THE NEW year brings a tantalizing promise of a fresh new page – an invitation to start anew, chase long-held dreams, or simply stay open to surprises and unexpected joys. We bid hello to the next 365 days and urge them to be kind, gentle, and giving.
And of course, we look forward to a great slew of books– especially the most anticipated reads of 2026. A peek into the arsenal of publishers- both local and international- has confirmed our hunch: 2026 is shaping up to be an incredible one for readers!
Bookworms, we may never know what tomorrow will bring, and life is full of uncertainties, but we can always find comfort in amazing books, and with that, we wish you a happy new year of reading!
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Son of a Dead ‘80s Bold Star by Chuck Smith
November 2025
“Here’s a confession,” writes author and entertainment journalist Chuck Smith in one of the essays. “I am the son of a dead ’80s bold star. Until, one day, I was not. But by then, it was too late to take it back.” What follows is a collection of deeply personal essays and entertainment reportage, as Smith journeys toward making sense of his inherited identity as the son of one of Philippine showbiz’s most controversial figures. Along the way, he explores grief, pop culture, mythmaking, and coming of age—resulting in an intimate, intriguing, and fascinating read.
Memoirs of an Art Forger by Julian Tiongson, Jr.
November 16, 2025
The art world can be stranger than fiction—and fertile ground for enthralling thrillers. In his debut novel, Julian Tiongson, Jr., follows a Jesuit-trained art restorer haunted by the deaths of his mother and lover as he exacts revenge on those responsible by creating a forged art masterpiece. Blending art, mystery, and a sharp critique of society’s hypocrisies, Memoirs of an Art Forger is a page-turning tale perfect for jump-starting your year of reading.
Sikodiwa by Carl Cervantes
December 2025
Have you ever thought about why we say “Tao po”? Or what pakikipagkapwa really means once you dissect its layers of meaning? Researcher and psychologist Carl Cervantes explores these and other aspects of Filipino culture– from folk healing, indigenous practices, to Filipino language and mythology. Cervantes’ Sikodiwa, a portmanteau of “sikololohiya” and “diwa”, is essential reading for Filipinos—and for anyone seeking to move beyond Western canons.
Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo
January 20, 2026
Authors Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo make a bold move to defy gender norms and social expectations in this thought-provoking biography/memoir. When best friends Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo grow weary of the false choice between marriage and isolation, they decide to buy a home and grow old together—not as lovers or roommates, but as chosen family. From cat mom life, sick days, and career wins to aging parents and beachside retirement plans, they redefine domestic bliss on their own terms.
The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto
January 20, 2026
Sunday Times bestselling author Samantha Sotto is back to whisk us away on a magical adventure. Welcome aboard The Elsewhere Express, a magical train that appears to lost souls for a chance to find their purpose and begin again. One lost soul is Raya, a woman who gave up her dream of becoming a songwriter when her brother passed away and started living his dream. As Raya attends the orientation and navigates the train, she discovers the train is in danger. Can Raya save the passengers and find her true purpose before it’s too late?
The Bathala Games by E Manawari
January 2026
E. Manawari’s debut YA fantasy novel follows Michelle Macabebe, a teenager desperate to escape her quiet island life on Luna Asul. When a talking cat selects her for the Bathala Games, she is thrust into a deadly competition run by quarrelling gods and forgotten legends. Competing against four rivals, Chi must survive dangerous trials as a rebellion brews in the lower realms—while everything she loves is put at risk.
Vigil by George Saunders
January 27, 2026
Booker Prize–winning author George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo) returns with an electric new novel. Vigil follows Jill, a woman tasked with guiding souls from Earth to the afterlife, whose latest assignment proves her most challenging yet: a fossil fuel tycoon—one of the world’s richest men—who has caused devastating climate catastrophes and believes he has nothing to regret. In glittering form, Saunders interrogates corporate greed, the moral toll of capitalism, and what accountability might mean at the end of a life.
Bad Asians by Lillian Li
February 17, 2026
Millennial malaise among first and second-generation Asian Americans lies at the heart of this latest novel by Lillian Li. It follows four friends—once straight-A students and the pride of their parents—who did everything right, only to be left behind by a shifting economy and a broken promise of success. When Grace, a Harvard dropout, decides to make a documentary about her friends—one that leans into Asian stereotypes and unexpectedly goes viral—their lives are thrown into upheaval. Wry, incisive, and darkly funny, the novel captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the slow unraveling of the American Dream.
