Five authors on Goodreads’ 2026 anticipated-books list are George Saunders, Douglas Stuart, Ann Patchett, Emma Straub, and Maggie O’Farrell. Their novels range from a ghostly vigil beside an oil executive to a father-and-son mapping team in famine-era Ireland. This is a selected group, not an objective ranking: Goodreads describes its 2026 collection as a non-exhaustive sample, and TIME’s separately curated list includes four of these five titles.
How these five books were selected
Goodreads’ editorial team assembled a list of 68 books scheduled for U.S. publication in 2026, using publication information it tracked and reader activity on Want to Read shelves. Goodreads describes the collection as a sample, not a comprehensive ranking. TIME’s “The 36 Most Anticipated Books of 2026,” last updated July 2026, also includes four books below; the article is sponsored content supplied in partnership with Ally. These lists offer two editorial selections, not a universal measure of anticipation or demand. Goodreads’ selection and TIME’s list explain their respective contexts.
Five authors and their anticipated books
George Saunders — Vigil
Goodreads lists Saunders’s novel for January 27, 2026. TIME describes a ghostly figure attending to a dying oil executive. The author-title pairing appears on both lists. Goodreads and TIME.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Ashley Hardcover Blank Book | $5.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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The Hobbit And The Lord Of The Rings: Deluxe Pocket Boxed Set | $27.56 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Theo of Golden: A Novel | $19.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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The Calamity Club: A Novel | $24.01 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Dungeon Crawler Carl | $17.35 | Buy on Amazon |
Douglas Stuart — John of John
Goodreads lists Stuart’s novel for May 5, 2026. TIME’s description follows John-Calum Macleod as he returns to the Isle of Harris and confronts questions of sexuality and family. Both lists include the book. Goodreads and TIME.
Ann Patchett — Whistler
Goodreads identifies Patchett as the author of Whistler, expected in June 2026. TIME describes a chance encounter at New York’s Metropolitan Museum that reconnects Daphne with a former stepfather she has not seen in decades. Goodreads supports the author-title pairing; the synopsis detail comes from TIME. Goodreads and TIME.
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Emma Straub — American Fantasy
Goodreads lists Straub’s novel for April 7, 2026. TIME describes Annie, a divorced woman taking a Caribbean cruise with a 1990s boy band. Both lists include the title. Goodreads and TIME.
Maggie O’Farrell — Land
Goodreads lists O’Farrell’s novel for June 2, 2026. Set in nineteenth-century Ireland, it follows a father and son tasked with mapping the devastation of the Irish potato famine, also known as the Great Hunger. Goodreads is the source for this title and description in the selections covered here. Goodreads.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the lists can—and cannot—tell readers
The five premises span a ghost story, a return to the Isle of Harris, an unexpected family reconnection, a Caribbean cruise, and a mapping expedition amid famine. The publication dates and descriptions above follow Goodreads and, where noted, TIME; release schedules can change. The lists do not establish comparable sales, review scores, or a ranked order of reader demand, so they are best used as discovery guides rather than predictions of which book will be most popular.
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