The 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026

Social media comes under the spotlight in Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, which has already been made into a film starring Anne Hathaway. You’ll play Natalie, a successful business influencer who wakes up one day in the past and is forced to live the reality of the “old” lifestyle she built her career to promote.

The Dial Press, Penguin Press, Doubleday

6. Influential true stories

Marriage is the focus of some highly anticipated memoirs this year as well.

Belle Burden’s Strangers is based on a popular New York Times article about modern love, detailing the collapse of a 20-year marriage during the pandemic. Siri Hustveit’s Ghost Stories is a poignant account of the 43 years she spent with her husband, the late writer Paul Auster.

One of the biggest publishing stories of the year is Gisèle Bellicot’s Hymn to Life, which will be released in February. In December 2024, Bellicot’s husband and 50 other men were convicted of raping and sexually assaulting her. Her decision to speak out and insist that “shame must change” has made her a symbol of strength around the world, and her story promises to be a difficult but powerful read.

Other memoirs hitting shelves in 2026 include Lena Dunham’s Longing for Fame, a “candid and deeply personal meditation on illness, fame, sex, and everything in between,” and Liza Minnelli’s Kids, Wait Until You Hear This!

Finally, one of the non-fiction highlights of 2026 is sure to be the new title from Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. Like those books, The Fall of London is an extension of a New Yorker article, this time about the tragic death of 19-year-old Zach Brettler, who fell from a luxury London apartment into the River Thames. As always with Radden Keefe, there is a lot more to the story than meets the eye at first glance.

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