Blogmas Day 20: Top Anticipated Books of 2026
Hello! Welcome to Blogmas Day 20! Only 5 days to go!!
Today I’ll be talking about some of my most anticipated books set to be released in the first few months of 2026. But first…
Advent Calendar
Today’s jigsaw puzzle had a couple of ripped pieces again, just as I was starting to think last year’s owners hadn’t got this far into it. (If you haven’t been here for the whole advent calendar saga, Amazon seems to have sold me one that was used and returned, without informing me that this was the case. Figures, right?) Cute snowman, though!
Top Anticipated Books of 2026
I’m thinking of doing a “most anticipated new releases” post each month in 2026 with a focus on the month ahead, but today I’m going to give a broad overview of all the 2026 releases I’ve heard about so far and am excited to read. Genres include biography, true crime, history, horror, thriller, dystopia, and literary fiction.
End of 2025
Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann
December 30, 2025
Technically a 2025 release, but I can’t get it until 2026. Just like the title says, this is a biography of Dolly Parton, and early reviews suggest it’s a really good one. It includes interviews with her family and friends, as well as never-before-published photos and well-researched insights into her life. And what a life she’s led! I’m intrigued to know more about this powerful lady.
January releases
What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax
January 6
I’ll admit it, the title drew me to this one. This is a psychological thriller about a guidance counsellor whose teenage son is suspected of murdering two of his classmates. Sounds like it dives deep into the way boys are raised to feel they can get away with violent acts.
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate by Eric Lichtblau
January 6
Part true-crime examination of the 2018 murder of Blaze Bernstein in Orange County, California, part investigation into the rise of neo-Nazism in America. I have a NetGalley ARC of this one, so I’m hoping to review it soon.
Dead in the Water by John Marrs
January 20
I have NetGalley ARC of this thriller about a man whose life flashes before his eyes during a near-drowning experience, including images of an event he doesn’t remember. He becomes so obsessed with learning more about this repressed memory that he seeks out more near-death experiences. I’ve never heard of this author before, but that setup has me intrigued.
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
January 20
I’ve read a Simone St. James book before and really enjoyed the blend of mystery, thriller, and ghost story. It sounds like this book will have a similar blend. It’s about siblings who are called back to their childhood home by the ghost of their brother, who wants to lead them to the truth about what happened to him.
February releases
The Bone Queen by Will Shindler
February 3
This is the author’s horror/thriller debut, which involves a mother searching for her missing teenage daughter and uncovering a dark legend about the vengeful Bone Queen and all the disappearances attributed to her on the island of Athelsea. This is another NetGalley ARC I should be reviewing soon.
Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams
February 17
Taylor Adams’ thriller The Last Word was one of my favourite books of the year a couple years back, and I immediately bought all of his books. Still haven’t read them, but I still plan to read No Exit before the end of December! Anyway, I’m excited for this one, too – two friends on a caving expedition are attacked by a seemingly random stranger. But was it really a random attack, or was he targeting them for a reason? I’m intrigued to find out.
How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson
February 24
Not to be confused with the TV series of the same name, this is a debut thriller following a Scotland Yard detective as she tries to find the author of a literal textbook on how to get away with murder, who claims to be the most successful serial killer ever.
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
February 24
I became a fan of Catriona Ward in 2025, so I’m excited to read more of her stuff in 2026. This is a horror novel set in the Rocky Mountains, where a brother and sister have run away from home to join a rumoured group of feral children on a ranch called Nowhere.
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin’s Greatest Enemy by Josh Ireland
February 24
This is a nonfiction about the 1940 assassination of Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky and the intricate plan it took to make it happen. I picked this up on NetGalley because it’s a chapter of history that I don’t know a lot about, and it sounded interesting.
March releases
You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews
March 17
I’ve heard a lot of good things about C.G. Drews lately, so I requested this one from NetGalley and was accepted. This is a psychological suspense novel about a woman whose son claims he can hear voices in the walls of their new house. I’ve heard that it’s dark and twisty, so I’m excited to see what the hype is about.
April releases
Why Did God Make the Tree? by Tammy Gregg
April 15 (or January 14?)
I wasn’t sure where to put this, since NetGalley gives the publishing date as January 14, but Goodreads gives it as April 15. I plan to read it soon, either way. This is a debut novel and possibly the first in a series about a horror novelist turned psychiatrist who starts to question his own sanity while diving into the complicated minds of his patients.
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
April 21
I recently read Baker’s Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng and really enjoyed it. This is her next book, a horror novel that involves Japanese mythology and possibly time travel? Not entirely sure, but I’m very excited about it.
May releases
May 5
I’m ridiculously excited about this one. It tells five stories about five random people on a train. At the end of the book, one of these people will die, and it’s up to the reader to decide which one. This sounds like a thriller that will really get people talking.
June releases
June 16
I’ve read one Amitav Ghosh book before, Gun Island, and I really enjoyed his blend of magical realism and climate fiction. It sounds like he has done the same sort of thing with this one, about a little girl in 1960s India who seems to have memories of a past life.
September releases
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
September 15
I’ve still only read Station Eleven by this author, but I’m determined to read more. This one is set in 2031, when the Republic of California is about to exit the United States. A huge party is thrown in Los Angeles to celebrate the beginning of a new era, but something happens there that leaves a young woman haunted.