The new year is already well under way, but there’s still plenty of time to add to your 2026 TBR! As I like to do every year, I have combed through book announcements and publishers’ lists to bring you ten of my most anticipated releases for the year. The titles below range from pure horror to fantasy to cozy sci-fi, with some dashes of mystery and romance.
But before I dive into my list, I first want to note that January has been dubbed International Gothic Reading Month by the Society for the Study of the American Gothic. A committee of Gothic fiction authors have put together an extensive reading list and are spending the month encouraging more people to experience the somber joys of Gothic literature. Check out their home page here, and peruse their suggested readings while you wait for the books below to be released. Here at The Gothic Library, every month is Gothic Reading Month, but I’d love to see IGRM get more people into the genre! And now, onto this year’s new releases that I am most excited for:
1) The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan (set to be released February 23)
This historical horror debut reimagines one of the earliest werewolf legends. Set in eighteenth-century France, it follows professor Sebastian Grave, who has dabbled in dark arts in his quest to defeat the dreaded Beast of Gévaudan. But when the beast returns once more, Sebastian must figure out how to defeat it for good while navigating the inquisitorial eye of the church and a country teetering on the brink of revolution.
2) Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite (set to be released March 10)
Olivia Waite’s first cozy sci-fi mystery, Murder by Memory, was one of the most fun books I read last year! Upon finishing it, I was delighted to learn that it would be the first in a series starring the old-at-heart fiber artist sleuth Dorothy Gentleman. In this second outing, Dorothy must investigate the unexpected appearance of a baby onboard the generation ship where all fertility has been paused and the passengers are simply reincarnated from one body to a new one while they await their ultimate destination…
3) Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall (set to be released March 10)
I’ve really enjoyed Alexis Hall’s romance novels in the past and am excited to see him branching out into sci-fi! Hell’s Heart reimagines Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, set within a post-apocalyptic space-faring society that relies upon spermaceti harvested from giant Leviathans that live in Jupiter’s atmosphere. And from the sound of it, we can still expect a sprinkling of romance in this epic hunt for space-whales.
4) Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (set to be released March 24)
I’ll never skip a Gothic novel from T. Kingfisher (whose What Moves the Dead and A House with Good Bones are some of my favorites)! I’m excited to see her return to the turn of the century with this one, which follows a female science illustrator in 1899 who moves into the North Carolina manor of the reclusive Dr. Holder to illustrate his insect collection. But Holder is up to something much more sinister than innocent bug collecting…
5) Morsel by Carter Keane (set to be released April 14)
The gorgeous cover is what first drew me to this anti-Capitalist folk horror debut, in which a struggling office worker finds herself stranded in the Appalachian woods, where she is stalked by someone or something unseen. She’ll have to learn to bite back, if she and her dog are going to get out alive.
6) Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (set to be released April 21)
From the author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng (a much buzzed-about book last year, which I didn’t get around to) comes a new haunted house story. In this dual-timeline narrative, college student Lee Turner flees New York after killing his roommate and finds himself in the same house where, in 1877, a young samurai in exile strove desperately for the approval of her monstrous father. But, as the official description says, “One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.” I sense some unreliable narrators coming our way…
7) Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle (set to be released July 7)
After pivoting from outlandish erotica to traditional publishing, Chuck Tingle has been putting out new horror novels faster than I can keep up! But I was very impressed by his horror debut, Camp Damascus, and am eager to check out more of his writing. Described as Beetlejuice-esque, this newest book centers on a fashion influencer who moonlights as a grave robber as she finds herself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
8) Reliquary by Hannah F. Whitten (set to be released August 11)
A new Gothic fantasy by the author of The Foxglove King (which I loved, but apparently never reviewed on here). Orphaned from childhood, Claire is desperate for belonging and thought she had finally found it with her fiancé Elias, until he died of a mysterious illness, leaving her crushed. When his wealthy family invites her to their private island, she eagerly accepts. But she’s bound to find some disturbing family secrets stirring beneath the surrounding waters.
9) Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling (set to be released October 20)
This is a vampire novel by the author of The Death of Jane Lawrence (which was much buzzed-about, but I haven’t gotten to yet). It follows a vampire broodmother tasked with raising unruly fledglings for her coven. But when her own body begins to undergo mysterious changes, she seeks out a human OBGYN who just might have the answers.
10) Dead Ringer by Leanna Renee Hieber (set to be released in the fall)
And of course I can’t miss a new release by my favorite author of all time, Leanna Renee Hieber. Especially when she’s back to writing Gothic romantic mysteries after foraying into nonfiction for the past few years. This one, set in 1892 Manhattan, centers on an “adorable disaster” of a telephone operator, a beautiful ghost who begs for help solving her own murder, and a civil rights lawyer love interest! There’s no official pub date yet, but it should be out in time for spooky season.
What’s on your reading list for 2026? Any of the books above? Is there anything coming out that I missed? Let me know in the comments!
Oh this is wonderful! Thank you for these titles.
I’m excited for The Red Winter, Hell’s Heart, and Nobody’s Baby! Before Nobody’s Baby I first want to read Murder by Memory which I added to my tbr pile after your review last year!