new novel by Patrick Gale called Love Lane, which narrates the complexities of relationships with his characteristic sensitivity.
26 March, £20
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The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski
Or settle down with a classic country-house story of family dysfunction, The Infamous Gilberts by debut writer Angela Tomaski.
5 March, £16.99
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Look What You Made Me Do by John Lanchester
Speaking of dysfunction, don’t miss John Lanchester’s dark marital comedy among W11’s professional classes, Look What You Made Me Do.
12 March, £20
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Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
And if you’re a fan of Life of Pi, try Yann Martel’s new novel about a classical scholar researching the Trojan War, Son of Nobody.
2 April, £20
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Kin by Tayari Jones
On the theme of abandoned children, look out for Kin by award-winning Tayari Jones, about two girls navigating racially segregated America.
26 March, £18.99
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The News from Dublin by Colm Toíbin
For morsel-sized literary treats, fans of Colm Toíbin will enjoy his short story collection, The News from Dublin.
26 March, £14.99
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Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami
Then there are three exciting novels from Japan: Sisters in Yellow is the latest page-turner by the International Booker-shortlisted literary star, Mieko Kawakami.
19 March, £16.99
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The Soul Catchers by Naoko Higashi
Meanwhile The Soul Catchers by Naoko Higashi is a gentle exploration of the Japanese folk belief that objects are imbued with the presence of the dead.
19 March, £14.99
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Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
And after the whopping success of Polly Barton’s translation of Butter, Asako Yuzuki returns to the British market with Hooked, another deliciously disturbing tale of an obsessive relationship (again translated by Barton) – this time between a lonely trading company employee and an unconventional housewife.
12 March, £16.99
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What Am I, A Deer? by Polly Barton
Speaking of Barton, sample the translator’s original fiction with her debut What Am I, A Deer? which delves into the existential angst of modern life through a woman set on reinvention.
9 April, £14.99
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My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein: A Fiction by Deborah Levy
April sees the launch of My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein: A Fiction, by the wonderful Deborah Levy. It’s a story of three women friends in the French capital – totally unlike Hot Milk, the novel made into an acclaimed movie in 2025, and set to be another classic.
16 April, £18.99
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I'll Take the Fire by Leila Slimani
I’ll Take the Fire is the third in by Leila Slimani’s powerful trilogy set in Morocco, the gripping finish to a memorable family saga.
23 April, £16.99
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See You on the Other Side by Jay McInerney
Then there’s the final book in Jay McInerney’s Calloway series, See You on the Other Side which opens at the start of lockdown in 2020 Manhattan.
14 April, £22
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Into the Wreck by Susannah Dickey
If you enjoyed Tennis Lessons by Irish writer-to-watch Susannah Dickey, check out her new novel, Into the Wreck.
9 April, £16.99
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The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley
And if you liked Gwendoline Riley’s award-winning debut, First Love, try her new dark comedy, The Palm House.
2 April, £16.99
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John of John by Douglas Stuart
In May, don’t miss Booker winner Douglas Stuart’s highly anticipated third novel John of John, which spins a tale of love, religion, fatherhood, art and land on the Isle of Harris.
21 May, £20
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The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Fans of Elizabeth Strout can look forward to a completely new set of characters in The Things We Never Say.
7 May, £18.99
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Land by Maggie O’Farrell
June sees the release of a multigenerational saga based in nineteenth-century Ireland from Maggie O’Farrell, called Land.
2 June, £25
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It Will Come Back to You by Sigrid Nunez
Fans of American author Sigrid Nunez should look out for her first short story collection, It Will Come Back to You.
14 July, £15.99
BUY NOWWho Can Blame Her by Bella Mackie
Your beach read for August is Who Can Blame Her by Bella Mackie.
27 August, £20
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Agrippa by Robert Harris
Fans of Robert Harris can pack a weightier tome in their suitcase when Agrippa is released, which focuses on 17-year-old Octavius in Ancient Rome, heir to the now-dead Julius Caesar.
27 August, £22
BUY NOWSky City by Jacqueline Crooks
The new novel by Jacqueline Crooks, author of Fire Rush, is Sky City, set in 90s London about a woman trying to escape her past.
6 August, £18.99
BUY NOWThe Newer World by Sebastian Barry
September kicks off autumn beautifully with a new novel from Irish writer Sebastian Barry. The Newer World whisks us back to the aftermath of the American Civil War.
10 September, £20
BUY NOWThe Housekeeper by Rose Tremain
Rose Tremain’s The Housekeeper fictionalises the inspiration behind Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.
17 September, £20
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Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel
Bestselling author of Station Eleven (2014), The Glass Hotel (2020) and Sea of Tranquility (2022), Canadian author Emily St John Mandel returns with Exit Party, centring on a disappeared man in the near future.
17 September, £18.99
BUY NOWStations by Louise Kennedy
If you enjoyed Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses, which was turned into an acclaimed TV series in 2025, look out for her new book Stations, which opens with two teen girls from the same hometown in 1980s Ireland.
24 September, £20
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The Golden Hours by Louisa Young
And don’t miss Louisa Young’s The Golden Hours, a continuation of old favourite The Cazalet Chronicles, by her aunt Elizabeth Jane Howard.
3 September, £20
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