Thousands of new books get published every day. This means there's an impossibly larger number of new fiction and nonfiction titles to sort through every month and an enormous backlog of great things that were released before that. If somehow you managed to already read all of the best books of 2025, the good news is 2026 has already been another great year for bookworms.
Popular New Books for 2026 by Month
We're only a few months into 2026, but there have already been some really exciting new titles to check out. To help you keep track of what's been released that's worth reading, we've highlighted some of the most popular new books that have come out each month below. You can also click on the header to go to our full list of recommendations for that month.
Best New Books for January
One of the most surprising new releases in January this year was a new entry in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. This was the first new Dresden Files book in almost six years and marks the 18th novel in the series to date. Butcher has stated that his next book will come much sooner, so if you're a fan of that series its absolutely worth diving back in for a re-read.
For fans of romantasy books, January also saw the release of a new Elise Kova novel called Dragon Cursed. Its a fantasy romance from the author of Aracana Academy that's worth sinking your teeth into.
Best New Books for February
February was a solid month for new sci-fi fantasy books overall. Matt Dinniman (author of Dungeon Crawler Carl) released a new book called Operation Bounce House. The story follows a colonist farmer who has to endure the deadly activation of a corporate video game. It sounds a lot like Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it's different enough to offer a unique perspective.
The other big release in the fantasy world was Brandon Sanderson's Isles of Emberdark novella. It's a smaller expansion into the Cosmere universe, but it's absolutely worth a read. With Apple TV working with Sanderson on TV adaptations, there's never been a better time to be a Sanderfan.
Best New Books for March
One of the most interesting releases from March is a book called To the Death. It's described as a Hunger Games-like story with elements of The Last of Us. This is played out as a reality tv show where contestants have to survive each other while evading the undead.
March also saw the release of T. Kingfisher's new Southern gothic, Wolf Worm. It's all about a scientific illustrator who takes a job in a North Carolina helping out an entomologist only to find out there's some crazy experiments going on.
Best New Books for April
There aren't many major book releases happening in April 2026, but there are still some noteworthy reads to check out. If you're looking for a fun sci-fi adventure in the not-so-distant future, you can check out The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon. It's all about a world where all of our appliances have sentience and follows the story of a young Roomba vacuum.
Jim Butcher is also a releasing a new collection of short stories alongside Kerrie L. Hughes in April. Title Paranormal Payback, the book brings together a mix of great short stories from various authors (including a new Dresden Files story.
Best New Books for May
May was a pretty big month for cci-fi and LitRPG fans. The most notable new releases this month were Matt Dinniman's next Dungeon Crawler Carl novel, A Parade of Horribles, and Martha Well's latest Murderbot book, Platform Decay.
In addition to A Parade of Horribles, there was also the first Dungeon Crawler Carl graphic novel launching in May. It collects a number of chapters of the popular webcomic into a paperback volume.
Best New Books for June
June was a pretty quiet month for new book releases, but there were still some high profile new novels. For fans of the Archimedes Engine books, Peter F. Hamilton released his third book in the series on June 18. There's also a collection of short stories by Danny McBride called Thrilling Tales of Modern Man that are absolutely worth checking out.
Best New Books for July
July was another packed month for new book releases. Sci-fi fans can jump into the third book in Wil McCarthy's Rich Man's Sky series with Thieves' Sky, or dive into Paul Tremblay's AI-driven thriller Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep. If fantasy or romantasy is more your speed, Jean Kwok brings a Chinese mythology-inspired Hunger Games story in Dominion, while Elise Kova delivers her highly anticipated Arcana Academy follow-up, Prince of Swords.
Rounding out the month's biggest highlights, two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead concludes his acclaimed Harlem Trilogy with Cool Machine, Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers a slick 1940s heist story in The Intrigue, and Chuck Tingle mixes Palm Springs influencer culture with grave-robbing in Fabulous Bodies.
Best New Books for August
The August lineup of new book releases brings a heavy focus on horror, immersive sci-fi, and dark fantasy. Mystery and thriller fans can grab Riley Sager's latest dual-timeline island whodunit The Unknown, or check out Max Doty's unique, devouring-house horror novel The House That Eats The Dead. For sci-fi readers, Richard Swan brings a totalitarian, galaxy-spanning drama in The Infinite State, W.H. Chizmar makes his solo debut with the post-apocalyptic monster story Them, and Jaclyn Moriarty serves up a time-bending romance with Time Travel for Beginners.
Over on the fantasy and dark fiction side, Olivie Blake brings Gothic Hollywood vibes in Dreamland, Chuck Wendig kicks off a new demon-filled family saga with The Calamities, Grace Viall blends Appalachian monster hunting with workplace rivalry in (Mostly) Human Resources, and Robert Jackson Bennett returns with book three in his Shadow of the Leviathan detective series, A Trade of Blood.
Best New Books for September
September had a number of notable new releases. On the Sci-fi side of things Brandon Sanderson released the first book in a new series called Blightfall. It's part of the larger Cytonic universe that Skyward comes from.
One of the more popular new fantasy releases this month has already been super popular in Germany before getting a U.S. release. The Tower of Beggars: Stormfell Academy is a great read that feels a bit like Harry Potter and Mistborn mixed together.
Biggest Upcoming Books
There are a ton of really exciting books coming further into 2026 and many of them are already up for preorder. There's a new Star Wars book arriving that looks particularly interesting for fans of the movies. Star Wars: Legacy takes place between Episodes VII and IX and focuses on Leia and Rey. That new book will be canon and is currently set to release on July 28. There's also a prequel to Andor Called Edge of the Abyss getting released later on in September.
October is shaping up to be a big month as well, especially since Sarah J. Maas announced the sixth book in her ACOTAR series would be arriving on the 27th month. There isn't a title for the new book just yet, but you can already preorder it at Amazon (alongside book 7 as well). Also releasing in October is the sixth installment of the Harry Potter illustrated collection. After the previous illustrator left the project back in 2022, Levi Pinfold was brought in to finish the series three years later. The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince illustrated edition is available to preorder now and you can even get a preview at some of the illustrations already.
