As late spring settles in, the longer and lighter days bring a slower, more relaxing pace. May brings a wave of new releases from some of Britain’s most exciting authors.
This month’s line-up promises a strong mix of storytelling, from highly anticipated titles from established authors through to exciting debuts making their mark.
Whether you are in the mood for a page-turner or a thoughtful story to savour over the warmer days, these new releases are ideal for the season ahead.
Table of Contents
Hunger and Thirst
Acclaimed author Claire Fuller releases her latest novel, Hunger and Thirst. With an early May release date, rights have already been sold across multiple territories including the UK, US, Canada, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey – a clear sign of the excitement internationally around this release.
Sixteen-year-old Ursula has spent years in and out of the care system after a childhood trauma. She has a new job in the postroom at a local art school, a bed in a halfway house and some new friends. Ursula is invited to join a squat and she can’t resist the urge of having a readymade, if not hodgepodge, family.
New friend, Sue, is a bit of a wild-child and her demands and behaviour are becoming more extreme. Ursula has always been hungry for food, love, acceptance and belonging, and carries out a terrible dare from her friend.
After 36 years, and being haunted for decades, Ursula is a renowned yet reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London. It isn’t long before her identity is exposed by a true-crime documentary maker and her past catches up.
Release date: 7 May 2026
The Book of Birds
The Book of Birds has taken Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris seven years to create, and this compendium of 49 endangered or declining birds in Britain is a must for nature lovers and those looking for a stunning coffee-table book.
Inspired by classic bird books, The Book of Birds is a field guide with a difference. There’s no asking “what is that bird” but “who is that bird”. While this book will show you how to identify these birds, it will also teach you how to identify with them.
Robert Macfarlane brings each bird’s habitats and habits to life – patterns of life, songs, how they hunt and gather, how they nest, stories and myths, threats and how they intersect their wild life with our domesticated life.
Jackie Morris brings these birds to life in her own way – watercolour artworks of each bird, with an extraordinary attention to details.
Release date: 7 May 2026
Other People’s Children
English author Ben Faccini returns with his third novel, Other People’s Children.
Tommaso is making it work – travelling abroad for his job, assisting his girlfriend with her two unruly boys and keeping up with his eccentric Italian grandmother, Alma. But Alma is increasingly suffering from strange and unsettled memories, and Tommaso realises there is a lot he doesn’t know about Alma’s past. The more he discovers, the more secrets he uncovers.
Other People’s Children is a story of complicated families and a secret dating back to the days of the Italian resistance during the Second World War. With the domestic chaos of modern life, this is a story of the families we have, and those we make.
Release date: 7 May 2026
The Midnight Train
Matt Haig returns to the Midnight World with a standalone novel of love, regret and second chances.
Wilbur is desperate to travel back in time to be with his wife Maggie, but no one can change the past. The Midnight Train however can take you there.
On the cusp of his death, a train arrives. It can take Wilbur back in time, giving him a chance to re-live the moments that meant the most. But he soon realises just how much he would have changed.
Release date: 21 May 2026
John of John
Booker Prize winning author, Douglas Stuart is back with his third novel John of John, the story of a young gay man returning to his childhood home off the coast of Scotland. The novel explores the themes of change, identity and complex family bonds.
With no money, and little of show from his art school education, John-Calum Macleod finds that not much has changed on the island of Harris other than him. On the island he grew up, he resumes his old life, stuck between his father John, pillar of the local Presbyterian church, and his grandmother Ella, a Glaswegian who has struggled to keep the peace with her son-in-law for decades.
With John-Calum (or Cal) wondering if any lonely men are to be found on the hillsides of Harris, his father is disappointed by Cal’s long hair and his unwillingness to be Saved. The threads holding this fragile community together are becoming increasingly entangled.
Release date: 21 May 2026
I Hear a New World
Alan Moore brings back a dark tour through London’s streets with I Hear a New World. A continuation from The Great When, Dennis Knuckleyard is growing up, and wants to leave the Great When behind him. For the last nine years he has avoided even thinking about the shadow version of London. But the Great When isn’t done with Dennis.
An unsuspecting rube in possession of the key has discovered its magical properties, and is bringing mythic and occult beings into Dennis’ London, sparking riots. Dennis’ first love Grace has returned to the Great When to investigate the strange happenings, and desperate to protect her, and return to London normal, Dennis heads back into the hidden city.
The Great When has him back and won’t let him go easily. Dennis and Grace face a fight to set things right, or risk losing everything forever.
Release date: 21 May 2026
Discover More British Authors and Their Books
As the season continues to unfold, May’s new releases offer a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasure of a good book. With longer evenings and warmer days ahead, now is the time to make space for stories that linger, entertain, and inspire.
So, find your favourite spot in the sun, pour a cup of tea, and let these latest British releases carry you through the rest of spring and into the early days of summer.