Nov 25

Nov 25 Books Publishing This Week

The evening in late November arrives early, as if the day itself has grown tired. The light fades quickly now, giving way to dusk that slips into darkness before you’ve had the chance to notice. Outside, the wind whispers against the windows, carrying the faint scent of woodsmoke and the rustle of dry leaves skittering across the pavement. It’s the kind of night that asks for quiet, for warmth, for something slow and comforting—and you know exactly what to do.

You move through your evening routine gently, almost ritualistically. The lights are dim, just a lamp or two casting pools of amber across the room. You light a candle, maybe one that smells faintly of cedar or cinnamon, and its flickering glow softens the space around you. A blanket waits on the couch, and you pull it around your shoulders as you settle in. On the table beside you is a mug of something warm—tea, perhaps, or cocoa rich with steam—and a new book.

You’ve been saving it for a night like this. Its cover gleams faintly in the candlelight, the pages still stiff, the spine uncreased. You pick it up, feeling the weight of it in your hands, the quiet promise of a world waiting inside. Outside, the wind deepens, rattling the last of the leaves, but the sound feels comforting from where you sit—safe, wrapped in warmth, about to disappear into a story.

The first page greets you gently. The rhythm of the sentences draws you in, slow and deliberate, like the unspooling of a melody. The words seem to glow in the soft light, each one catching and holding your attention. You take a sip of your drink, feeling the heat spread through you, grounding you in this moment.

Around you, the house is still. The only sounds are the faint crackle of the candle and the occasional creak of the floorboards as the night settles in. You turn another page. The characters begin to take shape; the story begins to bloom. You feel that familiar, intoxicating pull—the moment when you forget where you are because you’ve stepped entirely into someplace else.

You pause for a moment to look up. The windowpane reflects the candlelight, and beyond it, you can see the outline of bare trees against a dark sky. The season feels close now—winter pressing at the edges, the air full of expectation. You pull the blanket tighter, the fabric soft beneath your fingers, and glance back at your book. The story waits patiently, the next chapter ready to meet you.

You read on. Time softens, stretches, disappears. The candle burns lower, the mug beside you cools, but you barely notice. The story holds you completely. You turn each page with quiet reverence, aware of the comfort this brings—the simple, ageless joy of being lost in words while the world outside grows colder.

When you finally close the book for the night, your eyes linger on the cover, your thumb resting on the edge of the pages. You mark your place carefully, knowing you’ll return to it soon. The candle flickers once more before settling, its flame small but steady.

You lean back, watching the light dance across the walls, and smile to yourself. It’s late now, and the wind has quieted. The season is turning, the year nearing its close. But here, in this small circle of warmth and story, everything feels right. You’ve begun something new—on the last cool nights of November, wrapped in quiet, with only the turning of pages to mark the passing of time.

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Books Publishing November 23 - 29

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

Author Interview with Mimi Matthews

The Academy always comes first . . . which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincy starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them . . .

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy by Don Marshall

Explore the extraordinary life of J.R.R. Tolkien, the legendary creator of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, in this captivating literary biography that celebrates the father of modern fantasy and his profound influence on fantasy literature and mythological storytelling.

This captivating volume goes beyond the epic tales of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to explore J.R.R. Tolkien’s incredible life and the experiences that shaped his legendary works. From his early days as a linguist to his passion for mythology and languages, this book provides fascinating insights into Tolkien’s extraordinary mind.

This beautifully curated book is both an inspiring biography and a celebration of literary brilliance. Whether you’re a longtime admirer of Tolkien or just beginning your literary adventure, Pocket Portraits: J.R.R. Tolkien will leave you fascinated, inspired, and longing for more.

Hemlock Lane by Marshall Fine

In this riveting story of family bonds and buried truths, a young woman’s homecoming becomes a reckoning as four days together threaten to shatter the comfortable lies that have held her family together.

In the summer of 1967, the Levitsky family convenes for a long weekend at their home in the suburbs—an idyllic holiday for the perfect family.

But Nora has always known better.

Growing up, she learned to tiptoe around her mother Lillian’s explosive temper. Her father did the same. Nora’s sole confidante was their housekeeper, Clara, and their bond has only strengthened through the years. In fact, it’s all that’s keeping Nora together for her homecoming. But under that lifetime of pressure, the façade is beginning to splinter.

Over the next four days, everyone’s secrets are at risk. None more so than what Nora really wants for her life, how Clara has helped her get it . . . and how they’ve orchestrated it all behind Lillian’s back.

As the family grapples with the complex ties that bind them, Nora discovers that facing the truth—however painful—might be the key to finally breaking free. This weekend, Nora’s bravest act may be in knowing which bonds to cherish and which ones need to be gently set aside, making room for a future of her own choosing.

NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber by Marshall Karp

It's 11:59.

And the city that never sleeps is afraid to get out of bed.

A bomb explodes in a crowded New York subway station at exactly 11:59 a.m. The next day, a second blast rips through a busy department store--again at 11:59.

As the bombs go off with clockwork precision, the death toll climbs and businesses shut their doors as the city hunkers down in fear.

NYPD Red Detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan face their most twisted case ever, as they race against the clock in search of one man who has vowed "to destroy New York City the way it destroyed my family."

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel

For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women—a witch and an immortal demon—who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.

1592. Cybil Harding is a First Daughter. Cursed to bring disaster to those around her, she is trapped in a house with a mother paralyzed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature of shadow. Forged by the dark arts many years ago, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone—killing mortals and consuming their souls for sustenance. Everything changes when she meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. She offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. Cybil isn’t inclined to play by the rules, but when it becomes clear that Miriam holds the key to breaking her family curse, Cybil finds that—for the first time in her many lives—she might have the upper hand. As they circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win—but perhaps they can’t survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel has written an unexpected love story that feels both epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love.

Call Me Anytime by Max Monroe

Down and almost out in Nashville, Hannah May takes a job at what she thinks is a telemarketing company. To her shock, it’s a phone sex hotline. Unfortunately, the only role-playing Hannah can do with conviction is as a cash-strapped twenty-five-year-old virgin caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s. If only her callers were into that fantasy. Instead, one of them is looking for a killer.

Detective Dominic Dunn is investigating the murder of another hotline operator when Hannah’s endearing awkwardness, quirky charm, and fierce devotion to her mother crack his professional facade. Despite the circumstances, their connection is instant and electric. For the first time in years, Hannah finds herself living instead of just surviving—even if that means playing amateur sleuth between awkward attempts at phone seduction. But as their relationship deepens and the investigation intensifies, Dominic’s protective instincts go into overdrive. With every call Hannah takes, she gets closer to both love and danger. Because somewhere in Nashville, on the other end of her line, a killer is waiting.

Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu

The stunning sequel to the instant international bestseller Heavenly Bodies.
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Never make a bargain with a god.

Elara is out for revenge. Her love, Prince Enzo, is trapped between the realms of life and death, and her enemy has vanished, leaving Elara with a life she never wanted and new powers she cannot control.

Now a disgraced queen on the run, Elara must find a way to wake Enzo while also seeking the lost Titans, a league of gods who ruled the world long before the Stars.

But there is a darker power at play, one that even Ariete, King of the Stars, is afraid of. With enemies at every turn, Elara must tread carefully if she has any hope of saving her soulmate and fulfilling her promise to make every Star fall.

Murder Among the Stacks by Rosie A. Point

A cozy mystery story combined with themed word search puzzles creates an interactive and charming whodunit experience in this fun new format that invites you to solve the case as you uncover clues.

Abby Jones has it all figured out: moving to Cranberry Creek will give her the fresh start she needs. From opening her brand-new bookstore on Main Street to learning to love her busybody landlady, Myrna, to spending her time on her favorite cozy hobby (word searches!), Abby has her hands full. But when a famous author is mysteriously murdered at her bookstore’s opening event, her new future is at stake. It’s up to Abby, with the help of some new friends, to solve the case.

Collaborating with the Enemy, Second Edition by Adam Kahane

This bestselling conflict resolution book has helped thousands of people effectively collaborate across deep divides. Now it’s been updated with 50 percent new material for an increasingly polarized world.

“Adam Kahane worked with us on the future of our country. The four scenarios we built have come to life one after another, and today we are living the best one….Kahane explains how scenario planning can transform the future. In Colombia we can attest that such transformation is really possible.” —Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize recipient

In today’s fractured world, collaboration is increasingly difficult yet more crucial than ever. Often, to get something done that really matters, we need to work with people we don’t agree with, like, or trust. Drawing from thirty-plus years of experience working with leaders in over fifty countries, Adam Kahane shows why conventional collaboration—requiring harmony and agreement—is obsolete. Instead, he provides a groundbreaking approach that embraces discord, experimentation, and genuine cocreation.

Kahane introduces three key stretches to navigate difficult collaborations:

Stretch to embrace conflict and connection
Stretch to experiment and learn
Stretch to step into the game

This substantially revised second edition adds multiple new chapters exploring how to work across deepening divides and with those we may never agree with. Using new case studies, a discussion guide, and frameworks for navigating permanent plurality in our polarized times, Kahane offers essential tools for transforming conflict into positive change.

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