To celebrate 2026 being marked the Year of Reading, join us on our 2026 Reading Challenge! We’re hoping these prompts can encourage picking up titles you might have overlooked, and help you to reflect more about the stories you are consuming.
Click on each prompt to see a few of our suggestions or explanations, which we’ll be updating as we go. We’re always more than happy to chat through our recommendations in the shop if you’re in need of a push to decide what to read next!
Pick up a printed copy from us at Falmouth Bookseller, or find a link to download the sheet below. If you’re a Storygraph user, we also have it set up as a challenge for you to easily keep track.
Challenge prompts: think about the themes and attributes of the books you’re picking up this year
→ A book set in your favourite season
We’ll accept books that are mostly in that season, or have the right vibe
Our picks:
Spring: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin
Summer: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, A Month in the Country by JL Carr
Autumn: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Winter: The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller,
→ A book you were supposed to read at school
Or, if you were a goody two shoes who read everything, re-read a favourite book that you were first introduced to at school or university
→ A book you read because of an adaptation
It doesn’t have to be one that is coming out this year, but some of our favourite recent ones include:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt
→ A book published over 50 years ago
Anything from before 1976!
→ A book translated from another language
Our picks:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (translated from French)
Butter by Asako Yuzuki (translated from Japanese)
→ A book set somewhere you’d like to visit
Anywhere in the world. The only rule is that it can’t be a fictional location!
→ A book with a bear on the cover or in the title
It may seem a little rogue, but 2026 is also the 100-year anniversary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh, so we had to get a reference in somewhere…
Our picks:
The Wager and the Bear by John Ironmonger
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold (children’s fiction, but you’re never too old for a good story)
→ A book that has been shortlisted or won an award
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction)
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke (winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (each book in the trilogy has won a Hugo Award)
→ A book based on true events
Not necessarily non-fiction, could be inspired by a true story
→ A book recommended by a bookseller
It doesn’t even need to be from one of us, but it doesn’t hurt… Giving recommendations is genuinely one of the best parts of our job. Let us help you find a great read!
Maisie’s pick: The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow
Looking back: how has your reading made you feel this year?
→ A book that taught you something
Again, this isn’t restricted to non-fiction. Stories teach us lessons all the time
→ A book that you think everyone needs to read
Bonus question: why? It could be life changing, an important topic, or just the best storytelling you’ve ever read.
Our picks:
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
→ A highly anticipated read
What have you been waiting for this year? Hopefully it lives up to the hype!
Our picks:
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
→ A book that made you feel nostalgic
We don’t think that this is pigeon-holed into reading something from your childhood. Some books are excellent tools for reminiscing on a past experience, or conjuring up images of sparkly lip gloss and carpeted floors in the 00s for example
→ A book that was out of your comfort zone
Maybe a genre you wouldn’t normally choose, or a topic you haven’t broached before.
Our picks:
For an introduction to Fantasy: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (think of it more as a literary novel with magic)
For an introduction to Classics: Animal Farm by George Orwell, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
For an introduction to Literary Fiction: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
→ A book that made you feel seen
Feeling ‘seen’ is hard to define, but we interpret it as reading a book that feels purpose-built for you, for better or for worse.
→ A borrowed book
Borrow a book from a friend, or the library!
→ A book you judged by its cover
We all do it. But for better or for worse?
Some of our prettiest books:
→ A book with less than 200 pages
Fancy topping up that reading goal with an easy win?
→ A book by a new-to-you author
They don’t have to be a debut, just an author you’ve never read before!
→ The oldest book that you read (by publication date)
→ A book that you wish fitted into one of these prompts
Sometimes you just want to shout from the rooftops about a book but the time is never right! What’s something you read this year that you can’t squeeze into another category?
Bonus round: bookish activities! Being a reader isn’t just about the books you read. There’s such a huge community to be a part of, with fun activities to take part in and events to attend! Why not make an effort to try something new this year?