Well, I didn’t think I’d have many books to share for my list of anticipated November 2026 book releases. So I was pleasantly surprised to have a list of 10 to share. Typically, when we get into the holiday season, I notice the amount of new releases decreases. That’s why I was happy to find I actually have a decent number of November 2026 book releases here. As usual, the genre skews toward fantasy, but there is a dabbling of other genres in this list as well. Have a look! (Also, if you missed last month’s list, click here to take a look at my anticipated October 2026 book releases.)
- Anticipated November 2026 Book Releases
- Sharpest Court by Kiera Azar*
- A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters by Holly Black and Solenne Songer
- Take My Word For It by LeVar Burton*
- Son of the Serpent by Shauna Lawless*
- Song of the Cedars by Robert Macfarlane
- The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by Caitríona Moran
- The Wordspotter’s Guide by Olivia Swarthout
- The Love Code by Connie Kitson
- A World Apart by Meghan Nesmith
- All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin
* = I have an ARC of this book.
** = I preordered this book.
Anticipated November 2026 Book Releases
Sharpest Court by Kiera Azar*
Series: Thorn Season, #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Storytide
Publish Date: November 3, 2026
Print Length: 544
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
Shadow and Bone meets The Selection in this second book in the sharp, sexy, and twisty #1 New York Times bestselling romantasy trilogy about a teen girl in possession of an illegal magic, who joins her kingdom’s harsh and glittering royal court only to find herself caught in a web of hidden intentions.
Alissa has defied the odds, escaping her kingdom—and King Erik’s clutches—with the coveted Spellmade compass. Burdened by guilt over her old friend Garret’s sacrifice, and struggling with her own growing power, she vows to destroy the compass before it can harm any more Wielders.
But when she lands in the Wielder-ruled kingdom of Ansora, she finds herself pulled again into Keil’s orbit—and into the political landscape of a nation at war. Fearing Erik’s reach, and his wrath, Alissa has no choice but to accept when the formidable Empress of Ansora offers her protection…at a very steep price.
As Alissa dons the vicious mask of a courtier once more, she and Keil delve secretly into the compass’s sinister nature, and also delve tentatively into a relationship free from King Erik’s hovering presence. But Erik is closer than they realize, and as Alissa grows even more uncertain of her place in Ansora, she must decide whether protecting the compass—and protecting Wielders everywhere—is worth losing all she holds dear. And whether trusting fellow Wielders might be the most dangerous move of all.
This thrilling trilogy is perfect for readers who love:
- Rivals to lovers romance
- Court intrigue
- Forbidden romance
- Slow burn romance
- Forbidden magic
- Scheming heroine
- Hidden identity
- Falling for you but betrothed to someone else
- Childhood friends to enemies
- Villains you love to hate (or love)
A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters by Holly Black and Solenne Songer
Series: The Folk of the Air
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Alvina Ling Books
Publish Date: November 3, 2026
Print Length: 272
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the world of Faerie in this gorgeously illustrated collection of short stories, where beauty can be monstrous and love can be capricious …
A reluctant king is thrown into turmoil when the girl he loves to hate is stolen by the Undersea.
An exiled redcap, trapped in the mortal world, must rediscover his inner monster.
A mortal girl sacrifices the other half of herself for an unworthy faerie lover.
A tiny sprite’s determination to prove herself puts the entire High Court in danger.
In this collection, #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black combines her signature wit and lush world-building with stunning full-color art by Frostbite Studios in six irresistible tales that return readers to the world of the Modern Faerie Tales and Elfhame, including two never-before-seen stories: one revealing the interior life of Madoc while in exile and the other featuring the moment that High King Cardan realizes what he most desires.
Take My Word For It by LeVar Burton*
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Print Length: 352
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The legendary actor behind Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow shares never-before-told stories from a life that has shaped generations in this “compassionate, vulnerable memoir” (Time).
“LeVar Burton’s reverence, respect, and complete understanding of the power of story permeates this intimate weaving of his own life’s narrative threads. The tapestry created depicts a man in full—spiritual seeker, literacy educator, artistic explorer, social justice warrior, and conscious human.”—Noah Wyle
This is my attempt to pull back the curtain. Not just on the roles I’ve played, but on the life I’ve lived. The fears. The fight. The survival. And yes, the joy. All of it.
Tracing the different eras of his life—from Kunta Kinte to Geordi La Forge to Reading Rainbow and far beyond the camera—celebrated actor LeVar Burton fearlessly opens up about growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, being raised by a remarkable mother, and discovering his calling as a storyteller. He explores how acting has served as both a source of transformation and an escape from the most difficult parts of his past, while also confronting the challenges of being a parent, husband, and householder.
