Put your phone down and pick up these Cosmo-reccomended books instead

Between endless scrolling, hyper-personalised algorithms, and the irresistible urge to check just one more notification, our attention spans are being pulled in a hundred directions at once. Sometimes, the best way to switch off isn't another wellness trend or a digital detox challenge—it's getting completely lost in a really good book.

Whether you're in the mood for a sharp literary novel, a thought-provoking essay collection, a dark and delicious thriller, or a charming escape to the Italian countryside, these new releases offer the perfect excuse to put your phone down for a few hours. Ahead, the books currently at the top of our reading lists, and why they might just earn a spot on yours too.

The Complex

Politics, identity, conflict, and themes that bridge fiction and reality take centre stage in Indian-American author Karan  Mahajan’s new offering, The Complex. Known for The Association of Small Bombs (2016) and Family Planning (2008), in Mahajan’s recently released work, the plot unravels amid a story of immigrants, rising nationalism, and the complexities of familial knowledge and generational trauma. For those who enjoy a layered work of fiction.

Existential Ants

A read served with a side of wit and drawn with an underscoring of existentialism. Artist Siddharth Nair, popular as @asiddababa, is out with Existential Ants—a comic book that talks of our daily angst, vocalised by his Sumi-e style artwork where big and small habitants of the ‘wild’ engage with the inner worlds of humans. Bookmark this one by Nair, whose bio describes him as someone who “in his spare time, falls out of headstands, loses at racket sports, and tortures an acoustic guitar.”

A Little Bit Bad

It was on the list of BBC Culture’s most exciting books to look forward to in 2026, and now, A Little Bit Bad is ready to hit your bookshelf. Written by Cassandra Neyenesch, it is a simmering cauldron of thrill, mystery, and the kind of Cosmo ‘dark’ that can make it unputdownable, following protagonist Perdita Jungfrau who has an affair with her handyman. As author and journalist Rachel Johnson describes it in one of her reviews: “Sexy, dangerous, shocking, funny—A Little Bit Bad is to die for.”

Villa Coco

Escapism, magic, friendship, love, and the quest to find oneself. American novelist Andrew Sean Greer’s upcoming work, Villa Coco, unfolds amid the Tuscan hills as the Italian countryside becomes a newly discovered galaxy for the protagonist who takes up the role of an assistant to 92-year-old Lisabetta, aka Coco. Greer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018 for his satirical novel Less, which was followed by Less is Lost in 2022.

Whistler

Perhaps the most talked about release of the season. Ann Patchett’s Whistler finds itself engaging with murmurs of memory, recollection, small shifts, and large emotions that are packed delicately amid layered relationships, as it explores a chance meeting between a woman and her stepfather. American author Patchett is a multi-award-winning author, with some of her most beloved works including The Dutch House, finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) and Bel Canto.

Freedom Essays

Described as a work that “explores the complexities of the elusive concept of freedom,” this non-fiction work makes our list for its interesting pitch of critique that deals with themes of race, politics, rights, migration, personal history, and experiences. Zinzi Clemmons made her writing debut in 2017 with What We Lose, and in her new work, takes her American and South African heritage to present a picture of the current divided world and where we stand in it.

All images: IMDb 

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India May-June 2026 print issue.

Also read: Five celebs talk about the books that changed their lives

Also read: Our Favorite Romantasy Books, Because the Genre Is Having a Major Moment