The best books of 2026

This list is part of the best books of 2026.

Join 88 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2026

Book cover of The Ipcress File

David Clensy ❤️ loved this book because...

The Ipcress File is a cool, intelligent spy thriller that replaces Bond’s glamour with grit, ambiguity and some of the sharpest espionage writing of the Cold War.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Immersion
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Len Deighton ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Ipcress File as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A stone-cold Cold War classic' Toby Litt, Guardian

A high-ranking scientist has been kidnapped. A secret British intelligence agency must find out why. But as the quarry is pursued from grimy Soho to the other side of the world, what seemed a straightforward mission turns into something far more sinister. With its sardonic, cool, working-class hero, Len Deighton's sensational debut The IPCRESS File rewrote the spy thriller and became the defining novel of 1960's London.

'Changed the shape of the espionage thriller ... there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read' Daily Telegraph


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My 2nd favorite read in 2026

Book cover of The Human Factor

David Clensy ❤️ loved this book because...

The Human Factor is Graham Greene at his most humane and melancholy, a quietly devastating novel in which loyalty, love and betrayal prove inseparable.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Emotions 🥈 Character(s)
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Graham Greene ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Human Factor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Graham Greene's beautiful and disturbing novel is filled with tenderness, humour, excitement and doubt' The Times

A leak is traced to a small sub-section of the secret service, sparking off the inevitable security checks, tensions and suspicions. The sort of atmosphere, perhaps, where mistakes could be made? For Maurice Castle, it is the end of the line anyway, and time for him to retire to live peacefully with his wife and child. But no-one escapes so easily from the lonely, isolated, neurotic world of the SIS.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY COLM TOIBIN


My 3rd favorite read in 2026

Book cover of Venetian Vespers

David Clensy ❤️ loved this book because...

Venetian Vespers is a beautifully written, atmospheric tale in which John Banville transforms Venice into a city of memory, mystery and quiet unease.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Writing 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By John Banville ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Venetian Vespers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A SUNDAY TIMES AND TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR, SHORTLISTED FOR THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2025
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNOW AND THE SEA

Everything was a puzzle, everything a trap set to mystify and hinder me. . .
Winter 1899, and strange things are afoot. As the new century approaches, English hack writer Evelyn Dolman marries Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat. But in the midst of a rift between Laura and her father, Evelyn's plans for a substantial inheritance look to be dashed.

Arriving in Venice for their belated honeymoon at Palazzo…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Calm Amid the Rage

By David Clensy ,

Book cover of Calm Amid the Rage

What is my book about?

CALM AMID THE RAGE is the fifth book in the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure series: action-packed, authentic historical adventures following twin brothers fighting with the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.

1945 - With the war in Europe coming to an end, twin brothers Romulus and Remus Hutchinson find their roles at sea are changing. Rom is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and is now serving as part of the British Pacific Fleet. He struggles with the new responsibilities put on his young shoulders and with the shocking sights of Japanese kamikaze attacks.

Meanwhile, Remmie is adrift in Nigeria, desperate to bring his wife, Adanna, back to British shores. But not many people are supportive of their relationship.

When Rom is taken prisoner by the Japanese, he is exposed to the true horrors of war.

Can Rom escape the brutal POW camp? Will he survive the Pacific campaign? And can Remmie find happiness with Adanna at last…?

Book cover of The Ipcress File
Book cover of The Human Factor
Book cover of Venetian Vespers

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