As one year closes, literary enthusiasts eagerly turn the page to the next. The dawn of 2026 promises a compelling slate of new releases, offering the perfect incentive to finally fulfil that perennial resolution to read more. While publishers' catalogues are released seasonally, the first quarter of the coming year alone is packed with thrilling debuts, searing memoirs, and investigative tours de force that are destined to dominate conversations.
Fiction Frontrunners: From Searing Debuts to Literary Returns
The fiction landscape for early 2026 is remarkably strong. Jennette McCurdy, whose memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died became a global phenomenon, makes her fiction debut on 20 January. Her novel, Half His Age, published by HarperCollins, explores a 17-year-old's affair with a married teacher, promising McCurdy's signature dark humour and emotional depth.
Acclaimed Irish author Colm Tóibín returns on 26 March (Picador) with The News from Dublin, a collection of short stories masterfully depicting lives lived away from home. Meanwhile, Booker Prize-winner Douglas Stuart follows Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo with John of John on 21 May (Picador). This new family saga centres on a young art school graduate torn between his devout sheep farmer father and his Glaswegian grandmother.
Women's Prize winner Tayari Jones (An American Marriage) publishes Kin on 26 March (Oneworld), a rich story of friendship between two girls in the racially segregated American South. A major debut arrives on 9 April: Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear (4th Estate). This buzzy novel about a 'tradwife' influencer thrust into the harsh reality of her online fantasy has already been optioned for film by Anne Hathaway.
Further highlights include Leïla Slimani's intense new novel I'll Take the Fire (Faber, 23 April), about two sisters rebuilding their lives in 1980s Paris, and a haunting short story collection, Devotions, from Lucy Caldwell (Faber, 23 April).
Compelling Non-Fiction: Memoirs, Investigations & Essential Histories
The non-fiction roster is equally impressive. Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, delivers a rollicking memoir of the 1990s rock scene, Even the Good Girls Will Cry, on 19 March (Atlantic). For true crime and investigative journalism, Patrick Radden Keefe (Say Nothing, Empire of Pain) presents London Falling on 7 April (Picador). This book expands his gripping New Yorker essay on the mysterious death of teenager Zac Brettler.
A vital perspective on public health comes from nurse Dorcas Gwata with The Street Clinic: 10 Young Lives on the Frontlines of Gang Culture on 12 February (Picador). Lena Dunham also offers a candid memoir, Famesick (4th Estate, 14 April), exploring the intersection of her health struggles and life in the spotlight.
Music journalist Stephanie Phillips reclaims music history in We Were Here: A History of Black People and Alternative Music (Faber, 27 August), while health journalist Dr David Cox provides an optimistic guide in The Age Code (HarperCollins, 9 April), debunking longevity fads.
Literary Spotlight: A Nobel Laureate's Reflection
A standout release is Light and Thread by Han Kang (Penguin Random House, 12 March). This is the South Korean author's first book since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2025. Blending essays and poetry, it begins with her Nobel lecture, weaving together themes of language, connection, and the creative process.
With such a diverse and high-calibre selection announced for just the first part of the year, 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for readers. These titles, spanning intimate family dramas, explosive investigations, and cultural reappraisals, are poised to become the defining books of the coming twelve months.
