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Is 2026 the Year of the Book-to-Screen Takeover?
Freida McFadden, The Girls Who Grew Big, Bookum
Kyle Colley
January 07, 2026
Happy Wednesday!
Happy New Year to what we are officially coining the "Book World Take Over Year."
(We will example later in the "This Week in the Book World” Section)
We have so much fun in store for you this year at Bookum, so fasten your seats, bring your books, and let's discuss some great books together!
If your New Year's Resolutions were:
A - To Start a Book Club
B - Join a Book Club
C - Read More Books
Then we encourage you to host your book club and book discussions on Bookum this year!
Happy to help with setting up your book club or answer any questions you might have!
Table of Content:
📚 First Nook of The Year (Jan 13th)
📺 Book World Goes Hollywood
📖 New Books Out in 2026
This Week On Bookum:
We are back with our first Nook (live group audio) of 2026!
Join us next Tuesday, Jan 13, at 7 PM EST to discuss the fantastic new book ‘The Girls Who Grew Big’ by New York Times bestseller Leila Mottley
We will be joined by the always wonderful Jordan Hernandez @_completelybooked.
This Week in The Book World:
To quote the infamous Terrell Owens, get your popcorn 🍿 ready.
The book world is taking over Hollywood.
As highly educated readers of this newsletter (pat yourself on the back😊), you know that the rise of book culture has taken over social media. From influencers, to celebrity book clubs, to those perfectly curated Architectural Digest libraries, everyone is sharing their love of books.
The catalyst of the 2020 lockdowns that sparked a reading renaissance might also save box offices and theaters.
Take Freida McFadden's The Housemaid, for example, a book franchise which sold over 12 million copies across the series, just hit over $133M and counting at the box office this holiday season on a $35M budget.
Next, take Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, which sold over 2 million copies in the UK and US combined and is already up to 12M worldwide before its highly anticipated UK release on Friday, also a major contender for Best Picture at the Oscars.
That is not to mention Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry, which has hit number one on HBO Max, and the upcoming Emily Henry book adaptation People We Meet on Vacation, out this week on Netflix.
Safe to say, the book world and Hollywood are converging, and the book world has become popular culture.
What does this mean for you as a content creator or reader?
Well, many things.
One, the stories and books you champion matter. Not just for the authors, companies, and publishing houses you support, but for what movies get put on the big screen. Talking about the books you love literally impacts the world around you. Books are no longer just a "niche" hobby.
And two… the book will always be better 😜
This Week in Publishing:
We are taking a look at this year at a glance in books.
Here are some of the most highly anticipated books of the year. Everything from new releases by Colson Whitehead, Ali Hazelwood, Emma Straub, Howard Bryant, Patmeena Sabit, Alvaro Enrigue, Tayari Jones, Jennette McCurdy, and more!
Let us know what book you are excited for this year!
As always, if you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, please share it with others. Every share helps and keeps us growing!
Definitely share to a book content creator friend that might enjoy our newsletter!
Share this newsletter on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or via email.
Happy Reading!
See you next week!
Footnotes (Aka other articles we are reading and Bookum content):
The State of Newsletters & Trends in 2026 - https://www.beehiiv.com/blog/the-state-of-newsletters-2026
Interactive AI Features in E-books, Audiobooks Drive Debate - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/99381-amazon-elevenlabs-new-digital-interaction-features-drive-debate.html
