Entertainment Books PEOPLE's Best New Books to Read in Nov. 2023 — From Barbra Streisand’s Juicy Memoir to Courtney B. Vance's Powerful Guidebook Cozy up with PEOPLE's picks for the best new books of November 2023 By People Staff Updated on December 28, 2023 06:04PM EST Close PEOPLE's best books to read in November 2023. From murder in 18th-century Maine to the perks and perils of growing up royal — here are PEOPLE's picks for the best new books of November 2023. 01 of 18 The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 'The Frozen River' by Ariel Lawhon. Martha Ballard is not just a Maine midwife who’s never lost a patient. She’s also a truth speaker and a justice seeker in an era when women can’t even testify in court. But when a body washes up alongside the Kennebec River in the winter of 1789—and the facts of a rape that resulted in both a pregnancy and a murder are found recorded in Martha’s daily diary—she finds herself at the center of the trial. Once again, Lawhon (Code Name Hélène) works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine. — Marion Winik Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 02 of 18 Gilded Youth by Tom Quinn 'Gilded Youth' by Tom Quinn. What’s it like to grow up in Britain’s royal family? The author interviewed everyone from nannies to kitchen staff and concluded that pomp and protocol still take precedence over close bonds between parents and children—not much has changed in 500 years. An eyeopening and deliciously juicy account. — Caroline Leavitt Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 03 of 18 We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein 'We Must Not Think of Ourselves' by Lauren Grodstein. Algonquin Books Teacher Adam Paskow is a grieving young widower when he’s forced to move to the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940. His Jewish identity has never been central to him, but he agrees to join a resistance effort documenting the experiences of the imprisoned. Grodstein expertly weaves the tale of this lonely storyteller, his students and the families he lives with into the true history of the Oneg Shabbat project. Gripping, emotional and, against all odds, hopeful. — Mary Pols Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 04 of 18 The General and Julia by Jon Clinch 'The General and Julia' by Jon Clinch. Atria Books Writing his memoirs as death approaches, Ulysses S. Grant looks back on his Civil War triumphs, the loss of his fortune and the private joys of life with wife Julia and their four children. An intimate, vividly rendered portrait of a towering figure and his complex legacy. — Wadzanai Mhute Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 05 of 18 Inheritance by Nora Roberts 'Inheritance' by Nora Roberts. Pc Fans will be thrilled by the launch of the romance queen’s new trilogy, which features ghosts, a deadly curse and a captivating heroine, Sonya, who has split from her cheating fiancé and inherited a mansion in coastal Maine. Now she must make a decision: Will she take up a terrifying battle against evil? — Robi Micheli Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 06 of 18 The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power by Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin L. Smith 'The Invisible Ache' by Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin L. Smith. Balance The Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor teamed up with psychologist Dr. Robin L. Smith to create this powerful guidebook on healing and mental health for Black men. “We have to find a way to [experience] joy,” Vance told PEOPLE. “It's a part of life, that death is a part of life, and pain is a part of life, and suffering is a part of life. The question is, what are we going to do?” Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 07 of 18 Gator Country by Rebecca Renner 'Gator Country' by Rebecca Renner. Flatiron Books This nail-biter account of Operation Alligator, an undercover sting in the Florida swampland, has the intensity of the best true crime—except the victims are thousands of baby alligators, their eggs spirited out of state by a ring of poachers. Impersonating a degenerate trying to break into the alligatorfarming business, Jeff Babauta became deeply embedded in this world before he took it down. A high-def tale that ensnares you from the start. — Marion Winik Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 08 of 18 Day by Michael Cunningham 'Day' by Michael Cunningham. Random House Dan and Isabel’s sinking marriage is buoyed and buffeted by their love for Isabel’s brother (and his temporary residence in their attic). Then COVID hits and forces the trio to confront questions of identity, belonging and the meaning of family in fractured times. Quietly compelling. — Theo Munger Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 09 of 18 The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump 'The New Naturals' by Gabriel Bump. Algonquin Books The loss of their baby sends a couple underground— literally. They build a utopia beneath a mountain, attracting a billionaire benefactor and disaffected seekers. But funding dries up, and society’s ills creep in, jeopardizing the experiment. A wryly funny take on the human condition. — Claire Martin Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 10 of 18 Endgame by Omid Scobie 'Endgame' by Omid Scobie. This gripping and propulsive book provides a look at the British monarchy following Queen Elizabeth II's death, and the "internal fractures" the royal family is facing. “There’s a real chance here to learn and adapt to modern society and also make up for mistakes of the past,” author Scobie tells PEOPLE. "It's their move." Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 11 of 18 My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand 'My Name is Barbra' by Barbra Streisand. In her long-awaited autobiography, the EGOT-winning singer and actress delves into her life and career, from her acclaimed music to her famous friendships. Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 12 of 18 So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan 'So Late in the Day' by Claire Keegan. A trio of brilliantly polished stories about the way men and women interact, with a heavy emphasis on women who make accommodations for men (or not, defying expectation) and the consequences. In Keegan’s expert hands, even a minor skirmish—between a pushy older man and the writer who grudgingly lets him interrupt her solitude at an artist’s residency— illuminates how the sexes so often seem to navigate the world on completely different operating systems. — Mary Pols Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 13 of 18 The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook 'The Madstone' by Elizabeth Crook. Nell is not your typical damsel in distress: She’s pregnant, traveling with her 4-year-old son Tot, and before Ben ever meets her properly, she’s gunned down an outlaw who may be her husband. Who can blame a country boy for falling in love? A wonderfully transporting tale of the Old West. — Marion Winik Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 14 of 18 The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez 'The Vulnerables' by Sigrid Nunez. During the pandemic an older writer finds herself parrot-sitting and smoking joints with a handsome young screwup in a friend’s apartment—and that’s just one of the interesting tales she has to tell. With the intimacy and humor of a great conversation, this novel makes you feel smarter and more alive. — Marion Winik Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 15 of 18 Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr. 'Ghosts of Honolulu' by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr. Harper Select The NCIS star teamed up with the show 's technical advisor — and former NCIS special agent — to write a story straight out of the police procedural. This riveting account of American and Japanese intelligence agents details the moral conflict many Japanese American officers faced at war time, as well as the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), which impacted the real-life NCIS. Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 16 of 18 Above the Salt by Katherine Vaz 'Above the Salt' by Katherine Vaz. Flatiron Books As children on the Portuguese island of Madeira in the 1850s, John and Mary form a magnetic bond. Religious persecution forces them to flee, but they meet again as immigrants in Illinois, and their paths continue to cross and diverge through America's convulsive history, from the Civil War to the Jazz Age. Will their love prevail? Vaz explores the complexities of duty, passion and sacrifice in an engrossing narrative that celebrates life's abiding beauty. — Robin Micheli Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 17 of 18 World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy 'World Within a Song' by Jeff Tweedy. Dutton The Wilco frontman delves into his inspiring relationship with music through 50 songs (from "Gloria" to "Free Bird") and adds heart-wrenching memories of childhood friendship, gun-wielding tour bus drivers and more. If life's a movie, Tweedy's has a pretty great soundtrack. — Theo Munger Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org 18 of 18 Class by Stephanie Land 'Class' by Stephanie Land. Atria/One Signal Publishers In this sequel to the mega-selling Maid, single mom Land struggles to fulfill her lifelong dream of getting an MFA to build a writing career, even as she battles poverty and — worse — people's judgement that she's being self-indulgent and impractical. Raw and inspiring. — Caroline Leavitt Buy it: Amazon, Bookshop.org