Whenever I fantasise about a couple of hours of uninterrupted relaxation during the chilly winter months, my mind immediately conjures up images of curling up on the sofa with a deliciously good book.
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mind → fantasise → book
And when summer eventually comes around, just swap the location to a sun lounger in the back garden (or somewhere more exotic).
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summer → come → garden
It's the final instalment of Oseman's hit graphic novel series which has followed the lives of Nick and Charlie, two teenage boys who fall for each other at school.
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who → follow → school
Along with their friends, we've followed all the ups and downs of their relationship as they navigated family drama, homophobia and mental health issues, alongside the joy of first love.
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they → follow → love
The successful accompanying Netflix series brought Heartstopper to a new audience and the concluding storyline has been hotly anticipated by fans of the books and show alike.
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storyline → accompany → books
Volume 6 will see Nick head off to university - can his relationship with Charlie survive long-distance?
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relationship → see → Charlie
As if fans of Maggie O'Farrell haven't got enough to be excited about with the film adaptation of Hamnet set for release in the new year, they also have a new novel to look forward to in the summer.
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they → get → summer
The bestselling author returns with Land, another ambitious and compelling work, this time inspired by O'Farrell's own family history.
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author → return → history
Set in Ireland in 1865 in the aftermath of the devastating Great Hunger, O'Farrell again explores themes of loss, survival and migration in this multi-generational epic.
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O'Farrell → Set → epic
O'Farrell has previously said she feels "more than a little nervous" about the publication of her latest work but if her previous success is anything to go by, we don't think she'll need to worry.
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she → say → work
Other novels out next year from "big hitters" include Son of Nobody: A Novel by Yann Martel (Canongate), Julian Barnes's Departure(s) (Vintage), The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin (Pan Macmillan), Vigil by George Saunders (Bloomsbury), Glyph by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton), The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (Viking), John of John by Douglas Stuart (Picador), Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (Vintage) and the final novel from the late Mario Vargas Losa, I Give You My Silence (Faber & Faber).
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I → include → Faber
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara (12 February, Oneworld)
Keralan-born author and former journalist Anappara is back following the huge success of her debut novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, which was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time.
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which → bear → Times
This time around, Anappara moves the setting from India to Tibet in an epic historical tale of adventure, as two unlikely adventurers - an Indian teacher spying for the British Empire and an English female explorer who has been rejected by the all-male Royal Geographical Society - battle to survive storms, frostbite, fevers, snow leopards, soldiers and bandits.
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who → move → storms
Set in 1869, it's a thrilling and profound tale of secret personal ambition set against the backdrop of colonialist expansion.
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it → Set → expansion
This is the first foray into adult fiction for Silver, a British former actor and mental health nurse best known for his hit YA books including dystopian novel Happyhead and its sequel, Dead Happy.
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This → know → Happyhead
Fruit Fly sees the world of wealthy author Mallory collide with addict and sex worker Leo after she downloads a gay hook-up app in a bid to find some inspiration for her next bestseller.
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she → see → bestseller
Sharp, dark and humorous, it's a real nailbiter.
Doctor Who and It's A Sin screenwriter Russell T Davies has also had a sneak peek ahead of publication: "This is an incredible book... tough and raw and merciless but funny and kind at the same time."
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This → have → time
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki (12 March, 4th Estate)
Yuzuki is an established Japanese writer with more than 20 novels under her belt but her word-of-mouth hit, Butter, brought her to a global audience last year when it became her first book to be translated into English.
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it → hook → English
The ambitious thriller had us all salivating over its luscious and sensory foodie descriptions and enthralled by its themes of fat-shaming, beauty standards and misogyny.
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us → have → shaming
Yuzuki's new novel, Hooked, again translated by Polly Barton, returns to the theme of food as we're introduced to lonely protagonist Eriko, who works in the seafood industry and is aiming to reintroduce a controversial fish into the Japanese market.
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who → translate → market
the real drama comes as Eriko befriends a blogger she follows on social media, but things soon become sour as her longing for companionship turns to obsession.
Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam (#Merky Books, 28 May)
Three friends drive along Manchester's Curry Mile (Wilmslow Road – aka Wimmy Road) for what ends up being the most epic and chaotic of nights out.
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what → come → nights
This inventive and highly enjoyable debut novel spans that single, eventful evening.
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novel → span → evening
It won the new writing prize from Stormzy's publishing imprint in 2024, and Merky has turned up an exciting and original new voice.
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Merky → win → voice
Salam turns this stretch of tarmac, restaurants and bars into a dizzying fairground with neon thrills and a seedy, menacing underbelly.
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Salam → turn → thrills
Kids Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli (10 March, Hodder & Stoughton)
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You → wait → Minnelli
The legendary stage and screen star told People earlier this year that she had always been against the idea of writing her memoir: "'Absolutely not!
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she → tell → memoir
'Tell it when I'm gone!' was my philosophy," she explained.
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she → tell → it
But the Oscar-winning Cabaret actress changed her mind and felt "mad as hell" after seeing others tell her story on film and TV, "all made by people who didn't know my family, and don't really know me.
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who → win → me
"
Expect nuggets from her younger days growing up in the shadow of her famous mum, Judy Garland, before she reveals all on her meteoric rise to fame, struggles with addiction, high-profile marriages and friendships, and heartbreaking miscarriages.
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she → expect → addiction
It's going to be one hell of a ride.
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It → go → ride
Other memoirs out next year worth checking out are Starchild: My Life Under the Night Sky by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Ebury), My Truth, My Story: Part 2 from Cher (HarperCollins), Gisele Pelicot - A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides (Vintage), Lena Dunham's Fame Sick (Fourth Estate) and James Bailey's biography, Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark (Sceptre).
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Cat → check → Spark
And if you were a Wham and George Michael fan growing up - and still are, obviously - Sathnam Sanghera's Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael (Picador), is a must, exploring his heady and turbulent pop days against a backdrop of political and social upheaval.
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Music → grow → upheaval
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (7 April, Harper Collins - HQ)
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Ending → write → Clarke
The illustrious Stephen King has already said this book will be "in the running for the best mystery of 2026...
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book → say → 2026
it will remind you, in the best way, of Agatha Christie", while Val McDermid, no less, described her early copy as a "cracking read."
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McDermid → remind → read
I've also had a sneak peek and can concur.
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I → have → peek
This crime thriller sees six authors on a private island with 72 hours to write the ending of a book by the late bestselling writer, Arthur Fletch.
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thriller → see → writer
And if you liked RF Kuang's YellowFace, you will also enjoy this novel's satirical take on the publishing industry.
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you → like → industry
The mystery element even extends to the book's authors - Evelyn Clarke is a pen name for two writers, who finally revealed themselves at the Bloody Scotland Crime Festival in September.
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who → extend → September
You don't have to be a detective to find out, a quick internet search should do the trick.
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search → have → trick
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
