The 36 Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Books ahoy! The new year promises adventures, escapes, and mind-bending delights for bibliophiles of all stripes. For fiction lovers, there’s George Saunders’ wild ride of a second novel, Ann Patchett’s dissection of an American family, the conclusion to Colson Whitehead’s riveting Harlem trilogy, Douglas Stuart’s queer epic, and Xochitl Gonzalez’s love letter to a vanished Brooklyn. There are gorgeous story collections, as well: Louise Erdrich’s mystical musings, Rachel Khong’s loopy dramas, and Ruth Ozeki’s meditations on the highs and lows of the writing life. Thrillers, too, loom on the horizon: mega best-seller Colleen Hoover’s journey through the dark corners of the internet, Tana French’s atmospheric mystery set in an Irish town, and Robinne Lee’s Hollywood noir.