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Readers' Most Anticipated November Books
At the beginning of each calendar month, Goodreads’ crack editorial squad assembles a list of the hottest and most popular new books hitting shelves, actual and virtual. The list is generated by evaluating readers’ early reviews and tracking which titles are being added to Want to Read shelves by Goodreads regulars.
Each month’s curated preview features new books from across the genre spectrum: contemporary fiction, historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, romance, horror, young adult, nonfiction, and more. Think of it as a literary smorgasbord. Check out whatever looks delicious.
New in November: David Baldacci kicks off a new suspense thriller series with Nash Falls. Oyinkan Braithwaite details some Nigerian family drama—and potential reincarnation issues—with Cursed Daughters. And debut author Grace Walker proposes a deeply weird near-future technology in The Merge.
Also on tap this month: secret societies in Scotland, found families in Tokyo, and fallen angels in love. Plus the latest in cozy fantasy from Travis Baldree’s beloved Legends & Lattes series.
Here’s an interesting thriller for anyone who has lived through the nightmare of buying a house—or anyone who wonders what it’s like. From debut author Marisa Kashino, Best Offer Wins tells the cautionary tale of 30-something Margo Miyake, who gets a little obsessive about landing her family’s dream house in the D.C. suburbs. And by “a little obsessive” we mean “lethally unhinged.” Margo will not be denied, and if that means crossing some lines concerning felonies and bloodletting, well…that’s the modern housing market.
Thanks to an ancient family curse, a young woman in Lagos named Eniiyi is doomed to a tragic life…as the reincarnation of her dead Auntie Mo. That’s what Eniiyi’s superstitious family believes, anyway, and they just won’t let it go. But then things get really strange. Nigerian author Oyinkan Braithwaite earned herself a loyal readership with her breakthrough 2018 novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer, and her new novel promises a similar blend of humor, romance, and eccentric family drama.
Recently longlisted for a National Book Award, author Bryan Washington’s third novel, Palaver, centers on the relationship between an unnamed gay man living in Tokyo and his mom, who’s just flown in from Houston. Mom is originally from Jamaica, widowed, and not sure what to make of her son’s found family in Tokyo’s queer community. The novel moves back and forth through time and place—Texas, Jamaica, Japan—in an extended meditation on the nature of love in all of its complex iterations.
Book two in the Fae & Alchemy romantasy series from author Callie Hart, Brimstone continues the story of thief-turned-queen Saeris Fane and the handsome fae warrior known as Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. (Just call him Fisher.) Also in the mix: palace intrigue, underworld treachery, and a smuggler with the admirable name of Carrion Swift. Readers of the first book, last year’s Quicksilver, have a lot of nice things to say about author Hart and her innovative twists on romance and fantasy traditions.
If you like your epic fantasy gritty, grim, and packed with big ideas, you might consider the Hierarchy series from Australian author James Islington. In his story of one man’s resistance against imperial power, Islington brings dense plotting and sociological themes to the action/epic template—readers have been recommending the series to fans of Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Pierce Brown. This second installment in the series follows 2023’s The Will of the Many, and heads up that our hero is now three heroes. Alternate dimensions, you see.
One of the fall season’s most interesting fantasy releases comes from author Ayana Gray (the Beasts of Prey series), who proposes a whole new origin story for an infamous legend. Rethinking Greek mythology from the ground up, Gray imagines Medusa as a resourceful young woman in the bustling markets and austere temples of ancient Athens. She’s still got family troubles—her parents are gods, after all—but this Medusa is done with acting out the role of the victim. Besides, vigilante life is more fun when you’ve got cool hair.
North Carolina author Adrienne Young (The Unmaking of June Farrow) specializes in imaginative stories that fold in the best bits from fantasy, romance, magical realism, and mythology. Her latest book, the first in a planned duology, features an ancient and corrupt city sprinkled with Greco-Roman signifiers. When a proud Legionnaire falls in love with Magistrate’s daughter, a cascading series of events leads to citywide chaos and rebellion. The gods are not pleased.
With his hugely popular 2022 debut novel, Legends & Lattes, author Travis Baldree mapped out some prime real estate in the frontier lands of cozy fantasy. Readers really and truly love Baldree’s gentle, low-stakes fantasy world and its eccentric characters. Returning readers will be happy to hear that this latest story follows potty-mouthed bookseller Fern (from the prequel Bookshops & Bonedust) and her adventures with a legendary elf, a notorious goblin, and a bit of sentient cutlery.
