From gripping courtroom dramas to transformative memoirs, and from flavour-packed cookbooks to visionary explorations of Africa’s future, 2026 promises a reading calendar as diverse as it is irresistible. Whether you’re craving modern Indian recipes, confronting injustice, or delving into Phuthuma Nhleko’s call for a new African renaissance, these twelve titles invite curiosity, reflection, and pure reading pleasure. From history and culture to personal triumph, culinary creativity, and suspenseful storytelling, they will shape conversations, challenge perspectives, and keep you turning pages all year long.
FEBRUARY
Naqiyah Mayat
Connection thrives around the table, where bonds grow and barriers fall. The Journey celebrates Naqiyah Mayat’s Indian recipes, blending nostalgia with modern twists, passing tradition across generations with love and individuality.
Phuthuma Nhleko
Africa’s population will double to 2.5 billion by 2050. The Invisible People urges a new renaissance: confident identity, bold economic development, and strengthened geopolitical influence to shape Africa’s future.
Gisèle Pelicot
The extraordinary memoir of Gisèle Pelicot, whose courage after betrayal and abuse reshaped global conversations on sexual violence, compassion and justice, turning personal catastrophe into a rallying cry for change.
MARCH
Viola Davis & James Patterson
James Patterson and Viola Davis deliver a modern To Kill a Mockingbird: a gripping courtroom drama as Judge Mary Stone faces a life-and-death case testing power, conscience, and justice itself.
APRIL
Simply More Zola
Zola Nene
South Africa’s culinary darling returns with Simply More Zola, a fourth cookbook celebrating food, memories and people, filled with comforting meals, vibrant plates, easy bakes and flavour-packed recipes for everyone.
Living the Ultimate Carnivore Lifestyle
Hendrik Marais
A practical guide to the carnivore lifestyle, cutting through extremes. Learn flexible approaches, meal plans and 80+ recipes to improve health, clarity and fat loss, tailored to your biology and goals.
The Keeper
Tana French
After a young woman’s death shatters a remote Irish village, old feuds reignite. As secrets surface, outsiders Cal and Lena are drawn into a dangerous scheme that threatens everyone there.
MAY
Wild Things Never Die
Sally Andrew
Tannie Maria, fearful of the dark, and her PTSD-stricken hen go undercover with Detective Henk at the Karoo Wilderness Reserve, battling poachers, spying on guests, solving murders, and enjoying succulent-filled adventures.
SEPTEMBER
Agrippa
Robert Harris
The Conclave author returns to Ancient Rome: Agrippa, aged and betrayed, recalls his youth with Octavius – Caesar’s heir – as they conquer empires, navigate betrayal, and question whether friendship can survive ambition and power.
Protocols
Andrew Huberman
Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Protocols offers simple, evidence-based strategies to boost brain function, mood, energy, and physical performance, helping you rewire your nervous system and transform your mental and physical health.
OCTOBER
Simple Too
Yotam Ottolenghi
In a noisy world, simple cooking is our joy. Ottolenghi’s 135 new recipes make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert easy, fast, and full of flavour, bringing simplicity and delight to every meal.
The Weight of Angels
John Boyne
One rash decision shattered Oscar Wilde’s gilded life. John Boyne’s The Weight of Angels asks: what if Wilde had ignored the insult that led to his downfall and lived a second, extraordinary life?
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