Eight books to look out for in spring

From the film adaption of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet to Louise Kennedy's Trespasses on the small screen, even if you aren't a reader you won't have missed that it's shaping up to be a golden era for authors from Northern Ireland.

If you feel inspired to get ahead of the game and find out some of the best new reads for 2026, these authors will have you covered.

Whether you like a page-turning thriller that you just can't put down, a laugh out loud comedy or a sad romantic novel that will have you reaching for the tissues, there's something for everyone.

Already this year there have been some notable releases by thriller writer Brian McGilloway, Niamh Hargan and Garrett Carr's The Boy from the Sea, which was Waterstone's book of the month for February.

So if you're trying to decide what to read next, let BBC News NI help you navigate the book shelves as we look at some of the releases from Northern Irish authors still to come in 2026.

The first book featuring blue-green algae at Lough Neagh has washed up - and it comes from Jan Carson, whose previous efforts The Raptures and Fire Starters were critically acclaimed.

In Few and Far Between, the Ballymena author imagines an alternative version of Northern Ireland's recent past.

The book is set in 2017, and the last few residents of the islands in Lough Neagh are facing imminent eviction as a flood has been planned to try and combat the devastating algae outbreak.

Anthropologist Alex moves in with siblings Robert-John and Marion on Small Flat to document the history of the islands - but will they give up their secrets?

If it's an intense legal thriller that you're looking for then check out Steve Cavanagh.

The Belfast-based writer is one of Northern Ireland's best selling authors having sold more than one million copies of his Eddie Flynn series.

In One Of Us Is Guilty, the 10th book in the series, conman-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn returns as a wealthy power couple stand accused of murder - Patrick Vanderpool, the son of a billionaire media mogul and his wife Vanessa Vanderpool, who has her own ambitions.

When the woman Patrick is having the affair with is found brutally murdered, there are only two suspects.

One of them is guilty, but which one?

"A rare talent and certainly one to watch" - that's how the Sunday Times described up-and-coming author and poet Susannah Dickey.

The Londonderry-born writer and poet is on to her third novel, after Tennis Lessons in 2020 and Common Decency in 2023, which was a Waterstone's Ireland book of the month.

Into The Wreck, tells the story of three siblings Anna, Gemma and Matthew who return to the family home ahead of their distant father's funeral. But how can they mourn someone they never really knew?

If you like books told from multiple character perspectives then this one might be for you.

Jamie Guiney, from Lurgan in County Armagh, is releasing his debut novel The Lightning following the success of his short story collection The Wooden Hill.

That was shortlisted under Best Short Story Collection, in the 2019 Saboteur Awards, while has also been published internationally and had some of his short stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

In The Lightning, a grandfather and his grandson from Northern Ireland in 1957 travel to look after a lighthouse in the north Atlantic.

It is a tale of unexpected visitors, their personal histories and navigating natural surroundings, whilst confronting the elemental rage of the sea.

We're going to let you into a little secret (although it's not a very well kept one) - Freya Kennedy is the alter-ego of Derry crime writer Claire Allan.

Allan is best known for her page-turning thrillers like Her Name Was Rose and Forget Me Not, which follows a murderer seeking revenge on a group of friends in the Maiden City.

Allan uses the penname Freya Kennedy for her romance novels.

Everything's Grand is the third book in her Fabulous Forties series following Becca and Laura as they try to navigate commitment issues, grandchildren and going back to university. Can they hold it all together or will it just be chaos?

Stations by Louise Kennedy is one of the most anticipated novels from a Northern Irish writer this year following the success of her debut novel Trespasses.

Readers fell in love with the fraught relationship between catholic school teacher Cushla and protestant barrister Michael during the Troubles.

The book was shortlisted for the women's prize for fiction in 2023 and a TV adaption on Channel 4 starring Lola Petticrew and Gillian Anderson has introduced Louise Kennedy to legions of new fans.

In Stations, set in 1982, we meet teenagers Róisín and Red back in their hometown in Ireland as they grow up their lives progress in different directions until Róisín meets Red in London and once again gets swept up in his storm.

If you haven't heard of Hamnet you've been living under a rock.

Maggie O'Farrell's novel was adapted for big screen, directed by Chloe Zhao and starred Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as Will.

It's been dominating the award season with wins at the BAFTAs and eight Oscar nominations including one for O'Farrell.

In Land, Coleraine-born Maggie O'Farrell delves back into her Irish roots with this historical fiction novel and traces the story of one family in 1865 dealing with the fallout from the Great Hunger.

Tomás is a mapmaker working for the Ordnance Survey and is trying to get his son Liam to follow in his footsteps but a chance encounter with a corpse throws everything off kilter.

It's an atmospheric and immersive read which also happens to feature a loyal Irish wolfhound called Bran.

Séamas O'Reilly is best known for having ten siblings, or least he's best known for rugby player Tommy Bowe's viral reaction to finding out he had ten siblings. Look it up..

His memoir Did Ye Hear Mammy Died told how he grew up with his siblings being raised by his father after their mother died.

Prestige Drama is O'Reilly's first novel and follows American actor Monica Logue as she arrives in Derry to film a new series set during the Troubles.

But when Monica goes missing all eyes are on Diarmuid, a scriptwriter who was last to see Monica alive.

All books listed above will be available from your local library.