November is always known as a big-arse month for new releases, and the Litty Committee is dedicated to finding the absolute best books coming out.
Many much-loved series are concluding with their final books, including The Aurora Cycle series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff and James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse series.
Have a gander below!
Aurora’s End by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The thrilling conclusion to power duo Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s The Aurora Cycle has hit shelves and you’re bound to bawl your eyes out like a big baby.
If you hurry over to Booktopia, you have a chance to snag a signed copy by the authors. But only while stocks last!
About the book:
“Is this the end? What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course. Wait… Not. So. Fast.
“When we last saw Squad 312, they working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient super weapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally. But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the team has one last chance to rewrite theirs. Maybe two. It’s complicated.”
Category: Young Adult Fantasy Fiction
Release date: November 9
Price: $14.95
You’ll Be The Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
About the book:
“From the author of One of Us Is Lying (which is now a TV series on Stan) comes a brand new pulse-pounding thriller.
Three former friends ditch school for old time’s sake – with horrible and deadly consequences.
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: November 30
Price: $16.50
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
The heart-stopping sequel to These Violent Delights, an imaginative and alluring retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai.
About the book:
“After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step into usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
“Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.”
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: November 16
Price: $20.35
Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan
About the book:
“The epic romance of Lei and Wren comes to a breathtaking conclusion in the explosive finale to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Girls of Paper and Fire series.
“Girls of Storm and Shadow left the fates of Lei and Wren hanging in the balance. There’s one thing Lei notes – she can never return to the Hidden Palace.
“The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls will plague her forever. She cannot be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren. The last time Lei saw the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in great peril, will they reunite at last, or have their destinies diverged forever?”
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: November 30
Price: $17.24
Read an excerpt below:
Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
Catch the incredible science-fiction series The Expanse on Amazon Prime, based on the bestselling series.
About the book:
“The biggest SF series of the decade comes to an incredible conclusion in the ninth and final novel in James S. A. Corey’s Hugo Award-winning Expanse series.
“The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again. In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte’s missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself.”
Category: Science Fiction
Release date: November 30
Price: $22.99
Read an excerpt below:
Two for Joy by Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch
About the book:
“The chilling sequel to the #1 YA bestseller The Magpie Society, One For Sorrow.
“Audrey and Ivy, determined to bring their fellow student Lola Radcliffe’s killer to justice, find themselves in the middle of another mystery when a friend disappears in suspicious circumstances. Their only clue is a mysterious card left by the enigmatic Magpie Society. With time running out and the police baffled, Audrey and Ivy must delve deeper than ever into the dark secrets that their school is hiding. But someone is playing a deadly game. And to beat them, Audrey and Ivy have to start rewriting the rules…”
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: November 25
Price: $21.75
Read an excerpt below:
Sister Secrets by Cate and Bronte Campbell
About the book:
“2021 Tokyo Olympic GOLD medallists and Australian swimming sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell made their triumphant return to Australia in August, in preparation for their new book, Sister Secrets.
Their story takes a deep dive into some of their darkest moments, their coping strategies, their competitiveness as sisters and at the same time, their unwavering support – and how the highs and lows of their careers have shaped their relationship with each other.”
Category: Children’s/Teenage Non-Fiction
Release date: 16 November
Price: $21.75
Will by Will Smith and Mark Manson
About the book:
“One of the most dynamic and globally recognised entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned.
“Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
“Will Smith‘s transformation from a fearful child in a tense West Philadelphia home to one of the biggest rap stars of his era and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, with a string of box office successes that will likely never be broken, is an epic tale of inner transformation and outer triumph, and Will tells it astonishingly well. But it’s only half the story.”
Category: Non-fiction, Memoir
Release date: 9 November
Price: $22.00 (RRP $25.00)
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
About the book:
“Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose – days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.
