Summer 2026 is drawing to a close, but for book lovers, the season is just gaining momentum. There are still several weeks of long evenings, trips, and weekends ahead when you can finally immerse yourself in a great story without rushing. The Styler editorial team, together with the national book platform Yakaboo, has prepared a selection of five books that have become notable new releases and major topics of discussion this year. The list ranges from an ancient retelling and a psychological thriller to an honest conversation about war and a novel revealing the behind-the-scenes of Ukrainian television.
Perseus's Shadow: When Myths Are Told by Women
Following the release of Christopher Nolan's film "Odyssey," interest in ancient myths has only intensified, and contemporary writers are increasingly offering to look at familiar stories from a new angle. This is exactly what Clare Haywood's "Perseus's Shadow" is—a novel where the legendary hero is no longer at the center of the narrative. Danaë, Medusa, and Andromeda—the women whose fates defined the myth but whom the classical tradition barely noticed—are given a voice. The author rejects gods and miracles in favor of psychological realism, showing how prophecies, fear, and the thirst for power affect the lives of ordinary people. The British writer has already gained popularity thanks to the novel "Daughters of Sparta," and "Perseus's Shadow" proves once again that ancient plots can sound surprisingly modern.
The Othello Club: A Thriller About Revenge and Manipulation
What happens if six people, after painful divorces, agree to slightly ruin the lives of their ex-partners? This is the idea that starts the psychological thriller "The Othello Club" by Jay Dee Pennington, which quickly turns into a story about manipulation, distrust, and murder. Even before the Ukrainian edition, the novel attracted the attention of Paramount+, where it is being adapted into a series called "The Revenge Club." Pennington masterfully combines tension with black humor, forcing the reader to constantly change suspects and doubt the motives of each character. This is the author's debut novel, but it has already made a loud statement as a writer who knows how to turn an ordinary life situation into an exciting thriller.
Leticia Chicken: Magical Realism and the Memory of War
The title of this book alone is so intriguing that it is almost impossible to walk past it. The main heroine again and again invents different stories about her own father, mixing truth, fantasy, memory, and pain so that it becomes impossible to distinguish them. Vera Kuryko creates a novel in which magical realism, autobiographical motifs, reportage accuracy, and subtle humor unexpectedly come together into a coherent story about loneliness, growing up, and life during the war. This is a book that does not offer simple answers and is not afraid to leave the reader with questions. Therefore, the novel has become one of the most notable Ukrainian literary new releases of the year and has already sparked lively discussions among readers and critics.
Hemingway Knows Nothing: War Without Romance
The title of this book sounds like a challenge, and that is its main idea. Poet and soldier Artur Dron honestly says that the experience of the modern Russian-Ukrainian war can no longer be explained by the texts of 20th-century classics. His essays combine personal memories, reflections on literature, memory, loss, responsibility, and how society has become accustomed to talking about heroes. The author does not romanticize war or create beautiful images—on the contrary, he shows people who are afraid, make mistakes, miss home, and continue to fight. This is a book that helps to better understand not only those fighting today but also how war changes Ukrainian culture and our perception of ourselves.
Goodbye, Television!: Behind the Scenes of Media
Journalist, blogger, and interviewer Emma Antonyuk is well known to thousands of Ukrainians, and her artistic debut has become one of the most anticipated books of the year. At the center of the novel is a young woman growing up in a family where the television determines what to consider truth, and love must constantly be earned. Later, she herself enters the world of news, live broadcasts, professional compromises, and the behind-the-scenes of Ukrainian television. The author writes about this experience with self-irony, sharp humor, and knowledge of the details, having worked in media for many years. The result is a novel that simultaneously amuses, hurts, and shows that behind the beautiful television picture almost always lies a much more complex story.
