November 2026 list by Donalee Jacobs |
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Charlemagne's Dream
by James T. Palmer
In Charlemagne's Dream, historian James T. Palmer looks beyond Charlemagne alone to tell the full story of the rise and fall of the massively consequential Carolingian dynasty -- the men and women who laid the foundations for his achievements, and the colorful heirs who squandered his legacy.
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A Dead White
by Wendy S. Walters
An impassioned, boundary-pushing work of criticism traversing an array of subjects, from fine arts to design to architecture, taking aim at the ubiquity of white paint in our society and what its prevalence reveals about our values. Deeply investigated and anchored by Walters's immediate sensory experiences and instincts, her intelligence and lucid prose ground this encompassing, utterly fresh work of cultural criticism. Longlisted for the National Book Award in Nonfiction.
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Devil on My Shoulder
by Alice Cooper
The definitive autobiography from Alice Cooper, the Godfather of Shock Rock and one of the world's most iconic musicians with a career spanning six decades.
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Earthrise
by John Larsen
The historic Artemis II mission was celebrated around the world and broke the record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from Earth. Jeremy Hansen and his crew mates viewed parts of the moon never before seen by human eyes, journeyed a total of 700,237 miles, took the next step in space travel and won the hearts of everyone back home on Earth in the process. Now, Earthrise gives readers a passenger-seat view into the daring deep-space journey and the long years of intense training, grit, and perseverance Hansen needed to prepare for lift-off and fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut.
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Food Sense
by Christopher Gardner
For decades, Stanford nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner has been on the front lines of nutrition research, leading groundbreaking clinical trials that cut through the noise and uncover what truly supports long-term health. Now, in this accessible and myth-busting guide, he addresses nutrition questions on everything from weight loss to cholesterol, seed oils, plant-based meats, ultra processed foods, protein, GMOS, fads, fibers, fermented foods, and much more. Plus, he shows how to put all this knowledge together in the kitchen by providing some of his favorite recipes. Food Sense will inspire you to change your diet to include more plants and less processed food and sugar and, most importantly to enjoy your food.
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The Forest Year
by Ethan Tapper
Following the author's forest through a year of life, the book explores flowers, birds, forest ecology, biodiversity, while also reflecting on stewardship, community, and what it means to be rooted in place. The Forest Year is a meditative and lyrical ode to the land, weaving complex scientific and ecological concepts with beautiful narrative prose, making nuanced ideas easy to understand and deeply resonant. Both place-based and practice-driven, Tapper writes as a working forester and ecologist stewarding real forests in real time, blending emotional insight with ecological rigor.
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The Game
by Peter King
With his signature blend of history, insider reporting, sharp opinion, and vivid anecdote, Peter King offers an extraordinary front-row-seat chronicle of the modern NFL, taking us into the defining moments, teams, controversies, and more.
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Hyperscale
by Paris Marx
In Hyperscale, journalist Paris Marx uncovers the excesses of hyperscale data processing. He exposes the deceptive, exploitative ways tech companies are siphoning energy and resources from vulnerable communities in their pursuit of digital power, abandoning the pretense of social responsibility. Amid energy shortages and tech-induced battles over drinking water, Marx makes a powerful case for technology that promotes the social good over the bottom lines of tech billionaires. He joins the incredible efforts of people and movements pushing back against the profit-driven interests of Big Tech, illuminating a path toward the sustainable future we all deserve. Longlisted for the 2026 Financial Times and Standard Chartered Business Book of the Year Award.
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The Inheritance
by Janet Reitman
In The Inheritance, Janet Reitman, the bestselling author of Inside Scientology, delivers an intimate and urgent account of American disillusionment -- and a paean to hope. From the bucolic suburbs of Boston to the immigrant enclaves of Dallas, from the deserts of Iraq to the encrypted chatrooms that fuel hatred and extremism, The Inheritance unfolds in repeating narratives of people moving through the decades, from the end of the Reagan era to the present day, painting a sweeping and deeply affective portrait of how a country revered for its democratic ideals became a nation defined by its fears. Rigorously reported and brimming with novelistic detail, The Inheritance reveals the hidden cost of the war on terror, exposing the psychic wounds that haunt us.