“But now she is stranded, alone on what was planned to be a romantic idyll with Finn. Unfortunately, Finn is trapped thousands of miles away, and Diana is on one of the world’s most beautiful islands with no food, no luggage, and no place to stay, forced to test her personal limits to survive.
“Struggling to find her feet, Diana gradually connects with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to her. As Diana helps her fight her demons she learns more about herself, and about the islands of Galapagos, where Darwin developed his theory of evolution.”
Category: Fiction
Release date: 25 November
Price: $23.95 (RRP: $32.99)
eBook: $22.43 (RRP $26.34), pre-order
Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
Get yer kilt on, because the ninth book in the Outlander series has officially dropped.
About the book:
“Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.
“It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible.
“Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his own tenants are split and the war is on his doorstep. It’s only a matter of time before the shooting starts.”
Category: Historical Fiction
Release date: 23rd November
Price: $22.95 (RRP $32.99)
eBook: $12.99
Song of Achilles (Special Anniversary Edition) by Madeline Miller
For anyone who bawled their eyes out reading the OG Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller has officially released a hard cover 10th anniversary edition to weep on.
About the book:
Just in case you missed it the first time round…
“Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles.
“Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’s mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.
“But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.”
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: 30th November
Price: $29.95 (RRP $39.99)
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
About the book:
“In a snow-cloaked kingdom, now is a time for mischief and revelry. For the next few weeks, all will be wintry balls, glittery disguises, and nightly torch-lit sleigh-parties. But unbeknown to the merrymakers, two uninvited girls join the fun.
“Zosia and Marynka are drawn to each other the moment they meet – until they discover they’re rivals, who both have their sights set on the prince’s heart. If one consumes a pure heart, she’ll gain immeasurable power. Marynka plans to bring the prince’s back to her patron in order to prove herself, while Zosia is determined to take his heart and its power for herself.
“Their ambition turns into a magical contest, even as their attraction to one another grows. But their attempts on the prince’s life draws the attention of the city that would die for him, and their escalating rivalry might cost them not only their love for each other but both their lives.”
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Release date: November 30th
RRP: $17.75 (RRP $19.99)
Being Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon by Jennifer Otter-Bickerdike
“Britney Spears is undoubtedly a modern pop superstar. But her story has long been clouded by society’s dark obsession with beauty, youth and fame – a relentless glare that has threatened to eclipse her musical success.
“Beyond the eye-catching headlines and front-page fodder, an almost indecipherable question remains: who is the real Britney?
“Written by acclaimed music author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, this unique narrative is the first to provide a sympathetic yet objective re-examination of Britney’s cultural impact in the wake of major collective shifts surrounding feminism, celebrity and mental health.”
Category: Non Fiction, Biography
Release date: November 30th
RRP: $24.50 (RRP $29.90)
Sellout by Dan Ozzi
About the book:
“Punk rock found itself at a crossroads in the mid-90’s. After indie favorite Nirvana catapulted into the mainstream with its unexpected phenomenon, Nevermind, rebellion was suddenly en vogue. Looking to replicate the band’s success, major record labels set their sights on the underground, and began courting punk’s rising stars.
“But the DIY punk scene, which had long prided itself on its trademark authenticity and anti-establishment ethos, wasn’t quite ready to let their homegrown acts go without a fight. The result was a schism: those who accepted the cash flow of the majors, and those who defiantly clung to their indie cred.
“In Sellout, seasoned music writer Dan Ozzi chronicles this embattled era in punk. Focusing on eleven prominent bands who made the jump from indie to major, Sellout charts the twists and turns of the last “gold rush” of the music industry, where some groups “sold out” and rose to surprise super stardom, while others buckled under mounting pressures.”
Category: Non-fiction
Release date: October 26th
Price: $44.95
eBook: $32.99
Litty Committee is Pedestrian.TV’s twice-monthly book column. Every month, we’ll take you through the newest reads and spotlight a novel we think you might like.
You can catch up on our other Litty Committee recommendations here.
