Don't Take The 11 Best Books of November At Face Value

Eniiyi’s family already believes she’s her reincarnated aunt, since she was born the day her aunt died. They think she’s cursed — she’s going to die in the same way as her aunt did, and then there’s the generational curse of all the Falodun women, who have been abandoned by men. Eniiyi falls in love with a boy she saved from drowning, so she seeks wisdom from the dark corners of Lagos. Will she be able to escape this shadow she was born under and find love and happiness?

In the tradition of “Wicked” comes this book, an origin story of a legendary monster from Greek mythology. Meddy is eager to escape her family’s island and jumps at the chance to be Athena’s acolyte. After meeting Poseidon, her path is irrevocably altered, and her locs are turned to snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit. With that, a vigilante and a legend is born.

In this version of Earth, science has made it possible for two people to merge two consciousnesses together in one body. Laurie, suffering from Alzheimer’s plans to merge with her activist daughter, one of the first merges involving an Alzheimer’s patient. They meet other pairs or mergers and prepare to move to The Village, a luxury rehab center for the merged, but they begin to realize there’s something bigger going on and nothing’s as it seems.

In a twist on the Bluebeard legend, Mallory and her sister tout their family line, as they are descended from a long line of witches, even though Mallory can only see ghosts and the two sell bogus spells. They’re experts in the Saphir murders, so they are hired by the murderer’s descendant to rid a country manor of his ghost. When murder starts happening in the house again, Mallory needs to solve the crime, get rid of the ghost and collect her check, all while trying to not fall for the head suspect.

A small but trendy rural town is in flux over the course of a congressional election season in this “big-hearted” novel. As the tension between blue-collar, lifelong residents and wealthy, gay transplants grows in the small town of Griffin, alliances will be formed and broken and lies will be spread. This microcosm of America is filled with quirky and lovable characters that are beautifully written, highlighting the things that ultimately bring us together.

Sadie and Jonah are academic rivals with a history dating back more than a decade. When a coveted teaching position emerges, the two hatch a plan to exploit a partner hire loophole by getting married. Sparks fly, and of course, these smart people know nothing about love.

A sweeping epic on the sea, this book starts in 1741 aboard Captain Bering's Great Northern Expedition. The crew spots a gentle monster they dub Steller's sea cow, after one of the young explorers. In 1859, the creature’s skeleton is recovered and recorded. In 1952, a museum restorer works on refurbishing the bones. While highlighting the short lifespan of humans, juxtaposed to the mark they leave on the Earth, this story tells a tale of evolution, the folly of humanity and the magical creatures among us.

A hit overseas, recently translated to English, this hilarious debut novel follows Meryem, a young Canarian who, to disassociate from her terrible job at a supermarket chain, writes fanfiction about her office mates. It’s snarky, specific and a very relatable debut.

When Juliet, who is recovering from a freak accident, embarks on a solo roadtrip, she meets Tallulah, a newly single mom working at an old library that holds memories within books. Their paths cross, bringing them exactly where they need to be, and they use the magic of the books (and friendship) to help them get to where they’re going next.

What would you risk to see a departed loved one again? Noah and Maya are happily married, except for the shadow of Serena, Noah’s deceased daughter from another marriage. When he’s invited to be part of a dangerous time travel experiment, he just may see Serena again. Meanwhile, Maya tracks down her first love in Japan. These experiments aren’t what they seem, though, which may change everything.

Lucy vanishes in a supermarket parking lot, leaving her baby behind. A search is underway, but her best friend Michelle knows a secret that could rock the community: Lucy regretted becoming a mother and fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. Should Michelle share this information with the police and possibly jeopardize the search and public opinion? What if she’s wrong?