--- description: Here are the best new books to read this month, from Jenny Slate's 'Little Weirds' to Erin Morgenstern's 'The Starless Sea.' title: Here Are the 11 New Books You Should Read in November image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc568ee5b4e742af8/698a05014ee26213ce316804/november-books.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 # Here Are the 11 New Books You Should Read in November  by [Annabel Gutterman](/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Editor Nov 1, 2019 2:41 PM CUT   by [Annabel Gutterman](/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Editor Nov 1, 2019 2:41 PM CUT Events of the past can be painful to look back on — and even more challenging to move forward from. But several of the best books coming out in November tackle troubling histories, both big and small, in fresh and imaginative ways. Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir uses literary tropes to describe damaging power dynamics in a past relationship. Bernadine Evaristo’s Booker Prize winning book moves between 12 fictional narrators to trace the plight of black British women over the decades. And Erika Lee’s latest history puts America’s relationship with xenophobia on full display. Here, the best new books to read in November. ## _The Crying_ _Book_, Heather Christle (Nov. 5)  Though the title suggests otherwise, poet Heather Christle’s book is about more than crying. As she reflects on the loss of a close friend to suicide and her own battle with depression, Christle asks why and how we cry and what it means, especially for women, to do so. But in _The Crying Book_, the author’s blend of personal experience and scientific research gives way to broader discussions about motherhood, mental health, grief and art. **Buy Now:** [_The Crying Book_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1948226448/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1948226448&linkId=b708a2ef5e84e6ee4602e7780e091202 "undefined") ## _Girl, Woman, Other_, Bernadine Evaristo (Nov. 5)  In October, British author Bernadine Evaristo made history when she became the first black woman to [receive the Booker prize](https://time.com/5700393/atwood-evaristo-booker-prize/ "undefined"). She shared the 2019 award with Margaret Atwood. Evaristo’s book _Girl, Woman, Other_ comprises 12 interconnected stories focused on primarily black British women over several decades. Though the characters who populate the novel are radically different — a 10-year-old orphan narrates one chapter, while a feminist playwright voices another — they are linked by Evaristo’s expert commentary on race, womanhood, sexuality and more. **Buy Now:** [_Girl, Woman, Other_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802156983/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0802156983&linkId=a438feec20a3ac7d84b5321649f52a43 "undefined") ## _In the Dream House: A Memoir_, Carmen Maria Machado (Nov. 5)  This highly inventive memoir by 2017 National Book Award finalist Carmen Maria Machado explores the trauma and horror of domestic abuse. Each chapter is designed around a different narrative trope — the unreliable narrator, choose-your-own-adventure and more — to further illustrate the painful years Machado spent in a relationship with a woman she describes as erratic and dangerous. Moving beyond the intricacies of her personal story, Machado incorporates examples from literature, history and pop culture to investigate the dialogue surrounding abuse in same-sex relationships. **Buy Now:**[_In the Dream House: A Memoir_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1644450038/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1644450038&linkId=826306f845784b0adbc046de0024e71d "undefined") ## _The Starless Sea_, Erin Morgenstern (Nov. 5)  As she demonstrated in her best-selling 2011 novel _The Night Circus_, author Erin Morgenstern knows how to submerge readers into enchanted worlds filled with secrets, magic and long-lost lovers. [Her latest fantasy](https://time.com/5714755/the-starless-sea-book-review/ "undefined") follows graduate student Zachary as he happens upon an authorless book that recounts an experience from his childhood in dizzyingly accurate detail. In an attempt to understand the book’s origins, Zachary unknowingly enters a mystical universe and opens doors to unknown places — including an enormous underground library — as he unravels how he fits into the book’s narrative. **Buy Now:** [_The Starless Sea_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038554121X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=038554121X&linkId=e6285afcba84ba6108025544473e896d "undefined") ## _Little Weirds_, Jenny Slate (Nov. 5)  Actor and comedian Jenny Slate’s new book invites readers into the way she thinks about the world around her. The subject matter of _Little Weirds_ may bounce between topics, from living in a haunted house to undergoing the pain of a divorce, but Slate’s voice remains an eccentric and powerful central force as she comments on politics, patriarchy and her personal life. **Buy Now:** [_Little Weirds_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316485349/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0316485349&linkId=5f342f3b814d5cef5d5a1dfe34abbf09 "undefined") ## _The Revisioners_, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (Nov. 5)  In the follow-up to her 2017 debut _A Kind of