Most Anticipated Books - Spring 2026

All authors are coming on Totally Booked!

Happy New Year, everyone! I was just sitting on the couch scrolling Instagram and seeing all the other “Most Anticipated” lists and panicked thinking, “Oh my gosh, I need to do mine!” And then I opened Substack and realized that, of course, I had made one in October — which I’m now realizing was WAY too early. I mean, if I forgot my list, you probably did, too. Or maybe I’m just getting old. Oh boy.

Anyway. Here’s my list of Most Anticipated Books in 2026, which I just updated. All of these authors will be guests on Totally Booked with Zibby. Many will also be featured at live events you’re invited to. I hope you’ll attend! Links and info below.

If you’re a Z.I.P. (Zibby’s Important People!), would you like me to organize a celebration with some of the authors just for you!? And if you aren’t, hope you’ll consider joining my new membership program! Happy reading.

January

Josie Balka, Loves of Our Lives

Jenna Blum, Murder Your Darlings. Join me for a live event with Jenna at the Zibby’s Palm Beach Retreat for Book Lovers Luncheon on January 31st. Register here.

Belle Burden, Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage. Join me for a Z.I.P. Book Club Zoom Q&A with Belle followed by discussion. Z.I.P. members only. February 23rd at 7:00 pm.

Laura Dave, The First Time I Saw Him

Gillian Deacon, A Love Affair with the Unknown: Leaning into the Uncertainty of Modern Life. Join me for a live podcast with Gillian at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here.

Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life. Dr. Emanuel and Meghan Rabbit at the Core Club on January 14th - Sold out!

Alice Feeney, My Husband’s Wife

Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, Run for Your Life, Callie Kingman. Join me for a live podcast with Alli and Asha at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on March 1st. Link to come.

Jennifer Niven, Meet the Newmans. Join me for a live podcast with Jennifer at the Zibby’s Bookshop Minnie Rose NYC pop-up. January 6th at noon. Register here.

Meghan Rabbitt (foreword by Maria Shriver), The New Rules of Women’s Health. Join me for a live podcast with Meghan at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here. Core Club event sold out.

Jennifer Reid, Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations. School event upcoming.

Lauren Schott, Very Slowly All at Once. Join me for a live podcast with Lauren at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here.

Alyssa Sheinmel, Such Sheltered Lives

Lior Torenberg, Just Watch Me

Emma Tourtelot, No One You Know. Join me for a live podcast with Emma at the Zibby’s Bookshop Minnie Rose NYC pop-up. January 15th at 11:30 am. Register here. And join me for a Z.I.P. Book Club Zoom Q&A with Emma followed by discussion on April 15th at 7:00 pm. Z.I.P. members only.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Connection and Purpose. Join me for a live podcast with Jennie at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here.

February

Zeeva Bukai, The World Between

Elizabeth Day, One of Us

Matt Fogelson, Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key

Francesca Fontana, The Family Snitch: A Daughter’s Memoir of Truth and Lies. Join me for a live podcast with Francesca at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here.

Blair Glaser, This Incredible Longing: Finding My Self in a Near-Cult Experience

Lindsay Goldstein, Gap Year

Allegra Goodman, This is Not About Us. Join me for a Z.I.P. Book Club Zoom Q&A with Allegra followed by discussion. Z.I.P. members only. March 11th at 7:00 pm.

Charleen Hurtubise, Saoirse

Sadeqa Johnson, Keeper of Lost Children

Susan Lucci, La Lucci

Norah O’Donnell and Kate Andersen Brower, We The Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America

Libby Page, This Book Made Me Think of You

Brian Platzer, The Optimists. Join me for a live podcast with Brian at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on March 1st. Link to come.

Alexandra Potter, So, I Met This Guy. Join me for a live podcast with Alex at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on March 1st. Link to come.

Anna Quindlen, More Than Enough. Join me for an event with Anna at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center on February 24th at 11 am. Link here. Also, join me for a live podcast with Anna at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on March 1st. Link to come.

Deborah Goodrich Royce, Best Boy

March

Marie Benedict, Daughter of Egypt. Join Marie and me at Zibby’s Palm Beach Retreat for Book Lovers Luncheon, January 31st. Link here.

Kerry Clare, Definitely Thriving. Join Kerry and me for a live podcast on April 15th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Nancy Foley, I Am Agatha

Matti Friedman, Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe

Annabelle Gurwitch, The End of My Life is Killing Me. Join Annabelle and me in Palm Beach, FL on March 10th at 12:00 pm at the JCC. Link to come. Also, join Annabelle and me in New Orleans, LA at the Museum of the Jewish Experience on March 12th at 6:00 pm.

Leslie Harter-Berg, You’re So Strong: On Grief + Letting Go of My Favorite Compliment

Alice Hoffman, The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love

Ani Katz, Haven. Join me for a live podcast with Ani at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel on January 20th. Link here.

Jenny Lawson, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay

Mark Oppenheimer, Judy Blume: A Life

Allison Pataki, It Girl. Join Allison and me for a live podcast on March 1st at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Kat Rosenfield, How to Survive in the Woods

Wade Rouse, That’s What Friends Are For. Join Wade and me for a live podcast on March 1st at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Saba Sams, Gunk

J.R. Thornton, Lucien

Jessica Urlichs, They Bloom Because of You

April

Jenny Bartoy, No Contact: Writers on Estrangement

Judy Batalion, The Last Woman of Warsaw. Join Judy and me for a live podcast on April 8th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Kerry Docherty, Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth, A Memoir. Join Kerry and me for a live podcast on April 15th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Lena Dunham, Famesick

Christina Geist, Before You Fly Away: Life Lessons from Home

Jessica George, Love by the Book

Emma Grey, Start at the End

Jess H. Gutierrez, Adulting for Amateurs: Misadventures of a Geriatric Millennial. Join Jess and me for a live podcast on April 15th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Sally Hepworth, Mad Mabel

Marisa Renee Lee, Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty. Join Marisa and me for a live podcast on April 8th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Camille Pagán, Dog Person

Alyssa Rosenheck, White. Blonde. Jew. A Call to End Extremism, Speak Up, and Reclaim Center

Maggie Smith, A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems

Adeena Sussman, Zariz: 100 Easy, Breezy, Tel Aviv-y Recipes

Sonya Walger, Wifehouse. Join Kelly and me for a live podcast on April 15th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.

Kelly Yang, The Take. Join Kelly and me for a live podcast on April 8th at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby. Link to come.