Sign in with Facebook
Readers' Most Anticipated Books of November
“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” Carl Sagan said that, and it’s good policy to pay attention to what Sagan says about anything. Reading is a kind of cultural telepathy, distributing perspectives and ideas through time and space, with paper cuts being the only real hazard involved.
New this month: Former U.S. President Barack Obama publishes the first volume of his highly anticipated presidential memoirs with A Promised Land. Ernest Cline is back in the game with the dystopian sci-fi sequel Ready Player Two. And author Zeyn Joukhadar brings a story of Syrian immigrant families, queer communities, and mysterious bird species in The Thirty Names of Night. Also watch for Russian aristocrats in the Winter Palace, freedom fighters in deep space, and women who harness psychic powers by eating the soil of the earth.
Each month the Goodreads editorial team takes a look at the books that are being published in the U.S., readers' early reviews, and how many readers are adding these books to their Want to Read shelves (which is how we measure anticipation). We use the information to curate this list of hottest new releases.
New this month: Former U.S. President Barack Obama publishes the first volume of his highly anticipated presidential memoirs with A Promised Land. Ernest Cline is back in the game with the dystopian sci-fi sequel Ready Player Two. And author Zeyn Joukhadar brings a story of Syrian immigrant families, queer communities, and mysterious bird species in The Thirty Names of Night. Also watch for Russian aristocrats in the Winter Palace, freedom fighters in deep space, and women who harness psychic powers by eating the soil of the earth.
Each month the Goodreads editorial team takes a look at the books that are being published in the U.S., readers' early reviews, and how many readers are adding these books to their Want to Read shelves (which is how we measure anticipation). We use the information to curate this list of hottest new releases.
The former U.S. president's new memoir will be the first of two volumes detailing his presidency. In this book, he'll share details from his early political life, his 2008 presidential campaign, and take readers into his thoughts during pivotal moments during his tenure including the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Anticipation around the book is high, with 3 million books being printed for the first U.S. edition and the annual Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, moving its ceremony to avoid competing with the book's release.
Maybe the single timeliest book in this month’s new releases, Danielle Evans’ new collection of stories address issues of race, culture and history in America through the lens of contemporary literary fiction. Evans introduces Black and multiracial characters who are trying to make it through life’s usual barrage–love, loss, grief, joy–while also confronting the hard truths of life in American as persons of color. Evans is also author of the 2010 short-story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self.
Read our interview with Evans here.
Read our interview with Evans here.
Author Ernest Cline’s 2011 sci-fi novel Ready Player One was among the most successful debuts in the history of publishing, largely by dint of being turned into a Steven Spielberg movie about 15 minutes after it dropped. This cleverly titled sequel to Ready Player One is among the most anticipated books of the fall. Advance details are scarce, but fans are hoping for the return of major characters from the first book as well as the usual cascade of pop culture references.
In the fourth installment of author Brandon Sanderson’s sprawling sci-fi/fantasy series The Stormlight Archive, the Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a brutal war of attrition against the enemy invasion. New technology could change the math, but at what cost to the ideals and principles of the resistance coalition? Sanderson’s work has been compared to George R.R. Martin in its deep and detailed world-building elements. If you want to dive in, better get started–ten volumes are planned.
This one seems flat-out fascinating: Argentinean debut author Dolores Reyes expands the reach of magical realism in the story of a young woman with a compulsion to eat the soil of the earth. When she does, mystical visions impart secret knowledge of missing and murdered people–especially women who have been victims of violence. It’s fantasy and mystery from a compassionate feminist perspective, and it’s one of the most anticipated books of the season.
A literary thriller with echoes of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Susie Yang’s White Ivy follows conflicted protagonist Ivy Lin, who harbors an unhealthy obsession with American-style success. Raised outside of Boston, Ivy is taught to shoplift and pilfer from her immigrant grandmother, which allows her to approximate the trappings of a typical suburban teenager. Ivy is fixated on wealthy Gideon Speyer, scion of an important political family, and her tenacity fuels a dark coming-of-age story.
