If you’re in search of a compelling read — or several compelling reads — to start out 2026, this month has a wealth of options to choose from. January’s new releases include a compelling biography of a musician who left us at a tragically young age, the latest novel from acclaimed author George Saunders and some incisive and surprising explorations of just how the human brain operates. These books encompass everything from escapism to introspection, all welcome options when looking for an immersive read on a cold winter’s day.
Jonathan Bernstein, What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle (Jan. 13)
It’s now been over five years since the death of Justin Townes Earle at the age of 38. Over the course of his career, Earle established himself as a talented songwriter and performer; in the wake of his death, his father Steve Earle revisited his son’s work on the tribute album JT. Jonathan Bernstein’s detailed biography of Justin Townes Earle explores Earle’s life and art with candor and an attention to small details — making for a powerful reminder of what Earle’s loss represents.
Chuck Klosterman, Football (Jan. 20)
Across his career, Chuck Klosterman has chronicled the many facets of American popular culture. While he made a name for himself with his observations on music, his latest book asks a bold question: what does it mean when the last vestige of a monoculture in the U.S. is, essentially, the sport of football? Throw in an homage to pioneering coach Walter Camp, and you have a singular take on an oft-chronicled subject.
Sophie Pinkham, The Oak and the Larch: A Forest History of Russia and Its Empires (Jan. 20)
Sophie Pinkham has written extensively about Eastern Europe and Russia, focusing on matters ranging from politics to poetry. Her latest book takes on some of the same (literal) terrain, but zeroes in on a very different element of it: the role that forests have played in Russia over the centuries, and how they have influenced imperial movements past and present.
George Saunders, Vigil (Jan. 26)
In the last decade, George Saunders — initially known for his speculative and satirical short stories — made the leap into novels with Lincoln in the Bardo. Since then, he’s written about the very nature of storytelling, and now he’s returned with a new novel, this one — like its predecessor — addressing big questions of life and death. Here, Saunders tells the story of a wealthy CEO bound for the afterlife, and the complications that arise from his journey.
Sonny Simmons with Marc Chaloin, Better Do It Now Before You Die Later (Jan. 13)
In the aftermath of the saxophone player Sonny Simmons’s 2021 death, NPR’s Martin Johnson explored his legacy. “{Jazz] was and largely still is an outsider’s music, and Simmons was an outsider’s outsider,” Johnson wrote. Simmons released a number of acclaimed albums during his lifetime, and this year sees the release of his memoir, a chronicle of his turbulent life and his late-career renaissance. It’s a welcome deep dive into musical history.
Sara Levine, The Hitch (Jan. 13)
It’s been over a decade since the publication of Sara Levine’s Treasure Island!!!, one of the most compelling comic novels you’re likely to read. (Yes, it also nods in the direction of a certain Robert Louis Stevenson book.) Levine’s follow-up goes in a very different direction: it’s about the restless soul of a dead corgi which has possessed the body of this novel’s protagonist’s nephew. Between this and the George Saunders novel mentioned above, it’s a good time for unexpected takes on life after death. Can a novel tap into the absurd and the metaphysical in equal measure? The Hitch makes a compelling case that it can.
Hanna Pickard, What Would You Do Alone in a Cage with Nothing But Cocaine?: A Philosophy of Addiction (Jan. 6)
For years, Johns Hopkins professor Hanna Pickard has been talking about addiction viewed through a philosophical lens. “We need to expand how we think about and address addiction — here again, the emphasis should be on heterogeneity and individually tailored care,” she said in a 2022 interview. Now, she has written a wide-ranging book that reckons with big questions surrounding addiction. That it has one of the most eye-catching titles out there right now is an added bonus.
Mitch Anzuoni, Cecily Chen, and V. Vale (ed.), Search & Destroy: The Complete Archive (Jan. 20)
Few music scenes have been as thrilling — and as influential — as the San Francisco punk scene of the late 1970s. The publication Search & Destroy, rooted in that punk scene but also taking cues from Andy Warhol’s work with Interview, was an essential documentation of bracing music and underground culture. This new collection offers readers an expansive journey into musical history.
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Svetlana Satchkova, The Undead: A Novel of Modern Russia (Jan. 13)
There’s a long tradition of gripping fiction written about filmmakers; there’s also a long tradition of gripping fiction about artists running afoul of an authoritarian state. Svetlana Satchkova’s The Undead checks both boxes: it’s about the making of a low-budget horror movie in contemporary Russia, and the efforts of the state to suppress the people behind it.
J. Eric Oliver, How to Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are (Jan. 6)
Over the course of his career, J. Eric Oliver has explored a host of questions of belief and identity, including a wide-ranging consideration of conspiracy theories. His new book reckons with another element of better understanding ourselves — namely, the process by which we construct our ideas of a self and where that can lead us. Oliver drew on his decades of teaching at the University of Chicago to assemble this book, and it’s an intriguing addition to the literature of our inner lives.
Rick Fröberg, Plenty for All: The Art of Rick Fröberg (Jan. 6)
The late Rick Fröberg made music in a host of critically acclaimed bands — if you’ve enjoyed Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes, you’ve heard some of the visceral music he was capable of making. This was only one side of Fröberg’s creative practice, however; he was also a visual artist with a distinctive style, and this new volume brings together highlights from his decades of making art.
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