Jena's 2026 Most Anticipated

I think, personally, I need to not call this a Most Anticipated list. Although I did better reading my 2025 picks, self reflection has made me realize I just get too distracted by other fun things too. Think of this more as Jena's List of Approximately 400 Books That Sound Really Awesome in 2026! ... OK, its actually 43. (and once again... I'm faster to fall in love than even the cover artists can be.)

• JANUARY
  • Nine Goblins - T. Kingfisher - 20 January
    • Remember how Legends & Lattes was described as "high fantasy and low stakes"? How about some "low fantasy and high mischief" - from novella queen T. Kingfisher?
  • The Elsewhere Express - Samantha Sotto Yambao - 20 January
    • Water Moon was a real surprise for me in 2025, and this looks like it will be similar. Lots of magical vibes and rich locations. And its GORGEOUS! 
      
  • The Re-Do List - Denise Williams - 27 January
    • I'm not a big romance girly, but I do make an exception for Denise. She's local to me and so nice that I'm willing to make a genre exception. And they are always FUN. Don't tell her though, or she'll think I've gone soft.
• FEBRUARY
  • Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur - Ian McDonald - 03 February
    • Come on - it's a DINOSAUR RODEO.
  • Operation Bounce House - Matt Dinniman - 10 February
    • I tripped and fell headfirst into Dungeon Crawler Carl and even though Dinniman appears further down the list with the EIGHTH installment in that series, somehow we've also managed to be graced with a standalone, unrelated tale. And man... I'm here for it.
  • She Made Herself a Monster - Anna Kovatcheva - 10 February
    • A Gothic, Slavic-folklore-inspired debut novel of a vampire slayer (read, con artist). This sounds like a wonderful addition to my horror TBR. And if I'm not mistaken, I believe the cover is Judith Beheading Holofernes though not the Caravaggio painting with which I'm familiar.
  • Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter - Heather Fawcett - 17 February
    • The author of the Emily Wilde series has a new cozy historical fantasy? I'm more of a dog person, but absolutely sign me up to join the cantankerous Agnes in her cat shelter.
  • The Astral Library -  Kate Quinn - 17 February
    • Kate Quinn never misses, and now she's jumping into fantasy? I love the premise and I love the author's historical fiction, so I have high hopes for this genre shift.
  • The Daughter Who Remains - Nnedi Okorafor - 17 February
    • The conclusion to Okorador's stunning She Who Knows series - I can't wait for this bite sized sci-fi!
  • The Obake Code - Makana Yamamoto - 17 February
    • I absolutely loved Hammajang Luck, and it was a total surprise read for me in 2025. And now there's ANOTHER ONE? I will rob space Bezos all day, every day.
  • The Red Winter - Cameron Sullivan - 24 February
    • Another debut author with a historical horror and I am SO on board if this theme carries through 2026. This novel of the Hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan promises to take us "from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d'Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution" and I've gotta say.... this sounds epic.
• MARCH
  • Black as Diamond - U.M. Agoawike - 03 March
    • Another debut author on my list (actually, I have quite a few this year!) and an indie press that, so far, I have loved everything I've read from. Nigerian Canadian author Agoawike is swinging for the fences with this dark fantasy; and that cover? Beautiful.
  • Adult Braces - Lindy West - 10 March
    • I have enjoyed all of West's previous books, and I'm looking forward to her unique brand of humor & wit. Especially with all the dark books I've picked out this year.
  • Hell's Heart - Alexis Hall - 10 March
    • Alexis Hall is an author I'm not familiar with, but Hell's Heart is their science fiction debut, and it's being billed as "Gideon the Ninth meets Murderbot" and "sapphic Moby Dick in space". Sold.
  • No Friend to This House - Natalie Haynes - 10 March
    • I've loved all of the titles I've read from Natalie Haynes, both fiction & nonfiction. This year, its a new fiction title and it looks just as great as her previous.
  • The Book of Fallen Leaves - A.S. Tamaki - 17 March
    • The world needs more Samurai fantasy. Yeah, I said it. Another debut on my list, and we're leaving dragons and magical creatures behind. 
  • Aicha - Soraya Bouazzaoui - 24 March
    • Debut again, and we are heading to Morocco! I know nothing about Moroccan folk lore & mythology, but "Morocco's Warrior Goddess" sounds incredibly promising.
  • Daughter of Egypt - Marie Benedict - 24 March
    • Marie Benedict is always a winner for me, and I really am still a sucker for Egyptian stories. I really do blame the cult classic 1999 film The Mummy.
  • Wolf Worm - T. Kingfisher - 24 March
    • One of several authors to appear multiple times on the same list. And honestly? That's fine. I've enjoyed everything I've read by Kingfisher - why split hairs and divide happiness? This time, its a Southern Gothic horror.
  • How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay - Jenny Lawson - 31 March
    • Any time Jenny Lawson has a new book, I will read it. And I will love it. Much like Lindy West (though not the same at all), I love the unique voice and humor with which Lawson writes.
• APRIL
  • Concrete Botany - Joey Santore - 07 April
    • This is one of my nerdiest picks for 2026, and I have no shame. I love Crime Pays, But Botany Doesn't. I will be picking this up and geeking out about botany.
  • Aphrodite in Pieces - Lauren J.A. Bear - 21 April
    • Lauren J.A. Bear is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors with both Medusa's Sisters & Mother of Rome being loved books for me. This one will be a perfect birthday (a day early) read.
      
