Books
A New George R. R. Martin Book & 11 Other Fiction Books To Know In November
November means chilly weather, and that means you need a big stack of books to keep you entertained indoors. You're in luck, because the new fiction releases of November 2018 include some seriously fantastic books.
You're going to completely lose your cool when you hear about all the authors coming out with new books this month. Look out for new reads from Liane Moriarty, N.K. Jemisin, Anuradha Roy, Lucia Berlin, Idra Novey, and yes, George R.R. Martin. Go ahead, take a few moments to freak out.
This month, you should also keep an eye on the killer array of short story collections that will be hitting bookstores. Short stories are the perfect way to escape your hectic life (or say, a family gathering), if you only have a few minutes to read. You can experience these collections by reading one story at a time or devour them all in one sitting.
A blanket to snuggle under, a warm drink in your hand, and a fantastic in your book in your lap — these are the essentials for getting through these blustery days of late fall. So make your way to your local bookstore ASAP and stock up on these fantastic new fiction books coming out in November:
'Nine Perfect Strangers' by Liane Moriarty (Nov. 6; Flatiron Books)
The author of Big Little Lies is back with the perfect fall book, Nine Perfect Strangers. When nine people gather at a remote health resort, they all have some plan to reboot their lives. Frances, a best-selling romance novelist, is fascinated by them all — but she's especially interested in the owner and director of the resort. But as she settles in for 10 days of rejuvenation, she begins to wonder if she should be running for the hills.
'Evening in Paradise: More Stories' by Lucia Berlin (Nov. 6; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)
You may know legendary writer Lucia Berlin by her beloved book A Manual for Cleaning Women. This November, another collection from the short story queen is being published posthumously, and you don't want to miss it. The stories are whip-smart and strangely funny, and you'll be thinking about them for days afterward.
'Those Who Knew' by Idra Novey (Nov. 6; Viking)
Poet-turned-novelist Idra Novey's new book is set on an unnamed island country 10 years after the collapse of a U.S.-supported regime. Lena suspects that a powerful senator she used to be involved with is taking advantage of another young woman — and when that woman turns up dead, Lena must revisit her turbulent relationship with the senator.
'The Best Bad Things' by Katrina Carrasco (November 6; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)
Can anyone resist a gender-bending historical crime novel? This one is set in the late 19th century, and Alma Rosales, after being dismissed by the Pinkerton’s Detective Agency because of bad behavior, is employed by a West Coast smuggling ring. Disguised as a man named Jack Camp, Alma investigates a smuggling ring's stolen product — while also secretly sending messages back to Pinkerton's Detective Agency.
'The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories' by Yukiko Motoya, translated by Asa Yoneda (Nov. 6; Soft Skull Press)
This newly-translated collection of short stories is a peek into the lives of seemingly ordinary characters who find themselves in bizarre, other-worldly, and truly strange circumstances that will challenge the boundaries of your imagination.
'The Kinship of Secrets' by Eugenia Kim (Nov. 6; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Inspired by the author's own family history, this novel tells the story of a family displaced and torn apart during the Korean Civil War. In 1948, Miran and her parents travel to the United States, leaving Miran's sister Inja behind with their extended family. When war breaks out, their temporary separation turns into a permanent situation. And though the two sisters long for a reunion, family secrets threaten to keep them apart forever.
'The New Order' by Karen E. Bender (Nov. 6; Counterpoint Press)
In her short story collection Refund (a finalist for the National Book Award), Karen E. Bender delivered a set of remarkable short stories that smartly unpacked her characters' complicated relationship with money. Now, in this new short story collection, she turns a sharp eye to the instability that has taken over America in the past few years.
'My Sister, the Serial Killer' by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Nov. 20; Doubleday Books)
Korede's younger sister, Ayoola, has a nasty little habit: She keeps stabbing her boyfriends to death. But even though Korede can see how manipulative and unfeeling Ayoola is, she cleans up her mess every time. But then Ayoola shows up uninvited at Korede's work and meets the man that Korede has long harbored unspoken feelings for. To make things even more complicated, people are starting to ask questions about the whereabouts of Ayoola's last boyfriend.
'How Long 'til Black Future Month?: Stories' by N. K. Jemisin (Nov. 27; Orbit)
The first author to win three Hugo Awards for three books in a series, N. K. Jemisin is a powerhouse of speculative fiction. So, obviously, you need to read this new short story collection, which is filled with stories that fuse magic and fantasy with real-world questions and situations.
'All the Lives We Never Lived' by Anuradha Roy (Nov. 20; Atria Books)
The Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Sleeping on Jupiter is back with a new book about a man Myshkin, who grew up in small-town India during World War II. Over the course of this spell-binding novel, he attempts to piece together the story of how and why his mother ran away with a German.
'Fire & Blood' by George R.R. Martin (Nov. 20; Bantam)
OK, Game of Thrones fans, I know you're wild to get your hands on Winds of Winter, but this new book from George R.R. Martin is seriously good news. In the first volume of what will be a two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros, Martin takes you all the way back to the days of Aegon the Conqueror, centuries before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire.
'Come with Me' by Helen Schulman (November 27; Harper)
In Silicon Valley, Amy Reed works part-time as a PR person for a tech-start up that uses an algorithm to allow people to access their "multiverses" and see all the different outcomes and alternative lives that result from their decisions. When Amy is asked to be the company's guinea pig, she finds herself unable to resist the opportunity to see what could have been.
