Douglas Stuart’s John Of John among contenders for Waterstones Book Of The Year

Douglas Stuart’s Booker Prize-nominated novel John Of John is among the books shortlisted for Waterstones Book Of The Year 2026.

The Shuggie Bain author will face competition from Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling, which is shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction.

They join a 20-book shortlist that also includes fellow Booker-nominated novels The Things We Never Said by Elizabeth Strout and May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry.

Lazar by Nelio Biedermann, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Sleeping Beauties by David Byrne, Pick Your Bottles by Dan Keeling, Stations by Louise Kennedy, The Adventures Of Portly The Otter, The Heirs by Faridah Abike-Iyimide, The Book Of Birds by Robert Macfarlane and Redwood by Ben Macintyre are also on the shortlist.

They are joined by Solace House by Will Maclean, Said The Dead by Doireann Ni Ghriofa, Land by Maggie O’Farrell, Ottelenghi Simple Too by Yotam Ottolenghi and Verena Lochmuller, Is This A Plum? by Dan and Finn Ojari, Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi and The Neverland Thieves by Katie and Kevin Tsang.

Bea Carvalho, Waterstones’ head of books, said: “We are delighted to announce the shortlist for Waterstones Book of the Year 2026, as voted for by booksellers.

“This bumper crop reflects an impressive year of publishing, with zeitgeist capturing triumphs of word of mouth, storytelling excellence, and future classics across fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.

“Here, booksellers champion books from prize winners and literary heavyweights, as well as newcomers who seem set for glittering careers, alongside stunningly produced gifts for every home.

“We cannot wait to share these wonderful books with our customers everywhere.”

With previous winners ranging from Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell to Charlie Mackesy, Sir Paul McCartney and Katherine Rundell, the prize has been running since 2012, and sees booksellers nominate their favourite books to form a shortlist which is then voted on by an expert panel.

The winner will be announced on Thursday November 26.

Last year’s prize was won by Lucy Steeds for The Artist.