'Son of a Dead ‘80s Bold Star,' 15 other books to read this 2026

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

MANILA, Philippines — Have you been utterly busy last Christmas season that you could not even pick up a book to read? Well, you can make up for it this year, as 2026 brings a tantalizing promise of fresh new pages to read, stories to take part in, and adventures to experience alongside the main characters.

You’ve put off reading, which is your favorite indulgence, for far too long. Now it’s time to take advantage of this year’s great slew of books to read— from the releases that happened in November 2025 all the way to the launch of the most anticipated reads of 2026 this first quarter.

A peek into the arsenal of publishers — both local and international — shows how 2026 is shaping up to be an incredible year for readers.

Fully Booked recommends the following 16 books to read this 2026:

1. 'Son of a Dead ‘80s Bold Star' by Chuck Smith

Philstar.com's very own Chuck Smith published a well-received book last November 2025. 

“Here’s a confession,” writes Chuck in one of the essays found in this book. “I am the son of a dead ’80s bold star. Until, one day, I was not. But by then, it was too late to take it back.”

What follows is a collection of deeply personal essays and entertainment reportage, as the entertainment journalist journeys toward making sense of his inherited identity as the son of one of Philippine showbiz’s most controversial figures. Along the way, he explores grief, pop culture, myth-making, and coming of age — resulting in an intimate, intriguing, and fascinating read.

2. 'Memoirs of an Art Forger' by Julian Tiongson Jr.

The art world can be stranger than fiction — and fertile ground for enthralling thrillers.

In his debut novel, Julian Tiongson Jr., follows a Jesuit-trained art restorer haunted by the deaths of his mother and lover as he exacts revenge on those responsible by creating a forged art masterpiece.

Blending art, mystery, and a sharp critique of society’s hypocrisies, "Memoirs of an Art Forger" is a page-turning tale perfect for jump-starting your year of reading.

3. 'Sikodiwa' by Carl Cervantes

Have you ever thought about why we say “Tao po”? Or what pakikipagkapwa really means once you dissect its layers of meaning?

Researcher and psychologist Carl Cervantes explores these and other aspects of Filipino culture — from folk healing and indigenous practices to Filipino language and mythology.

Cervantes’ "Sikodiwa," a portmanteau of “sikololohiya” and “diwa,” is essential reading for Filipinos — and for anyone seeking to move beyond Western canons.

4. 'Two Women Living Together' by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo

Authors Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo make a bold move to defy gender norms and social expectations in this thought-provoking biography/memoir.

When best friends Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo grow weary of the false choice between marriage and isolation, they decide to buy a home and grow old together — not as lovers or roommates, but as chosen family.

From cat mom life, sick days, and career wins to aging parents and beachside retirement plans, they redefine domestic bliss on their own terms.

5. 'The Elsewhere Express' by Samantha Sotto

Sunday Times’ bestselling author Samantha Sotto is back to whisk us away on a magical adventure. 

Welcome aboard The Elsewhere Express, a magical train that appears to lost souls for a chance to find their purpose and begin again. One lost soul happens to be  Raya, a woman who gave up her dream of becoming a songwriter when her brother passed away and started living his dream. As Raya attends the orientation and navigates the train, she discovers the train is in danger. Can Raya save the passengers and find her true purpose before it’s too late?

6. 'The Bathala Games' by E Manawari

E. Manawari’s debut YA fantasy novel follows Michelle Macabebe, a teenager desperate to escape her quiet island life on Luna Asul. When a talking cat selects her for the Bathala Games, she is thrust into a deadly competition run by quarrelling gods and forgotten legends. Competing against four rivals, Chi must survive dangerous trials as a rebellion brews in the lower realms — while everything she loves is put at risk.

7. 'Vigil' by George Saunders

Booker Prize–winning author George Saunders ("Lincoln in the Bardo") returns with an electric new novel. 

Vigil follows Jill, a woman tasked with guiding souls from Earth to the afterlife, whose latest assignment proves to be her most challenging yet: a fossil fuel tycoon — one of the world’s richest men — who has caused devastating climate catastrophes and believes he has nothing to regret.

In glittering form, Saunders interrogates corporate greed, the moral toll of capitalism, and what accountability might mean at the end of a life.

8. 'Bad Asians' by Lillian Li

Millennial malaise among first and second-generation Asian Americans lies at the heart of this latest novel by Lillian Li.

It follows four friends — once straight-A students and the pride of their parents — who did everything right, only to be left behind by a shifting economy and a broken promise of success.

When Grace, a Harvard dropout, decides to make a documentary about her friends — one that leans into Asian stereotypes and unexpectedly goes viral — their lives are thrown into upheaval.

