Joy Williams, Cher, Solvej Balle, and more: 22 new books out today!

The apex of book releases winds down somewhat at this time of the year, as we make our way slowly, steadily, and then all at once, into holiday season. At this point, many publishers have already launched their Big Books, as they vie for prizes and glowing reviews, and, most importantly, to be included on every holiday gift guide under the sun. But that’s not to say there isn’t still a solid stream of books coming out that I, at least, am very excited for.

This includes a new collection of stories by Joy Williams, always an event. There’s a cultural history of the twenty-first century by W. David Marx, no small task by any means. The second installation of Cher’s memoir is released. And we also welcome the third book in the virally-popular “On the Calculation of Volume” today. Check out the full list of curated releases before, and happy November reading!

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Joy Williams, The Pelican Child: Stories
(Knopf)

“Crystalline stories that map the personal and political minefields of her unmoored characters. Williams blends everyday dramas with surreal imagery, her voice and range inspiring awe.”
–The Boston Globe

Cher, Cher: The Memoir Part Two
(Dey Street Books)

“Sparing no detail, and missing no opportunity for a laugh.”
–Oprah Daily

Solvej Balle, On the Calculation of Volume, Book III
(New Directions)

“This novel of repetition reveals the remarkable richness of each moment. Balle’s spare, attentive prose demonstrates the way careful attention can transform seemingly familiar silences into a lushly textured masterwork of sound.”
–The Believer

Tracy K. Smith, Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times
(W. W. Norton)

“A great inhale of much-needed air. Smith has once again shown us that she is both brilliant and tender as she explores the ways poems can change us. This is a must-have book.”
–Ada Limón

W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty First Century
(Viking)

“Marx offers an astute glimpse into how culture has stagnated throughout the past twenty-five years while examining how commercial and technological forces have played into that shift.”
–The Millions

Seamus Heaney, The Poems of Seamus Heaney
(FSG)

“The Poems of Seamus Heaney, collected together in one volume for the first time, is a record of nearly 60 years of excellence.”
–The Times

Ellen Huet, Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult
(MCD)

“Huet deftly pens a thrilling tale on the collision of founder worship and cult behavior. Huet brings an engrossing, inside-the-room look at the rise and fall of an exploitative machine fueled on Silicon Valley hype.”
–Eliot Brown

Martha Cooley, My Little Donkey: And Other Essays
(Catapult)

“These essays have a musical feel to them, at times improvisations, at times variations on a theme … Beauty and violence, the trivial and the profound, come together here to make us see the world anew.”
–Kirkus

Lauretta Malloy Noble and LeeAnet Noble, Black, White, Colored: The Hidden Story of an Insurrection, a Family, a Southern Town, and Identity in America
(Amistad)

“A must-read excavation of legacy, lineage, and Southern grace under pressure.”
–Erika Alexander

Ayana Gray, I, Medusa
(Random House)

“Both empowering and infuriating, it’s a strong take on the classic character.”
–Publishers Weekly

Vanessa Bryant, Mamba & Mambacita Forever
(MCD)

“A beautiful and moving testament to the enduring life of Kobe Bryant and the Mamba Mentality.”
–From the publisher

Iida Turpeinen, trans. by David Hackston, Beasts of the Sea
(Little Brown)

“Turpeinen’s masterful debut…is a moving and tragic testament to a lost species and a gimlet-eyed look at the toll human existence takes on the ecosystem.”
–Booklist

Frode Grytten, trans. by Alison McCullough, The Ferryman and His Wife
(Algonquin)

“A poignant, lyrical novel about the power of the individual to shape their world, no matter how small, no matter how insular. Its beauty lies in the fluent and moving harmony of many voices in celebrating this one life.”
–Roisin Maguire

Cynthia Erivo, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much
(Flatiron)

“In this vulnerable and enlightening book of life lessons, globally renowned performer Cynthia Erivo draws from her singular experience to show us how to embrace being ‘too much’ and to live up to the fullest iteration of ourselves.”
–From the publisher

Michelle Carr, Nightmare Obscura: A Dream Engineer’s Guide Through the Sleeping Mind
(Henry Holt)

“Carr debuts with a stimulating account of cutting-edge research into dreams … Her detailed and accessible survey of current research will keep readers glued to the page. This is a windfall for those curious about their dreams.”
–Publishers Weekly

Sergio Pitol, trans. by George Henson, Married Life
(Deep Vellum)

“Pitol effortlessly captures the pain, ecstasy, and mundanity of marriage in this entertaining tragicomedy.”
–Kirkus

Simon Winchester, The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind
(Harper)

“With his signature entertaining erudition, [Winchester] explores a subject that has quite literally powered the human world since our inception.”
–The New York Times

Dick Van Dyke, 100 Rules For Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life
(Grand Central)

“With his characteristic goofball charm, Van Dyke encourages readers to stay true to their passions and to find joy by spreading joy.”
–Booklist

Kristin Collier, What Debt Demands: Family, Betrayal, and Precarity in a Broken System
(Grand Central)

“As gorgeously lyrical as it is deeply researched, this book is a gift to America: it should be required reading for everyone here.”
–Erica Berry

Sue Roe, Hidden Portraits: Six Women Who Shaped Picasso’s Life
(W. W. Norton)

“Insightful and original.”
–Lisa Hilton

John Edgar Wideman, Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives 1975–2025
(Scribner)

“Incisive and enthralling, the collection puts Wideman’s keen critical eye and cultural awareness on full display. The result is an essential chronicle of the American experience.”
–Publishers Weekly

Devon Walker-Figueroa, Lazarus Species
(Milkweed)

“This book roller-coasters us in a life-and-death-defying spiral between fossil and future, extinction and resurrection, heaven and hell. The poems are the suture, or we are.”
–Diane Seuss