There’s something about spring that pairs perfectly with a good story, a comfortable reading spot, and the promise of “just one more chapter.”
Our staff have been browsing the shelves and keeping an eye on upcoming titles, discovering new and forthcoming releases worth sharing. The result? A mix of 2026 fiction and nonfiction that feels just right for the season: thoughtful, engaging, memorable, and frequently surprising.
Explore our latest Staff Picks booklist below and discover your favourite read of 2026.
Fiction
Go Gentle, Maria Semple. A poised New Yorker’s carefully ordered life begins to unravel after an unexpected encounter draws her into a world of intrigue, forcing her to confront her past and a growing desire for something more.
Paris Match, by Kate Clayborn. A destination wedding in Paris tests one woman’s resolve to stay friends with her ex, especially when a gruff best man draws her into a plan to save the ceremony—and challenges her to reconsider love, loss, and second chances.
Anniversary, by Alex Finlay. Two lives become entwined after a brutal attack on May 1st, unfolding year by year as buried secrets surface, past traumas resurface, and a relentless killer draws ever closer.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, by Satoshi Yagisawa. After a painful breakup upends her life, a young woman finds unexpected comfort working in her uncle’s second-hand bookshop, where books, new friendships, and quiet routines help her begin again.
My Friends, by Fredrik Backman. When a young artist inherits a mysterious painting, she sets out to uncover its origins, tracing it back to a group of teenagers whose friendship, creativity, and shared struggles shaped a story that continues to ripple across time.
The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett. A lottery winner sets off on a cross-country road trip to reconnect with a lost love, joined by his family, a few unexpected companions, and the fragile hope of a second chance at life.
The Doorman, by Chris Pavone. Over the course of one tense night in a luxury New York apartment building, the lives of residents and staff collide as secrets surface, loyalties shift, and a city on edge pushes everything toward a breaking point.
Departure(s), by Julian Barnes. A reflective and intellectually playful novel that weaves memory, love, and mortality as a writer revisits a lifelong relationship, exploring how stories, both lived and told, shape what remains.
Land, by Maggie O’Farrell. Set in post-famine Ireland, this sweeping historical novel follows a father and son mapping a changed landscape, where personal upheaval and buried histories reshape everything they thought they knew.
John of John, by Douglas Stuart. A young man returns to his Hebridean island home, where family tensions, personal identity, and the pull of community collide in a deeply felt story of belonging and change.
Whistler, by Ann Patchett. A chance reunion at a museum reconnects a woman with her former stepfather, prompting a quiet, moving reflection on memory, loss, and the enduring impact of even brief but meaningful relationships.
Glyph, by Ali Smith. A haunting and inventive novel that moves between past and present, exploring family, memory, and imagination as two sisters confront the stories that shape them and the histories they carry forward.
Cool Machine, by Colson Whitehead. Set in a rapidly changing 1980s New York, this energetic novel follows a businessman pulled back into the city’s criminal underworld, where ambition, loyalty, and survival collide across a shifting urban landscape.
Nonfiction
A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko. A journalist sets out to hike the full length of the Grand Canyon, navigating extreme terrain and unexpected challenges in a gripping true story of endurance, discovery, and the power of wild landscapes.
A World Appears, by Michael Pollan. An exploration of one of life’s greatest mysteries, this book brings together science, philosophy, and lived experience to examine how consciousness shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Unshaming, by Jowita Bydlowska. In this candid memoir, a writer confronts relapse, shame, and recovery, offering an unflinching look at addiction and the complex realities that come after a presumed ending.
American Struggle, by Jon Meacham. This wide-ranging anthology brings together voices from across U.S. history, exploring the tensions, debates, and defining moments that have shaped the ongoing pursuit of a more perfect union.
Dopamine Kids, by Michaeleen Doucleff. Drawing on neuroscience and practical strategies, this guide helps parents understand how dopamine shapes behaviour and offers tools to redirect children toward healthier habits in a screen-saturated world.
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