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It Could Be Otherwise
by Stuart Firestein
The search for certainty is embedded deep in the mythos of science. Science is expected to provide definitive answers based on immutable and universal laws. Neuroscientist Stuart Firestein challenges this idea, extending the reach of science beyond merely discerning what must be to encompassing what may yet be possible. It Could Be Otherwise argues that science isn't about deciphering what the universe has already determined -- instead, science offers possibilities. It invites us not to be prisoners of destiny but navigators of our own futures.
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Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking
by Kelly McGonigal, PhD
Bestselling author and psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, that joy gives life meaning, sustains hope, and helps us feel close to others. It is the emotion that tells us life is worth living, good things are possible, and you are not alone. But many people find it difficult to allow themselves to feel, show, or even seek joy. Instead of turning to joy as a resource, we try to protect ourselves from the perceived risks of caring too much. Weaving together personal storytelling with insights from psychology, neuroscience, and research conducted around the world, McGonigal offers tangible ways to experience this powerful emotion in everyday life.
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The Last Best Place on the Internet
by Richard Cooke
One of the keystone inventions of the twenty-first century, Wikipedia is the largest repository of human knowledge ever made, with editions in 343 languages read by millions every day -- all created by unpaid, mainly amateur, and mostly anonymous volunteers. In this entertaining book, journalist Richard Cooke delves into Wikipedia's fabled creation, its extraordinary success, and its profound effects on politics, business, literature, and society. He explores the site's shifting role in establishing fact in a time of deep uncertainty about truth and authority; the often hilariously fierce debates between Inclusionists and Deletionists about what is worth knowing and preserving, and who gets to decide; and the great peril Wikipedia faces today from bots, political division, and artificial intelligence.
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The Middle School Mom's Survival Guide
by Kristin Hensley
The viral sensations behind the #IMomSoHard web series are back to tackle the absurd collision of raising middle schoolers while your own body stages a hormonal rebellion. Kristin and Jen thought they'd hit their stride. They'd survived the baby years, built a massive online community of millions, and even wrote a bestselling book about those early years. Then midlife crashed the party like an uninvited, sweaty uncle -- just as their kids transformed into emotional, eye-rolling roommates. In the book, they get real about marriage, parenting through text messages, spending hours in the car, handing your kid a smartphone, navigating changing friendships and social pressures, dealing with aging parents, and learning to let go while still somehow staying in charge.
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Nine Lives, No Wives, and 69 Concubines
by Katt Williams
Emmy-winning comedian and actor Katt Williams delivers a raw, unfiltered memoir that takes readers on a wild ride from homelessness to Hollywood, revealing the resilience, faith, and unapologetic humor that define his iconic career. He addresses the headlines head-on, sets the record straight on his legal battles, while sharing what it really means to survive Hollywood without losing ownership of your money, your voice, or your peace. From the soul of a man who refuses to fail, this memoir is part comedy masterclass and part middle finger to convention. It's not just for fans; it's for anyone who's ever been told their dreams were too loud.
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Not Today, Fascists
by Jennifer Welch
From Jennifer Welch, the host of the wildly popular I've Had It podcast and a trusted voice in new media, comes a piercing, incisive, no-holds-barred take on the rising threat of theocracy in America and a fresh vision for how we can make changes.
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Penelope
by Paul Bochner
On a late winter evening, Paul Bochner looked out the window of his home. A solitary fawn stood in near darkness, famished, disabled, and clearly in pain. Hobbled with a broken foot, abandoned by her mother and left to die, she had miraculously endured a brutal winter alone. From that night, remaining wild and free, she returned to him daily. Each time she appeared, Bochner greeted her gently, offering food, empathy, and care, allowing her to guide the progress of their relationship. As he earned Penelope's trust and observed the full range of her emotions, it became evident that their inner lives were more alike than might have seemed possible. Woven with the joy and pain of living, Penelope is the most unlikely of love stories, and one of the most memorable.
