Fiction 5: Outstanding New Novels in November
Discover the fiction treasures hitting the shelves this month that are truly worth their weight in gold! Whether you're a fan of historical fiction, heartwarming tales or magical adventures, these new releases are sure to captivate your imagination and keep you turning pages. Place a hold on these literary gems that promise to dazzle and delight!
Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Set in England in the 1950s, Christmas with the Queen follows Olive and Jack, friends reunited after many years apart.
Olive, aspiring reporter for the BBC and single mother, leapt at the opportunity to cover the royal Christmas celebration. When a chance encounter with the queen goes awry, Olive wonders if she’ll ever be taken seriously.
Meanwhile, the recently widowed Jack reluctantly stepped into a new role in the royal kitchens, abandoning the dream of his own restaurant. Soon his talents are noticed and a chance encounter with a friend from his past, Olive, helps him rediscover his passion.
Jack and Olive grow ever closer as their paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases. However, Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.
"Reading Christmas with the Queen felt like tucking into the world's loveliest Christmas roast. This sweet and thoughtful book had me hooked from the first page, following along not only for glimpses of Her Majesty and the royal retinue, but for Olive and Jack's irresistible second-chance romance. A triumph and a treat of a novel!” — Bryn Turnbull, author of The Paris Deception
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Tao, an immigrant fortune teller, travels between villages with a mule as her sole companion. She tells "small" fortunes, knowing from bitter experience that “big” fortunes come with big consequences.
It’s a lonely life, but it’s better than the one she left behind. One of her small fortunes unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon they’re joined by an adventure-seeking baker and a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with these big-hearted companions. As the shadows of her past close in, she must decide whether to risk everything to preserve this found family she never thought she could have.
"If you're running a little low on serotonin, trust me: brew yourself a hot drink, curl up with this treasure of a tale, and thank me later! It's the warmest, loveliest book I've read in ages." — Sangu Mandanna, national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi
Christmas is just around the corner and Ronja and Melissa’s father is out of work again. When 10-year-old Ronja hears about a job at a Christmas tree stand, she thinks it might be the stroke of luck they all need. Soon their father comes home with money and a smile on his face. One evening he says he’s going out to buy Christmas gifts, but the daughters know his true destination is his favorite pub.
Determined not to lose their recent good fortune, Melissa takes her father's place at the Christmas tree stand. She works before and after school, bringing along Ronja, who quickly charms all the customers. While the sisters find help from some of those around them, they understand their situation is precarious. They will need both luck and strength to transcend their circumstances.
“There is real magic in this charming novel about care, community, and the kindness of strangers. It is a deeply affecting story, beautifully told, that is sure to touch the hearts of many readers.” —Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In a small back alley of Tokyo there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than 100 years. Local legend says this shop offers something besides coffee: the chance to travel back in time.
In the fifth installment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, four new guests seek closure and comfort by taking a step into their past. As in the previous books, the guests must abide by the café’s strict rules, including returning to the present before their coffee goes cold. The guests are
- A father who could not allow his daughter to get married,
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one,
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents, and
- A wife holding a child with no name.
"An affecting, deeply immersive journey into the desire to hold onto the past. This wondrous tale will move readers." — Publishers Weekly on Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities to the sick and the dying has always set him apart from the rest of the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, grew up in her father's shadow. She remains there, having missed one chance at love and passed up another.
As Christmas approaches the lives of Ronnie and her father are turned upside down when a baby is unexpectedly left in their care. This winter, their lives, their understanding of family and their role in the community will be forever changed
“Oh, the utter goosebumpy pleasure of reading this book! The experience will fill you up, even if you didn't know there was an emptiness there to begin with. Niall Williams reminds us again and again that the small and the ordinary are married to amazement, that dailiness and miracles walk hand in hand, and that other people are a mystery: Approach with curiosity! Approach with grace.” ― Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich
