There’s one question I get asked more than ever as the books editor at Good Housekeeping – what should I read next? And honestly, I love being asked – because finding the right book at the right moment is one of life’s greatest small pleasures.
This year has been an epic one already for good books (although if I'm honest I say that every year!) and picking just 7 favourites from everything I've read so far in 2026 is an almost impossible task. I feel confident though that all of the books recommended below are well worth adding to your suitcase or downloading on your ereader for your commute. Happy reading!
Contrapposto by Dave Eggers
Over his 26-year career (which began with the memoir A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius – a must-read if you haven’t already) Dave Eggers’ books have covered an eclectic mix of subjects, from the deeply personal to dystopian tech satires and real-life human rights stories. His latest novel, Contrapposto, is more of a character study – and a deeply satisfying one. It’s the story of Robert ‘Cricket’ Dibb, who’s raised in a dysfunctional home in Indiana by an uninterested mother and her abusive boyfriend. His only escape is drawing, encouraged by his grandfather, Silas. Also on his side is friend Olympia Argyros, who becomes a lifelong companion and champion.
This is a big-hearted, funny novel about friendship and art – more intimate than his usual style, but with the rich characterisation and commentary Eggers is known for. A pleasure to get lost in and a hard one to forget.
Canongate Books Contrapposto by Dave Eggers
People In Love by Claire Daverley
When her teenage best friend, Bren, turns up unannounced at Nora’s engagement party, it stirs up all sorts of emotions in her – mostly anger that he ran away 12 years ago and hasn’t been home since. I was a huge fan of Daverley’s debut, Talking At Night, and this has the same emotional intimacy and depth.
Michael Joseph People in Love by Claire Daverley
Whistler by Ann Patchett
In this touching novel, the always-wonderful Patchett turns her attention to father-daughter relationships. After a chance encounter brings Daphne back into contact with her stepfather, Eddie, she starts looking for answers to questions from her childhood that she’s never allowed herself to think about.
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
I was totally charmed by this joyful novel about a directionless young man who takes a job working for an eccentric 90-year-old baroness. Set over a summer and autumn in Tuscany, it’s full of gossip, warmth and sunshine.
Sceptre Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Straight-talking Sybil Van Antwerp, 73, likes to keep the world at arm’s length and communicate by letter. When her eyesight begins to go, Sybil is forced to face up to her past. A charming, thought-provoking read.
Michael Joseph The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley
Set against the backdrop of an eventful decade in British politics, this literary love story looks at the intricacies of a long-term relationship, with characters so real they live beyond the pages.
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
This compelling narrative nonfiction, summer’s biggest word-of-mouth hit, investigates the death of a 19-year-old man who fell from the balcony of a luxury Thameside high-rise and the double-life he’d been living amongst London’s super-wealthy - one his parents weren’t even aware of.