Zeyn Joukhadar’s stories pretty much defy synopsis. And that’s good! This follow-up to the acclaimed 2018 novel The Map of Salt and Stars follows three generation of Syrian Americans who are somehow connected to a mysterious bird species. As the Manhattan skies fill with unexplained flocks of birds, a closeted Syrian trans boy must solve the mystery that has been haunting his family for generations. He also discovers the history of queer and transgender people within his own community. Intriguing, isn’t it?
Read our interview with Joukhadar here.
Read our interview with Joukhadar here.
Even by historical fiction-slash-romance standards, Ellen Alpsten’s Tsarina looks particularly juicy. The ambitious Catherine Alexeyevna, former peasant and now wife to Peter the Great, must navigate the treacherous waters of politics in St. Petersburg circa 1725. Largely set inside the sumptuous Winter Palace, the intrigue plays out in scenes of decadent luxury and lethal peril. Peter’s first wife, after all, is wasting away in a jail cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. Hey, marriage is tricky.
One of the season’s most buzzed-about books, We Keep the Dead Close blends true crime writing, memoir, and investigative reporting to excavate details on a 1969 murder at Harvard University. Author Becky Cooper first heard the stories as an undergrad: The dead student found bludgeoned in the museum, the surprising suspect, the awful details. After years of research, Cooper presents some very uncomfortable answers involving violence, misogyny, institutional silencing and the deliberate rewriting of history.
"I did not come to body positivity for self-esteem. I came to it for social justice." That’s author Aubrey Gordon on her new book, which comes at issues of anti-fat cultural bias from a decidedly activist point of view. Some of the statistics are startling. For instance, according to Gordon, it’s entirely legal in 48 states to deny employment because of an applicant’s size. That’s not right. This is a good read for anyone interested in advancing fat justice and changing prejudicial structures.
Author and humorist David Sedaris is one of the unambiguous delights of life on this planet, and this new collection assembles all of his best essays and stories, as chosen by the man himself. Recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, Sedaris has more than 7 million books and essay collections in print, translated into 29 languages. A longtime contributor to NPR and The New Yorker, Sedaris is, on balance, probably the funniest man alive. So, yeah. Sounds like a good book.
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles, including:
November's Most Anticipated Young Adult Reads
Cozy Up with November's Most Anticipated Romances
Meet the Epic and Awesome Authors of Fall's Big Fantasy Novels
Check out more recent articles, including:
November's Most Anticipated Young Adult Reads
Cozy Up with November's Most Anticipated Romances
Meet the Epic and Awesome Authors of Fall's Big Fantasy Novels
Comments Showing 51-75 of 75 (75 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 51:
by
Rawan
(new)
Nov 05, 2020 12:23AM
I'm waiting for
actually
flag
I loathe it when they compare Sanderson to G. R. R. Martin. The work ethic alone is entirely different.
Robert wrote: "I'm only laying down my comment so I get notifications of later comments. I'm making popcorn now."Hahaha, right??? These new book posts are always golden
Rythm of War!Ever since reading the first book in the Storm light archive I've been Looking forward to the next book with both fear and anticipation. Anticipation because the books are just sooo good, I get nerdgasms just thinking about them. Then there is the fear that this could be the first book in the series that doesn't live up to my over hyped expectations.
Cross777 wrote: "Wait, the worst President in the history of this country needs more than one volume for his "memoir"?"another GR user profile to block forever.
considering the White Supremacist foundations of the US government since the birth of the nation (pun intended, and surely one Cross777 will get, being who he is...) it is hard to say Obama wasn't one of the greatest presidents ever. How he didn't sign an Executive Order to remove all the White People from the country is impressive. His mere election was amazing, his re-election ever more so. The courage, honesty, andf character of the man can never be questioned. Surely he could have done more for America and Black Americans, but with a White Supremacist Republican Senate he had little opportunity. People forget - mainly because #45 is such a tyrant and quasi-dictator - that the President doesn't make laws or create policy, that is for the Legislative Branch. So expecting Obama to initiate sweeping changes would have involved cooperation from the White Supremacist Republican Senate, and, being a Black President, they surely weren't going to be race-traitors and help him out, or, consequently, help out the US.
