A new year always brings the promise of a new book and the perfect excuse to rebuild your reading habit. These seven picks from our TBR list are sure to get you out of your slump.
If your New Year’s resolution was to read more books, consider this your sign. We’re only in the second month of the year, but it’s already safe to say that 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting one for book lovers.
From the latest releases by literary heavyweights like Karl Ove Knausgaard and Mieko Kawakami to cultural voices such as Lena Dunham, there’s no shortage of reasons to turn the page. To help you break out of your reading slump, Lifestyle Asia has curated seven of this year’s most anticipated book releases worth adding to your list right now.
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The School of Night By Karl Ove Knausgaard
A young man moves to London to chase his photography dreams. A meeting with an eccentric artist pushes him to risk everything for success. Decades later, a New York retrospective forces him to face the high price of ambition in Karl Ove Knausgaard’s dark, gripping tale.
The Midnight Train By Matt Haig
Following the success of “The Midnight Library,” Matt Haig delivers another captivating journey. This time-bending story follows Wilbur as he revisits the moments that defined his life—and the love he lost.
Sisters in Yellow By Mieko Kawakami
Mieko Kawakami’s coming-of-age stories are always a good read, and the author of “Breasts and Eggs” is sure to deliver again. A fifteen-year-old in Tokyo finds hope and connection through an unexpected friendship. But as dreams grow, so do challenges in this moving story of friendship, ambition, and the complexities of growing up.
Brawler By Lauren Groff
This short-story collection delivers tales that shine individually and resonate together. From 1950s New England to modern California, these nine tales follow characters grappling with their darkest impulses and brightest intentions.
Famesick By Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham’s upcoming memoir confronts the cost of ambition and fame head-on. She takes readers through a decade of her life, navigating illness, public scrutiny, and relentless work while chasing love and the chance to feel like herself again.
How To See Like A Machine: Art In The Age Of AI By Trevor Paglen
In his upcoming work, Travis Paglen explores the future of photographic images in the age of artificial intelligence, examining how generative AI, algorithms, and personalized media have flipped the relationship between humans and visuals. This provocative exploration asks how we arrived at a world of surveillance where images watch us as closely as we watch them.
The Best Dog In The World: Essays On Love, Edited By Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman brings together fourteen beloved authors to celebrate the profound bond between humans and their canine companions. Through heartfelt essays, contributors like Isabel Allende, Roxane Gay, Jodi Picoult, and Amy Tan share the dogs who left lasting pawprints on their lives.
