Books to Get Excited for this November
Books to Get Excited For
Publishing season is in full force in November, and every day it seems there are more and more hot new YA releases to pick from. November is also one of the best months for reading. The weather has cooled to a chill crisp for many of us, school is in full swing yet we’re not quite in the chaotic finals season, and Thanksgiving offers the promise of a few days off—not to mention plenty of delicious leftovers. Books to get excited for and a turkey sandwich go hand in hand!
This November promises to be better than ever. With new releases in YA fiction every week, I might as well mark a big circle around all the Tuesdays in the month. Here are some of the novels I’m most looking forward. What about you?
We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen – Released Tuesday, November 1
“We Are Still Tornadoes” by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen
Are you a die-hard fan of Eleanor and Park? Well, you’re in good company, and we have plenty to be excited about in November 1st’s We Are Still Tornadoes, a YA contemporary romance by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen. Neighbors Scott and Cath are best friends, doing everything together, except when they graduate high school and Cath heads off to college while Scott stays home trying to get his band off the ground. They are farther apart than ever, though maybe in some ways closer than ever. Through their letters, Cath and Scott explore the complexity of their relationship, even trying to figure out whether they should cross that final line from friendship love to romantic love. With whip-smart voices and the background of the 1980s, We Are Still Tornadoes is one of the books to get excited for and auto-order this fall.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer – Released Tuesday, November 8
“Heartless” by Marissa Meyer
Who hasn’t read Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles? It’s the YA science fiction romance fairy tale retelling phenomenon that started with Cinder and ended with Winter. Well, much as I hated to see the Lunar Chronicles end (though of course there’s always rereading…), I am very excited to read Heartless. In her latest (standalone) novel Meyer gives us another retelling, this time of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In Heartless, the focus is on the Queen of Hearts. We watch the Queen, Catherine, try to resist the pressure to marry the King of Hearts so that she can focus on her true passion: baking! A romance with Jest threatens her future—and that of Wonderland. Meyer has said this novel is a standalone, but maybe if we just wish hard enough, we’ll get a sequel. Whatever it is, Meyer fans know this 464-page novel will fly by, and is guaranteed to leave a book hangover.
Flashfall by Jenny Moyer – Released Tuesday, November 18
“Flashfall” by Jenny Moyer
Action. Adventure. Dystopian. Romance. Round them up and you’ve got my kind of read, and one that I’m hoping to find in Jenny Moyer’s Flashfall. This promising debut novel is about two teens tasked with protecting humanity by mining in the tunnels of Outpost Five close to the fatal Flash Curtain. Both Orion, a Subpar, and her caving partner, Dram, are tasked with mining a chemical, cirium, that can protect humans from radiation. Orion’s family has been doing this for generations, so it is alarming when newcomers bring disturbing news that forces Orion beyond the flashfall and into the unknown. I’ve already got my copy on order!
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe) by Neal Shusterman – Released Tuesday, November 22
“Scythe” by Neal Shusterman
I can’t decide whether this novel is science fiction, horror, or—yep—dystopian. What I do know for sure is that I want to read it now. In Scythe, author Neal Shusterman of the Unwind dystology, gives us a world where disease has been totally eliminated. Therefore, the only way that people die is through Scythes who are ordered to kill and given no choice in who they are assigned to eliminate in order to prevent overpopulation. Essentially, it’s an update on the grim reaper, but with a chilling twist. Young Citra and Rowan are apprenticed to a Scythe to learn the grim nuances of the position. They risk failure—and worse, death, perhaps at each other’s hands…even when their close camaraderie gets complicated. Intriguing moral dilemma! Get me to November 22!