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Books

Thu Jan 1 2026

Clare Mulroy | Books Reporter

Happy 2026, booklovers!

It's fitting that our first newsletter of the year lands Jan. 1, because I know many of you are adding "read more" to your 2026 New Year's Resolutions. And what a year it'll be – the calendar is stacked with new releases from beloved authors like Ann Patchett, Kennedy Ryan, George Saunders, Emma Straub and Colson Whitehead.

Our annual list of 15 most anticipated books is now out , and they range from nonfiction deep-dives to swoony romance to bone-chilling mysteries. I know it can be agonizing to wait months for these, so here are three that come out this winter you'll want to shelve:

👩‍🍼'One Bad Mother' by Ej Dickson: I'm normally a fiction reader, but Dickson's enticing cultural commentary had me flying through this nonfiction book. Interrogating who we deem "bad moms" and why, this book is perfect fodder for dinner table conversation.

✨'Queen of Faces' by Petra Lord: A dark academia fantasy set in a world where you can buy and swap bodies like clothing – the wealthy do this at their will, while the have-nots are left with rotting bodies they can't get rid of.

🍎'Half His Age' by Jennette McCurdy: McCurdy flexes her fiction writing muscles in this impressive debut novel, with a precocious 17-year-old protagonist you can't help but root for. I especially loved her portrayal of Gen Z consumerism and social media use.

My personal reading goals are to diversify my genre reading – I'd like to check out more sci-fi and fantasy this year, as well as more nonfiction. I also want to get more into audiobooks.

What are your 2026 reading goals? Tell me at cmulroy@usatoday.com or by reaching out on Instagram. Thanks for checking out USA TODAY Books this week!