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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Scion by James Islington
A contract killer stands in a category three storm, soaked to the skin, politely negotiating with a lion the size of a horse. Islington's cyberpunk standalone is short, savage and much stranger than its premise suggests.
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.
Book List
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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Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken
Past midnight, a feared nobleman kneels on his own kitchen floor and sings a tragic fairy ballad to a spaniel who will not otherwise eat. That scene, not the kissing, is what this Regency romantasy is really about.
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
A contract killer rides the tourist ferry around Manhattan, disappointed that the Statue of Liberty is closed for repairs. The closing Harlem Trilogy novel keeps handing its interior monologues to exactly the people who should not get them.
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
A hired thug stands in a drug dealer's hallway and refuses a simple request, and the novel stops everything to explain why. That digression is the best thing in a book stuffed with them.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
A furniture salesman walks Riverside Drive at night, picks a building, picks a window, and imagines the life inside it. Whitehead's 1960s Harlem novel is about everything standing between that man and that window.
Scion by James Islington
A contract killer stands in a category three storm, soaked to the skin, politely negotiating with a lion the size of a horse. Islington's cyberpunk standalone is short, savage and much stranger than its premise suggests.