A November TBR should come with cozy and absorbing stories. For me, this month is full sweater weather and I ditch iced coffees for steaming lattes and spend more time curled up with a good book surrounded by warm blankets then I do outside. If you’re like me and are always looking to add books to your physical or virtual piles, this list is a great place to start.
And if you’re looking to order copies of these books consider Brain Lair Books. They have a fantastic selection and can really use the book community’s help!
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
If you want your November TBR to be cozy and magical, you have to add The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong to your pile. This debut fantasy is perfect if you like Legends and Lattes and T. Kingfisher’s work.
Synopsis: Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences… Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child.
Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a “knead” for adventure, and–of course–a slightly magical cat. Tao starts down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past close in–and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
On Sale: November 5, 2024 via Berkley Books. Order here.
Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
Every fantasy reader has a favorite fae novel. I love Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde books and I know that there are legions of Sarah J. Maas fans out there. If you’re looking for another fae novel to add to your November TBR (and why wouldn’t you?) you should read Sarah Hawley’s fast-paced and gripping romantasy, Servant of Earth.
Synopsis: Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild–some say half feral–but she’ll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court. Trapped as a servant in the faeries’ underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death–for both mistress and servant.
With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground. Soon Kenna is caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion’s leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness. Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will… but even that may not be enough.
On Sale: November 12, 2024, via Ace. Order here.
Suitor Armor Volume One (November 12th/Ten Speed Graphic) by Purpah
I’m always on the hunt for a new graphic novel series to follow so I’m excited to add this one to my November TBR. Suitor Armor’s concept sounds both silly and enticing, a romantasy about a lady-in-waiting falling for a suit of armor. The popular webtoon series now has an incoming physical published edition. The first volume even features behind the scenes bonus content.
Synopsis: While humans and fairies are at war beyond the castle walls, Lucia’s life is dedicated to helping prepare Lady Kirsi for her upcoming wedding to King Reimund. Lucia’s time at court takes a dazzling turn when she accompanies Lady Kirsi to a royal tournament that calls together all of the kingdom’s brave knights for a competition of strength and wit. A magically animated suit of armor, brought to life by Norrix the court mage’s complicated enchantment spell, enters the ring and challenges the winning knight.
Lucia is immediately attracted to the armor’s dark, mysterious charm and lovingly names him Modeus. Bonded by their mutual status as outcasts within the kingdom, the two begin to develop an unlikely yet thrilling connection and sparks (both metaphorical and magical) fly. The truth is, Lucia is hiding a dangerous secret about her own identity. She is the enemy: a fairy. She fears being exposed to the whole human kingdom, but she desperately desires to learn more about herself–especially with the arrival of a winged visitor who has infiltrated the castle walls for reasons still unknown…
On Sale: November 12, 2024, via Ten Speed Graphic. Order here.
The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson
One of my favorite authors, Mary E. Pearson’s novel is my most-anticipated addition to my November TBR. If you haven’t read her delectable fantasies before, her adult debut is a perfect place to start.
Synopsis: After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet–and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm–the one he is from.
Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae leader, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father–dead or alive.
On Sale: November 12, 2024, via Flatiron. Order here.
Dogs Love Books, Too by Maria Coco
How could a picture book about dogs and books not be on your November TBR? Enjoy this utterly adorable debut book with the furry friend in your life.
Synopsis: Dogs love books, too! But why? Is it the smell? The taste? Or could it be they love books for the same reasons we do? Discover all the possibilities in this delightful story about the joys of reading and companionship, perfect for both book and dog lovers! Dogs Love Books, Too! is author-illustrator Maria Coco’s US debut, perfectly capturing both the cuteness and humor of having a dog in your life and the stories they can inspire.
On Sale: November 12, 2024 via Bloomsbury. Order here.
The Serpent and Wolf by Rebecca Robinson
If you’re looking for a slowburn enemies to lovers romantasy to add to your November TBR, you should be all set with Rebecca Robinson’s debut about witches and politically advantageous marriages. Perfect for fans of Danielle Jensen’s Bridge Kingdom series!
Synopsis: All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother–her only remaining parent–to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her.
But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins–and help keep it at bay. This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?
On Sale: November 19, 2024, via Saga Press. Order here.
A Legend in The Baking by Jamie Wesley
A baking football star and a social media guru team up to promote his new bakery in this sweet and irresistible romance for fans of Talia Hibbert and Farah Heron. I can’t resist a baking hero in a romance novel, can you? Add this to your November TBR if your sweet tooth can handle it!
Synopsis: August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.
Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas. They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August have to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams. As they’re both about to find out, all’s fair in love and cupcakes.
On Sale: November 19, 2024, via St. Martin’s Griffin. Order here.
The Estate by Sarah Jost (November 19, Sourcebooks)
If you enjoy fantasy novels, the idea of an art historian being able to enter the artwork she studies is entrancing. And though spooky season might be over, this atmospheric speculative thriller is the ideal haunting read for your November TBR.
Synopsis: Art historian Camille Leray has spent her career surrounding herself with fineries and selling pieces worth millions. But she harbors a secret: she has the ability to enter the world of any piece of artwork, and she can take others with her. But tapping into history comes with great risks. And someone has been watching, someone who knows about her magic, and her mistakes…
After Camille ruins her career and reputation by misusing her powers, she vows to get her old life back. So when Maxime Foucault, an enigmatic aristocrat who owns a sprawling French estate, enlists her help in authenticating the statues of a mysterious artist, whose disappearance she has been trying to solve for years, she knows this could be her chance to turn her career around and get the man she’s always wanted.
But something isn’t right about the Foucault family and the grand chateau they inhabit, and as Camille gets sucked into its walls, she finds a world of luxury and greed that causes her to risk losing herself, and everything she has ever known, forever.
On Sale: November 19, 2024, via Sourcebooks. Order here.
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
If you’re looking to add more non-fiction to your November TBR, I can’t remember Robin Wall Kimmerer’s work enough. An Indigenous author and scientist, her way of explaining the natural world is so soothing and meditative and her latest is no exception.
Synopsis: As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude.
The tree distributes its wealth–its abundance of sweet, juicy berries–to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.” As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, Robin Wall Kimmerer is “a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.” The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that “hoarding won’t save us, all flourishing is mutual.”
On Sale: November 19, 2024, via Scribner. Order here.
The Jewel of The Isle by Kerry Rea (November 26/Berkey)
I love a fun adventurous rom-com so I knew I had to add The Jewel of the Isle to my November TBR. If you giggled over Shotgun Wedding on Amazon Prime with Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, you’ll love this.
Synopsis: If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park–home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid. Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman.
What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains? Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives–and hearts–intact.
On Sale: November 26, 2024, via Berkley Books. Order here.
Not For The Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
Lex Croucher’s story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood accidentally kidnapping a girl is a swoon-worthy, hilarious adventure and a must-add to your November TBR list! Lex Croucher is the queen of sapphic YA historical romance and I know you won’t want to put this one down.
Synopsis: Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people. When Mariel’s ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan … until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush.
Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back – with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow. But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party’s wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they’ve sworn to protect.
On Sale: November 26, 2024, via Wednesday Books. Order here.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
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