Books Publishing This Week
Books Publishing This Week: November 24 - 30
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It’s the end of November, and the final days of fall are quietly fading into winter. The air outside is brisk, and the last of the autumn leaves are scattered across the ground, crunching beneath footsteps as people hurry along. Inside, though, you’re perfectly cozy, surrounded by the warmth you’ve carefully layered together. You’ve saved this new book for a day just like this, a day when the weather almost demands that you stay in, curl up, and get lost in another world.
You settle into your favorite corner of the couch, where the light filters in softly from the window. It’s not much, just the pale, muted glow of a cloudy afternoon, but it makes the room feel calm and hushed, like it’s holding a secret. You’ve layered two blankets over yourself—first an ivory knit, soft and comforting, and then a second throw, a beautiful golden-orange knit that adds just the right touch of warmth and color. The orange throw feels like a lingering reminder of autumn, even as winter closes in, and the two together are the perfect nest for your cozy reading session.
As you pull the blankets snug around you, you can feel the subtle texture of the knits, the weight of each layer resting gently over your lap. There’s something about these colors—ivory and golden orange—that make you think of the season’s last light, a warm contrast to the gray skies outside. It’s as if you’ve wrapped yourself in the essence of fall, savoring these last few moments before December arrives.
Beside you, you’ve placed a warm drink, maybe a cup of tea or a rich hot chocolate. It’s been steeping just long enough to bring out all the flavors, adding an aromatic warmth to the air around you. The steam curls upward, blending with the scent of the final days of fall, a quiet reminder of the season slipping by. You take a sip, letting the warmth spread through you, and then pick up your book, ready to let yourself disappear into its pages.
As you open to the first page, there’s a familiar thrill, that gentle excitement that comes with starting a new book. You have no idea yet what this story will bring—new characters, twists you won’t see coming, or descriptions that will linger in your mind long after you’ve read them. But that’s part of the magic. Each book is a little world, just waiting for you to step inside, and as you begin, the words take you there, carrying you away from the gray afternoon outside.
The golden orange throw adds a cozy warmth to your lap, and every so often, you run your fingers over the soft knit, feeling its texture as you pause between pages. Outside, the world is quiet, the streets mostly empty, and it feels like the perfect backdrop for this moment of stillness. You read slowly, savoring each line, and the quiet atmosphere makes the story feel even richer, as if the words themselves are amplified by the stillness around you.
With each page you turn, you feel yourself sinking deeper into the story, the characters becoming clearer, the setting more vivid. It’s the kind of book that draws you in easily, its world merging with yours. Occasionally, you shift beneath your layered blankets, pulling them closer, letting the golden orange and ivory wraps hug you tightly. The comfort of their warmth, combined with the peace of the quiet afternoon, makes the whole experience feel almost luxurious—a moment just for you.
As the light outside dims further, you lose all track of time. The pages of your book have become your world now, and the hours slip by as you turn them one by one, feeling the story unfold. The blankets cocoon you in warmth, the golden orange throw adding a vibrant contrast to the dimming light, and your drink, now lukewarm, sits beside you as a silent witness to this cozy November ritual.
By the time you pause, you realize how late it’s gotten. The world outside is almost dark, and you’re wrapped up in the end-of-fall warmth, layered in textures and colors that feel like a celebration of the season. You smile, grateful for this little cocoon you’ve created, this moment of peace and story that will carry you into winter, ready to embrace the new season with a cozy heart and a story yet to unfold.
The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea
Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.
If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid.
Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains?
Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact.
The Perfect Marraige by Jeneva Rose
Author Interview with Jeneva Rose
From New York Times bestselling author Jeneva Rose comes the definitive edition of her shocking breakout thriller, The Perfect Marriage. Fully reedited, it features a sneak peek of the first three chapters of the upcoming sequel, The Perfect Divorce.
Sarah Morgan is one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC. With a perfect case record and having made named partner before the age of thirty-five, her life is going exactly as she planned.
However, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam, a failed author, who’s grown to resent his wife’s meteoric success as he feels it’s come at the expense of their relationship.
For almost two years, Adam has kept his affair with Kelly Summers a secret, but everything changes when her body is discovered at the couple’s lake house and Adam is arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sarah now finds herself facing her most challenging case yet when she vows to defend her husband—a man accused of murdering his mistress.
While Adam is certainly guilty of sleeping with Kelly, the question remains: Is he guilty of killing her too?
Daughters of Bronze by A. D. Rhine
Lost between the timeless lines of Homer’s epic, the women of Troy finally stand to be counted. Their story is one you’ve never encountered, and it will change the fate of Troy forever.
Andromache has proven herself a capable leader, but can she maintain that hard-won status now that she is the mother to the city’s long-awaited heir? With enemies closing in, Andromache must bring together a divided city in time to make a final stand.
Rhea is a Trojan spy, but she never expected to find love in the enemy camp. When the final battle lines are drawn, Rhea must decide where her loyalties lie and how much she is willing to lose.
Helen is no longer the same broken woman first brought to Troy as a captive. Given a second chance at life, she must cast off her shroud of grief and use her healing gifts to save Troy’s greatest hope.
Cassandra has seen Troy’s fate. But she knows the truth is only as valuable as the person who tells it . . . and few in Troy value her. All that is about to change. One hero will rise, another will fall . . . and this time, Cassandra will have her say.
From the highest tower to the most humble alley, the bloody beaches to the dusty plain, Daughters of Bronze is the thrilling conclusion to the duology that began with Horses of Fire, and breathes life into the Troy of myth and history. It is an epic of a thousand invisible actions leading to a single moment, adding a refrain of unexpected light to the legend of Troy.
All Mixed Up by Raj Tawney
New York Times essayist, Raj Tawney, delivers a gripping story of a multi-ethnic American boy who forges a complex friendship with a Pakistani immigrant in the wake of 9/11. It's 2002--less than one year after the September 11th attacks-- and sixth-grader Kamal Rao is tackling a brave new world of challenges, including figuring out who he really is and how he fits in. Even with New York City in its backyard, the suburban town where he lives is anything but open-minded. That means Kamal - frequently picked on and feeling ostracized -- usually spends his time alone, making mud pies in the backyard or cooking recipes with his mom and grandma from his family's three cultures. Then, one day, a Pakistani immigrant named Jaz arrives at school, entering Kamal's life and challenging his sluggish movement through the world. As the two boys forge a friendship over their love of exploring the outdoors and eating good food, the newcomer begins to show Kamal how being "different" isn't a bad thing at all. For the first time, a fire is lit within Kamal - but what will happen when questions of Jaz's origins and his intentions begin to come into question at school and in their town? Will Kamal-- now on the cusp of discovering who he really is and who he wants to be -- risk his own safety and his family's trust help his new friend, someone he barely knows at all? Based on the author's personal life experiences, an insightful middle-grade novel from a fresh voice in children's fiction that will be felt long after the last page.
Entitled by Leonard H. Orr
To protect their lavish allowances, four charismatic sisters in their thirties try to seduce, cajole, and mislead their less well-off neighbor Benjamin, who their father has hired to investigate an attempt to smother him while he was in the hospital recovering from a car crash. Their feckless brother responds by threatening Benjamin with a shotgun, while their socialite mother falsely confesses to the crime.
Trying to dominate everyone is their father, a wheeling, dealing, helicopter-flying entrepreneur who is afraid he might have hallucinated the smothering, even more afraid that it might have been real, and terrified that he might be losing control of his family and fortune. Desperate, he implements a devious and dastardly scheme . . .
Played out on the fashionable Connecticut shore and Manhattan's Upper East Side, the shenanigans of the entitled rich don't prevent Benjamin from finding the truth, and maybe even love.
