After Gish Jen's mother, Agnes Jen (née Loo Shu-Hsin), died during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jen began what she thought would be a straightforward memoir. As she wrote of her own life, however, she found herself contemplating how it had been shaped by the difficult relationship she had had with Agnes. "All my life," Jen writes, "I have wanted to know how our relationship went wrong—how I became her nemesis, her bête noire, her lightning rod, a scapegoat." Bad Bad Girl became her attempt to answer that question: to understand why her mother was so emotionally and physically abusive, and to forgive her for the pain she inflicted. … continued

Review by Kim Kovacs

In The Last Extinction, geologist Gerta Keller summarizes research supporting her theory of Deccan volcanism (which suggests the dinosaurs were not killed off in conditions produced by an asteroid but rather by a period of sustained volcanic activity) and offers a view of the patriarchal and other hierarchical systems she encountered over the years in seeking a platform for her non-mainstream work. Many more scientists and journalists have published books focusing on how significant science concerning human health, nature, and the universe interacts with (and is often compromised by) scientific media and other social phenomena. Here are just a few. … continued

Reading list by Elisabeth Cook

Are you excited about 2026 books yet? We are.

Get your calendar ready, because here’s a tantalizing preview of what’s to come.

This list covers intriguing debuts and new work from excellent established authors, and it offers a glimpse of books we may cover in our digital magazine, First Impressions program, or book club in the year ahead. Happy browsing! … continued

We know it can be tough to keep up with all the new books coming out every month, so we do the hard work for you.

We've carefully selected 70+ of the most noteworthy books publishing in November and are continually updating our selections—check them out and get yourself on the library waitlist ahead of the crowd!

BookBrowse members can see, sort, and download the full list of previews for all months.

Have you checked out our updated selection of BookBrowse curated guides and bundles? Find compilations of top-notch content for readers, like The BookBrowse Anthology, our Reading Deeply collection, and coverage of WWII fiction featuring women, as well as guidance for book clubs, drawn from over two decades of our book club research and editorial content.