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The President and the Oligarch
by Greg Steinmetz
Franklin D. Roosevelt is one our most admired presidents, but he was also a ruthless politician willing to use his power to crush his enemies. In this thrilling exposé, Greg Steinmetz recounts how FDR targeted former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. Mellon's name dripped riches. FDR publicly blamed Mellon for the Great Depression, using him as a convenient diversion from the New Deal's failure to bring jobs back to a devastated economy. Roosevelt tortured the aging, frail and reclusive Mellon, from fake criminal charges to tax court. Mellon died before the tax verdict but not until, one final, jaw dropping twist occurred in this strange clash of titans.
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The Reason for Jesus
by Charles Martin
Charles Martin embarks on a profound exploration of faith's central question, moving beyond traditional understandings of salvation to uncover a deeper, more personal truth. That the ultimate purpose of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection is to restore humanity's intimate relationship with God as a loving Father. The book dismantles the image of a performance-based God, replacing it with a portrait of a Father who beckons His children to draw near. By blending personal stories of fatherhood and brokenness with a rich examination of scripture, Charles makes complex theological ideas accessible and deeply resonant. The book is an invitation to move past religious duty and into a transformative, grace-filled connection with the God who desires, above all, to be known as Father.
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Redemption
by Lawrence Wright
In the fall of 2014, Deacon Ronnie Lastovica began visiting a women's prison in Gatesville, Texas with the Sisters of Mary Morning Star to give communion to the women on death row. What follows is an incredible story of a spiritual alliance between two groups of women who, though they couldn't seem more different, are living uniquely similar lives. Lawrence Wright takes us into the death row unit, laying bare their stories. As Wright learns more about their cases, unethical police practices and improper forensic methods cast doubt on whether some of these women actually committed the crimes for which they'll pay the ultimate price. Clear-eyed and rousing, layered and morally complex, Redemption explores ideas of retribution, spirituality, and the question of absolution.
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The Savage Mind
by David Treuer
A searing exploration of American violence, interweaving memoir, history, and reportage to reveal the wound at the heart of our nation -- and to offer hope that the country, and we, might be healed.
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Sitcom
by Chuck Lorre
One of the most prolific television writers and showrunners in TV history (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Mom, The Kominsky Method, Young Sheldon) reflect on his life, career, and the deal with all those vanity cards.
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Sleuth-Hound
by Lindsey Fitzharris
Throughout nineteenth-century Edinburgh, surgeon Joseph Bell was known for his extraordinary talent for detection and diagnosis. He could read a patient's ailments, occupation, and personal habits from a single glance. Though such deductive powers were quite elementary to Bell, they had a profound influence on medical student and budding writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Bell's methods helped spark the creation of fiction's most iconic detective. Since Sherlock Holmes first appeared in 1887, he has become a global phenomenon. Yet the man Conan Doyle credited as Sherlock's prototype has slipped into the shadows. In Sleuth-Hound, bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris brings Bell center stage, recounting how his work took him from ward to witness box as a medical detective probing murder and misdeeds.
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So Ordered
by Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
Samuel A. Alito has become one of the most influential Supreme Court justices in recent history. In this surprisingly personal book, he defends his originalist approach to the Constitution, identifies the threats to our liberties, and reflects on faith, the nature of law, and American culture.
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So You Married a Human
by Jackie Kelley
So You Married a Human is an out-of-the-box guide full of practical advice on how couples can revive their relationship and rediscover the joy of being married to their best friend. Content creator Jackie Kelley brings humility, humor, and honest personal stories about how to make a partnership fun(ctional) and awesome.
