Graphic by Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27, reference image courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels
By Honora Quinn ’27
Staff Writer
“An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole, out Dec. 30, 2025
“An Arcane Inheritance” is technically a 2025 release, but it was originally slated for January 2026. Regardless, this late 2025 entry should still be considered for your early reads in the new year. The author of the “Divine Traitors” duology, a Jamaican-inspired young adult fantasy, returns with her adult debut novel. Pitched as a “dark academia fantasy … perfect for fans of ‘Babel’ and ‘A Deadly Education,’” “An Arcane Inheritance” is set at the fictional Ivy League institution, Warren University: A school steeped in secrets going back centuries. The plot follows freshman Ellory Morgan as questions begin to arise. She believes she’s been at Warren University before, but she’ll need some help to uncover the truth, which of course takes the form of the brooding legacy student that seems to hate her guts.
According to her author website, “Kamilah Cole is a national bestselling author who has been nominated for a Lodestar Award, a Lambda Award and a Dragon Award. Jamaican-born and American-raised, she works in publishing by day, and by night she writes like she’s running out of time.”
“Half His Age” by Jennette McCurdy, out Jan. 20, 2026
Even if you’re not on the literary side of the internet, it’s possible you’ve heard of the former Nickelodeon star’s memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” a #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2023 American Library Association Alex Award. “Half His Age” follows 17-year-old Waldo and her desire to seduce her creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy, regardless of the fact that he has a wife and kid and is way too old for her. From the sexual implications of the cover to the age of the protagonist, this book has gotten a lot of heat despite not yet hitting shelves, with some presuming that the underage relationship will be romanticized in the novel. However, if McCurdy taught us anything with her memoir, it’s to literally not judge a book by its cover.
And according to her publisher, Penguin Random House, “McCurdy is creating, writing, executive producing, directing and show running an Apple TV+ series loosely inspired by “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” starring Jennifer Aniston. “Half His Age” is her debut novel.”
“Out Of The Loop: A Mystery” by Katie Siegel, out Feb. 10, 2026
Have you ever wondered what happens after you get out of a time loop? Well, Katie Siegel’s third novel, “Out of the Loop,” hopes to answer that question while raising some more. After two years being stuck inside a time loop, Amie Teller finds herself finally freed. At last, she can move on and live a day beyond September 17th. But then she learns that one of her neighbors was murdered during the loop, on the day that Amie knows better than anyone else. But Amie won’t be solving the case alone: According to the publisher, Penguin Random House, joining her is “an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work, and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines,” as she “sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.”
“Katie Siegel (she/they) is a creative from New Jersey. Her debut novel, “Charlotte Illes Is Not A Detective,” was published in June 2023 by Kensington Books. Her second book, “Charlotte Illes is Not A Teacher,” was released in July of 2024 and was a finalist for the 2025 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Mystery,” according to Siegle’s website.
“The Encore” by Juliet Izon, out March 3, 2026
Another debut novel on this list is Juliet Izon’s “The Encore,” which takes place across past and present times. In the past, the novel introduces us to Anna Buckley and Will Pendleton, two rising stars at the Brookfield Conservatory in Boston. Both have big dreams and aspirations, and after a chance encounter, their stories become permanently linked. In the present, 16-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is struggling under the stress of her prep school and the mystery of her mother’s true identity. Another chance encounter lands her back in the path of both her birth parents, sending them all on a cross-country adventure in the most perfect transport for the circumstances: a tour bus.
According to her author website, Juliet Izon “is a New York City and Hudson Valley-based journalist and author. Her work has appeared in national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine and Architectural Digest.”
“Whidbey” by T Kira Madden, out March 10, 2026
From the author of the memoir “Long Live The Tribe of Fatherless Girls” — and a former Visiting Lecturer of English at the College — comes her debut novel “Whidbey,” which charts the stories of three women who have never met, yet whose lives intersect through the murder of a man who they had all known. Birdie Chang knew Calvin Boyer as a child, Linzie King wrote about him in her memoir and Mary-Beth was his mother. His death had ripple effects in all their lives, sending them scrambling to put the pieces together and to discover who truly gets to own the narrative.
According to her website, T Kira Māhealani Madden (she/her) “is a diasporic Kanaka 'Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) writer and author of the novel “Whidbey,” forthcoming with Mariner in winter 2026. Her memoir, “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls,” was named a New York Times Editors' Choice, among many other accolades. Winner of the 2021 Judith A. Markowitz Award, she served as the Distinguished Writer in Residence at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and currently teaches at Hamilton College as an assistant professor in Creative Writing and Indigenous literatures.”
Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact checking.