Our Bookish Predictions for 2026

Looking back at 2025, January previews, and what lies ahead ...

December 30, 2025

Librarian Newsletter: January 2026

Hello,

Wondering what 2026 is going to look like for books and publishing? Check out our predictions for the year ahead.

We also share a recent “beyond the book” article about mourning tradition in Geraldine Brooks’ poignant memoir Memorial Days, along with favorite articles by our reviewers this year, and the best of our 2025 book club and First Impressions features.

Plus, we’re rolling into 2026 with some truly exciting upcoming discussions, Ask the Author interviews, and January releases.

Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team

Reading and Publishing Predictions: Book Trends to Watch for in 2026

What will happen in the book world in 2026? Here are some predictions we have, including what will happen with historical fiction, BookTok, audiobooks, book bans, book club content, and more.

Beyond the Book: Mourning Tradition in Geraldine Brooks' Memorial Days

On the worst day of her life, author Geraldine Brooks began to shake in her lower extremities. Tony Horwitz, her husband of thirty-four years, had died, which felt impossible, improbable, and unfair.

In many customs, death is followed by ritual, particularly traditional mourning periods. These fulfill a spiritual purpose: for the bereaved to reflect and grieve as the dead person makes their spiritual transition.

(Memorial Days is the 2025 BookBrowse Best Nonfiction Award Winner. See our other annual Award Winners and Top 20.)

Our Best Beyond the Book Articles of 2025

We’ve selected some of the best articles written by our reviewers this year. These span subjects ranging from Ukraine’s national soil to American political lawn signs, crime dioramas created by “the mother of forensic science,” Mariah Carey’s career, how author Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu transformed aspects of the 19th-century adventure novel King Solomon’s Mines, and more.

These articles are available to all visitors for a limited time. Subscribing libraries get full access to thousands of articles, among other benefits.

Our Best 2025 Discussions & First Impressions Features

In 2025, we discussed more than 35 books in our community forum, and we featured nearly 50 titles in First Impressions. 

Here, we look at some of the books that generated the most enthusiastic and intriguing discussion and that were the most highly rated and positively reviewed.

We hope you and your patrons enjoy browsing through them and find some perfect picks for your TBRs or your own book club discussion lists.

Book Club Discussions

Find inspiration for your book club(s) among our more than 200 past discussions.

We’re currently talking about Oyinkan Braithwaite’s Cursed Daughters, among other books. Starting in late January, we feature Victoria Christopher Murray’s Harlem Rhapsody and Colleen Oakley’s Jane and Dan at the End of the World.

Ask the Author Interviews

BookBrowse is now hosting Ask the Author sessions in our community forum. You and your patrons are welcome to follow along and post questions in any future interviews that interest you. In the meantime, see our recent conversation with Virginia Evans, author of The Correspondent, our 2025 Award Winner for Best Fiction.

New & Notable Books in January

We've carefully selected 100+ of the most noteworthy books publishing in January—check them out!

Individual members and subscribing libraries can see, sort, and download the full list for all months. Non-subscribers can view books up to the current month and a limited selection of future books.

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