Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to pick ten books that live in my head rent-free, and one I might come back to later, I’m instead going to continue my recent trend of discussing books from the first half of the year and highlight my favourite new-to-me authors That I read in the first half of 2026.
Each year I am lucky enough to read a great number of awesome novels, and this often includes books written by authors whose work I was previously unfamiliar with. 2026 is so far proving to be a great example of this as there were an incredible collection of amazing novels written by authors who were completely new to me. This included some debuting authors, as well as more established writers whose work I only got around to reading this year. Many of these new-to-me authors produced some truly exceptional novels, including one or two which I consider to be some of the best books released in 2026 so far and I really feel the need to highlight them here.
To appear on this list, the book had to be one I read this year and be written by an author who I was unfamiliar with before 2026. If I had not read anything from this author before last year or if their book was a debut, it was eligible to appear here. After some hard work I was able to whittle this down to a manageable top ten list, with my usual generous honourable mentions section. I am really surprised at some of the impressive and enjoyable authors I had to exclude from this list, but I think the below entry really highlights the best new-to-me authors I have enjoyed so far in 2026.
Honourable Mentions:
Kayte Nunn – The Yacht
Kayte Nunn excels with The Yacht, an excellent novel with drama and intrigue on a luxury yacht.
Kate Horan – On the Edge
I read my first Kate Horan novel this year with On the Edge, a deeply compelling Australian crime fiction novel with some great twists behind it.
Leodora Darlington – The Exes
Leodora Darlington had an intriguing debut this year, The Exes, which follows a troubled protagonist and her many difficult relationships.
Mercedes Mercier – The Couples Retreat
I also enjoyed a great book from Mercedes Mercier with The Couple’s Retreat, another fantastic Australian crime fiction novel that examines multiple toxic relationships on the picturesque Kangaroo Island.
Top Ten Tuesday:
Cameron Sullivan – The Red Winter
The first new author I want to highlight is debuting Australian writer, Cameron Sulivan, who presented one of the best books of 2026 so far, The Red Winter. Cleverly bringing together some unique fantasy elements with several periods of French history, The Red Winter was a riveting and highly entertaining novel that I couldn’t stop reading. Easily one of the top debuts of 2026, The Red Winter was so damn good and I am very excited to read more from Sullivan in the future, especially if he decides to write some sequels to this incredible first novel.
Christopher Buehlman – The Blacktongue Thief
After years of having him on my mind, I finally got the chance to read something from acclaimed fantasy author Christopher Buehlamn with his most famous fantasy novel, The Blacktongue Thief. An elaborate and brutal dark fantasy novel, The Blacktongue Thief lived up to all the hype around it, and I ended up powering through its clever adventure story filled with some great characters. I had such an incredible time with my first experience of reading Buehlman’s writing that I intend to read two more books from the author this year, the prequel novel The Daughter’s War and the upcoming sequel The Thrice-Bound Fool, both of which are bound to be extremely awesome.
Nicholas Timms – The Lineup
Another impressive debut Australian author from the first half of 2026 was surfer turned writer Nicholas Timms. Timms has already shown themself to be a rising crime fiction star by writing one of the more Australian novels of the year, The Lineup. Following a traumatised former surfer who returned home to solve a murder he witnessed through a webcam, The Lineup was a captivating and powerful read that I had a wonderful time with. Timms really showcased his ability to write damaged characters in this novel, while the underling surfing elements of The Lineup gave it a unique flavour. Timm’s really impressed me with this debut, and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
Jennifer Pearson – Drop Dead Famous
Another great new crime fiction author I must rave about is Jennifer Pearson, whose debut young adult thriller, Drop Dead Famous, had one of the best mysteries of 2026 so far. Setting two compelling protagonists on a jarring and moving investigation that unlocks all their respective family’s darkest secrets, Drop Dead Famous had me hooked very early one and I just couldn’t get over how complex and layered the underlying mystery was. I came away really respecting Pearson as an author and I look forward to reading the promised sequel to Drop Dead Famous when it comes out next year.
Callum Davis –Warhammer 40,000: Chem Dog
Fans of this blog know I’m a massive Warhammer fiction fan, and one of the many things I really love about the franchise’s internal publisher, The Black Library, is the way in which they find and cultivate great new authors each year. In 2026 this includes Callum Davis, who presented a particularly exciting entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Chem Dog. Following a trouble commissar as he leads members of a notorious penal legion on a suicide mission, Chem Dog was an excellent first outing from Davis, who really captured the dark nature of the franchise. Loading in some great action with various entertaining characters, Chem Dog showcased Davis’ writing potential, and I hope we see more Warhammer books from him in the future.
Douglas Preston and Alethia Preston – Paradox
The next entry on this list is a little different as Douglas Preston is an author I’ve read a few times before. However, this was the first time I’ve read something written by both Preston and his daughter Alethia Preston, who has made her debut here with Paradox. The sequel to Douglas Preston’s previous novel, Extinction, Paradox was another compelling and over-the-top thriller, that saw the returning protagonists investigate a series of murders seemingly connected to both aliens and radical elements of the Catholic church. I found it quite interesting to read something from this new father/daughter team and the two of them produced a highly entertaining and dark novel that was a lot of fun to get through.
Shailee Thompson – How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates
One of the more exciting and memorable debut authors of 2026 so far is Australian author Shailee Thompson, who provided an exciting and distinctive read with How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates. An exciting novel that served as a compelling hybrid of the slasher and romantic-comedy genres, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates was an amazing first novel from Thompson, and one that is really worth checking out.
Christopher Cantwell – Star Trek: Red Shirts
I had an amazing time reading my first comic from rising author Christopher Cantwell this year, with Star Trek: Red Shirts. Part of a new generation of Star Trek comics, Red Shirts was a particularly dark take on the classic trop of the doomed Starfleet security officer, and I loved the fun, if brutal, story that Cantwell effectively pulled together in this short miniseries. Filled with some excellent twists and compelling thoughts about life as a short-lived red shirt, Red Shirts was an excellent comic, and I fully intend to grab more comics written by Cantwell in the future.
M. K. Oliver – A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage
While I’ve had fun with many new authors this year, I think that the 2026 debut author with the funniest book of the year is M. K. Oliver, who wrote the hilarious thriller A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage. Following a driven sociopath who must balance a trouble homelife and great personal ambitions with murder, dark secrets and the machinations of selfish high-society ladies, A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage was an extremely funny read that I couldn’t put down. Oliver perfectly blended thrills, twists and entertaining insights from a murderous protagonist you somehow keep rooting for, and the result was something very special. An outstanding first outing from Oliver, and I’m already excited for the sequel coming out next year.
David Annandale – Warhammer 40,000: Apostle
The final new-to-me author I want to highlight on this list is David Annandale. Annandale is a well-known author to Warhammer 40,000 fiction fans, having written several intriguing novels from the franchise. However, until a few months ago I had never had the chance to read one of his books, until his latest entry, Apostle, came out. A fascinating and dark read about opposing religions in the chaotic Warhammer 40,000 universe, Apostle was a great showcase of Annadale’s style, and I’ll be keen to read more of his Warhammer novels going forward. An excellent final new author to highlight on this list.
Well, that’s the end of this latest Top Ten list. I think it turned out rather well and it encapsulates some of the best new authors I have checked out so far in 2026. I look forward to reading more books from these authors in the future and I have no doubt they will produce additional epic and incredible reads. It will be interesting to see what other great new-to-me authors I will get to experience in the rest of 2026, and I am sure there are going to be some exceptional new books from them.
