If you need a break from the news and social media after this week's midterm elections, I have a solution: the 10 new book releases listed below will transport you to health resorts in Australia, fantasy worlds where superheroes (and supervillains) reign, and whimsical forests where danger lurks in places — and people — who wouldn't expect.
Don't expect a total disengagement from modern events in this week's best new books. In Those Who Knew, one woman grapples with the fallout of an abusive relationship with a powerful senator, a man who may have played a role in the death of another young woman. In the fairy-tale-meets-horror-novel Northwood an artist escapes to a secluded forest to pursue her creative work and unexpectedly finds herself trapped in a violent affair. And in the YA fantasy Girls of Paper and Fire, a teenager plots her revenge when she is chosen to become a consort of a cruel king.
Plus, you'll be glad to know that there are new books out this week from Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Renegades author Marissa Meyer, and Fixer Upper host Joanna Gaines. Here are the 10 new books to know this week:
'Those Who Knew' by Idra Novey
A novel very much of the #MeToo movement, Those We Knew centers on one woman, Lena, and her search for answers about her fraught former relationship with a powerful senator who has a history of violence towards women, including herself. When a young woman turns up dead, Lena knows she must finally do something. But what?
'Nine Perfect Strangers' by Liane Moriarty
Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty brings her razor-sharp observations to the world of self-transformation in her newest book. Nine strangers — all with different reasons for wanting to change their lives — decide to stay for 10 days at an unconventional health retreat. But what they don't expect is that the charismatic, mysterious leader of the retreat, Masha, is using them to test some of her more controversial ideas about health and healing.
'Homebody: A Guide To Creative Spaces You Never Want To Leave' by Joanna Gaines
Joanna Gaines — maybe you've heard of her? She was the wildly successful host of Fixer Upper, alongside her husband Chip Gaines, and she's the author three books, including the most recent, Homebody. This book is a room-by-room guide to creating spaces that feel distinctly you, and it's the perfect holiday gift for your sister who's obsessed with HGTV.
'Why Religion?: A Personal Story' by Elaine Pagels
Elaine Pagels search for answers about the nature of religion took on a new urgency when, in the course of a single year, her young son and her husband both died. In this powerful book, she interweaves stories of her own personal devastation with commentary on the role of religion and how people use it to connect, to cope, and to face the challenges of their lives.
'Archenemies' by Marissa Meyer
In book two of Marissa Meyer's Renegades Trilogy, Nova lives a double-life as a full member of the Renegades, a group of beloved superheroes, and a member of the Anarchists, a group of villains determined to destroy the Renegades. As if that wasn't complicated enough, she's also developed feelings for Adrian, the son of her sworn enemies.
'How To Be Alone: If You Want To, And Even If You Don't' by Lane Moore
In the first book from the host of Tinder Live with Lane Moore, the comedian shares her personal stories about growing up, dating, and being alone in an effort to impart some lessons on surviving it all. Despite the title, this isn't a book about being alone; this is a book about finding camaraderie and comfort in unexpected places.
'Northwood: A Novella' by Maryse Meijer
This short book is perfect for fans of Carmen Marie Machado's Her Body and Other Parties. Northwood tells the tale of a young woman who flees to the forest to pursue her art. There, she falls in love with a violent, abusive married man — and struggles to find a way out.
'Girls of Paper and Fire' by Natasha Ngan
In Natasha Ngan's new fantasy novel, eight girls are selected every year as Paper Girls to serve their cruel king. But this year, a ninth girl, Lei, is selected. She's got a past with the king, and she's not content to serve as his consort. What she wants is real love... and revenge.
'The New Order' by Karen E. Bender
Karen E. Bender, the National Book Award finalist for Refund, is back with a story collection about America as it exists now — a place where mass shootings, racism, sexual harassment and assault, and financial insecurity are all too common.
'An Unexplained Death: The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere' by Mikita Brottman
Mikita Brottman began investigating a mysterious death after stumbling across a "Missing" sign with a sepia-toned photo of a man in a bow-tie and tuxedo. In An Unexplained Death, she presents what she's discovered about Rey Rivera and his supposed suicided by jumping from the roof of her apartment building.
