Picking one author to 'complete' in 2026

[atiaofthejulii]

My daughter (a grown up!) heard someone talking about this and is now thinking of reading all of one author's work in 2026. Preferably someone with not too many books, lol, so she's not just reading them constantly. Looking for someone contemporary or fairly recent (e.g. not Jane Austen), would probably prefer a female author. Not into fantasy/sci fi.

At the moment I think she's leaning towards Maggie O'Farrell (9).

Wondered what suggestions other people might have, for interesting authors, and trying to hit that sweet spot of about 7-10 novels!

Ann Patchett (10 novels). Lionel Shriver although she’s got about 17 novels so maybe too many (same with Anne Tyler on about 25).

Jonathan Coe (15), if willing to consider male writers.

Or Elizabeth Jane Howard (around 15 depending whether short story collections count). And this includes the fabulous Cazalet Chronicles.

All the people I like seem to have been too prolific for your requirements!

Kate Atkinson is another one although again maybe slightly too many for your requirements - 13 novels plus 2 short story
collections. She could always just read the non-Jackson Brodie books which would give 7-9 if she includes the short stories?

Natalie Haynes (7 books) - all broadly re ancient myths through a female lens, so no if she’s not at all interested in Ancient Greece

Elizabeth Fremantle (7 books) - histfic, again centred on female characters

Maggie O Farrell is a fair shout too,

Tracy Chevalier - but that is 12.

I definitely couldn't handle a year of Lionel Shriver

Sally Rooney 4 books and to my mind suitable for a young woman.

Elly Griffiths - Dr Ruth Galloway series - I think there's 15

E M Forster unless he’s not contemporary enough

Zadie Smith (6) would be my choice for this exercise, if it’s to be contemporary and youngish.

The two moderns whom I have completed are Sally Rooney (4) and Michel Houellebecq (8) but I’m not sure either will be what you’re looking for. Rooney is a good writer but very featureless. Houellebecq is amazing, miles ahead of the other two – but the subject matter might be, uh, a bit much.

If she does this, I recommend reading other authors in between, preferably different in style and genre. I find it I read a lot of books by the same author one after another, I begin to notice author habits like a phrase used too often, or the characters begin to be annoying, or the plots all seem the same.

How about Sarah Waters (6)?

Margaret Atwood was my first thought, but she's quite prolific, it would be a challenge for sure!

Elizabeth Strout is probably my favourite contemporary author. You really get to know the characters across the books.

I want to finish all Ian McEwan. I don’t know if that’s too hard if you are starting from scratch. I’ve easily done 8 without really noticing

I’m working my way through all the Jilly Cooper Rutshire Chronicles at the moment (after watched Rivals on Disney last year). I desperately want to give up work and swan around the early 1990s polo fields as a result.

Oh some interesting suggestions here - some I know she's already considered, but too prolific (such as Anne Tyler). She loves Elizabeth Strout, has read all of hers already I think. Has read Rooney. Houellebecq (a name I knew but had never investigated further) seems like he might provide an even more challenging year than Lionel Shriver 😂 She speaks French, so maybe one year she'll try a foreign language version of those challenge!

She doesn't want a series, so Ruth Galloway (one of my favourites) is out, likewise Jackson Brodie. I don't know if she's read any of Kate Atkinson's other books, they are definitely her sort of thing.

I'll pass on the other suggestions for her to ponder.

Lesley Glaister?

Beth O’Leary has some good books. They’ve adapted a couple into TV series too

As pp have suggested Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Strout, Jonathan Coe are all consistently good.

Patrick Gale is another.
Julian Barnes -
Sarah Waters

I would also like to read all Maggie O'Farrell's books. Other suggestions

Colson Whitehead (9)
Sarah Moss (8)
Magda Szabo (I think she has about 7 translated into English)
Sarah Waters (6)
Barbara Kingslover (10)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (8)

What about Daphne Du Maurier?

The Kite Runner author?

John Boyne
Robert Harris
Elif Shafak

Tracey Chevalier

I was going to suggest Beth OLeary