--- description: The best new books to read this month, from Michelle Obama's memoir to the latest from 'Big Little Lies' author Liane Moriarty and Jonathan Franzen. title: 11 New Books to Read This November image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e7751072fade8b8/69893db686f68e1f476ea8a5/featured-image-nov.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 11 New Books to Read This November  by [Annabel Gutterman](/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Editor Nov 1, 2018 4:43 PM CUT   by [Annabel Gutterman](/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Editor Nov 1, 2018 4:43 PM CUT For those seeking relief from the political frenzy that is a midterm-November, look no further than a bookshelf full of escapist new reads covering everything from murderous sisters, creepy resorts and the science of dreaming.  ## _Evening in Paradise: More Stories_ by Lucia Berlin (11/6) Berlin rose to critical acclaim after a collection of her short stories, [_A Manual for Cleaning Women_](http://time.com/3995809/indispensable-stories-from-a-forgotten-voice/ "undefined") was released in 2015 — over a decade after her death. Twenty-two of her remaining stories she wrote while alive, arranged posthumously once again, delve into family, love and addiction. **Buy now:** [_Evening in Paradise: More Stories_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374279489/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0374279489&linkId=89d013197b0c6956253bcd010a15fca6 "undefined")  ## _The Feral Detective_ by Jonathan Lethem (11/6) [Phoebe Siegler’s search for her friend’s missing daughter](http://time.com/5441441/trump-era-detective-novel-jonathan-lethem/ "undefined") Arabella leads her to Charles Heist, a lonely detective who is particularly adept at these types of cases. The pair travels through the deserts of California to learn that Arabella is in serious danger — danger that only Heist knows how to end, due to his own complicated relationship with the vagabonds of the area. **Buy now:** [_The Feral Detective_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062859072/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062859072&linkId=e6418107c2bfe62041d793b91eba091a "undefined")  ## _Nine Perfect Strangers_ by Liane Moriarty (11/6) The latest guests to check into a hip wellness retreat destination have no idea what they’re in for. [_Big Little Lies_ ](http://time.com/5238498/nicole-kidman-reese-witherspoon-big-little-lies/ "undefined")author Liane Moriarty is back with another page-turner, swapping a dramatic school fundraiser for a luxury health resort that might change the course of nine strangers’ lives. **Buy now:** [_Nine Perfect Strangers_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250069823/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1250069823&linkId=dfdb2f95071347638a0afc572c25d44f "undefined")  ## _The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories_ by Yukiko Motoya (11/6) Prize-winning Japanese author Motoya offers a collection of 11 stories that fuse the banality of the everyday with dreamlike elements of fantasy. Motoya explores marriage, gender and power through stories that begin with real life — the titular story is about a woman who decides to become a bodybuilder — and slowly turn surreal. **Buy now:** [_The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593766785/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1593766785&linkId=39af15cf88ea9d6df0beb8156083ebf5 "undefined")  ## _Those Who Knew_ by Idra Novey (11/6) Lena’s past relationship with a senator, Victor, comes back to haunt her when a student activist, also connected with Victor, is run over by a bus. This timely thriller examines the power influential men hold over women and leads Lena to question everything — from the nature of the student’s death to why she was unable to speak up sooner about the grim details surrounding the end of her and Victor’s relationship. **Buy now:** [_Those Who Knew_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525560580/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0525560580&linkId=9873ef72ca8d8e64b107ee3554f62fd2 "undefined")  ## _Becoming_ by Michelle Obama (11/13) The one political title on this month’s list promises the personal side of an icon’s story. The former First Lady is [touring the country at 10 major arenas](http://time.com/5395384/michelle-obama-arena-tour-becoming/ "undefined") across the country to promote her memoir. Ever since the Obamas’ [reported $65 million joint book deal](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/72949-the-obamas-book-deals-spark-65-million-mystery.html "undefined") was announced, readers have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of _Becoming._ **Buy now:** [_Becoming_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524763136/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1524763136&linkId=547f3e90ec4ec8f3c7c603286fd60d92 "undefined")  ## _The End of the End of the Earth: Essays_ by Jonathan Franzen (11/13) In this book of essays and speeches, the [literary heavyweight](http://time.com/4433286/jonathan-franzen-write-race/ "undefined") writes about his relationship with the world, ranging from the personal to the political. He’s as insightful both in his reflections on being a young person in New York as he is in his thoughts on the necessity of birds for our ecosystem’s survival. **Buy now:** [_The End of the End of the Earth: Essays_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374147930/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0374147930&linkId=14ab96016db7c3436ab19aa938f50928 "undefined")  ## _All the Lives We Never Lived_ by Anuradha Roy (11/20) Fiction and history come together when Myshkin searches for answers about the mother who abandoned him as a boy, leaving him in a world he didn’t understand. He discovers his world — India as it fought for freedom before World War II — through the story of his mother, an artist desperate for her own independence. **Buy now:** [_All the Lives We Never Lived_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CL4LTN4/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07CL4LTN4&linkId=d99d9bc2ed35cd5cb4c4aa8f7332bcea "undefined")  ## _My Sister, the Serial Killer_ by Oyinkan Braithwaite (11/20) In her buzzy debut, Braithwaite tests the bond of sisterhood in a dark yet funny examination of violence, loyalty and family. Upon learning that her sister has killed a third boyfriend, protagonist Korede works to thwart any growing suspicion toward their family — until she discovers her sister’s next potential victim is the doctor for whom she’s been harboring feelings. **Buy now:** [_My Sister, the Serial Killer_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525564209/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0525564209&linkId=5cf966b701198ba40192aa2ff5371211 "undefined")  ## Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey by Alice Robb (11/20) If you’ve ever wondered about the [meaning of a dream](http://time.com/4921605/dreams-meaning/ "undefined") — from the seemingly random to the scarily lifelike — journalist Robb’s _Why We Dream_ will provide some insight. Robb dives into the theories surrounding what happens while we’re asleep, investigating how dreams relate to our reality. **Buy now:** [_Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544931211/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0544931211&linkId=9b322b5ca4226be5b4e3b86e36274d57 "undefined")  ## _Come With Me_ by Helen Schulman (11/27) Amy Reed plays with her past, present and future by experimenting with a cutting-edge virtual reality service in Silicon Valley. Schulman, the best-selling author of [_This Beautiful Life_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062024396/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062024396&linkId=57042a95af52e47e063eaf728a5bd17f "undefined"), tackles fate, love and the ever-growing influence of technology on our lives by asking, “What if?” **Buy now:** [_Come With Me_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077MFHMHH/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B077MFHMHH&linkId=1ca6dc91cc881fe3923a73eafbfd5a8a "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5431425/best-books-november-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5431425/best-books-november-2018/"},"headline":"11 New Books to Read This November","datePublished":"2018-11-01T16:43:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:57:28.349Z","description":"From timely thrillers to a highly anticipated memoir","url":"https://time.com/5431425/best-books-november-2018/","keywords":["Books","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e7751072fade8b8/69893db686f68e1f476ea8a5/featured-image-nov.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annabel Gutterman","jobTitle":"Senior Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e7751072fade8b8/69893db686f68e1f476ea8a5/featured-image-nov.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"What to read in November 2018","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5431425/best-books-november-2018/","name":"11 New Books to Read This November"}}]}] ```