Look, you’re going to need a good book or two this month.
As the holidays come hurtling our way, many of us will find ourselves shopping, cooking and traveling throughout the rest of the year – which is great! – but book people need a good restorative read to reset the equilibrium, right? Nothing makes a holiday gathering easier to take than sneaking off with a book to a quiet room for a bit.
That’s not just us, right?
Regardless, we’ve assembled a holiday horde for you to consider, and it’s very likely you’ll find something to give you just what you need, whether it’s a dose of action and thrills or some quiet beauty or an illuminating work of memoir or nonfiction.
We’ve got all that and more, so read on. (And take notes!)
Nov. 3
“Cold Sunset” by William Boyd (Grove Atlantic)
The prolific Boyd returns with the third literary spy novel about Gabriel Dax, the British travel writer turned spy during the ’60s-era height of the Cold War. In this installment, Dax is once again dealing with Kit Caldwell, the M16 agent who defected to the Soviet Union (and is perhaps just pretending to be a turncoat).
“Murder in Paris ’68” by Edward Chisholm (Pegasus Crime)
In this fascinating work of nonfiction, Chisholm investigates the ’60s-era murder of a man known to be the associate of French new wave film star Alain Delon, a shocking series of events known in France as the Markovic′ Affair. Mixing glamour and grit, the book evokes the danger lurking on the edges of fame.
“Cursekeeper” by Alexandra Christo (Atria)
Kicking off Christo’s romantasy “Library of Fallen Souls” series, “Cursekeeper” follows Thalia, a guard of the Library of Curses, who’s forced to work with a fallen Fae warrior to find her kidnapped brother.
“There Used to Be People Here” by Kennedy Cole (Berkley)
In her first novel, Cole explores race and queerness in 1970s Mississippi when a homicide case the city’s only Black detective investigates turns paranormal.
“West of Loveland” by Tom Drury (Grove Press)
The formerly L.A.-based author of cult favorite “The End of Vandalism” and the National Book Award-longlisted “Pacific” is back with a new novel set in Grouse County, his fictional Midwestern community. The book features some of the characters he’s written about in three previous novels set there.
“Wolves of Summer” by Donna Freitas (Soho)
The second in the “An Ocean State Novel” series brings back Detective Diana González, this time at the start of her career while still a student, as she helps find a missing 12-year-old.
“Clear Water” by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes (Flatiron Books)
Fuentes paints an atmospheric blend of mystery and grief in her latest novel, which follows a woman’s homecoming as she tries to make peace with the loss of her sister while uncovering community secrets.
Here’s a big list of new 2026 audiobooks if you’re ready to start listening
“A Glimmer of Death” by Laurell K. Hamilton (Transworld Digital)
Bestselling author Hamilton returns to the “Merry Gentry Series” after more than a decade to kick off the two-book conclusion with “A Glimmer of Death.” Merry attempts to investigate a case in the human world while battling for her claim to the throne in the faerie realm.
“Castles: A Fortified History of the World” by Dan Jones (Viking)
There’s no denying that castles are cool, but they’re also a glimpse into the past. Popular historian Jones dives into that history, looking at fortifications across the world and their unique stories of politics and survival over the past 3,000 years.
“Stations” by Louise Kennedy (Riverhead)
Kennedy’s latest is a moving story about the complicated relationship between two teen outsiders in 1980s-era Ireland, RóisÍn and Red. After they each decide to leave town for a new start in London, things get complicated and they lose track of each other. Nearly two decades later, RóisÍn goes in search of Red.
“The Heights” by Ian Rankin (Cardinal)
The titular high-rise apartment has all the amenities one could ever want … as well as a dead security guard in the lobby. In the latest by the best-selling Scottish crime writer, a police detective must figure out just what’s been going on within this luxury building.
“The Shared Life of Egan and Lucian” by Rose Smith (Hawthorne)
In Smith’s debut novel, a woman gets caught in a love triangle with twin brothers on a remote Maine island.
