It's going to be a November to remember for book lovers.
This month is jampacked with highly anticipated new releases, including Matthew Perry's long-awaited memoir in which the Friends star details his decades-long battle with addiction and shares behind-the-scenes secrets from the set of the iconic NBC sitcom. Plus, Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham is back with another collection of essays as quick-witted and endearing as her beloved character Lorelai. Oy with the laughs!
If thrillers are more your thing, Lisa Unger and Holly Jackson's latest novels are sure to keep you up at night, while we've also got the perfect recommendations for any rom-com fan. Finally, a new YA book gives Little Women a delightfully modern update and Rainbow Rowell is delivering her her first-ever compilation of short stories.
Oh, and have we mentioned all of our picks would make a great gift for anyone on your nice list this holiday season? (Yes, it's totally OK to include yourself.)
Here are 15 books to check out ASAP this November:
Could the actor BE any more candid in his funny, fearless and, yes, Friends-filled memoir? In addition to detailing his previously private struggles with addiction—"I have spent upward of $7 million trying to get sober," he writes—Perry also opens up about his complicated love life and reveals the massive crush he had on Jennifer Aniston. The is the one where your Kindle downloads a book on its own.
When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. But then they wake up a decade later with wedding bands on their fingers, apparently having made very different vows after finding themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus for a wedding. Now, in this nostalgic rom-com, the pair has one New Year's Eve at the end of 1999 to figure out what happened—the night prior and ten years earlier. (November 1)
Prepare to head to New York in Hays' captivating and compelling debut about researchers assigned to work in the famed Met Cloisters, where they end up discovering a mysterious deck of tarot cards. When the 15th-century pack is revealed to possibly hold the key to predicting the future, a dangerous game of power and ambition begins in the gothic museum. (November 1)
In one of the most notable debuts of the year, Nwabineli tells the story about one woman's emotional journey after she discovers her husband has killed himself. Thanks to the addition of a tight-knit Nigerian family and a close group of friends, this exploration of love and loss is surprisingly warm and deeply thought-provoking. (November 1)
Fans of The Secret History will devour this campus-set mystery that begins with a fraternity brother stepping off a crosswalk in front of a car. Two eerie things that more than a dozen witnesses can agree on are that the driver looked identical to the victim and that he was smiling. The unsettling incident leads one detective to investigate the sprawling, secrets-filled Greek system at play. Yeah, our goosebumps just got chills. (November 8)
Grab the tissues and prepare to call your BFF after reading Newman's devastatingly hilarious and poignantly poetic story about the intimacy of female bonds. Focusing on two women who have been close for over 40 years, We All Want Impossible Things details the final days of their friendship as one of them is dying from ovarian cancer in a hospice center. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll sigh as you spend time reminiscing and trying to let go with the duo. (November 8)
Rhys Lloyd is a hateful man that many people have wished dead. So when he is killed during the lavish New Year's Eve party he was hosting, every single guest is a suspect in this murder mystery. Much like champagne, the lies are flowing in a small Welsh village as the investigation highlights the class divide between the locals and the affluent English vacation-home owners. (November 8)
Three couples. Two nights. One secluded cabin the woods. That is the perfect set-up for suspense in Unger's latest thriller as what was supposed to be a dreamy weekend slowly turns into a nightmare. Not only is a storm coming, the rental host a little too present and the house hosting its own twisted history, but the secluded friends also have secrets that run deeper than any of them could have predicted. (November 8)
You're supposed to be the main character in your own life, but book-hater Drew Young is finding it hard to muster that energy after inheriting her grandmother's bookstore. But, thanks to a robust group of supporting characters, including a book club filled with meddling oldies and a romantic author determined to help Drew discover the magic in reading, she may just find her happy ending after all in this charming rom-com. (November 8)
What's better than one tale from the bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl? Nine romances, which is exactly what readers are getting in Rowell's first collection of short stories. Get ready to swoon over a meet-cute between two people camping outside of a movie theater, a prince romancing a troll and a girl falling in love with an imaginary boy. Plus, Rowell's beloved character Simon Snow even gets his own holiday adventure. (November 8)
The founder of Sprinkles cupcakes opens up her pantry and serves up a batch of key ingredients any business owner should know in order to succeed. Revealing her own mistakes, misses, and lessons learned, Nelson provides a guide on how to cultivate a community, build a personal brand and so much more. Wouldn't this book paired with a dozen cupcakes make the sweetest gift for the aspiring entrepreneur in your life? (November 8)
Just like her iconic Gilmore Girls character Lorelai, Graham is fast and furiously funny in her latest collection of essays. The actress shares personal stories about her life and career, while also offering hilarious yet heartfelt anecdotes about what life is really like in Hollywood and sage advice. Where Graham leads, we will definitely follow. (November 15)
Not a fan of Valentine's Day? Imagine being Emilie Hornby, the heroine at the center of Painter's YA tale that is forced to relive the holiday over and over. Not helping matters is that it happens to be the day she discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her. Still, as do-overs continue, Emilie begins to notice the good amidst the bad, including an unexpected and enigmatic love interest. (November 15)
The A Good Girl's Guide to Murder author delivers another unputdownable thriller in which—you guessed it—five friends survive a road trip that takes a deadly turn. But the big mystery is which one of the passengers is the victim and which one is the killer. (November 29)
A messy modern update to Louis May Alcott's classic novel is the perfect read to take you into December. In Sellett's sly homage to the original story of the March girls, Jo Porter is so over her family's obsession with Little Women. But when she and her two sisters are forced to take part in a live stage adaptation when her Alcott-obsessed mother turns their house into a tourist attraction, her rebellion reaches new heights. (November 29)