So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder
February 17. 2026
In this funny, tender, and sharply observed novel, Ginder traces the lives of six college friends as they move—sometimes stumbling, sometimes resisting—toward middle age. It begins on a crowded New Year’s Eve in Lower Manhattan in 2007, when Richie hosts a party that gathers his old University of Pennsylvania friends in one place, still young enough to believe that time is on their side. Over the next decade, their lives unfold through a series of milestone gatherings, as their friendships deepen, strain, and subtly shift. Resonant, funny, and deeply moving, So Old, So Young is about navigating the complexities of growing up, growing apart, and holding on.
The Reservation by Rebecca Kaufman
February 26, 2026
In Reservation, a restaurant-based mystery, Kaufman takes us straight into the heat of the kitchen as a group of workers scramble to make everything perfect for the most important booking in the restaurant’s history. But when twenty-two pieces of ribeye steaks are stolen, and a barrage of bad reviews attack their Yelp account on the day of, it’s clear someone’s out to sabotage, and everyone’s a suspect. The Reservation is a big-hearted and highly entertaining read, a mash-up of Clue and The Bear.
200 Monas by Jan Saenz
March 3, 2026
Unashamedly brash, bold, and blistering, 200 Monas follows Arvy, a grieving college student who, in the wake of her mother’s death, discovers a hidden stash of 200 pills she assumes are Mollys—or so she thinks. When drug dealers come barreling at her door to collect their money, Arvy learns the truth: the pills are Monas, a rare drug that induces intense orgasms. Racing against the clock to sell the Monas—or risk being hacked to pieces—Arvy is thrust into a dangerous, darkly comic spiral. Perfect for fans of Breaking Bad and Uncut Gems.
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
March 17, 2026
A chilling and incisive novel from the author of Butter, Hooked explores obsession, female friendship, and the quiet loneliness beneath curated lives. When Eriko, a high-achieving corporate woman, engineers a friendship with Shoko, a lifestyle blogger she idolizes, their unlikely bond offers the promise of connection. But admiration soon curdles into fixation, unraveling the fragile balance of both women’s lives. Taut, provocative, and deeply perceptive, this novel asks how far we’ll go to be seen—and what happens when the ones who see us don’t like what they find.
Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami
March 17, 2026
Acclaimed author Mieko Kawakami, known for the bestselling novel Breasts and Eggs, is set to release her first noir thriller this March 2026. Set in gritty 1990s Tokyo, Sisters in Yellow follows fifteen-year-old Hana, whose bleak life with her young single mother changes when she moves in with her mother’s friend Kumiko, the proprietress of a seedy bar called Lemon. Suddenly, Hana finds a home, a family, and the stability she has long craved. But when tragedy strikes Lemon, Hana’s life veers onto an increasingly dangerous path.
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
March 31, 2026
The award-winning author of Life of Pi returns with a sweeping new novel that reimagines the Trojan War. The novel follows Psoas of Midea, the son of a goatherd who fights in the legendary conflict, alongside Harlow Donne, a modern-day Canadian academic who uncovers an epic poem about this long-forgotten warrior. Myth and present day converge in this novel inspired by Homer’s Iliad, which Yann Martel calls an ancient text that set his imagination on fire.
The Penguin Book of International Short Story by Rabih Alameddine and John Freeman
April 7, 2026
For lovers of short fiction, this is a collection not to be missed. Award-winning novelist Rabih Alameddine and celebrated anthologist John Freeman gather extraordinary voices from across six continents—from Haruki Murakami and Han Kang to Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk. Each story offers a window into a distinct point of view, echoing filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s famous line about overcoming “the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” to enter new worlds.
Subtyrannicon by Khavn Dela Cruz
First Quarter, 2026
Whether in film, music, or literature, Khavn Dela Cruz has long been known for subverting form and genre. He does it again in Subtyrannicon, his newest poetry collection—an ars poetica that digs beneath the everyday, where stench, rage, a mute cat, and the hair on one’s arm become shadows reflecting the hidden truths of the self and of society. Moving between the ordinary and the absurd, this book refuses to stay contained on the page, poking, prodding, and unsettling. Subtyrannicon is for readers unafraid of poetry that breaks loose and bites back.
Bookmark these exciting titles to add to your TBR. Happy new year of reading, bookworms!
