The Best Books To Read This November

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

This is a fresh collection of essays and memoir from the internationally bestselling, Women's Prize-winning author of The Dutch House. As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we don’t see coming. Patchett ponders this as she explores family, friendship, marriage, failure, success and what it all means. These Precious Days ranges from the personal – a portrait of the three men Patchett called her fathers – to musings on how a chance encounter with Tom Hanks led to one of the most important friendships of her life. Patchett also wonders about how to answer when someone asks why you don't have children, as well as considering the importance of knitting and the pleasure to be found in children's books. Illuminating, penetrating, funny and generous, this is a great read from one of our greatest living authors. 
 
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The Fell by Sarah Moss

At dusk on a November evening in 2020, a woman slips out of her garden gate and turns up the hill. Kate is in the middle of a two-week quarantine period, but she just can't take the confinement anymore. Besides, the moor is deserted at this time, and nobody need ever know. But Kate's neighbour Alice sees her leaving and Matt, Kate's son, soon realises she's missing. Kate, who only planned a quick solitary walk, has fallen and badly hurt herself – and what began as a furtive walk turns into a mountain rescue operation. Suspenseful, witty and wise, The Fell asks questions about the place the world has become since March 2020, and the place it was before, and tells a story of compassion and kindness, and what we must do to survive.

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Today A Woman Went Mad In A Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer

In this collection, Hilma Wolitzer invites readers inside a private world of domestic bliss, seen mostly through the lens of Paulie and Howard's gloriously ordinary marriage. From hasty weddings to meddlesome neighbours, and ex-wives who just won't leave to sleepless nights spent worrying about unanswered chainmail, Wolitzer captures the tensions, contradictions and unexpected detours of daily life with an acutely observant eye. Including stories first published in magazines in the 1960s and 1970s – alongside new writing from Wolitzer, now in her 90s – Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket reintroduces a beloved writer to a new generation of readers.
 
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In Every Mirror She's Black by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom

Kemi is ready to change her life. She's sick of being second-guessed in the boardroom, tired of smiling politely while men gaze at her body, bored of dating surveys that tell her Black African women are the least desired in America. Moving across the world for a new job, surely things will be different? Brittany-Rae is determined not to struggle like her parents did. As a flight attendant, she's seen the way the super-wealthy live and she envies it. Muna began her treacherous journey two years ago. She's been granted asylum but can't shake the feeling she will never belong. In search of escape, these three women find themselves in Stockholm, a city that prides itself on being egalitarian and open. But instead of a fresh new start, they find the same problems just wear a different name. A powerful read for fans of Queenie and Americanah.

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My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

My Body is a deeply honest investigation of what it means to be a woman and a commodity from Emily Ratajkowski. Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, engaged political activist, entrepreneur, global social media phenomenon – and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at the age of 21, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furore when she stripped off for Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ music video. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about society’s commodification of women is the subject of this book. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating culture's fetishisation of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse. A fascinating read.

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Medusa by Jessie Burton

Medusa is a feminist retelling of the famous Greek myth from Jessie Burton, the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist. Exiled to a far-flung island by the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes on her head. When a beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal. Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill, this update on some well-loved classical folklore is ideal for readers of Madeline Miller’s Circe and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the woman behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation.

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Femlandia by Christina Dalcher

Femlandia is the latest thriller from the bestselling author of Vox and Q. As the title suggests, this is another feminist takedown. The United States has sunk into total collapse. Men in positions of power have wrecked the economy and left women to suffer and pick up the pieces. Miranda Reynolds has lost her husband, job and home. There's only one place left that she and her daughter Emma can go: Femlandia, is a female-only community and utopia for women. There's a reason Miranda never joined before, but now she has no choice. And with what Miranda knows about Femlandia's founder, she's right to be wary. While life outside the gates is fraught with danger, there's something just as sinister going on within.

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Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens

Just Haven't Met You is the newest book by New York Times bestselling author Sophie Cousens. Laura has built a career out of interviewing people about their epic real-life love stories. When she picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport, Laura wonders if this could be the start of something that's written in the stars. From piano sheet-music to a battered copy of her favourite book, in the bag, Laura finds evidence of everything she could hope for in a partner. And if Laura's job has taught her anything it's that when it comes to love, you can't let opportunity pass you by. Now Laura is determined to track down the owner of the suitcase, and her own happy ending. But what if fate has other ideas?

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