November 2018 Adult Top 10 Picks

← Return to Archive Sign up for our mailing list
  1. Kingdom of the Blind
    by Louise Penny Canada
    Minotaur Books
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional
    Hardback
    Kingdom of the Blind
    by Louise Penny Canada
    Minotaur Books
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional
    Hardback

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
    A December 2018 Indie Next Pick
    One of Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2018 Picks

    BookPage Best of the Year 2018
    A LibraryReads Pick for November 2018
    A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Winner

    Washington Post's 10 Books to Read This November

    One of PopSugar’s Best Fall Books to Curl Up With

    “A captivating, wintry whodunit.” —PEOPLE

    "A constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves." —Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

    Kingdom of the Blind, the new Chief Inspector Gamache novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.


    When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.

    None of them had ever met the elderly woman.

    The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?

    When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.

    But it isn’t the only menace Gamache is facing.

    The investigation into what happened six months ago—the events that led to his suspension—has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opioids he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels, have been retrieved, there is one devastating exception.

    Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner city Montreal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers.

    As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armand Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there.

    View this title on BNC CataList
  2. Lies Sleeping
    by Ben Aaronovitch
    DAW
    Nov 20, 2018
    FICTION / Fantasy / Urban
    Hardback
    Lies Sleeping
    by Ben Aaronovitch
    DAW
    Nov 20, 2018
    FICTION / Fantasy / Urban
    Hardback
    The seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.

    The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring him to justice.

    But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that the Faceless Man, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London's two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.

    To save his beloved city Peter's going to need help from his former best friend and colleague--Lesley May--who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch....
    View this title on BNC CataList
  3. The Mortal Word
    by Genevieve Cogman
    Ace
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel
    Paperback / softback
    The Mortal Word
    by Genevieve Cogman
    Ace
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel
    Paperback / softback
    In the latest novel in Genevieve Cogman's historical fantasy series, the fate of worlds lies in the balance. When a dragon is murdered at a peace conference, time-travelling Librarian spy Irene must solve the case to keep the balance between order, chaos...and the Library.

    When Irene returns to London after a relatively straightforward book theft in Germany, Bradamant informs her that there is a top secret dragon-Fae peace conference in progress that the Library is mediating, and that the second-in-command dragon has been stabbed to death. Tasked with solving the case, Vale and Irene immediately go to 1890s Paris to start their investigation.

    Once they arrive, they find evidence suggesting that the murder victim might have uncovered proof of treachery by one or more Librarians. But to ensure the peace of the conference, some Librarians are being held as hostages in the dragon and Fae courts. To save the captives, including her parents, Irene must get to the bottom of this murder--but was it a dragon, a Fae, or even a Librarian who committed the crime?
    View this title on BNC CataList
  4. Rick Mercer Final Report
    by Rick Mercer Canada
    Doubleday Canada
    Nov 06, 2018
    HUMOR / General
    Hardback
    Rick Mercer Final Report
    by Rick Mercer Canada
    Doubleday Canada
    Nov 06, 2018
    HUMOR / General
    Hardback
    Canada's pre-eminent satirical commentator brings down the curtain on his hugely successful show in this instant #1 national bestseller.

    Rick Mercer can always be relied on to provoke a strong reaction--but what he said one fall day in 2017 truly shocked the nation. In a rant posted on social media, the great Canadian satirist announced loud and clear that the current, 15th season of the Rick Mercer Report--the nation's best-watched and best-loved comedy show--would be the last. After more than 250 episodes, 250 rants and countless miles spent travelling the length and breadth of Canada to do everything from bungee jumping with Rick Hansen to whale watching with Measha Brueggergosman, it was time to move on. What he will do next is still unknown, and Canada eagerly awaits future developments. But meanwhile, we have this book to keep us going.

    This volume brings together never-before-published rants from the last five seasons of the show, plus a selection of the very best rants from earlier years. And throughout the book, in a series of brilliant new essays, Rick shares his hilarious, moving and at times hair-raising memories from the past fifteen years. Remember when he and Jann Arden travelled by helicopter to a terrifying bat cave in a mountain? No--because that trip went so horribly wrong it never made it to the screen. Pierre Berton--what was really in that joint he rolled? (It wasn't oregano.) What catastrophe took place in Norman Jewison's bathroom? And can the show still go on when your director in charge is delirious from an allergic reaction? (Yes.) All this and more is revealed by Rick in some of his sharpest and funniest writing yet.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  5. The Adults
    by Caroline Hulse
    Random House
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Family Life / General
    Hardback
    The Adults
    by Caroline Hulse
    Random House
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Family Life / General
    Hardback
    “If Love, Actually and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are your two favorite holiday movies, you’re going to love The Adults.”—Bustle

    NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE • “Sometimes a nasty family comedy is just what you need for the holidays.”—Entertainment Weekly

    Meet The Adults.

    Claire and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, Scarlett, to have a “normal” family Christmas. They can’t agree on whose idea it was to go to the Happy Forest holiday park, or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did—and it’s too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick (never Pat), a seemingly sensible, eligible from a distance Ironman in Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, who is seven, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He’s a giant rabbit. Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Forced Fun Activities, drink a little too much after Scarlett’s bedtime, overshare classified secrets about their pasts . . . and before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends where this novel begins—with a tearful, frightened call to the police.

    What happened? They said they’d all be adults about this. . . .

