Every year, “read more” somehow makes it onto our New Year’s resolutions (maybe right alongside drinking more water and going to bed earlier).
If you’re looking to actually stick to it this year, here are 10 books that will turn reading into your new favourite hobby in 2026.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
I’m a HUGE fan of this one. It’s one of those books that just makes you feel ridiculously happy.
A computer security guy named Lincoln ends up reading the emails between two women (Beth and Jennifer) who work at the newspaper after the messages get flagged by the filtering software. And before he knows it, he falls in love with one of them… even though she has no idea he exists!
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet?
In Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving coffee for over a hundred years. But legend has it, this place offers more than just a good cup of coffee. It gives guests the chance to travel back in time… so long as the trip lasts only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.
I don’t usually go for magical realism, but this one completely won me over!
Funny Story by Emily Henry
TBH, you should probably just go out and buy ALL the Emily Henry books. But if you’re only picking one, start here!
After discovering her fiancé is in love with his childhood best friend, Petra, Daphne ends up stuck in a small town with Petra’s ex, Miles. Then one night, while drowning their sorrows, they hatch a plan to post misleading photos together to get back at their exes. But it’s all just for show, because there’s no way Daphne would fall in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
I LOVE Dolly. She is a master at making you cry, and on the next page, making you laugh out loud.
Andy is a comedian who is going through the worst breakup of his life with his girlfriend Jen. He is left without a home, waiting for his stand-up career to take off, and wondering how everyone else around him has already grown up. Heartbroken but determined, he becomes obsessed with figuring out what ruined his relationship, hoping it might somehow win Jen back.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Deep underground, 39 women live imprisoned in a cage. They have no memory of how they got there, no sense of time, and no recollections of their past lives. Then a young girl arrives, sitting alone and outcast in the corner. She’s the 40th prisoner, and will soon become the key to the women’s escape into the strange world above…
If you love dark, gripping dystopian tales, this is the one you WON’T be able to put down (I finished it in just 2 days!).
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Justin has a curse: Every woman he dates goes on to find their soulmate the second they break up. And now thanks to a viral Reddit thread, it’s now all over the Internet. So when a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: date each other, break up, and cancel out their curses so they can both find the love of their lives.
But will it work? You’ll have to read and find out!
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
The minute I started this book, I COULD NOT put it down!
After a horrible breakup, Tiffy is looking for a cheap place to live. So she stumbles along the flatshare, where her flatmate, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and she can have it nights and weekends. And despite never seeing each other and being total opposites, a friendship grows… and maybe something more.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Imagine this: a prominent math professor experiences a head injury and now, for the rest of his life, can only hold memories for 80 minutes. So every day he meets his housekeeper and her young son as if for the first time…
I first read this book back in CÉGÈP, and to this day, it’s still a book that I think about often and still get very emotional over.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
If you love a good psychological thriller, this one is THE one!
Millie Calloway takes a live-in job with the wealthy Winchester family, only to uncover the dark secrets behind their perfect facade. But what they don’t know is that she has a secret of her own: a past involving prison for manslaughter after defending her friend from a sexual assault.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this one is SO stunning (and the story inside is just as good!).
Phoebe arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn, and everyone assumes she’s part of the wedding. But she’s actually the only guest who isn’t. She has dreamed of visiting for years, once with her husband, but now she’s here on her own and at rock bottom. Meanwhile, the bride has planned for every little detail and every possible mishap… except Phoebe.
So, which book are you picking up first? Let me know in the comments.
And of course, happy reading!
The Lilac Blog 