What to read in 2026

No guarantees, of course, but Annabel Nugent is sure that this shortlist of hot books will be some of next year's best

- Annabel Nugent

Another year, another slate of books to look forward to. And another chance to make good on that age-old new year’s resolution to read more? It’ll be an easier endeavour than ever with a bunch of exciting new titles on the horizon for 2026.

Book catalogues are released seasonally, so admittedly this list is only looking forward to the first quarter of the year (with plenty of last-minute announcements sure to come) but already there’s so much to dig into between thrilling investigative nonfiction, revealing celebrity memoirs, and debuts so buzzy they're already set for the big screen.

We believe that some of these books will eventually land on every end-of-year, best-of list come next December - but we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, here are all the books you should have on your radar for 2026.

Fiction

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (Harper Collins)

Jennette McCurdy's 2022 memoir more than lived up to its daring name. I'm Glad My Mom Died chronicled her time as a child star on Nickelodeon, laying bare her battles with eating disorders, addiction and the abusive mother of her book's title. If her debut novel, about a 17-year-old in an affair with a married teacher, is anything like her memoir, it'll be a wild ride told with dark humour and lots of heart. 20 January

The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin (Picador)

At 70 years old, the Irish author of Long Island and Brooklyn has earned a reputation for conjuring intimacy through restraint. He brings his signature clean-cut prose to a new collection of short stories about living away from home. Here, we witness a woman in Galway honouring the death of her son in the First World War; an Irishman seeking anonymity in Barcelona, haunted by crimes he has committed; a man going to Dublin from Enniscorthy to implore a special favour from the minister for health - and much, much more. 26 March