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5 best books this week: From anticipated Little Women adaptation to Pulitzer Prize follow-up
Prepare to expand your TBR pile.
- Helen Daly
Published: Wednesday, 10 June 2026 at 12:23 pm
It can be hard to know what to read next, with so much on offer and bookshops packed to the brim with fantastic stories.
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We at Radio Times have done the hard work for you and found the top picks from the list of new releases that you'll want to dive into - and this week's offering is fantastic.
Journalist and author Daisy Buchanan returns with a tender and funny take on Little Women while John L Williams explores the summer of 1976 in his non-fiction book about the UK political scene in one of the hottest summers on record.
And Maggie O'Farrell has garnered a lot of attention for her remarkable Land, a tale about heritage, fathers and sons.
Without further ado, read on for our best books to read this week.
1. All Grown Up - Daisy Buchanan
Mum Louisa thought her three daughters could finally look after themselves now they're grown up. But circumstances bring them all back home - Meg's marriage is on the brink, Jo's career hangs in the balance and Amy has quit university. Louisa knows now is the right time for some life lessons because if she wants her own love life to return, she needs the girls to grow up. As the family reconnects and rebuilds, maybe mum can learn something from her daughters, too. Buchanan (who penned non-fiction titles How to Be A Grown Up and The Sisterhood) draws inspiration from Little Women for this charming, relatable and funny novel.
All Grown Up, Penguin, out now
2. Heatwave: The Summer of 1976 – John L Williams (BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week)
As temperatures soared to 35ºC in the UK, 1976 was a memorable year for the weather. However, there was another wave on the horizon, as cultural and political upheaval hit fever pitch, leaving the country at a crossroads. Before the heat of the summer, the UK was stuck in a post-war era. By the end of the summer, the UK had some big decisions to make about the future of the nation. Williams weaves social commentary with interviews with those there at the time for an unflinching and honest look-back at a year that made the history books.
Heatwave: The Summer of 1976, Monoray, out now
3. Land – Maggie O’Farrell (BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime)
Tomás and his son, Liam, are working on a project to map the whole of Ireland in 1865. It’s not an easy task as the country is still recovering from the devastation of the Great Hunger – but Tomás is determined his project will record the disaster to help learn from it. His great task is put off course by an unexpected encounter in a copse which changes his life forever. What caused such cracks to form for Tomás? How will Liam get them both back home? Land makes for a remarkable novel about treasure, ghost and history.
Land, Tinder Press, out now
4. Villa Coco - Andrew Sean Greer
Pulitzer Prize winner Greer returns in this coming-of-age story set in the Tuscan Hills. A young man takes a job in the Italian countryside as an assistant to Lisabetta (better known as Coco). She's a strong-willed and very wealth aristocrat - a million miles away from his broke and directionless self. As an archivist, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue her beautiful mansion, but he finds Coco's plans for him are a million miles away from what he trained to do, including helping Coco reunite with her lost love. Villa Coco is a charming novel about friendship and the power of place.
Villa Coco, Sceptre, out now
5. A Fortune of Sand - Ruta Sepetys
It's Detroit in 1927 and Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of an automotive dynasty, and the young creative is often dismissed by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. She has a chance to reinvent herself when she applies to an exclusive arts program funded by an elusive benefactor. When she gets to the course, she expects freedom and expression, but she finds it surprisingly restrictive, and there's a horrible whisper swirling about women disappearing. Sepetys explores glamour and grift in this fascinating novel with an interesting historical background.
A Fortune of Sand, Ballantine Books, out now
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Authors
Helen DalyDeputy Digital Editor
Helen Daly is the deputy digital editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.
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