Cross777 wrote: "Wait, the worst President in the history of this country needs more than one volume for his "memoir"?"You're confused .... Porky's McAdderall's memoir, 'Mein Kampf 2' won't be out for a few years ... his cellmate has to write it for him first! :-)
Cora wrote: "I think it’s sad that this thread has already turned into a political fight."People have to make an active choice to stop demonizing each other. They're too lazy to do that.
Arguing over politics doesn’t change anyone’s mind, especially over the internet. It’s a complete waste of time
Cora wrote: "I think it’s sad that this thread has already turned into a political fight."Everything is political. Everything. If you think you can separate what you read from life, then you might be part of the problem. Might, just sayin'.
Jay wrote: "I wouldn't pay attention to anything Sagan said outside of astrophysics. His grasp of history was atrocious; a classic case of an expert needing to stay in his own lane."Going off your logic you should maybe stick to User Experience....
Sorry but your comment was unnecessarily catty.
Silver - Have a great day, you're loved wrote: "Cora wrote: "I think it’s sad that this thread has already turned into a political fight."Exactly. There's already so much hate going on between both political parties. I get we all have opinions..."
No, you see the problem with that is there is a president, #45, and a political party - Republican - that is currently trying to deny rights - voting, to name one - to Black People, poor people, ex-felons, and that is wrong. I have ZERO dialogue with someone who tries to deny basic rights to others to maintain control of government. Skip the Pollyanna "let's all get along" shite. It's akin to asking Black People to "move on from slavery" and its aftereffects. Oh, that's right! That is EXACTLY what White Supremacist Americans are already asking Black People to do. Huh.
Silver - Have a great day, you're loved wrote: "*sings* We can all respect each other as human beings!!!!!!!"Um, get out from under the rock. Please. Do you have any idea what has been going on in the USofA for the last 4 years under #45? Please stop with this idea "getting along" is attainable when there is a White Supremacist as president, and the US Senate is controlled by a White Supremacist political party.
Megan wrote: "Cora wrote: "I think it’s sad that this thread has already turned into a political fight."People have to make an active choice to stop demonizing each other. They're too lazy to do that."
Or maybe they are poor, oppressed, being denied rights to things most any White American already has? Maybe? Please stop acting like being nice is going to break down the racist, sexist, and homophobic structures that dominate the US government at every level.
Lucy wrote: "Jay wrote: "I wouldn't pay attention to anything Sagan said outside of astrophysics. His grasp of history was atrocious; a classic case of an expert needing to stay in his own lane."Going off you..."
Agreed. There is a difference between stating facts and professing an opinion. Like Sagan or not, he is allowed to have an opinion about books/reading.
I'm a little surprised when Ready Player One quickly went from popular darling to commonly acknowledged as a cringy mess that the sequel is still so anticipated.
I Agree...This Obama....The AntiChrist....Should Not Even Write a Book...Trump Best President Ever
Trump Will Be Exposing the Evil in the Illuminati's Agenda....This Includes the Way or Manner in Which Voting is Done. Trump is Not Perfect and If Anything His Pride Maybe His Downfall but He is Being Used By GOD for a Time Such as This....
I Would Never Read a Book about Obama....Waste of Time not to Mention ....He is e***
Jacqueline wrote: "Trump Will Be Exposing the Evil in the Illuminati's Agenda....This Includes the Way or Manner in Which Voting is Done. Trump is Not Perfect and If Anything His Pride Maybe His Downfall but He is Be..."Jacqueline wrote: "I Would Never Read a Book about Obama....Waste of Time not to Mention ....He is e***"
My god, you are so pathetic. And what now? Unicorns are running in the wild. And wake up, please god doesn't exist, you like a child that think Santa is real. Trump was elected because of Russia who hacked the voting system in 2016.
Cross777 I'll just leave this here for you.