“Sweet Pea” by Kit de Waal (St. Martin’s)
First published in the U.K. as “The Best of Everything” and longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, this novel about a woman’s capacity to love comes to the U.S. as “Sweet Pea.”
“Cherry” by Rose Wilding (Minotaur)
Three women — a grieving widow, a fallen pop star, and a mother — become entangled in a web that will leave one of them dead.
Nov. 10
“Take My Word for It: A Memoir” by LeVar Burton (Random House)
The beloved Burton, who recently came to Altadena to celebrate the reopening of its library after the Eaton Fire, is known for his screen work on “Roots,” “Reading Rainbow,” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In his memoir, he shares the story of his life as well as the joys and the challenges he’s faced navigating the industry.
“Notes on Postcards: A Memoir” by Jennifer Croft (Catapult)
The International Booker Prize-winning translator and novelist has created a unique memoir. She combines facts about the history of postcards with stories from her own work, experiences and heartbreak.
“Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo” by Janet Evanovich (Atria)
This is the 32nd Stephanie Plume book, which you might have guessed from the title. This time around, the bounty hunter must deal with a bail-jumper AND a stalker.
“The Telephone: A New History” by James Gleick (FSG)
For those who can remember when this communication device required a wall cord or a coin slot, Gleick offers a deeply researched look at the history and development of this powerful communication device. And for those who only know this as a pocket computer? It’s still a fascinating story.
“Peregrine Hill” by Nina de Gramont (Simon & Schuster)
A woman imprisoned by marriage finds a friend and more in her maid in New York during the Gilded Age.
“Thunderbird Ranch” by Laura Griffin (Berkley)
In the latest from Griffin, a prominent ranching family is investigated when one of their own is murdered and the secrets come tumbling out.
“No Such Thing as Monday” by Siân Hughes (Henry Holt & Co.)
From the Booker Prize longlisted author of “Pearl,” a woman searches for her estranged sister following the death of their abusive father.
Banned Books Weeks 2026 is about protecting the things we care about
“The Cold Read” by Tara Laskowski (Park Row)
While gathering to announce a sequel to a horror movie that left one of their friends dead, cast members realize they might just be in a real-life slasher.
“Daphnis and Chloe” by Colin McAdams (Biblioasis)
Longlisted for the Giller Prize, this brisk fable set in the Pacific Northwest is a retelling of a second-century Greek story narrated by Eros, one that begins with a pair of abandoned babies. The novelist, who Max Porter calls a “genius,” has a PhD in Ancient Greek translation.
“Welcome Home, Mariam” by Sanchita Mitra (Page Street)
In this slow burn, amnesiac Mariam returns to the rural and cultish town she supposedly grew up in to learn what the secrets of her past hold.
“How to Be Hopeful: A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World” by Caitlin Moran (Harper)
“We live in an anxious age,” writes Moran, the author of the bestselling “How to Be a Woman,” and here she documents her attempts to stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed. She experiments with taking off her headphones and avoiding “revenge bedtime procrastination” – staying up late to doomscroll or watch news.
“Everything Happens So Much” by Andrew H. Murray (Little, Brown and Co.)
What happens when you become the main character after trying so hard to remain unremarkable? Well, everything happens, and so much of it. Or so we gather in the latest novel by the co-host of the brilliant podcast “No Such Thing as a Fish.”
“This Impossible Life” by Chinelo Okparanta (Mariner)
In what author Karen Russell calls Okparanta’s masterpiece, two siblings end up on very different paths following the deaths of their parents early in their lives.
“There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs” by Jason Pargin (St. Martin’s)
While many know Pargin for his series of books that began with “John Dies at the End,” possibly even more know him for his sharp, low-fi social media videos, which feature smart deadpan takes on any number of pop culture and historical topics.
“The Key Biscayne Affair” by Xita Rubert and translated by Julia Sanches (Ecco)
In this translation of the 2024 Herralde Novel Prize winner and coming-of-age story, an unreliable narrator recounts living with her father and brother on a Florida island after a custody battle.
