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. Heartstopper Volume 6 by Alice Oseman (2 July 2026, Hachette Children's) 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? Land by Maggie O'Farrell (2 June, Headline) 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). The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara (12 February, Oneworld) 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...

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