This is why most people have respect for Obama over trump.
Here are 28 of President Obama's biggest accomplishments as President of the United States.
Cross777
1 – Rescued the country from the Great Recession, cutting the unemployment rate from 10% to 4.7% over six years
2 – Signed the Affordable Care Act which provided health insurance to over 20 million uninsured Americans
3 – Ended the war in Iraq
4 – Ordered for the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden
5 – Passed the $787 billion America Recovery and Reinvestment Act to spur economic growth during the Great Recession
6 – Supported the LGBT community's fight for marriage equality
7 – Commuted the sentences of nearly 1200 drug offenders to reverse “unjust and outdated prison sentences"
8 – Saved the U.S. auto industry
9 – Helped put the U.S. ontrack for energy independence by 2020
10 – Began the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan
11 – Signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals allowing as many as 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally to avoid deportation and receive work permits
12 –Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to re-regulate the financial sector
13 – Dropped the veteran homeless rate by 50 percent
14 – Reversed Bush-era torture policies
15 – Began the process of normalizing relations with Cuba
16 – Increased Department of Veteran Affairs funding
17 – Signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act
18 – Boosted fuel efficiency standards for cars
19 – Improved school nutrition with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act
20 – Repealed the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy
21 – Signed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, making it a federal crime to assault anyone based on sexual or gender identification
22 – Helped negotiate the landmark Iran Nuclear Deal
23 – He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to combat pay discrimination against women
24 – Nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, making her the first Hispanic ever to serve as a justice
25 – Supported veterans through a $78 billion tuition assistance GI bill
26 – Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"
27 – Launched My Brother's Keeper, a White House initiative designed to help young minorities achieve their full potential
28 – Expanded embryonic stem cell research leading to groundbreaking work in areas including spinal injury treatment and cancer
Trump hated everything Obama did because trump knew that obama had more respect, compassion decency, less controversy and let's face it, a wife women respected and kids who never showed arrogance in public trying to gain daddy's approval.
I would advise you to read the following books, A warning by anonymous and
Mary trump's book.
Now I know they dont flatter or worship donny but let's face it he needs to step down from he self enflated pedestal and carrot tanning spray. His hair is ridiculous, a comb over is disparate, and his mental health is fit for a rubber room with a hugmejacket at best.
I wish you and yours are peaceful and healthy 2021.🤙
Cross777 wrote: "Wait, the worst President in the history of this country needs more than one volume for his "memoir"?"Thanks for your opinion, which nobody asked for, troll. You don't belong here, or anywhere intelligent discourse occurs.
Poetniknowit wrote: "Maria wrote: "Cross777 wrote: "Wait, the worst President in the history of this country needs more than one volume for his "memoir"?"😂 I wondered why it needed to be two parts as well."
No, Trum..."
Furthermore, the Orange One can't read or write, everybody knows that, he just gets ghostwriters and then doesn't pay them.
Shelly wrote: "Cross777 I'll just leave this here for you.
This is why most people have respect for Obama over trump.
Here are 28 of President Obama's biggest accomplishments as President of the United States.
..."
You do realize that you're only confusing MAGAheads with facts don't you? Hillary was way off on her estimates of the number of deplorables in this country. This last election shows there's about 74 million of them. Apparently none of them are familiar with the old saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool be twice, shame on me" or as G.W. Bush put it "Fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!'" The good news is many of these moronic Trumpsters don't wear masks. They have no problems walking into 7-Eleven's with a shirt and shoes but nobody's going to infringe on their "constitutional" rights and force them to wear any damn mask during this pandemic.
Serina wrote: It's just a cute quote about books dude, chill out.Serina, I think Jay was referring to the line after the quote:
Carl Sagan said that, and it’s good policy to pay attention to what Sagan says about anything.
I just wanted to point out, why is it always the Trump fans who are belligerent, intrusive and hostile. Just having a thread about books to look forward to, and Mr Ugly-Behaved has to chime in and put his uncalled-for nasty comment. Strangely, it's always the Trump fans who have no manners or class.
