12 books you need to read in 2026

12 books you need to read in 2026

Whenever I fantasise about a couple of hours of uninterrupted relaxation during the chilly winter months, my mind immediately conjures up images of curling up on the sofa with a deliciously good book. And when summer eventually comes around, just swap the location to a sun lounger in the back garden (or somewhere more exotic).

So with 2026 nearly upon us, join me for an eclectic taste of a few literary delights worth feasting upon over the next 12 months.

Tissues at the ready. It's the final instalment of Oseman's hit graphic novel series which has followed the lives of Nick and Charlie, two teenage boys who fall for each other at school. Along with their friends, we've followed all the ups and downs of their relationship as they navigated family drama, homophobia and mental health issues, alongside the joy of first love.

The successful accompanying Netflix series brought Heartstopper to a new audience and the concluding storyline has been hotly anticipated by fans of the books and show alike. Volume 6 will see Nick head off to university - can his relationship with Charlie survive long-distance?

As if fans of Maggie O'Farrell haven't got enough to be excited about with the film adaptation of Hamnet set for release in the new year, they also have a new novel to look forward to in the summer.

The bestselling author returns with Land, another ambitious and compelling work, this time inspired by O'Farrell's own family history.

Set in Ireland in 1865 in the aftermath of the devastating Great Hunger, O'Farrell again explores themes of loss, survival and migration in this multi-generational epic.

O'Farrell has previously said she feels "more than a little nervous" about the publication of her latest work but if her previous success is anything to go by, we don't think she'll need to worry.

Other novels out next year from "big hitters" include Son of Nobody: A Novel by Yann Martel (Canongate), Julian Barnes's Departure(s) (Vintage), The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin (Pan Macmillan), Vigil by George Saunders (Bloomsbury), Glyph by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton), The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (Viking), John of John by Douglas Stuart (Picador), Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (Vintage) and the final novel from the late Mario Vargas Losa, I Give You My Silence (Faber & Faber).

Keralan-born author and former journalist Anappara is back following the huge success of her debut novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, which was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time.

This time around, Anappara moves the setting from India to Tibet in an epic historical tale of adventure, as two unlikely adventurers - an Indian teacher spying for the British Empire and an English female explorer who has been rejected by the all-male Royal Geographical Society - battle to survive storms, frostbite, fevers, snow leopards, soldiers and bandits.

Set in 1869, it's a thrilling and profound tale of secret personal ambition set against the backdrop of colonialist expansion. A proper page-turner.

This is the first foray into adult fiction for Silver, a British former actor and mental health nurse best known for his hit YA books including dystopian novel Happyhead and its sequel, Dead Happy.

Fruit Fly sees the world of wealthy author Mallory collide with addict and sex worker Leo after she downloads a gay hook-up app in a bid to find some inspiration for her next bestseller.

Sharp, dark and humorous, it's a real nailbiter.

Doctor Who and It's A Sin screenwriter Russell T Davies has also had a sneak peek ahead of publication: "This is an incredible book... tough and raw and merciless but funny and kind at the same time." If it's good enough for Russell, it's good enough for us.

Yuzuki is an established Japanese writer with more than 20 novels under her belt but her word-of-mouth hit, Butter, brought her to a global audience last year when it became her first book to be translated into English.

The ambitious thriller had us all salivating over its luscious and sensory foodie descriptions and enthralled by its themes of fat-shaming, beauty standards and misogyny.

Yuzuki's new novel, Hooked, again translated by Polly Barton, returns to the theme of food as we're introduced to lonely protagonist Eriko, who works in the seafood industry and is aiming to reintroduce a controversial fish into the Japanese market.

Stick with me... the real drama comes as Eriko befriends a blogger she follows on social media, but things soon become sour as her longing for companionship turns to obsession.

Three friends drive along Manchester's Curry Mile (Wilmslow Road – aka Wimmy Road) for what ends up being the most epic and chaotic of nights out. This inventive and highly enjoyable debut novel spans that single, eventful evening.

It won the new writing prize from Stormzy's publishing imprint in 2024, and Merky has turned up an exciting and original new voice. Salam turns this stretch of tarmac, restaurants and bars into a dizzying fairground with neon thrills and a seedy, menacing underbelly.

The legendary stage and screen star told People earlier this year that she had always been against the idea of writing her memoir: "'Absolutely not! 'Tell it when I'm gone!' was my philosophy," she explained.

But the Oscar-winning Cabaret actress changed her mind and felt "mad as hell" after seeing others tell her story on film and TV, "all made by people who didn't know my family, and don't really know me."

