The Bookish Mindset

2025 was another great year for reading. I read lots of my physical TBR (To Be Read Pile) and found some favourites lurking in there. I read some stunning new proofs, debuts that blew me away and brilliant novels from authors I already love.

If 2026 is the year you get back into reading then let me give you a head start, I’ve split my favourites (from over one hundred books read last year!) into genres so there really is something for everyone. I personally recommend all of these, and I promise they will keep you entertained and keep your phone far at bay!

You can find all these titles and so much more on my Bookshop.org bookshop, the list with all these is here and there’s loads more too. This year I will do better at keeping on top of it!

Fantasy:

• Black Water Sister – Zen Cho
• Human Rites – Juno Dawson
• Somadina – Akwaeke Emezi
• The Dandelion Riots – Kim Smejkal
• The Sunbearer Trials – Aiden Thomas
• Tusk Love – Thea Guanzon
• Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor – Xiran Jay Zhao

Historical:

• The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye – Briony Cameron
• Time Tub Travellers Circus Mystery – Claire Linney

Literary:

• All the Tomorrows After – Joanne Yi
• As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow – Zoula Katouh
• Black Dolls – Rachel Faturoti, Flo Woolley 
• Brotherless Night – V. V. G
• Fundamentally – Nussaibah Younis
• Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
• I Dreamed of You – Pim Wangtechwat
• Mongrel – Hanako Footman
• Necessary Fiction – Eloghusa Osunde
• Overspill – Charlotte Paradise
• Sisters in the Wind – Angeline Boulley
• Sunstruck – William Rayfet Hunter
• Sweetness in the Skin – Ishi Robinson
• The Girl with the Louding Voice – Abi Dare
• The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
• The House of Broken Bricks – Fiona Williams
• Roar – Manjeet Mann

Magical Realism:

• Water Moon – Samantha Sotto Yambao

Non-Fiction:

• Homebody – Theo Parish
• Queer as Folklore – Sacha Coward
• Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
• Unwell Women – Elinor Cleghorn

Poetry:

• let the light pour in – Lemn Sissay
• poyums – Len Pennie
• poyums – Len Pennie

Romance:

• Flirting with Disaster – Naina Kumar
• I Can’t Even Think Straight – Dean Atta
• Rebel Hearts – Tanya Byrne
• Sweet Heat – Bolu Babalola
• Sweet Obsession – Katee Robert
• Tender Cruelty – Katee Robert

Sci-Fi:

• The Stardust Grail – Yume Kitasei

Short Stories:

• A Beautiful Lack of Consequence – Monika Radojevic
• Behind You is the Sea – Susan Muaddi Darraj
• Stag Dance – Torrey Peters

Thriller:

• Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
• Every Smile You Fake – Dorothy Koomson
• Give Him to Me – Dorothy Koomson

Don’t forget to check out these titles are more, everything is in one handy place for you at Bookshop.org here.

I’d love to know what you’ve started the year reading or if anything I’ve read has piqued your interest, drop me a comment below!

If you like what you’ve read and would like to access more content or want to keep up with future events and more, I’d love if you could take a look at my substack and consider supporting my content on there too. You can also find more content on my Instagram here.

And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 15/01/2026