Last Call: 27 Reads for November

Here it is, part one of our last roundup of staff picks for 2024! Our booksellers have recommended over 350 books for adults this year — how wild is that?! We hope that among the hundreds of great books picked by our staff, you’ve found a handful of reads that have generated curiosity, comforted you in times of need, transported you to places you’ve never been, and inspired meaningful conversations. Of course, 350 books is quite a bit to sift through. If you’re looking for a collection of the best of the best, the books our staff loved the most this year, check out our holiday catalog. Treat yo’ shelf, and give the gift of books this holiday season!

FICTIONRecommended by the whole Parnassus staff! Bel Canto Annotated Edition: A Novel

By Ann Patchett

Ann takes a critical look at one of her best-known works and highlights everything she loves — and everything she doesn’t love — about it, all in her own handwriting. Perfect for every writer wanting to perfect their craft and every reader who wants to take a look behind the curtain of Ann’s writing process.

Recommended by Paige Like Mother, Like Mother: A Novel

By Susan Rieger

You may not always agree with the choices made by the women in this novel, but you’ll be fascinated with the complex characters and family dynamics. Rieger writes unapologetic, strong-willed females with humor and tenderness. A fresh take on a multi-generational family narrative, and an exploration of how the stories we choose to tell ourselves and others can impact us from one generation to the next.

Recommended by Rachel The Wood at Midwinter

By Susanna Clarke

Like a magical picture book for adults, with hidden meaning in the snowy woods. I particularly loved the author’s note in the end, which was more like an essay on the connections between old and new stories.

Recommended by Jennifer Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal

By Olivie Blake

This collection of short stories are for those who are interested in quick and powerful doses of dark whimsy, often fused with dark academia. Enchanting and evocative, this collection contains familiar stories and brand new ones to fuel your Olivie Blake addiction.

Recommended by Ashby The Restaurant of Lost Recipes

By Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translated by)

Seconds anyone? The Kamogawa Food Detectives made me smile out loud. Yes, smile out loud. Koishi and her father Nagare recreate meals to spark memories. People come wanting the meal but there is always more to it. Part chef, part therapist, part historian, part researcher, and part detective, Chef Nagare prepares dishes, taking clients back in time to figure things out about past, present, and future.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern: A Novel

By Lynda Cohen Loigman

Augusta Stern studies the science of pharmacy while learning secret remedies from her great-aunt. When she breaks an unforgivable rule by administering an elixir without permission, she changes her life forever. Years later, Augusta meets her past and must decide how to move forward. The twin story lines glimmer with magical hope in this novel.

Recommended by Katie Frequent Fliers

By Noué Kirwan

What if the next time you hopped on a plane to plan your crush’s wedding to your cousin, the hot, surly guy sitting next to you was your actual Person. And what if you kept sitting next to him every time you flew? Lanie finds herself in just this predicament. What a sexy conundrum to find yourself in! And while it takes them a minute to figure it all out, we get to witness all the sizzling chemistry. How lucky are we?

Recommended by A.J. The Ancients: A Novel

By John Larison

A pair of siblings find that they’ve fallen through time into a world entirely foreign to their own. I read this book months ago, and I’ve thought about it almost every day since.

Recommended by Cheryl The Secret War of Julia Child: A Novel

By Diana R. Chambers

There is no cooking in this historical novel. Instead, it focuses on her intelligence posting with the OSS during WWII in Asia. However, it does include her meeting Paul Child.

Recommended by Jennifer Blood Over Bright Haven: A Novel

By M. L. Wang

Sciona is cutthroat in pursuit of her magical ambitions, and she has to be. As the first female High Mage, she has a lot to prove. However, when she meets a mysterious Outsider from beyond the boundaries of her city, she realizes that all magic comes with a price. A powerful page-turner, Blood Over Bright Haven begs the question of what true power is and what– or who– we are willing to sacrifice to get it.

Recommended by Rae Ann Echoes of Us

By Joy Jordan-Lake

Hidden secrets abound on St. Simons Island in Echoes of Us. The stories of its inhabitants during WWII, including a compelling storyline of a WASP pilot, reverberate through the ages to two women who visit the island for the first time present day. An immersive novel with intriguing characters.

Recommended by Jenness The Blue Hour: A Novel

By Paula Hawkins

Human bones are discovered in a disputed sculpture from a recently-deceased artist (on her remote private island) – are they related to the disappearance of her estranged ex-husband? An eerie, slow-burn thriller told from various points of view, The Blue Hour is so good.

Recommended by Ashby Pride and Prejudice in Space

By Alexis Lampley

Elizabeth Bennett designs spaceships? Yes! For those of us that love Austen, this is a fun retelling. If you haven’t read Austen, this is a fun first. Lampley is a writer and illustrator, so there are 60 illustrations throughout. You know the ending, but do you know how it is told? Sci-fi romance!

Recommended by Lauren Lost and Lassoed

By Lyla Sage

Enemies to lovers, cowboys in chaps, and heartwarming friendships. What more could you want?