“The Unfinished Work: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln” by Jeff Shaara (St. Martin’s)
Prolific historical novelist Shaara (and son of “The Killer Angels” author Michael Shaara) explores the conflicts of the 16th president’s public and personal life following his election in 1860.
“The Absent Woman: The Genius of Janet Malcolm” by Eve Sneider (Norton)
After putting together an exhibition of Malcolm’s archives at Yale, Sneider was surprised to get an email from the notoriously low-profile New Yorker contributor, who praised the show despite having declined to participate in it. Immersed in the material, which included letters, notes and instructions for house- and pet-sitters, Sneider has now created a biography of this elusive writer and thinker.
“TMI: Memoirs of a Go-Go” by Jane Wiedlin (Da Capo Press)
Readers and music fans of a certain age know Wiedlin as the guitarist and singer of the Go-Gos and songwriter of the hit “Our Lips Are Sealed.” But this memoir also promises to provide glimpses of a memorable life, such as her time working in a “world-famous BDSM dungeon.” So, um, expect some surprises.
“O Now!” by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury)
For the many readers who loved the author’s delightful novel of Irish rural life, “This Is Happiness,” Williams is back with a story set in his fictional village of Faha that features the return of the character Ganga.
Nov. 17
“The Riddle Maker” by Bruce Borgos (Minotaur)
The fourth in the “Porter Beck” series, “The Riddle Maker” takes the Nevada sheriff on the hunt for a serial killer whose crimes span generations.
“Universe of Grace” by Rachel Calnek-Sugin (Henry Holt & Co.)
The debut novel from Calnek-Sugin follows a girl through adolescence into adulthood as she tries to figure out who she is while grappling with all life throws at her.
“Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone” by Dana Renee Green (Simon & Schuster)
With only three months left to live, a mother of seven decides to live life for herself after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Map: 100 Southern California independent bookstores to visit in 2026
“Pinfeathers” by Christina Henry (Berkley)
A newborn growing feathers, strangers asking questions and an overbearing husband are a recipe for a horror story about motherhood from the author of “The Place Where They Buried Your Heart.”
“Baby Queen” by Ty Landers (Harper Collins)
A woman inherits a honey farm from her grandmother and maybe a legacy of crime? At least that’s what the ex-cop who sunk his career on the suspicion thinks.
“All the Beastly Things” by Eilish Quin (Atira)
In a dystopian and matriarchal future, two novices start to question their order after one has visions of an archangel.
“Birth of the Witch” by Nora Roberts (St. Martin’s)
Prolific author Roberts returns to kick off a new series, “A Coven of Three Trilogy,” and take readers on a journey of self-discovery, reincarnation and romance.
“The Sleeper” by Holly Seddon (Atria)
In this speculative thriller, a librarian on a sleeper train wakes up in an alternative reality where she was never born, the Berlin Wall never fell and she finds herself part of the resistance.
“The Last Prince of Florence” by Zoe Sivak (Berkley)
This piece of historical fiction is based on the mother of the real-life Duke of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici, in the early 1500s and her plot to put her son on the throne.
Nov. 23
“The Murder Trial” by James Patterson and Nancy Allen (Little, Brown & Co.)
Patterson and Allen join forces once again to bring to life another legal thriller, this time focusing on an 18-year-old accused of killing her adoptive parents.
Nov. 24
“Four-Letter Nation: The Long Dirty History of American Profanity” by Steven H. Jaffe (S&S)
Salty language has been a constant in American life, and the punishment for its use has ranged from whippings to a mouthful of soap … or a parental warning on your favorite CD. Jaffe explores our changing attitudes toward profanity just in time for an election season that has seen a sharp uptick in pottymouth politics.
Nov. 27
“Heart of Ruin” by A.C. Arthur (Amara)
Another first in a new dark academia romantasy series. A banshee and bounty hunter attempt to keep the gates of hell from consuming New Orleans.
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