2026 Winter Reading Guide: Fiction and Poetry
From landmark celebrations of local poetry, bestsellers, famous authors, and cozy bookshop mysteries, we have all the books you’ll want to snuggle up with this winter!
You can escape into fantasy with an epic romantasy, take it back to school with dark academia, or keep it local with a stalking taniwha.
From your coziest couch you can go back in history to colonial times, or forward into end days.
New Zealand authors do crime and thrillers so well, whether it's lost children, unlikely detectives, or small towns where everyone is a suspect.
If you think it’s cold where you are, warm up by plunging into icy landscapes or dipping into the stories found in our longest-running literary journal.
Language lovers can seek out poetry about the natural world, identity, or a curation of a beloved poet’s oeuvre.
Explore the full list below and enter our competition to WIN a huge selection of adult fiction and poetry books from the 2026 Winter Reading Guide!
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