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This Is What Happens When Women Read
by Julianna Glasse
At the peak of her fame, Julianna Glasse had a successful career as a Christian pop singer and author, a high-profile marriage, and a respected place in the evangelical community. But beneath the surface, questions she could no longer ignore began to challenge everything she knew. The books she started to read opened doors she could not shut. In this deeply personal memoir, Julianna writes of her very public split from both the church and her husband and the books she read that inspired her to embrace life as an independent woman, pursue her education at the University of Oxford, and find her path to self-discovery and purpose.
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Tyrant Lizard Queen
by Riley Black
In her latest prehistoric nature walk, bestselling and award-winning author Riley Black follows the life of plucky T. rex Snaggletooth from the time she hatches through her tumultuous adulthood. The prehistoric forest Snag emerges into is full of danger, and yet, as Riley bases Snaggletooth's life on the latest scientific discoveries, the carnivorous dinosaur survives to play, court, fight, sleep, nest, and more as she grows up in Cretaceous North America. She tussles with rival tyrannosaurs, hunts for delectable prey, and finds soft moments of connection in the forest. Even the most die-hard dinosaur fan will come away with a new perspective and appreciation for the Tyrant Lizard Queen.
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Uniting the States
by Brian Kilmeade
Bestselling author and FOX & Friends cohost Brian Kilmeade takes us through the crucible of the early defining days of America with six extraordinary men who helped to define what freedom would mean for our fledgling nation: John Adams, George Washington, Captain Daniel Shays, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. When the colonists threw off British rule, they launched a great experiment in democracy. Self-government by the people, with a sworn commitment to equality and liberty for all, had never been tried. In the pages of this book, Brian Kilmeade tells us how the six heroes united the fledgling United States of America in its early decades, setting our nation on a trajectory unlike any other.
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We Thought They'd Never Leave
by Tony Shalhoub
From Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub comes a delightful, heartfelt memoir about food, family, recipes, and the stories we pass down around the table. Every summer for over five decades, more than fifty members of the Shalhoub family have gathered in Door County, Wisconsin, for a week of home-cooked meals, fiercely competitive card games, old stories, new memories, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Written with his daughter Josie Adams, Tony Shalhoub reflects on the people who shaped him. Through stories spanning four generations Tony traces the Lebanese American family traditions, meals, and rituals that continue to bring the Shalhoubs back together year after year.
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Welcome to the Afterlife
by Taryn Delanie Smith
For millions of followers, Denise, Heaven's receptionist, as imagined by Taryn Delanie Smith, has become a guide to the great beyond: welcoming new arrivals at Heaven's front desk, answering their most pressing questions, and offering reassurance with humor, grace, and a knowing wink. What is there to do in Heaven? Can our loved ones still sense us? What about our pets? Do we get to choose our eternal outfit? Denise has heard it all -- and she's ready with answers that are as thoughtful as they are disarming.
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Why We Ask Why
by Tania Lombrozo
In Why We Ask Why, renowned cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo takes readers on a journey into the depths of explanation, exploring the role that this fundamental cognitive process plays for each of us as we engage with others and the world around us. She reveals what makes some explanations more satisfying than others, why we seek simpler explanations (and whether we should), how explanations drive learning, and the role of explanations in creating meaning and igniting change. Along the way, she provides crucial tools to refine the craft of explanation -- for ourselves, for others, and to build a better world.
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The Widow Van Gogh
by Joan Martelli
Johanna Jo van Gogh-Bonger was the wife of Vincent's younger brother Theo, and when Theo died just six months after Vincent van Gogh, she found herself with a treasure trove of Vincent's drawings, letters, and four hundred paintings. Family, friends, and critics considered it largely worthless. But Jo, convinced Vincent was a misunderstood genius, had other ideas. Joan Martelli offers new insight into the questions that have long puzzled art lovers -- why Vincent cut off part of his ear, why he shot himself, and how, after selling one painting in his lifetime, he achieved such worldwide fame. Martelli details the last years of Vincent's life and the three decades following his death as Jo takes on the role of dealer, publicist, and editor, and remains true to what she saw as her duty to be Vincent's champion.
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