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Big Books of the Week

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Vigil by George Saunders (Random)

Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Grand Central)

The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams (Gallery: Scout; LJ starred review)

The Final Score: Six Short Novels by Don Winslow (Morrow; LJ starred review)

These books and others publishing the week of January 26, 2026, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Four LibraryReads and five Indie Next picks publish this week:

Hall of Fame picks include Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar (Algonquin) and Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen). 

Vigil by George Saunders (Random) *Good for Book Clubs

“Saunders knows how to capture the essence of life in a story all about death. This climate story effectively hammers home that climate change affects everyone and everything irreparably, but we must also carry on. This message is wrapped in a Christmas Carol package about a ghost ushering a greedy, selfish man into the afterlife.”—Sabrina Unrein, Mahwah Public Library, NJ

It is also the #1 Indie Next pick:

“A thoughtful reflection on whether we are due absolution for our misdeeds in life, delivered in Saunders’s classic voice, with humor, twists, and a deeper look at the impact of corporate greed on our world.”—Christine Bell, Roundabout Books, Bend, OR

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart (Kensington)

“In this stunning character-driven novel set in the 1940s, Everhart introduces the inmates and staff of the Industrial Farm Colony for Women. As readers are drawn into the life of the Colony, the lofty goals as well as the terrible cruelty and injustice of the place are slowly revealed. Highly recommended.”—Vicki Nesting, St. Charles Parish Library, LA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Based on the true story of the American Plan of the early twentieth century, aiming to prevent the spread of venereal diseases to WWI service members. A very real testament to the plight of women who endured terrible treatment in the name of righteousness.”—Mamie Potter, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

Three additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang (Morrow; LJ starred review)

“I love a story that delves into the rich complexities that family dynamics can bring, and this book does just that. A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing is masterful in making you feel deeply for the characters across generations.”—Annastasia Williams, Bookshop at the Bottom, Knoxville, TN

The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams (Gallery: Scout; LJ starred review)

“The Seven Daughters of Dupree swept me into the lives of seven generations of women who carry both a mysterious curse and an unshakeable bond. A story about what we inherit—trauma and triumph, pain and power, loss and love.”—Tracey Duncan, Commonplace Reader, Yardley, PA

When the Museum Is Closed by Emi Yagi, tr. by Yuki Tejima (Soft Skull)

“After loving Diary of a Void and now When the Museum Is Closed, I can confidently say that I love the way author Emi Yagi’s brain works! Thank you Emi for writing these delightfully unhinged and charmingly unconventional stories.”—Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores, Washington, DC

In the Media

People’s book of the week is Crux by Gabriel Tallent (Riverhead). Also getting attention are Evelyn in Transit by David Guterson (Norton) and One Aladdin Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson (Grove; LJ starred review). “Buzzy New Books” include Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (Ballantine), Football by Chuck Klosterman (Penguin Pr.), and A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (Berkley). 

The “Picks” section spotlights FX’s The Beauty, based on the comic book series by Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley, and the Netflix series Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials based on The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie. There is a feature on the new season of Bridgerton, based on the books by Julia Quinn. Plus, recipes from Jerrelle Guy, author of We Fancy: Simple Recipes To Make The Everyday Special (Simon Element), and Natasha Pickowicz, author of Everyone Hot Pot: Creating the Ultimate Meal for Gathering and Feasting (Artisan). 

Reviews

NYT reviews Vigil by George Saunders (Random): “Saunders’s newfound enlightenment may have done wonders for himself personally, but it’s done his fiction no good whatsoever. This author has a lot of good will in the bank. He deserves it. Come back from the brink, Mr. Saunders. Please don’t disappear up your own kazoo.” LA Times also reviews: “In the brief, dazzling Vigil, Saunders’ vigilant eyes are wide open. It’s a virtuoso achievement, an immersive experience for the reader. Incisive prose (he’s very fond of the colon as a punctuation mark to highlight forthcoming perceptions), engaging characters, and a brilliant imagination give a compelling glimpse into the piquant possibilities of forever.” Vulture says: “A work like Vigil may raise questions about how much empathy (or come-uppance) its villainous subject is owed. I’m agnostic on that, but I do think he should at least be interesting, and Boone is not.”

Washington Post reviews Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (Ballantine): “That Waldo is not just young, but a minor, gives Half His Age a more provocative—even alienating—edge; McCurdy is clearly interested in challenging her readers’ sensibilities”; and The Game Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How To Fight by Jon Ralston (S&S): “The Game Changer resurrects Reid not as a showman but as a bare-knuckled institutional fighter, a politician who reshaped power in the Senate and beyond.” Plus, there are short reviews of three twisty thrillers: Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen), The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave (Scribner), and My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney (Pine & Cedar). 

NYT also reviews four new historical fition titles. 

Briefly Noted

The Association of Jewish Libraries reveals the recipients of the Jewish Fiction Award, including winner Kaplan’s Plot by Jason Diamond (Flatiron) and three honor books: Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar (Random), Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein (Doubleday), and The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Tor; LJ starred review). 

The Dylan Thomas Prize longlist is announced. Kirkus has coverage.

Vogue previews the best books of 2026. 

Esquire shares “The 22 Most Anticipated Books of 2026.”

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week. 

WSJ highlights 17 books for the week.

People lists the best books of the month. 

NPR shares 12 winter reading recommendations.

Defending God's Existence by Ken Ham (New Leaf) tops Amazon’s Movers and Shakers list, while editions of George Orwell’s 1984 occupy four of the top 12 spots . 

People previews Joyce Carol Oates’s forthcoming story collection, The Frenzy: Stories (Hogarth), due out June 16. 

Washington Post talks with Don Winslow about retirement and his new release, The Final Score: Six Short Novels (Morrow; LJ starred review). 

Entertainment Weekly puts Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” books in order. 

Authors on Air

PBS NewsHour speaks with Elliot Williams, author of Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ’80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation (Penguin Pr.; LJ starred review).

CBS Sunday Morning talks with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro about his new book, Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service (Harper). Shapiro will appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight and CBS Mornings and The View tomorrow. 

Chuck Klosterman discusses Football (Penguin Pr.) with NYT’s Book Review podcast.

USA Today highlights notable 2026 book-to-movie adaptations.

Spencer Pratt, The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain (Gallery), visits CBS Mornings, while Chris Appleton, Your Roots Don’t Define You: Transform Your Life. Create Your Comeback (Hanover Square), and Sarah Vacchiano, Soft Launch: A Coming-of-Adulthood Novel (Little A), will appear today on Tamron Hall.

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