Recommended by Aly Pony Confidential

By Christina Lynch

If you grew up on movies like Homeward Bound and The Brave Little Toaster, this book is for you. Pony has been abandoned by his favorite owner, or at least that’s what he’s thought for the past 25 years. Meanwhile, his little girl Penny is arrested for murder. What happened in the woods all those years ago? Read this book and get the story straight from the pony’s mouth.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Ashby Ottolenghi Comfort: A Cookbook

By Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh (With)

I am an Ottolenghi groupie. I use all of his cookbooks, but this is my favorite since Jerusalem. Take out all words or recipes and the photographs would speak. He shares stories alongside recipes as well as 3 chefs whose influence makes the experience richer. Top picks? Butter beans (Rancho Gordo of course) with cherry tomatoes, Dutch baby with tomatoes, and cheeseball lemon rice with chili butter.

Recommended by Sarah The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America

By Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz

A tribal enrollment card, a group, a culture, an identity. Claims of Native heritage and identity in the US have grown exponentially in recent years. But who gets to belong? Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz unpacks hundreds of years of Native history, colonialism, and recordkeeping using hard data and personal anecdotes to help us understand where Native identity stands today. This is what we should have been learning in school.

Recommended by Cat Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories (a Definitive Guide to Southern Baking)

By Anne Byrn, Rinne Allen (Photographer)

I love a cookbook that is just as fascinating to read as it is to cook from, and this completely fits the bill! The combination of baking and history is delightful- not to mention the chance to try every single biscuit recipe.

Recommended by Katie What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts)

By Stanley Tucci

How do I love Stanley Tucci? Let me count the ways…the first being that I listened to an entire book that is literally just him telling you in varying degrees of detail what he ate that day. And it’s all as delicious as he is.

Recommended by Jordan Lifeform

By Jenny Slate

Comedian and author Jenny Slate recounts her life in five sections; Single, True Love, Pregnancy, Baby, and Ongoing. This weird little book of essays is a fun and emotional read.

Recommended by Lauren The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos

By Armen Keteyian, John Talty

An in-depth probe of the ever changing world of college football. Perfect read for fall!

Recommended by Jake Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon

By Mirin Fader

The definitive biography of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, Dream is a fascinating clarification of the many myths that surround the man. Though hardly the first international NBA player, Fader compellingly argues that Olajuwon set the stage for basketball becoming the international game it is today. Written with skill and precision, reading Fader’s book is just as mesmerizing as watching the man himself play.

Recommended by Katie What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities

By Julia Turshen

Julia Turshen’s cookbooks are an automatic buy for me and I adore her Sunday afternoon cooking classes. In her most recent cookbook, Turshen has done the heavy lifting for you by telling you exactly what goes with what. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. The Lentil and Sweet Potato Shepard’s Pie with the Kale Caesar will be in heavy rotation this cold season.

Recommended by Jordan Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire

By Ashley Spencer

If you are a millennial who loves pop culture and nostalgia this is a must read for you! Take a look into the good, the bad, and the ugly of Disney Channel’s peak era.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Ester The Starless Sea: A Novel

By Erin Morgenstern

I fear an era of my life ended when I finished this book. My organs no longer feel like my own — it’s as if my being’s only purpose was to read this book. All of this to say, I liked it very much and I compel you to give The Starless Sea a shot.

Recommended by A.J. The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary

By Sarah Ogilvie

Have you ever wondered how the dictionary was written? Until I saw this on the hot nonfiction table a few weeks ago, me either! The best description I can give is an even nerdier, saucier version of The Canterbury Tales. Funny, informative, and engaging. (Alternate lede: Cannibals, Manslaughterers, and Pornographers–oh my!)

First Editions Club: November Selection Water, Water: Poems

By Billy Collins

Years ago, I suggested that the Nashville Library Foundation honor Billy Collins. The initial response was, A poet? Oh, no. Too many people have problems with poetry. But I persisted, I leaned, and in the end, Billy Collins was honored. He was brilliant, warm, funny, accessible. We were thrilled. As it turned out, no one had any problems with poetry at all.

Of course, Billy Collins is not just any poet. He was the two-time Poet Laureate and the Poet Laureate of New York State. He is the author of twelve collections of poetry, several of them New York Times bestsellers. Bestselling poets are a bit like flying penguins. You don’t expect it to happen. In his writing, his readings and talks (have you seen his TED talk? It’s the best) he extends a hand to readers everywhere. He shows us that poetry is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, poetry can be the thing that fills the hole we never knew we were carrying inside us.

And let’s face it, this has been a hard time, and in hard times poetry can be just the thing.

I took so much pleasure in Water, Water, reading a poem and then just sitting with it for awhile before going onto the next, letting it fill me up. This collection turned out to be exactly what I needed.

Enjoy.

Ann

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: November Selection Duchess Material

By Emily Sullivan

Phoebe Atkinson is what society might call unconventional. Instead of marrying well like other women born to wealth, she chose to be a schoolteacher. Not to mention she lives in a leaky flat in an unfashionable part of town rather than stay in her parents’ mansion. But when her most promising pupil goes missing she has only one option: beg her sister’s best friend, the powerful Duke of Ellis, for help.

The last thing William Margrave ever expected was to inherit a dukedom. But now that he has it, he’s determined to act the part perfectly—and that includes marrying the perfect duchess. A bluestocking Bohemian schoolteacher is decidedly not duchess material. But he can’t resist her plea for help regarding her missing student.

As they fall further into the mystery, William discovers that he never got over his childhood crush on Phoebe, and he doesn’t really want to.

A “rising historical romance star.” –Booklist, starred review

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.