Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
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We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
In a Hampshire pub garden, a woman who has sold more books than almost anyone alive is introduced to a stranger as Steve's mate. The second We Solve Murders novel is a comedy about murder and a much sadder book about market value.
In One Brief Moment All Eternity by Elif Shafak
A servant girl tells a frightened boy a story about a bird made of thirty birds, and fifty years and four hundred pages later he finds out what she meant. Elif Shafak's Flaubert novel is a chorus, and the man at its centre never gets a first-person sentence.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent
Is The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent worth reading? Our spoiler-free review covers Kyrene and Septimus, the sentient sword Zefiah, the mid-book pacing problem, that cliffhanger ending, and where it sits in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.
Killing Sadie by Rachel Peterson
Spoiler-free review of Killing Sadie by Rachel Peterson, a YA thriller told through unreliable witness statements. What works, what stumbles, and who should read it.
Getting Away With Murder by Shari Lapena
What do you do with a thriller that hands...
Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst
Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst review: warm worldbuilding, a lovable crew, a smooth fake-dating romance, and a few fair critiques. Read before you buy.
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel
Is Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel worth reading? Our review weighs its warmth, its glowing Paris setting, and its flaws, plus read-alikes for fans.
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Feeling stuck in a reading rut? Our curated book lists are here to rescue you from the clutches of reader's block. Explore new genres, discover hidden gems, and find your next literary obsession with our expertly crafted recommendations.
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
What to Read Before Nolan’s Odyssey
You have a ticket and not much time. Here is what I would actually read before Nolan's Odyssey, sorted by how many free evenings you have between now and the cinema.
Greek Myth Retellings to Read After Circe
Finishing Circe leaves a very specific hole. Here are the Greek myth retellings that actually fill it, and the ones that only pretend to.
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A Rebellion of Care by David Gate
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David Gate's debut poetry collection, A Rebellion of Care, emerges as a vital voice in contemporary literature, offering readers...
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The French Illusion by John Grisham
A mother in Maryland spends six months telling her friends her son-in-law is recovering from bad shellfish in a Paris hospital. He is not in a hospital. Grisham's fortieth novel is about the lies decent people are ordered to tell, and the bill that comes with them.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
In a Hampshire pub garden, a woman who has sold more books than almost anyone alive is introduced to a stranger as Steve's mate. The second We Solve Murders novel is a comedy about murder and a much sadder book about market value.
The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian
A tear in a practice net, a name shouted across a hot lawn, a boy who looks up. Chris Bohjalian builds a whole novel out of one second in 1978, and the trial that follows is really about who a Westchester village was prepared to blame.
Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon
Four times a year the people of a Vermont village set gifts on the doorstep, lock the door and go to bed early. Nobody looks. Jennifer McMahon's new novel is about what a town will keep doing for a hundred years rather than admit what it did once.
Dreamland by Olivie Blake
A movie star's hillside villa, a son nobody has seen in years, and a summer of murdered women. Olivie Blake's Hollywood horror novel is at its best when it stops being a thriller and starts being an autopsy of who gets believed.