The Best Books to Read This Christmas 2026
Christmas reading has its own rhythm.
There is the book you start before Christmas and carry around while pretending to help, the book you open on St Stephen's Day when nobody is asking anything of you, and the ambitious hardback you are convinced you will finish before New Year's Eve.
For Christmas 2026, there is an unusually strong run of new Irish fiction alongside major international prize contenders. This is our reading shortlist rather than a rigid ranking — different books suit different readers.
1. The Newer World by Sebastian Barry
Sebastian Barry's new novel, published in September 2026, continues the loose American sequence that includes Days Without End and A Thousand Moons. It follows Tennyson Bouguereau from post-Civil War America towards Victorian England.
Choose this for someone who likes sweeping historical fiction, strong characters and literary writing with plenty of emotional weight.
2. Stations by Louise Kennedy
Louise Kennedy follows Trespasses with Stations, a novel that begins in 1982 and follows Róisín and Red across years marked by emigration, addiction, love and family damage.
This is one for readers who like intimate relationship-driven fiction rather than plot for plot's sake.
A few Christmas gift ideas
3. The Weight of Angels by John Boyne
Published in October 2026, John Boyne's The Weight of Angels imagines an alternative history in which Oscar Wilde avoids imprisonment and continues into the first half of the twentieth century.
It is a strong choice for readers who enjoy historical “what if?” novels and recognisable figures viewed from a different angle.
4. O Now! by Niall Williams
Niall Williams returns to Faha, County Clare, the setting associated with This Is Happiness and Time of the Child. O Now! is due in October 2026 and centres on Bat Considine and Mossie Crowe as an unexpected discovery disturbs their familiar routine.
For a reader who loves Irish settings, warmth, humour and beautifully observed everyday life, put this near the top of the list.
Buying for a reader?
If you know they love books but have no idea what is already on the shelf, a book subscription lets us do the choosing each month.
5. Glorious Monsters by Martina Devlin
Martina Devlin's new novel is set in Rome in 1819 and places Irish artist Amelia Curran among Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Claire Clairmont.
It is an appealing Christmas read for someone who likes historical fiction with real artistic and literary figures at its centre.
6. Snow Birds by Roisin Maguire
Snow Birds brings environmental conflict, community and an unlikely swimming group together around a threatened island bird colony.
It sounds ideal for readers who enjoy contemporary Irish fiction with place and community at the heart of the story.
7. The Disappearers by Marlon James
The Disappearers is on the 2026 Booker Prize shortlist. Marlon James is already a Booker winner, so this is likely to be one of the books people are talking about through the autumn and into Christmas.
Choose it for an ambitious reader who likes literary fiction with a bigger canvas and is happy to tackle something substantial over the holidays.
8. The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
Also shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize, The End of Everything has been described by the Booker judges as a book that can be approached as thriller, mystery, satire, dystopia, road novel and realism.
That makes it a good wildcard for someone who wants their Christmas reading to be stranger and less predictable.
Which book should you choose as a Christmas present?
Do not choose the book you think they ought to read. Choose the book that resembles what they already enjoy.
If their shelf is full of Irish literary fiction, start with Barry, Kennedy, Williams, Devlin or Maguire. If they follow major prizes, one of the Booker-shortlisted novels is an obvious talking point.
If you simply do not know, our guide to what to get someone who reads a lot when you don't know what they've already read will save you some detective work.
Give them reading rather than one specific book
A Book Resort subscription is designed for exactly this problem. You choose the genre and duration; we choose the books.
For more present ideas, see our Best Gifts for Book Lovers in Ireland guide or browse our Christmas gift hampers.
A good Christmas book does not have to be Christmassy
There is no rule that December reading has to involve snow-covered cottages, magical bakeries or somebody returning reluctantly to their home town.
The best Christmas book is the one you suddenly have time to read.
For the person who always has a book on the go
Choose a one-off book-led gift or give them new reading to look forward to after Christmas with a subscription.
Christmas reading FAQs
What are good new Irish books for Christmas 2026?
New and forthcoming 2026 fiction from Sebastian Barry, Louise Kennedy, John Boyne, Niall Williams, Martina Devlin and Roisin Maguire gives Irish readers a particularly strong choice this Christmas.
What should I buy someone who reads a lot?
If you know their preferred genre but not the titles they own, a book subscription is often easier than trying to guess one specific book.
Are book subscriptions good Christmas gifts?
Yes. They extend the present beyond Christmas Day and give the reader something new to look forward to each month.