  • Ode to the Half-Broken - Suzanne Palmer - 28 April 
    • "For fans of Becky Chambers's Monk and Robot - featuring a cyborg dog". Well... if there was ever a single sentence to convince me that I will 100% love this book.... that's it.
  • The Story of Birds - Steve Brusatte - 28 April
    • I was a total dinosaur kid, and Steve Brusatte's The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was absolutely stunning.
  • We Burned So Bright - TJ Klune - 28 April
    • TJ Klune is a must buy author for me and absolutely everything I have read of his has been wonderful. Now we've got a brand new standalone about an older queer couple at the end of the world? And I just know its going to make me cry...
      
• MAY
  • Platform Decay - Martha Wells - 05 May
    • There's a new Murderbot?!?!
  • The Girl with a Thousand Faces - Sunyi Dean - 05 May
    • Another dark fantasy on my list (though so far, no grimdark fantasy has popped up on my radar). I absolutely loved The Book Eaters, so I have high hopes for this one.
  • The Last Contract of Isako - Fonda Lee - 05 May
    
    • Remember, in March, when I said we needed more Samurai? How about a dystopian, sci-fi Samurai? Fonda Lee is an often overlooked gem, and honestly, I can go for a good "creaky-kneed, post-menopausal hero" right about now.
  • We Dance Upon Demons - Vaishnavi Patel - 12 May
    • The author of Kaikeyi comes to us with a contemporary fantasy this year! A burnt-out reproductive healthcare worker fights back against escalating attacks at her clinic. Well. If this doesn't scream topical and also amazing, then I don't know what does.
  • Take Me With You - Steven Rowley - 19 May
    • Steven Rowley is a wonder in my book. I absolutely adore The Guncle and recommend it to literally everyone. I've also devoured his other books with abandon. His incredibly human stories really make you feel.
  • Bromantasy - Máire Roche - 26 May
    • "Two Heroes. One Brain Cell". A cozy queer fantasy about two dudes being bros... and maybe also more than bros. And the edges say bro. This sounds hilarious and like a wonderful breath of fresh air for when life inevitably gets you down.
  • The Midnight Train - Matt Haig - 26 May
    
    • I loved The Midnight Library and I had no idea that Haig would be taking us back to this world. Will it be similar? Probably. Has it been so long since I enjoyed The Midnight Library that I will be enthralled all over again? Also probably.
• JUNE
  • A Parade of Horribles - Matt Dinniman - 02 June This has been bumped up to 12 May! 
    • IT'S THE NEW CARL!!!! (please release the cover - I want to SEE)
  • Daughters of the Sun and Moon - Lisa See - 02 June
    • I adore Lisa See. This time, she's taking us to 1870s L.A. Honestly, she's never steered me wrong, and I don't think she's about to start.
  • Muñeca - Cynthia Gómez - 02 June
    • A Gothic novella about a queer, Latine witch in 1960s California? This sounds like a "read it in one sitting on Halloween night" type of book.
  • A Trade of Blood - Robert Jackson Bennett - 09 June But this has been bumped back to 11 August... :(
    • I honestly don't care how many books Robert Jackson Bennett chooses to write in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. I will devour them ALL. The Tainted Cup was one of my most surprising favorite reads when it came out and now I'm absolutely itching for book #3. Oh, and it's not finalized yet, but I can see the proof cover and it is GORGEOUS.
  • Green City Wars - Adrian Tchaikovsky - 23 June
    • It's a noir with a raccoon detective. I've never read this author before, but man - the premise sounds absolutely wonderful and I love a good noir.
  • The Sixth Nik - Daniel Kraus - 23 June
    • Daniel Kraus never disappoints, is a wonderful (Iowa!) author, and come on! Just look at it - it's GORGEOUS! Plus I'm kind of hoping for some Alien references with that blurb.
• JULY
  • The MASH Up - Laura Marie Meyers - 07 July
    • Who am I, putting some romances on my list? If I'm being honest, this one is on my radar literally because I played so much MASH as a kid. It makes me want to teach my own kids how to play.... if only they were older.
  • The Dragon Has Some Complaints - John Wiswell - 14 July
    • I still haven't read John Wiswell, despite his other books sounding incredibly interesting. But a Three Headed Dragon where all 3 heads have "rather... different... personalities" sounds like a wonderful time.
• AUGUST
  • Adversary to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer - 04 August
    • Speaking of wonderful time, I just keep reading these. Why? I don't really know, but they just suck me right in.
• SEPTEMBER
  • Hellrunner - Sara Wolf - 15 September
    • I was so pleasantly surprised by Heavenbreaker and have been itching for Hellrunner basically as soon as I finished it. I can't wait to get my hands on this one.
• OCTOBER
  • Dreamweaving - O.O. Sangoyomi - 13 October
    • I loved Masquerade, and despite not being a huge young adult fan... I'm adding this to the list. The craftsmanship of Masquerade was gorgeous and I can't see the shift to YA doing a disservice there.

I'm so incredibly sad that I'm still (STILL) waiting for a release date (or the rumor of one - Tamsyn, please...) for Alecto the Ninth! I would spend the rest of the year re-reading The Locked Tomb series to snap this one up on release day. I say again.......

What releases are you most looking forward to in 2026? Leave a comment below! Need to see what's up-and-coming? We've had multiple sets of eyes looking through catalogues this year, so don't skip our Pre-Order Collection!