It’s New Year, New Reading Goals here at Mr B’s, where our team is excitedly picking out their reads for the year ahead. Especially as 2026 has just been named the National Year of Reading: promoting reading for pleasure, and using books as a way to reconnect reading with the things that already inspire us – from playlists and football matches to films, food and family time.
So, if you’re after a fool-proof way to plan out your 2026 reads, then look no further! Featuring 24 different categories of bookish inspiration (plus a free space!), our Book Bingo prompts allow you to pull from your existing shelves… and be pointed in some new literary directions!
Today we’re highlighting some of our Team’s favourite books from indie publishers: featuring translated fiction from around the world, steamy romance novellas, 20th-century women’s writing, rediscovered classics, and a few titles from our very own publishing unit, Fox, Finch & Tepper!
Read on to find out more about a few of our favourite indie outfits!
831 Stories is an American indie publisher, specialising in swoonworthy, steamy romance novellas!
We highly recommend checking out their merch line – it’s INCREDIBLE.
Shop our list of 831 Stories novellas here!
Peirene Press is an award-winning independent publisher of new voices and great books from across the world. What’s more, they’re based right here in Bath!
Shop the Peirene Press collection here!
Fitzcarraldo Editions is a British indie publisher specialising in contemporary fiction and long-form essays, admired for their deliciously slick, uniform look (designed by Ray O’Meara).
Shop the Fitzcarraldo Edition collection here!
Charco Press is an indie publisher based in Edinburgh.
Charco means ‘puddle’ in Spanish. It is also a colloquialism used in some Latin American countries to refer to the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, cruzar el charco means ‘crossing the puddle’ and is a way of referring to when someone is going overseas, or travelling between continents!
Shop the Charco Press collection here!
Persephone Books is an indie publisher specialising in reprinting 20th-century women’s writing: their collection includes everything from novels and short stories to memoirs, poetry, gardening and cookery books!
What’s more, Persephone are our neighbours here in Bath – their bookshop and base is located just round the corner from us!
You can shop a few of the Persephone classic titles here!
We hope this list introduces you to some exciting new indie publishers, and provides some literary inspiration!
Have fun ticking off our Book Bingo categories – here’s to 2026 being another year of delightful reading!