Dymocks reveals 2026 Book of the Year shortlist, and four Aussies made the cut

Here's every book in the running, and which ones are home-grown.

Dymocks has revealed its shortlist for the 2026 Book of the Year, and a Sydney debut author I profiled just weeks ago has made the cut.

Joshua Hortinela’s debut rom-com novel Hate You to Love You is one of nine titles chosen for the shortlist. Dymocks booksellers from across the country were each invited to nominate their favourite title published in the past year, with the list narrowed down from there.

I’ve reviewed Hortinela’s novel and met the Sydney author in person for the first time in October, when he signed a copy of the book.

Courtney from Dymocks Subiaco praised the novel in the shortlist announcement, saying it is “more than a romance” and “a heartfelt and relatable story about growing up, letting go, and learning to embrace new beginnings.”

Here is the full 2026 shortlist.

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

• Medea Sang Me a Corrido by Dahlia de la Cerda

• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

• Hate You to Love You by Joshua Hortinela

• The Ballad of Ronan McCoy by Colin Morgan

• Land by Maggie O’Farrell

• An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell

• The World Beneath Her Feet by Holly Ringland

• Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham

Four of the nine titles are by Australian authors: Hortinela’s Hate You to Love You, Richell’s memoir An Ocean and a Day, Ringland’s The World Beneath Her Feet and Robotham’s Tell Me Something True.

'A big romantic at heart': debut author Joshua Hortinela nails the second-chance romance

One name on the list might ring a bell for a different reason. The Ballad of Ronan McCoy is the debut novel from Colin Morgan, best known for playing the title role in Merlin.

Colin Morgan is best known for playing the title role in Merlin.

I have some reading to get done! Besides Hortinela’s book, I’ve only read Yesteryear, which a Dymocks Adelaide bookseller Leticia summed up in the announcement as a rollercoaster that “had you going upside down in the dark”, lives up to the hype. The rest of the shortlist is this week’s to-read pile.

The Dymocks Book of the Year award is decided by the retailer’s own booksellers, who nominate and then vote on titles published within the previous 12 months. The winner will be announced in late November.

Last year’s winner was Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore, a survival drama set on a remote Antarctic island. It is now available in a hardcover collector’s edition exclusive to Dymocks.

More details at the Dymocks website.

READ MORE: Immy’s review of Joshua Hortinela’s Hate You to Love You