Books

2026 is shaping up to be a good year for book lovers (Image: Getty) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more With just a couple of days to go before the end of the year, avid readers will be looking back at everything they’ve read this year, before planning their reading list for 2026. Luckily, book lovers will be spoiled for choice in 2026, with many exciting new releases on the way.Whether you’re a fan of fantasy, crime, literary fiction or romance, here are 10 books to look out for in 2026, with picks from both established and debut authors alike. And for more book news and reviews, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack. Read more: I tried the subscription box people queue months...

Romantic novelist Anne Hampson at work behind her typewriter. (Image: ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS COPYRIGHT)Ladies, if you’re looking for a dark and brooding man, the strong, silent type, to sweep you off your feet and wrap you in his muscular arms, be still your beating hearts. For yes, such a man really does exist, albeit in the pages of Anne Hampson’s bestselling romantic novels.The late author wrote more than 125 novels for romantic fiction publishers Mills & Boon in a career spanning four decades, but her own rags-to-riches tale could have been taken straight from the pages of her books.She was one of the brand’s most popular authors from 1969 to 1998 – also writing for their more racy and slightly more sexually explicit Silhouette and Harlequin ranges.From humble beginnings as a se...

One of the most prominent figures in modern horror Stephen King has built a career on more than sixty novels, hundreds of short stories, and countless characters. But there is one story that he no longer wants anyone to read.A novel he released under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Rage was first published in 1977. It’s a psychological thriller like many others, centred on a teenager who walks into school to shoot a teacher and keep fellow students hostage.For decades, it went unnoticed and blended with King’s earlier experimental works. It was only in the late 1980s and early 1990s that it began to take on a new life.A pattern began to emerge in which multiple school shooters in the United States were found to own copies of Rage, kept in their bedrooms or school lockers. Others openly c...

Many famous book series and crime novels have been adapted, discussed and rediscovered over the years. But only a handful of stories continue to attract new readers decades later. This is often because they offer something completely different to modern thrillers. And one British mystery novel fits that description perfectly, and readers say it remains one of the best things ever written in its genre.It is a post-war story about suspicion, public opinion and a small community caught up in a case that quickly gets out of hand. The book has built a loyal following, and many people say it is one of the most gripping mysteries they have ever read. On Amazon, it has a rating of 4.3 stars from more than 3,000 reviews, which shows how popular it still is today.The novel in question is The Fran...

Books are a great way to relax, pass the time or learn something new – and choosing your favourites is a very subjective matter. They can leave an impression on a young mind, offer guidance in a time of need or just provide a bit of escapism from reality.As someone who reads every day, I have compiled a list of some of my favourite reads as of late, and why I think everyone should give them a go before the year is up. Here are my top three books that I have read in 2025.The back cover reads: "The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under - maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real...

Horror lovers, look no further, a new film adaptation based on the "best book of the year" is coming to our screens from Monday.The Housemaid is a 2025 American psychological thriller film co-produced and directed by Paul Feig, based on the 2022 titular novel by Freida McFadden. The film stars Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, and Elizabeth Perkins.McFadden's 2022 novel was crowned the #1 bestselling and most-read fiction book of the year (2025) on Amazon UK for Kindle readers, just in time for the film's release.The film's plot states: "THE HOUSEMAID is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an...

From cheese and wine to beauty products and crafting kits, it really feels like there's a subscription box for almost everything. Book lovers are particularly spoiled for choice, with popular options including a blind date with a book and Tea Time Bookshop, a monthly delivery of a book along with your preferred brew and some tasty biscuits.But without a doubt, one of the most popular bookish subscription boxes of all comes courtesy of Fairyloot. Known for their intricate designs, eye-catching sprayed edges and months-long waiting list, you've probably lusted after a Fairyloot book without even knowing it. Like many others, I'm sure, I've been languishing on the waitlist for a little while now, so when I was given the option to try out one month of the subscription, I jumped at the chanc...

Unlucky for Some by Tom Wood, Hardback, £25The world’s deadliest assassin Victor is shot and wounded when a hit on the heir of an organised crime gang in Malmo goes horribly wrong. Forced to hide in the Swedish city while he recuperates, Victor will have to take on multiple enemies to escape alive with bounty hunters, elite mercenaries and the most dangerous assassin he’s faced circling to bring him down. Victor, an antihero who operates solely on logic without any moral compass, is a great character and the latest instalment of this series is a hugely enjoyable bone-crunching thrill ride that this reader didn’t want to end. 8/10Forged In Rome by Conn Iggulden, Hardback, £22Fresh from tackling the story of the tyrannical emperor Nero, Iggulden returns to Ancient Rome with the first in a...

Ben Elton, who published his autobiography What Have I Done? in October, praises Dark Renaissance (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster / Daily Express)'Marvellous soap opera and great history' ... 'A riveting account'Writer and comic Ben Elton, whose brilliant memoir, What Have I Done? (Macmillan) came out in October, says: “I love history books, particularly when they intersect with popular culture. Two great new books I have on the go are Dark Renaissance (Vintage), Stephen Greenblatt’s riveting and evocative biography of Elizabethan playwright and spy Christopher Marlowe. Also 1929 (Allen Lane), Andrew Sorkin’s account of the Wall Street crash which has many lessons for today. I don’t read a lot of fiction but have just become a late convert to audio books and have started listening to them w...

'Not just our foremost espionage author but one of our finest humourists' ... 'A brilliantly drawn protagonist and all-too-real bad guys'Mark Billingham, whose latest Tom Thorne thriller, What The Night Brings (Little, Brown), is out now, says: “In Clown Town, the ninth outing in the Slough House series, River Cartwright is trying to work out why a book is missing from his late grandfather’s library. Soon he and the rest of the Slow Horses are drawn into the chaos around the ‘Stakeknife’ (think ‘Pitchfork’) cover-up and Jackson Lamb is locking horns with Diana Taverner. Gripping and hilarious, Mick Herron further cements his position not just as our foremost espionage writer but as one of our finest humourists. Does the world need another book about the Beatles? The answer (for me anywa...