I don’t know how this has become a tradition of mine, but it has: each new year, I take a look back at the archives and find books on my shelves that are celebrating milestone birthdays. Here are 26 book birthdays coming up in 2026.
Books Turning 10 in 2026
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Blurb: “Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to Ryle’s “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. With this bold and deeply personal novel, It Ends With Us is a heart-wrenching story and an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.” Read my thoughts on It Ends With Us here.
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson
Blurb: “For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. ‘Fuck positivity,’ Mark Manson says. ‘Let’s be honest, shit is fucked and we have to live with it.’ In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a Fuck is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.” Read my full review of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck here.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Blurb: “At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.” Read my full review of When Breath Becomes Air here.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Blurb: “Are you happy with your life? Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the kidnapper knocks him unconscious. In the world he wakes up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Is it this life or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how will Jason make it back to the family he loves? Dark Matter is a mind-bending thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.”
The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Blurb: “Travel writer Lo Blacklock has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: one week on a luxury cruise. At first, Lo’s voyage is perfect, with a plush cabin, elegant dinner parties, and plenty of relaxation. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened. With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up a taut and intense read in The Woman In Cabin 10.”
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Blurb: “In Colson Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the terrors of the antebellum era, he weaves in the saga of our nation, from the brutal abduction of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is both the gripping tale of one woman’s will to escape the horrors of bondage—and a powerful meditation on the history we all share.” Read my full review of The Underground Railroad here.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Blurb: “By the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink, and in that ice rink Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town’s junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semi-finals—and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Under that heavy burden, the match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us.” Read my full review of Beartown here.
The Girls by Emma Cline
Blurb: “Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. The Girls is an indelible portrait of girls, the women they become, and that moment in life when everything can go horribly wrong.” Read my full review of The Girls here.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Blurb: “Convenience Store Woman is the heartwarming and surprising story of thirty-six-year-old Tokyo resident Keiko Furukura. Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of Smile Mart, she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interaction—many are laid out line by line in the store’s manual—and she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a ‘normal’ person excellently, more or less.” Read my full review of Convenience Store Woman here.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Blurb: “In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there’s a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.” Read my full review of The Power here.
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things by Iain Reid
Blurb: “In this dark and compelling literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things packs a big psychological punch with a twisty story line and an ending that will leave readers breathless.” Read my full review of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things here.
The Dry by Jane Harper
Blurb: “After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.” Read my full review of The Dry here.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Blurb: “Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future.” Read my full review of Hidden Figures here.
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
Blurb: “In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway.”
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
Blurb: “High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act… different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil? My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist that blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors.” Read my full review of My Best Friend’s Exorcism here.
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
Blurb: “The Princess Diarist is Carrie Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars.” Read my full review of The Princess Diarist here.
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Blurb: “Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl. Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels – a tale of two strangers who transform each other’s lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.” Read my review of The Wonder here.
Books Turning 20 in 2026
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Blurb: “In Sharp Objects, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.” Read my full review of Sharp Objects here.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Blurb: “A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love.”
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Blurb: “Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the “Fun Home.” It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve. In Fun Home, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power, written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail.”
The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Blurb: “Both Renee and Paloma hide their true talents and finest qualities from the bourgeois families around them, until a wealthy Japanese gentleman named Ozu moves into their building. Only he sees through them, perceiving the secret that haunts Renee, winning Paloma’s trust, and helping the two discover their kindred souls. Moving, funny, tender, and triumphant, The Elegance Of The Hedgehog exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.” Read my full review of The Elegance Of The Hedgehog here.
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Blurb: “With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as an older woman. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages.”
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Blurb: “In 1982, a twenty-one-year-old cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder. With no physical evidence, the prosecution’s case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row. If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, The Innocent Man will shock you.”
Books Turning 50 in 2026
Interview With The Vampire by Ann Rice
Blurb: “We are in a small room with the vampire, face to face, as he speaks–as he pours out the hypnotic, shocking, moving, and erotically charged confessions of his first two hundred years as one of the living dead. In its unceasing flow of spellbinding storytelling, of danger and flight, of loyalty and treachery, Interview With The Vampire bears witness of a literary imagination of the first order.” Read my full review of Interview With The Vampire here.
Books Turning 100 in 2026
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Blurb: “A poignant look at disillusionment and angst, The Sun Also Rises introduces two of Hemingway’s most indelible characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is set during an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. The story lays bare themes of alienation and disenchanted youth.” Read my full review of The Sun Also Rises here.
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Blurb: “A groundbreaking and enchanting novel, Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner tells the story of Laura “Lolly” Willowes, a single woman who breaks free from societal expectations to embrace an unconventional and liberating path. This witty and imaginative tale is a feminist classic, exploring themes of autonomy, rebellion, and self-discovery.” Read my full review of Lolly Willowes here.
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