Hello, readers! For my 2026 reading goals this year, I went easy on myself. I didn’t set any, except that I wanted to read more backlist books, meaning older titles. And so far, I have been pretty successful, with reads ranging from a couple of years ago to all the way back to 1845. (Varney the Vampire!)
In a world that is obsessed with everything new and young, sometimes it’s hard to fit in as many older titles as you want. It’s hard to fit in all the books you want to read, period. But it’s fun to try! I’m sharing the three backlist fantasy titles that are coming up next on my TBR, so you can add them to your TBR, too. (And you get a TBR! And you get a TBR! And you get a TBR!)
And after you check these three books out, be sure to peruse all the new winners of the Nebula, Stoker, and Locus awards!
All Access members, read on for three backlist fantasy titles on the top of my TBR.
Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
This April 2025 dark fantasy won this year’s Locus Award for best first novel! It’s a retelling of the Bluebeard story, the French folktale about the man who murdered his wife and kept her behind a closed door, and then told his next wife not to look in that room, but of course, she does, and the cycle repeats. This follows Agnes, who cares for a lord’s son, but worries when the baby grows up into an almost inhuman man who seems to be cursed. (Related: Agnes is a really popular name in books right now!)
The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri
This 2023 epic middle grade historical fantasy is a Newbery Honor Award winner. It’s an exciting adventure along the Silk Road, as a young boy named Monkey tries to help his guardian, Samir, quit his life of crime. Samir has scammed a lot of people and now assassins are hot on their trail! It sounds like a great time.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Try as we might to read everything, we all have books that are considered classics or essential reading in a genre, that we haven’t read yet. This one is mine. I’ve seen so many people mention it, so I am finally taking the plunge. This 2006 release is a gritty fantasy about barbarians, wizards, officers, torturers, and more, who become embroiled in a politically charged battle. And to mark its twentieth anniversary, there’s a special edition of The Blade Itself coming in July!
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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