Expect nuggets from her younger days growing up in the shadow of her famous mum, Judy Garland, before she reveals all on her meteoric rise to fame, struggles with addiction, high-profile marriages and friendships, and heartbreaking miscarriages. It's going to be one hell of a ride.

Other memoirs out next year worth checking out are Starchild: My Life Under the Night Sky by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Ebury), My Truth, My Story: Part 2 from Cher (HarperCollins), Gisele Pelicot - A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides (Vintage), Lena Dunham's Fame Sick (Fourth Estate) and James Bailey's biography, Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark (Sceptre).

And if you were a Wham and George Michael fan growing up - and still are, obviously - Sathnam Sanghera's Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael (Picador), is a must, exploring his heady and turbulent pop days against a backdrop of political and social upheaval.

The illustrious Stephen King has already said this book will be "in the running for the best mystery of 2026... it will remind you, in the best way, of Agatha Christie", while Val McDermid, no less, described her early copy as a "cracking read." I've also had a sneak peek and can concur.

This crime thriller sees six authors on a private island with 72 hours to write the ending of a book by the late bestselling writer, Arthur Fletch. And if you liked RF Kuang's YellowFace, you will also enjoy this novel's satirical take on the publishing industry.

The mystery element even extends to the book's authors - Evelyn Clarke is a pen name for two writers, who finally revealed themselves at the Bloody Scotland Crime Festival in September. You don't have to be a detective to find out, a quick internet search should do the trick.

Shadowhunters fans, gather round. The romantasy genre continues apace into the near year as Cassandra Clare returns with book one in The Wicked Powers series, the final trilogy of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

It follows Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn and Drusilla Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices series, as they are drawn into the final conflict between the side of demons and the side of angels.

Dystopian romance is also gaining in popularity, with Rebecca Wright's Songbird (self-published) and Ariel Sullivan's Beneath (Tor Bramble/Pan Macmillan), the prequel to 2025 hit Conform, both on many a bookworm's radar for 2026.

But if contemporary fiction is more your thing, never fear, the prolific queen of the romcom, Abbey Jimenez, is back with two more books next year - The Night We Met, a sequel to Say You'll Remember Me, and a novella, Marry Little Christmas (Piatkus/Hachette UK).

This moving family drama set against the backdrop of the Horizon Post Office scandal is the debut novel from the west Londoner, who won praise for his play Punjabi Boy back in 2016.

A book that will put you through the emotional wringer, Brar says it was inspired "by the love my father had in running his sub-Post Office for over twenty years".

In this book set in 2007, Mr Sidhu is the sub-postmaster of the local post office in London's Richmond (where Brar now resides). Immersed in grief after the death of his wife while supporting his adult children, our delightful hero is later surprised to find himself falling for co-worker, Rose.

While that brings its own difficulties, not least with his offspring, Mr Sidhu's weekly accounts start reporting mysterious losses and his faith in community - and theirs in him - is seriously tested. If you don't fall in love with Mr Sidhu, as I did, then I can't help you!

Other debuts include Australian author's Liz Allan's In Bloom, a raw coming-of-age mystery tale based on her own personal experience (Sceptre), Jeanette McCurdy's Half His Age about a 17-year-old's affair with her teacher and Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear (4th Estate) about a trad wife influencer (4th Estate).

The clue is in the title - US crime noir writer Jordan Harper is back with his latest thriller as he returns to his regular hunting ground, the seedy underbelly of LA.

Fame, power, sex parties, a serial killer and a Hollywood paedophile. It's not for the faint-hearted but it's one hell of a journey if you've got the stomach for it.

If you're not familiar with Harper's work, he's also written for TV shows including Gotham and the Mentalist, while Taron Egerton starred in the recent adaptation of Harper's novel of the same name, She Rides Shotgun.

Other crime novels to look out for next year are Peter Hanington's The Darkest Tide, a gangland revenge tale spanning more than 50 years and set in Brighton.

And here's one that probably wasn't on your bingo card - bestselling author James Patterson and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis have teamed up for a tense legal thriller called Judge Stone (Century/Penguin).

It follows the case of a doctor who is arrested after carrying out an abortion on a 13-year-old girl in Alabama, a state where nearly all abortions are outlawed.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the modern-day genie in the bottle that isn't going anywhere.

So how can we take control of it while keeping up with its rapid developments?

The author behind The Dark Net and The People vs Tech talks us through some of the pitfalls and benefits now that millions of us are using AI chatbots like Chat GPT and Copilot at work and at home.

The research is as thorough as you might expect, with a focus on the human impact and the implications for democracy of this "second industrial revolution", plus a detailed examination of large language models' current limitations.

A sometimes chilling but essential read.

With additional reporting and research by Ian Youngs and Freddy Tennyson.

Source: BBC
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