Wry, incisive, and darkly funny, the novel, set for release on February 17, captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the slow unraveling of the American Dream.

9. 'So Old, So Young' by Grant Ginder

Out on February 17, this funny, tender, and sharply observed novel traces the lives of six college friends as they move — sometimes stumbling, sometimes resisting — toward middle age.

It begins on a crowded New Year’s Eve in Lower Manhattan in 2007, when Richie hosts a party that gathers his old University of Pennsylvania friends in one place, still young enough to believe that time is on their side.

Over the next decade, their lives unfold through a series of milestone gatherings, as their friendships deepen, strain, and subtly shift.  Resonant, funny, and deeply moving, "So Old, So Young" is about navigating the complexities of growing up, growing apart, and holding on.

10. 'The Reservation' by Rebecca Kaufman

In "The Reservation," a restaurant-based mystery, Kaufman takes us straight into the heart of the kitchen as a group of workers scramble to make everything perfect for the most important booking in the restaurant’s history.

But when 22 pieces of ribeye steaks are stolen, and a barrage of bad reviews attack their Yelp account on the day of, it’s clear someone’s out to sabotage, and everyone’s a suspect. 

"The Reservation" is a big-hearted and highly entertaining read, a mash-up of Clue and The Bear. It will hit shelves on February 26. 

11. '200 Monas' by Jan Saenz

Unashamedly brash, bold, and blistering, "200 Monas" follows Arvy, a grieving college student who, in the wake of her mother’s death, discovers a hidden stash of 200 pills she assumes are Mollys — or so she thinks.

When drug dealers come barreling at her door to collect their money, Arvy learns the truth: the pills are Monas, a rare drug that induces intense orgasms. Racing against the clock to sell the Monas — or risk being hacked to pieces — Arvy is thrust into a dangerous, darkly comic spiral.

Perfect for fans of "Breaking Bad" and "Uncut Gems." Pick this up when this becomes available on March 3. 

12. 'Hooked' by Asako Yuzuki

A chilling and incisive novel from the author of "Butter," "Hooked" explores obsession, female friendship, and the quiet loneliness beneath curated lives.

When Eriko, a high-achieving corporate woman, engineers a friendship with Shoko, a lifestyle blogger she idolizes, their unlikely bond offers the promise of connection. But admiration soon curdles into fixation, unraveling the fragile balance of both women’s lives.

Taut, provocative, and deeply perceptive, this novel asks how far we’ll go to be seen — and what happens when the ones who see us don’t like what they find. Pick a copy on March 17. 

13. 'Sisters in Yellow' by Mieko Kawakami

Another March 17 release, Mieko Kawakami's "Sisters in Yellow" is her first noir thriller. 

Set in gritty 1990s Tokyo, it follows 15-year-old Hana, whose bleak life with her young single mother changes when she moves in with her mother’s friend Kumiko, the proprietress of a seedy bar called Lemon.

Suddenly, Hana finds a home, a family, and the stability she has long craved. But when tragedy strikes Lemon, Hana’s life veers onto an increasingly dangerous path.

14. 'Son of Nobody' by Yann Martel

The award-winning author of "Life of Pi" returns with a sweeping new novel that reimagines the Trojan War.

The novel follows Psoas of Midea, the son of a goatherd who fights in the legendary conflict, alongside Harlow Donne, a modern-day Canadian academic who uncovers an epic poem about this long-forgotten warrior.

Myth and present day converge in this novel inspired by Homer’s "Iliad," which Yann Martel calls an ancient text that set his imagination on fire. "Son of Nobody" will be released on March 31. 

15. 'The Penguin Book of International Short Story' by Rabih Alameddine and John Freeman

For lovers of short fiction, this is a collection not to be missed when it will be released this summer on April 17.

Award-winning novelist Rabih Alameddine and celebrated anthologist John Freeman gather extraordinary voices from across six continents — from Haruki Murakami and Han Kang to Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk.

Each story offers a window into a distinct point of view, echoing filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s famous line about overcoming “the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” to enter new worlds.

16. 'Subtyrannicon' by Khavn Dela Cruz

Whether in film, music, or literature, Khavn Dela Cruz has long been known for subverting form and genre. He does it again in "Subtyrannicon," his newest poetry collection — an ars poetica that digs beneath the everyday, where stench, rage, a mute cat, and the hair on one’s arm become shadows reflecting the hidden truths of the self and of society.

Moving between the ordinary and the absurd, this book refuses to stay contained on the page, poking, prodding, and unsettling. "Subtyrannicon" is for readers unafraid of poetry that breaks loose and bites back.

RELATED: Choose your next literary fave: 17 books, poems by National Artists to read