If you like medieval manuscripts, international conspiracies, and the windswept coasts of Scotland—well, we have some good news. The latest mystery-thriller from British genre ace Gilly Macmillan (What She Knew) combines all three with a dark academia vibe and a dead body on the frozen shores of the Hebrides. Also in play: a Scotland Yard detective, a mysterious scholar, and a secret society known as the Fellowship of the Larks. It sounds pretty great, actually.
Author and attorney David Baldacci returns to shelves this November with Nash Falls, the first installment in a new corporate suspense series. The setup: Financial analyst Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to investigate his own firm, which is suspected of laundering money for an international criminal organization. Oh, it’s awkward, all right. Early readers are digging the surprise ending. Bonus trivia: Baldacci has now published more than 50 novels worldwide, plus a half dozen books for younger readers.
Sci-fi readers who like their books on the thinkier side will want to investigate this buzzy debut novel concerning yet another ill-considered future technology. It seems that a helpful startup company has invented a process that allows two people to blend their minds into one body and brain. When a young woman merges with her dying mom, she’s put in a rehab center with other Mergers, only to discover…well, it’s not great. Let’s just say author Grace Walker has some thoughts on government, Big Tech, and ecological resource depletion.
Author Heather Webber (Midnight at the Blackbird Café) has earned a loyal readership with her particular brand of contemporary Southern fiction, tinged with magical realism. Webber’s latest book chronicles the friendship between two women whose paths cross at a curious little bookshop in Forget-Me-Not, Alabama. Webber uses a dual POV approach this time around, and early readers are praising the book’s lovable characters and small-town vibes.
At 26 years old, Sam Pulaski is stalled out. Her art history degree has earned her nothing but massive student loans, and now she’s stuck in a dead-end job. At least she’s not living with her mom. Oh, wait. She is. But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It’s single dad Nick, just moved in next door! Author Kate Goldbeck (You, Again) delivers an age-gap romance that poses some interesting questions about wising up, settling down, and the unexpected utility of minivans.
Author, musician, and filmmaker Akwaeke Emezi has blazed a multimedia trail through the 21st century, from their beloved YA novel Pet—a National Book Award finalist—to their debut music EP, released just last year. Emezi takes another intriguing swerve with their 10th novel, a paranormal romance featuring a young woman named Galilee and a very famous fallen angel. When Galilee meets the mysterious Lucifer Helel, she knows he’s not human. But it turns out Galilee isn’t human, either. Recommended for fans of adventurous genre-smashing.
Author Marissa Meyer (Cinder) has carved out a nice niche in young adult fantasy fiction with her innovative updates to classic legends and fairy tales. Her latest book in this vein, The House Saphir takes the essentials of the old Bluebeard folktale and threads them into a new story featuring an underachieving witch, a haunted mansion, a slow-burn romance, and an infamous killer named Monsieur Le Bleu. Meyer even throws in a murder mystery concerning the ghosts of several very angry, very dead wives.
This new YA romantasy from debut author Amber Hamilton introduces Viola Sinclair, a student with a secret. Viola wields dangerous shadow magic—it’s in her blood. Unfortunately, the evil queen has outlawed all magic and dispatched her secret assassin, known as the Huntsman, to eliminate Viola. When it turns out that Viola already knows this secret assassin, in that love-hate sort of way, things get complicated. Hamilton folds in familiar genre elements—forced proximity, court politics—plus some new twists on the dark academia template.
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction in 2014, We Were Liars earned an army of fans (of all ages) with its atmospheric take on the psychological mystery story. Author E. Lockhart expands her story once more with this third book in the series, which invites readers back to a certain windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Bonus trivia: The TV adaptation of the first film debuted earlier this year on Amazon Prime.
When author Christine Kuehn finally asked her elderly father, Eberhard, about the family’s history in World War II, she unearthed a story that would change the history books. Kuehn’s highly anticipated book is a must-read for World War II scholars, or anyone who appreciates a story that’s literally never been told before. The book uses a dual timeline structure to reveal new information about Nazi and Japanese spy networks in Hawaii, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and one family’s terrible secret.
Winner of this month’s unofficial Coolest Book Title award, Nightmare Obscura is a deep-dive investigation into the science of dreams. Author and researcher Michelle Carr offers a guided tour from the perspectives of both psychology and neuroscience, with an emphasis on practical advice. Then she gets into the cool stuff, straight from her lab: Carr is director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory at Canada’s Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine.
Poet, painter, and musician Patti Smith returns to bookshelves this fall with a new memoir that’s being billed as her most intimate yet. Bread of Angels is the story of a lifetime, from Smith’s impoverished childhood, through her incredible multimedia career, all the way up to her current status as a vital, nomadic, 78-year-old artist. Bonus trivia: Smith won the National Book Award for her 2010 memoir, Just Kids.
