Librarian Newsletter: November 2026
Hello,
This month, we share a curated reading list of books about adults dealing with the loss of a parent with our review of Laleh Khadivi’s Female Life on Planet Earth.
We also bring you a “beyond the book” article for Meg Mason’s Sophie, Standing There that explores her comments on “Sad Girl Literature,” and other opinions on the genre and concept.
Check out read-alikes for Min Jin Lee’s American Hagwon to find similar recommended titles as this new family drama is flying off the shelves and filling up library waitlists.
Plus, browse our California category for more books set in the sunny Golden State, get ahead of upcoming online discussions, and preview November releases now.
— The BookBrowse Team
Curated Reading List: Adults Navigating the Loss of a Parent
The loss of a parent is a painful reality that most adults must face at some point in their lives. Still, inevitability makes this loss no less difficult to live through, particularly if the relationship between parent and child was complex. Laleh Khadivi delves into this dynamic in her novel, Female Life on Planet Earth, when posthumous revelations about her mother's past make protagonist Heti question everything she thought she knew. Here are some more examples you may want to look out for.
Sad Girl Literature: Uplifting or Harmful?
Sad Girl Literature is now a widely recognized term for a genre of books centered on sad female protagonists, including Meg Mason's widely successful Sorrow and Bliss. However, not everyone feels the term is empowering.
Read-alikes: American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
BookBrowse handpicked read-alikes help you recommend books when one a patron requests isn't available, or when they’re looking for a similar title. For someone interested in American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee, we suggest:
American Han by Lisa Lee
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Books Set in California
American Hagwon and Female Life on Planet Earth are just two of 260+ books in our California category.
Here, you and your patrons can check out a wide variety of recommended titles set in the past, present, or future Golden State.
This is one of 100+ themed categories available to BookBrowse members and subscribing libraries.
Non-members can enjoy a limited version of our category lists.
Book Club Discussions
Find inspiration for your book club(s) among our more than 200 past discussions.
We’re currently talking about Reset by Kevin Charles, among other books. Starting November 5, we feature Every Story Is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue.
New & Notable Books in November
We've carefully selected 50+ of the most noteworthy books publishing in November—check them out!
Individual members and subscribing libraries can see, sort, and download the full list for all months. Non-subscribers can view books up to the current month and a limited selection of future books.