As Burton honors the loved ones whose strength and resilience shaped him in this inspiring memoir, he also asks what we owe to our ancestors and to each other, reflecting on the deep necessity he’s always felt advocating for liberation and equity. Generous, deeply moving, and illustrated with personal family photos, Take My Word For It is a courageous self-portrait of an iconic artist.
Son of the Serpent by Shauna Lawless*
Series: Gael Song Era 2, #2
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Legends & Mythology
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Head of Zeus — an AdAstra Book
Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Print Length: 496
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The thrilling second volume in Gael Song: Era II sees invaders mass on Irish soil, kings lose their crowns, and Ireland’s immortals discover new magical powers.
Winter 1169. Isolde arrives at the stronghold of the Descendants, her immortal kin. It soon becomes clear that Isolde is magically gifted, but as she learns to harness her abilities, visions of death and fire consume her. Heartbroken at parting from young warrior Cuan, and scarred by the destructive power of her enemies the Fomorians, Isolde struggles to find her place in the immortals’ world.
Cuan, nephew to the High King, is growing in fame. Caught between a curse that will destroy him, a desire for revenge, and his love for Isolde, Cuan is offered a new path by a mysterious stranger. But a warrior so close to the king has many enemies, and with Isolde no longer at his side, escaping death a second time may prove impossible.
As war between Ireland’s kingdoms continues, Anglo-Norman lords, eager for power, encroach ever further onto Irish soil. Ireland’s clans must choose: work, and fight, together – or risk the destruction of their whole world.
Perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Genevieve Gornichec, and Diana Gabaldon.
Song of the Cedars by Robert Macfarlane
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Nature, Story in Verse
Age Category: Children
Publisher: Magic Cat
Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Print Length: 16
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
This book isn’t just about a forest. It was also created in the forest, with the forest . . . and by the forest.
Co-created by New York Timesbestselling writer Robert Macfarlane, this book is more than a book: it is a small means of changing the world. By reading it, you are playing a part in recognizing the rights of nature–and protecting one of the most miraculous places on this fragile, beautiful planet of ours.
The fascinating flora, fauna and fungi of Los Cedros Cloud Forest fill the pages of this grand panoramic scene, which can be folded out and displayed, or read like a traditional book.
On the cover are six names: five of those are the names of the human people who have been to Los Cedros Cloud Forest, been enchanted by it–and vowed to do all they can to help protect this magical place. The sixth name, though, is a surprise: it is the forest’s own.
That’s because this book isn’t just about Los Cedros Cloud Forest–it was also created in the forest, with the forest . . . and by the forest. In making this book, we are recognizing the forest’s moral rights as the co-creator of a literary work. This sets a striking precedent for asserting the rights of nature, and all the royalties from sales of the book will be used to support the protection of Los Cedros in the future.
Published to coincide with the anniversary of the groundbreaking court decision to recognize Los Cedros’s right to exist and to flourish in the future, this book celebrates the rights of nature everywhere.
This concertina book folds out into a stunning panoramic scene in which readers can explore a beautifully interconnected forest on one side, and discover more about its wonders with a full species guide and nonfiction texts on the reverse side
The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by Caitríona Moran
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Print Length: 480
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Perfect for readers of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden, The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow is a sweeping enemies-to-lovers debut with both historical depth and fantastical allure.
Scholar. Healer. Harlot.
In her house, the villainy is her.
Magdalena Overmorrow has been called a scholar, a healer, a harlot. She carves out some measure of freedom for the women of Astoleyn, risking capture and death by caring for them and performing forbidden abortions. When she’s betrayed by a close confidante, she faces banishment to the realm’s desolate northernmost city as an accused witch. There, she must await her trial and possible doom under the watchful aegis of the Lord Proctor of Cair Gramora, a man so pious and humorless it is rumored that he has never once laughed in his life.
When she arrives, though, Magda is surprised to find that the Lord Proctor isn’t the grizzled old priest she expected but a man barely older than she is. As cold and mysterious and beautiful as the mountains at the cair’s northern border, he holds her life in his hands. One word from him could send her to the stake or worse, but she can’t help her fascination with a man and fellow scholar who is more than he appears to be, and the dangerous secrets he is clearly keeping. As her trial draws closer and the intrigue of the isolated cair threatens them both, she and the Lord Proctor must form an uneasy alliance that could either save her life or lead her to martyrdom and ruin.
The Wordspotter’s Guide by Olivia Swarthout
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Linguistics
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Plume
Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Print Length: 336
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A rollicking, beautifully illustrated adventure through the history of the English language
“An insanely original exploration of where our words come from, and how much historical power they contain. But proceed with care: your newfound authority may just make you insufferable.”–Simon Garfield, New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type
English is by many measures the largest language in the world—and doubtless the unruliest. Over the last millennium, we’ve borrowed, stolen, conquered, and invented our way to a massive lexicon, a million words by some counts. Hiding in that corpus are countless untold stories—beautiful, sad, hilarious, profane—which together offer a record of how we’ve conceived of and spoken about the world.
It’s time to go wordspotting, with the inimitable Olivia Swarthout as your guide. You’ll discover that the term silhouette comes from eighteenth-century French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette, whose austerity measures caused his name to be associated with any low-quality work, such as the black paper cutouts that were a cheaper alternative to traditional portraits. That the seemingly modern word unfriend dates all the way back to the seventeenth century. And that robe and robbed share an etymological root, dating to a time when constructing clothing was so labor-intensive that it was the most valuable thing in most people’s homes and thus a target for thieves.
Olivia Swarthout tells a deeply researched, authoritative story about the history of the English language, without losing sight of the fun. If you’ve ever wondered which meaning of cardinal came first (the direction, then the Church figure, then the bird) or lamented that we no longer give people names like John the Wifeless, Ralph the Haunted, and Hugh the Ass (all citizens of eleventh-century Britain), this is the book for you.
The Love Code by Connie Kitson
Series: None
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Hera
Publish Date: November 17, 2026
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Love Hypothesis meets You’ve Got Mail in this modern, secret enemies debut STEM romance set in the corporate tech world.
‘This book hacked my heart…I was hooked from page one.’ Camilla Isley, author of The Love Algorithm
She can hack anything. But can she hack him?
Jenna, a talented web designer by day and a cyber vigilante by night, wages a covert cyberwar against Belmayer, a giant oil company she believes was responsible for her father’s death while at work on a rig eight years ago.
But unbeknown to her, Kieran, her childhood friend and long-time secret crush, now heads up Belmayer’s cybersecurity team.
When their paths collide at a family wedding, their old feelings are rekindled. However, Jenna’s double life and relentless pursuit of justice put their relationship to the test, and she must face the fact that bringing down Belmayer makes her the secret enemy of the man she loves…
Fans of Ali Hazelwood and Helen Hoang will adore this spicy STEM romance, featuring the ultimate forbidden access love story.
A World Apart by Meghan Nesmith
Series: None
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Aria
Publish Date: November 17, 2026
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A spellbinding queer romantasy debut, available for a limited time in a deluxe special edition, that weaves a tale of forbidden love, magical dimensions, and impossible choices–perfect for fans of Divine Rivals and A Marvellous Light.
Star-crossed lovers bound by magic. But will their devotion set them free-or doom them forever?
London, 1866. All Kit Finchley wants is to master the magic that keeps eluding him – and to live a life not dictated by title or expectation. When a miscast spell tears open a doorway into the Veil – a liminal realm where Wilfrith and his family have been trapped since a fateful bargain with the Faerie Queen 800 years ago – Kit stumbles into a love he never imagined. His connection to Wil is immediate, impossible, and undeniable.
Determined to free the boy between worlds, Kit risks everything, desperate to bind the realms without breaking them. But the Faerie Queen does not take kindly to adversaries, and all magic has a cost…
All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin
Series: None
Genre: Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: November 17, 2026
Print Length: 320
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
In a post-apocalyptic matriarchy that has erased men, a young novitiate faces a crisis of faith when her best friend begins receiving mysterious visions of an archangel—and must choose between the faith that shaped her and the forbidden longings that could destroy it.
The year is 2171, and the Earth is not what it once was. After climate collapse, plague, fascism, artificial intelligence, and nuclear fallout reduced civilization to ash, nature has reclaimed the Earth. Small monastic communities have emerged from the carnage—self-sufficient, female-only religious utopias governed by a strict codex and surrounded by walls to keep the wilds at bay. The new world is harmonious, and blissfully free from structures of oppression such as hierarchy, capitalism, and time.
Seventeen-year-old Igraine has never known life beyond the cloistered walls of the Field or seen a human male. Brilliant and devout, she spends her days in the gardens and scriptorium beside her closest companion, Ophelia. Their studies will culminate in twin posts at the Lunar Abbey—a gothic cathedral on the Moon reserved for the most venerated Sisters.
Their futures fracture when Ophelia begins receiving visions of a mysterious, alluring, and damningly masculine archangel. As the girls contend with cryptic fragments of revelation and devastating rumors about the Order’s darker origins, their bond becomes precarious and Igraine must confront her unraveling faith in a system that demands her complete surrender.
And that’s a wrap for my anticipated November 2026 book releases! Are any of these also on your reading list?

