6 New Books Hitting Shelves in November 2026
From a reissued DeLillo novel to a new thriller by a Booker finalist, six new releases offer readers a break from election coverage.
By Lauren Foster ·
With the national attention fixed on Election Day results, the publishing calendar offers a quiet alternative for readers looking to step away from polling data and horserace coverage. Six new books arrive in bookstores this month, spanning genres from literary fiction to historical nonfiction and memoir. The releases include works by established authors and one long-lost novel by a major American writer that returns to print for the first time in decades.
Louise Kennedy returns with a novel titled Stations. The Northern Irish author spent nearly three decades working as a chef before turning to writing full time. In a 2022 interview, she described the shift as "strangely liberating." Her new book continues her exploration of romantic relationships strained by family histories, moving beyond the religious themes present in her debut, Trespasses.
Mary Beth Keane releases Whale Harbor, a novel centered on an Irish father and his sons. Critics have previously compared her work to that of Ann Patchett, noting her ability to transform domestic stories into universal narratives. Maureen Corrigan called Keane's 2019 novel Ask Again, Yes a "modestly magnificent novel." Keane's latest work expands that scope, covering years, oceans, and continents in a sweeping narrative.
Matt O'Hara, a history professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, publishes The Flying Death: Poison, Plunder, and the Quest for a Miracle Medicine in the Amazon. The book traces the history of curare, a poison used in blowdarts by some Amazon tribes and known for its lethal properties. The pursuit of its medicinal potential began in the 1930s and led to new developments in pharmacology. The work highlights the economic and scientific rivalries that emerged during this period, as well as the often-forgotten role of the indigenous tribes involved.
Daisy Johnson, who became the youngest Booker Prize finalist at age 27 in 2018 with her debut Everything Under, releases Long Wave. The British writer's new novel maintains the elusive imagery and spare prose that characterized her earlier work. The story focuses on women navigating family bonds described as fragile and dangerous, blending elements of myth and mystery into a foreboding atmosphere.
Tahmima Anam's Uprising is set on a river island in Bangladesh where women are trapped in prostitution. The narrative is told largely from the perspective of the children born to these women and their customers. The setting is defined by rising waters due to climate change and the constant arrival of men by boat. The arrival of a new girl on the island begins to shift the dynamics of the community, offering a glimmer of change in a bleak environment.
The most unusual entry on the list is Amazons: An Intimate Memoir by the First Woman Ever to Play in the National Hockey League. The book was originally published more than four decades ago under the pseudonym Cleo Birdwell. The author is Don DeLillo, who did not publicly acknowledge writing the book until 2020. DeLillo agreed to its republication earlier this year with what one observer described as apparent reluctance. The only preface in the new edition is a business card bearing his name and the statement: "I don't want to talk about it."
