Bestselling author Shannon Hale had some exciting news for fans last week — her “Austenland” series is getting a revamp.
“Christmas in Austenland,” a sequel to her novels “Austenland” and “Midnight in Austenland,” will be coming later this year. And not just that, but new, revised and updated editions of the first two novels are also on the way.
But Hale is far from the only author with Utah ties with a new book coming this year. Ally Condie, Brandon Mull, Terry Tempest Williams, Brandon Sanderson and more have new works on the way. Here’s what you need to know about the new books coming in 2026.
What to know about Shannon Hale’s ‘Austenland’ sequel
Hale wrote on social media Thursday that she has long intended to write an “Austenland” sequel — the first and second books were published in 2007 and 2011, respectively, followed by the “Austenland” movie in 2013 — “but so much life got in the way.” But after spending some time in England about four years ago, she said, she began the story that would become “Christmas in Austenland.”
The sequel will follow a new heroine, Kestrel Klein, as she navigates a breakup by entering a contest and winning an immersive Jane Austen experience at Pembrook Park during Christmastime. But “just as Kestrel begins to let down her well-honed defenses, an unexpected visitor disrupts the holiday celebrations‚” according to the book’s summary.
“I cannot wait for you to meet my dearest, bestest new leading lady, Kestrel Klein,” Hale wrote on Instagram. “I hope so many people who haven’t seen themselves in books before feel represented by Kestrel. She is worthy of a story, and so are you.”
“Christmas in Austenland” is slated to be released Sept. 26.
In the meantime, for readers who want to revisit the first two books before diving into the sequel, Hale is also releasing revised and updated versions of “Austenland” and “Midnight in Austenland,” featuring new cover art and bonus content, coming in May and June.
“For existing fans, the stories are essentially the same, but there will be new scenes, new discoveries, new laughs and swoons to enjoy,” Hale wrote.
What new books are coming from authors with Utah ties in 2026?
Here are some of the new books you can expect this year from authors with Utah ties.
‘The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary’ by Terry Tempest Williams
Release date: March 3
Summary: Renowned nature writer Terry Tempest Williams shares a new work “of narrative nonfiction exploring beauty, climate change, and transformative moments of hope in a world beset by uncertainty.”
‘Magnitude’ by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Release date: March 3
Summary: This middle grade historical novel tells the story of a young girl that lives through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in “a thrilling, suspenseful story about courage, friendship, and the strength it takes to survive one of the most terrible natural disasters this country has ever seen.”
‘The Half-Hearted Queen’ by Charlie N. Holmberg
Release date: March 3
Summary: The second installment of Charlie N. Holmberg’s “Shattered King” duology follows Nym as “she must escape the clutches of her captors and find her way back to Renn even as forbidden love, magic, and secrets collide with the weight of the crown and the war between kingdoms.”
‘Mercury Raine: Twenty and One’ by Sarah M. Eden
Release date: March 10
Summary: In the third book of the “Mercury Raine” series, the ghost broker Mercury Raine encounters a new ghost, the Violet Giant, and finds that “what began as merely complicated may instead prove deeply dangerous.”
‘The Girls Trip’ by Ally Condie
Release date: April 7
Summary: Ally Condie’s latest thriller is “a novel of suspense and friendship about three friends who decide to disappear from their lives for a few days while on a trip to a national park — only to have one of them vanish.”
‘Guardians: Forbidden Mountain’ by Brandon Mull
Release date: April 14
Summary: “Fablehaven” author Brandon Mull is back with “an epic new fantasy set in a world where children bond with a spiritual guide — some promising greatness and glory, while others, destruction and death.”
‘Hear Ye Mortals’ by Yamile Saied Méndez
Release date: May 5
Summary: “Two brothers struggle against a totalitarian regime in this historical YA about fighting for what you believe in, even when the world around you tries to silence your voice.”
‘Every Beat After’ by Sara B. Larson
Release date: June 2
Summary: This “enemies-to-lovers” romance tells the story of Liv, who runs her family’s Swedish bakery, and Hunter, who moves in next door — and they find that “the connection they tried so hard to resist might become the one thing they can’t live without.”
‘The Rainy Day Bookshop’ by RaeAnne Thayne
Release date: June 2
Summary: Bookshop owner Rosie Lucas navigates her relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, and a new romantic relationship with author Andrew Morgan, who “becomes her unexpected confidante on the distance Rosie can’t seem to overcome with Emma, a secret she can’t quite unravel …”
‘Songs of the Dead’ by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian
Release date: June 16
Summary: Brandon Sanderson and author and musician Peter Orullian co-wrote this fantasy novel about a London musician who “is faced with a life-or-death choice when he realizes that a powerful society of magic wielders are the only ones keeping London safe.”
‘Her America: Eight Women Who Transformed the Nation’ by Heather B. Moore
Release date: Aug. 4
Summary: “A powerful portrait of eight American women whose courage and conviction drove them to smash stereotypes and build a nation.”