    Praise for The Adults

    “A delectable premise . . . Hulse skewers her characters uproariously, zeroing in on every quirk, and she humanizes them, too.”Entertainment Weekly

    “The ending is worth every page turned in this funny, redeeming wade through the rough tide of blended family.”San Francisco Chronicle

    “Caroline Hulse’s farcical debut is an ode to the big personalities and drama you find in families—unconventional and not.”Real Simple

    “This wry holiday novel will make you chuckle and remind you that nobody’s family is perfect. If you’ve ever sat through an awkward family dinner (who hasn’t?), you’ll relate so hard.”HelloGiggles

    “Brilliantly funny.”Good Housekeeping (UK)

    “Razor-sharp comedy.”—Sunday Mirror
    View this title on BNC CataList
  6. The Faerie Devouring
    by Catherine Lalonde Canada
    Book*hug Press
    Nov 01, 2018
    FICTION / Coming of Age
    Paperback / softback
    The Faerie Devouring
    by Catherine Lalonde Canada
    Book*hug Press
    Nov 01, 2018
    FICTION / Coming of Age
    Paperback / softback

    A modern-day fable and mythic bildungsroman, The Faerie Devouring tells the story of a young girl raised by her grandmother (a stalwart matriarch and wicked fairy godmother) following her mother's death during childbirth. The absent mother haunts the story of this girl whose greatest misfortune is to have been born female.

    In this critically-acclaimed coming-of-age story by Quebecois author Catherine Lalonde, and translated by Oana Avasilichioaei, questions of what it means to be born female and grow into a woman are explored. The story is rife with song, myth, phantasmagoria, spells, desire, ferocious poetic telling, wild imagination, and unruly language. Lalonde uses the form of a disenchanted and metaphorical fable to recount what it means to find a life force in one's lineage, even when one is born into "nothing."

    View this title on BNC CataList
  7. A Pocketful of Crows
    by Joanne M Harris
    Gollancz
    Oct 30, 2018
    FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
    Hardback
    A Pocketful of Crows
    by Joanne M Harris
    Gollancz
    Oct 30, 2018
    FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
    Hardback

    I am as brown as brown can be,
    And my eyes as black as sloe;
    I am as brisk as brisk can be,
    And wild as forest doe.
    (The Child Ballads, 295)

    So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crows balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl.

    Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape.

    Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

    View this title on BNC CataList
  8. Nine Perfect Strangers
    by Liane Moriarty
    Flatiron Books
    Nov 06, 2018
    FICTION / Women
    Hardback
    Nine Perfect Strangers
    by Liane Moriarty
    Flatiron Books
    Nov 06, 2018
    FICTION / Women
    Hardback

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, now a Hulu original series

    “If three characters were good in Big Little Lies, nine are even better in Nine Perfect Strangers.” —Lisa Scottoline, The New York Times Book Review

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

    Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

    Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

    Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?

    It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

    Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.

    View this title on BNC CataList
  9. An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good
    by Helene Tursten
    Soho Crime
    Nov 06, 2018
    FICTION / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery
    Hardback
    An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good
    by Helene Tursten
    Soho Crime
    Nov 06, 2018
    FICTION / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery
    Hardback
    Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.

    Ever since her darling father's untimely death when she was only eighteen, Maud has lived in the family's spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg rent-free, thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract. That was how Maud learned that good things can come from tragedy. Now in her late eighties, Maud contents herself with traveling the world and surfing the net from the comfort of her father's ancient armchair. It's a solitary existence, and she likes it that way.

    Over the course of her adventures—or misadventures—this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud's apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors. But when the local authorities are called to investigate a dead body found in Maud's apartment, will Maud finally become a suspect?
    View this title on BNC CataList
  10. All the Lives We Never Lived
    by Anuradha Roy
    Atria Books
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Literary
    Hardback
    All the Lives We Never Lived
    by Anuradha Roy
    Atria Books
    Nov 27, 2018
    FICTION / Literary
    Hardback
    “[Roy’s] mastery of detail ties an intimate domestic drama to national history, offering a portrait of one family’s troubles with desire and loss that speaks to the more universal struggles for personal and political freedom.” —Time

    From the Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Sleeping on Jupiter, The Folded Earth, and An Atlas of Impossible Longing, a poignant and sweeping novel set in India during World War II and the present-day about a son’s quest to uncover the truth about his mother.

    In my childhood, I was known as the boy whose mother had run off with an Englishman. The man was in fact German, but in small‑town India in those days, all white foreigners were largely thought of as British.

    So begins the story of Myshkin and his mother, Gayatri, a rebellious, alluring artist who abandons parenthood and marriage to follow her primal desire for freedom.

    Though freedom may be stirring in the air of India, across the world the Nazis have risen to power in Germany. At this point of crisis, a German artist from Gayatri’s past seeks her out. His arrival ignites passions she has long been forced to suppress.

    What follows is her life as pieced together by her son, a journey that takes him through India and Dutch‑held Bali. Excavating the roots of the world in which he was abandoned, he comes to understand his long‑lost mother, and the connections between strife at home and a war‑torn universe overtaken by patriotism.

    With her signature “precise and poetic” (The Independent) writing, Anuradha Roy’s All the Lives We Never Lived is a spellbinding and emotionally powerful saga about family, identity, and love.
    View this title on BNC CataList

Sign up for our mailing list!

Sign up for the latest top 10 lists and other news about Loan Stars. You can unsubscribe at any time.


Sign up!