The beginning of the year is an exciting and overwhelming time. It’s full of possibilities, but working toward your resolutions can feel intimidating.
For both devoted and aspiring book lovers, curating a reading list can feel similarly overwhelming. We have access to hundreds of recommendations at any given moment thanks to social media, Goodreads, and BookTok. And if you’re looking for books coming out in 2026, it can be challenging to track all the new releases.
I’m someone who likes to read a variety of genres, and I always want to try something new and exciting. In the process of curating my own reading list for this year, I’ve done a fair amount of research. This list of 10 soon-to-be-released books covers a wide range, so I hope you’ll find something that resonates with you.
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Expected January 20, 2026
Writer, director, and former actress Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling 2022 memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died was extremely successful. This year, McCurdy will release her second book, a debut novel with an equally bold title. Half His Age follows seventeen-year-old Waldo, a lonely and ravenous teenager from Alaska who wants nothing more than her creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy.
Critics praised McCurdy’s ability to portray her experiences as a child actor with unflinching honesty and dark humor in I’m Glad My Mom Died. When I first read McCurdy’s memoir, I also really enjoyed her powerful narrative voice. After reading about McCurdy’s visions for Half His Age, I’m excited to see an unapologetic portrayal of teenage girlhood that explores themes of consumerism and desire.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley
Expected January 20, 2026
Award-winning fiction writer and playwright Nina McConigley is known for her work on the American West and the rural immigrant experience. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is her debut novel, and it follows the Creel sisters as they welcome their aunt, uncle, and young cousin from India to their home in rural Wyoming in 1986. But then they decide that their uncle has to die. This novel deals with themes of extended family, sisterhood, history, language, and trauma.
While I’m not as familiar with McConigley’s work, the novel’s premise caught my eye right away. As the daughter of immigrants in the South, I don’t read too many books about the American West. But I want to learn more about different immigrant experiences, and I’m excited to see what this book has to offer.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar
Expected March 24, 2026
Amal El-Mohtar is a renowned speculative fiction writer best known for co-writing the 2019 novella This Is How You Lose the Time War. Her upcoming collection, Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories, is full of Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories. The synopsis describes the collection as a compilation of folktales that will invite readers into mesmerizing new worlds. The stories experiment with a variety of forms, such as diary entries and letters; yet through them all, El-Mohtar maintains her lyrical prose.
I’m excited to dive into this collection because I loved This Is How You Lose the Time War, a novella with a poetic writing style, and I’ve been wanting to read more short fiction this year.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Inheritance by Jane Park
Expected April 7, 2026
Inheritance follows Anne Park, a successful lawyer in New York, who discovers that her father was from North Korea after his passing. Anne finds undelivered letters that her father had written to his brother, who he left behind, about his new life in Canada. As she reads, she is transported back to her childhood in a rural prairie town in the 1980s and 90s.
Jane Park is a second-generation Korean Canadian writer, and this is her debut novel. As a child of immigrants, I found the themes of sacrifice, generational trauma, and rebellion to be both interesting and relatable. Moreover, it’s refreshing to encounter non-American perspectives, which can be overlooked in the publishing industry.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
The Land and Its People by David Sedaris
Expected May 26, 2026
David Sedaris is a popular humorist, comedian, and author known for his autobiographical, self-deprecating style of humor. His upcoming essay collection, The Land and Its People, focuses on the roles that we play in other people’s lives and the places we call home. Sedaris reflects on what it means to be a foreigner, a friend, and a brother.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sedaris’s writing, so I have always been interested in reading his work. And because I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, just like Sedaris, I frequently see his books in local bookstores. His new collection seems particularly relevant in the modern era given its focus on different relationships.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Expected June 2, 2026
I haven’t read anything by Maggie O’Farrell yet, but after seeing Hamnet in theaters this past December, I know I need to. I can’t wait to read the book and uncover the inspiration behind Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley’s brilliant performances.
O’Farrell’s newest book, Land, is a historical novel set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Hunger. Tomás and his ten-year-old son, Liam, are working for the Ordinance Survey project to map all of Ireland and create a record of the disaster. However, Tomás has an unsettling run-in that changes their lives forever, leaving Liam to figure out how to finish the mapping and get the family home.
The themes of family, tragedy, and colonization resonate deeply with me. In our current political and environmental climate, I’ve been thinking a lot about humanity’s relationship to the land. After Hamnet, I know that O’Farrell is going to tackle this topic in a brilliant and profound way that will leave me absolutely devastated.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Country People by Daniel Mason
Expected July 7, 2026
Physician and award-winning author Daniel Mason’s newest novel follows Miles Krzelewski, a devoted husband, father, and dog-owner. Miles is twelve years late on his PhD in Russian folktales and feels like a disappointment. When his wife accepts a visiting professorship, he decides that he will finally take some initiative and pursue his dreams. Soon, Miles ends up finding new friends, an enchanted wood, and a local legend that may be more than just a legend.
I’ve never read any of Mason’s work before, but the concept of Country People grabbed my attention immediately with its focus on folklore. As an undergraduate student pursuing an English degree, I’m drawn to the power of storytelling and folk stories. I’m also interested in seeing more portrayals of marriage and parenthood, since I haven’t read many different perspectives.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
Expected September 15, 2026
Emily St. John Mandel’s new book Exit Party takes place in Los Angeles after a civil war has destroyed the United States. After the country’s curfew is lifted, Ari Waker and her roommate decide to attend a party. Mysterious events unfold, including the disappearance of the party’s host, leaving Ari to search for answers.
I’m a big fan of Mandel’s writing. She unpacks themes and philosophical questions that are deeply relevant to contemporary society. Her stunning prose is always a joy to read, and her stories, while deeply speculative, feel like literary fiction to me. Given recent political events, Exit Party will prove highly thought-provoking.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
Expected September 22, 2026
The Poppy War is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies of all time. I always enjoy R.F. Kuang’s ideas, even if I don’t always love the execution (like Yellowface or Katabasis).
I’m particularly excited by the premise of the tentatively-titled Taipei Story. It’s a coming-of-age novel following college freshman Lily Chen as she spends a summer studying abroad in Taipei. Her time at the program starts off less than ideal, and then she finds out that her grandfather has passed away. As a second-generation Chinese-American, I relate to the novel’s themes of grief, language, and cultural identity, which are likewise informed by Kuang’s own experiences.
Kuang has named Elif Batuman, Sally Rooney, and Patricia Lockwood as literary influences for her upcoming novel.
Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung
Expected Fall 2026
Mothsblood follows ambitious alchemist Larkspur Lee in modern-day Paris as she strives to become the apprentice of the headmistress. But when an immortal professor is suddenly murdered at her university, Lark must halt her dreams and investigate the university’s secrets.
I’ve been a longtime viewer of Lynn D. Jung’s YouTube channel, where she shares advice for writers and documents her writing journey. I’ve picked up countless useful tips and tricks from her videos, and I can’t wait to finally read her debut novel.
Read more in 2026
I hope you have found something on this list that interests you and that you step out of your reading comfort zone this year!