Freedom_, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton again showcases the impact of racism across generations. _The Revisioners_ opens in 2017 New Orleans with Ava, a biracial single parent who has just moved herself and her son into her white grandmother’s home. Then the story flashes back to nearly a century earlier, when Ava’s great-great-grandmother Josephine, a former slave, has just met her new white neighbors in 1924\. As the two characters’ storylines converge, Sexton crafts a haunting portrait of survival, freedom and hope. **Buy Now:** [_The Revisioners_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1640092587/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1640092587&linkId=c1ed2728aaf3943978e6aae1e667ec9d "undefined") ## _The Witches Are Coming_, Lindy West (Nov. 5)  Known for her best-selling memoir _Shrill,_ which was adapted for television by Hulu this year, Lindy West turns away from her personal story and toward politics in her new book. The 18 essays in _The Witches Are Coming_ cover different facets of the misogyny women face in the post-MeToo era, including President Trump’s use of the phrase “witch hunt.” **Buy Now:** [_The Witches Are Coming_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316449881/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0316449881&linkId=7d49e0bb217281901094fd2727c799d2 "undefined") ## _Man’s 4th Best Hospital_, Samuel Shem (Nov. 12)  In 1978, author and psychiatrist Samuel Shem introduced readers to the chaotic world inside a fictional hospital in his satirical cult favorite _The House of God_. Years later, the author has propelled the action forward, and the interns who made up the center of the first book are now doctors. _Man’s 4th Best Hospital_ finds the group navigating fresh challenges as they must guide the new interns and deal with difficult insurance companies. Like its predecessor, Shem’s sequel is darkly funny, but still pokes at bigger present-day issues plaguing the American healthcare system. **Buy Now:** [_Man’s 4th Best Hospital_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984805363/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1984805363&linkId=250b78233221c3efb21f947d95648033 "undefined") ## _User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play_, Cliff Kuang with Robert Fabricant (Nov. 19)  Journalist Cliff Kuang breaks down the relationship between design, technology and consumerism in his debut book. Kuang unveils the comprehensive history of user-experience design in _User Friendly_, which tracks a variety of technological advancements made over time, from the washing machine to Apple products. Through his analysis of these developments, Kuang illuminates the lesser-known ways the rules of design have infiltrated everyday life. **Buy Now:** [_User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374279756/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0374279756&linkId=e66254f6546a5171d515c83fea5ed481 "undefined") ## _A Warning,_ Anonymous (Nov. 19)  In September 2018, the New York _Times_ ran an opinion piece by an anonymous author that rocked the internet. The op-ed, titled, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” sparked conversation across the country — even [President Trump himself weighed in](https://time.com/5388118/trump-new-york-times-reveal-anonymous-op-ed-writer/ "undefined"), calling on the _Times_ to identify the author. Still writing as “Anonymous,” the unnamed senior Trump Administration official is now publishing a book that promises new behind-the-scenes information about the Trump White House. **Buy Now:** [_A Warning_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1538718464/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1538718464&linkId=96f6ad9b4004a49441d9d0ecfd0626da "undefined") ## _America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States_, Erika Lee (Nov. 26)  Erika Lee wants us to remember that xenophobia has always been a troubling part of the American narrative. Lee offers a sweeping record of xenophobia in the U.S., highlighting the different ways minority groups have been humiliated, discriminated against and even deported. _America for Americans_ also delves into how the hatred and anxieties people feel about others can be maliciously used to benefit politics, businesses and more. **Buy Now:** [_America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1541672607/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1541672607&linkId=5912506f9c5f2ce6b1aad79e209dae1f "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5712588/best-books-november-2019/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5712588/best-books-november-2019/"},"headline":"Here Are the 11 New Books You Should Read in November","datePublished":"2019-11-01T14:41:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:56:30.248Z","description":"From an epic fantasy novel to an anonymous account of the Trump White House","url":"https://time.com/5712588/best-books-november-2019/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc568ee5b4e742af8/698a05014ee26213ce316804/november-books.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/bltc568ee5b4e742af8/698a05014ee26213ce316804/november-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"November Books","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/5712588/best-books-november-2019/","name":"Here Are the 11 New Books You Should Read in November"}}]}] ```