BOOKMARK Book of the Year 2026
BOOKMARK BOOK FESTIVAL
BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026
Here is the shortlist for our 2026 prize. Chosen to provide plenty of ideas for book groups and individual readers, the novels range in time from Ancient Sicily (with a decidedly Irish accent!) to a disturbing dystopian future. Readers are transported to barren rocks housing a lighthouse, huge internment pits for prisoners, a whole Scottish community, urban life in Glasgow and London and unsettling locations in the near future. Three debut novelists are introduced, alongside established writers, in a list which is probably our most eclectic yet.
Our judges (two Blairgowrie book groups and two individuals) will soon begin their task of deciding which title will win our 2026 Book of the Year and be the recipient of Sarah Cave’s beautiful Silver Bookmark. The winner will be announced on 10 October 2026 at our Festival - remember to save the date.
All novels will be available from Blairgowrie Library and our local indie bookshop, Adventure into Books. They are also accessible for Kindles and for those who prefer to listen.
Karen Campbell This Bright Life (Canongate)
A previous winner for Paper Cup, Karen’s new book is another forensic insight into contemporary Scotland. A realistic and engaging portrayal of how a mixture of adults in Glasgow come together to sort out the chaotic life of twelve-year old Gerard.
Florence KnappThe Names (Orion)
Described as ‘the best debut novel in years’, this enthralling tale of one family spanning thirty-five years is told from three alternative narratives. Does the name you give a child really determine how life works out?
Ferdia LennonGlorious Exploits (Penguin Random House)
Another debut. Set in 412 Syracuse, Sicily, two local lads decide to stage Euripides’ tragedies acted by imprisoned Athenians. Written in a contemporary Irish voice, this incomparable novel has the remarkable ability to be funny, unsettling and poignant .
Shona MacLeanThe Cromarty Library Circle (Quercus)
Cromarty in 1858 finds itself in a time of political and societal change. A whole community is brought to fascinating life in an appealing evocation of a Victorian novel, reminiscent of Mrs Gaskell, the Brontës and George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
Ewan Morrison For Emma (Leamington Books)
A chilling look into AI. After his daughter Emma dies in a covert experiment, her father Josh, seeks revenge on the mogul who owns the all-powerful company responsible for her death. But Josh asks himself - could I have been a better father?
Michael PedersenMuckle Flugga (Faber)
The isolated life of 19 year old Ouse and The Father, a lighthouse-keeper, is disrupted by the arrival of Firth, escaping Edinburgh. Add the ghost of Robert Louis Stevenson and enter the strange yet alluring world of three unforgettable characters.
BOOKMARK thanks the following for their generosity in sending readers’ copies for our judges.
Sian Baldwin, Orion
Peter Burnett, Leamington Books
Helen Garnors-Williams, Penguin Random House
Claire Ion, Canongate
Hannah Knowles, Faber
Vanessa Phan, Quercus