November has arrived, bringing with it the crisp bite of early winter and a range of new books for you to curl up with. Some classic YA favourites have or are about to enter the market again, as are novels that will keep your little ones entertained. Grown-ups can take their pick from thrillers and romances alike. Here are some t2 recommendations for November:

1. THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

While the original Japanese was published in April last year, Philip Gabriel’s English translation of Murakami’s latest novel — six years after his last, Killing Commendatore — is due to hit stands on November 19. In true Murakami fashion, the plot comes with his signature genres of magic realism and exploration of the human consciousness.

When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously disappears, he sets off to unearth the mysterious imaginary city where her ‘true’ self resides. His search leads him to a job in a secluded library, a place filled with mysteries of its own. At last, when he reaches the city — a walled, shadowless realm inhabited by horned beasts and willow trees — he finds his girlfriend working in a strange library of dreams, but she has no memory of their shared life in the world they have both left behind. As the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, the young man must decide what he’s willing to lose for love, even if it means losing pieces of himself along the way.

A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for the strange times we live in. It is a meditation on memory, identity, and the boundaries between worlds — readers are invited to question what is real, what is imagined, and what we humans are willing to risk to uncover the truth.

2. SONNY BOY: A MEMOIR BY AL PACINO

For those interested in cinema and non-fiction, this is a memoir you wouldn’t want to miss. Praise has been pouring in for Pacino’s book since it was published last month, with everything and everyone from The New York Times and Guardian to Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola commending it.

While Pacino’s career on the silver screen is the stuff of legends, the memoir also provides insight into the personal struggles and triumphs that shaped him as an artist and a person.

Released in October, the book explores Pacino’s journey from his challenging childhood in the South Bronx to his rise as a cinematic icon. It covers his struggles with poverty, his early passion for acting, and the powerful impact of a challenging family dynamic. Pacino also writes of his struggle with alcoholism, which eventually nearly derailed his career at the movies. However, he eventually overcame these challenges, and credits mentors, theatre training, and a deep dedication to his craft as key factors in helping him thrive in an industry as demanding as Hollywood.

For fans of Pacino and cinema enthusiasts alike, Sonny Boy sheds light on both the creative and emotional foundations that shaped his legendary career, making it not only an autobiography but a rich chronicle of American film history.​

3. SUNDERWORLD, VOL. I: THE EXTRAORDINARY DISAPPOINTMENTS OF LEOPOLD BERRY BY RANSOM RIGGS

The much-anticipated new fantasy series from Ransom Riggs, his first since introducing the global phenomenon Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series — which was also turned into a very successful film starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, and Judi Dench — is sure to get your young adults reading again. Riggs, a long-time favourite in the YA genre, weaves the familiar with the peculiar in this tale of loss, triumph, friendship, and magic, reminding readers everywhere that true heroes are made, not born — and that when you’re never the chosen one, sometimes you have to choose yourself.

The story follows 17-year-old Leopold Berry, who, after the death of his mother, begins experiencing what he thinks are hallucinations of a fictional magical world, inspired by a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show he watches called Max’s Adventures in Sunderworld. These visions, however, turn out to be glimpses of a real magical dimension that urgently needs a powerful hero to save it from looming threats.

The novel, aimed at young adult readers, features Riggs’s signature worldbuilding and vivid characters, and sets up an engaging fantasy world filled with unique challenges and diverse characters. Noted for its blend of humour, suspense, and emotional depth, the book is a promising start to this new series for fans of Riggs and young adult fantasy in general.

4. FRAMED BY JOHN GRISHAM AND JIM MCCLOSKEY

Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels. In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, he teams up with McCloskey to share 10 harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions that took theUS by storm.

These 10 true accounts reveal the heartbreaking experiences of innocent Americans wrongfully convicted, who endured the loss of friends, family, and years of freedom while the actual perpetrators in each case remained at large.

In each story, Grisham and McCloskey vividly narrate the intense, uphill battles for justice and exoneration. Delving into the underlying causes of wrongful convictions, this book scrutinises the systemic issues that allow these injustices to persist — such as racial bias, legal misconduct, unreliable witness testimonies, and deep-seated corruption within the judicial system — all of which make the path to justice incredibly challenging.

With narratives of innocent individuals trapped by flawed verdicts, the book is bound to grab readers’ attention, urging them to confront the profound flaws in the justice system.

5. COUNTING MIRACLES BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

Sparks is known for his heartrending tear-jerkers, many of which have achieved cult status in contemporary times. His latest is an equally sweet, intriguing story, marked by romance and mystery, and centred around characters facing personal challenges and life-changing discoveries.

Tanner Hughes, an army ranger and constant traveller, has avoided settling down until his grandmother’s last words urge him to “find where you belong” and also reveal the identity of the father he’s never met. With his next posting coming up soon, Tanner heads to Asheboro, North Carolina, to search for answers. Soon after arriving, he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mother with her own story, sparking an unexpected connection between them. Meanwhile, 83-year-old Jasper lives a quiet, solitary life haunted by past tragedy, obsessively protecting a legendary white deer rumoured to roam the nearby forest. As all their paths intersect, none anticipate the transformative events awaiting them — but perhaps a miracle is closer than any of them realise.

6. THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE BY MATT HAIG

Haig’s The Midnight Library reached #1 on The New York Times bestseller list, and the author is back with another rocking read.

When retired maths teacher Grace Winters unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated house on a Mediterranean island from a long-lost friend, her curiosity leads her to Ibiza with nothing but a one-way ticket, no guidebook, and no set plan. As she explores the island’s rugged hills and sunlit beaches, Grace begins to uncover startling truths about her friend’s life and how it came to an end. To fully embrace this revelation, Grace must first, however, confront her own past.

Filled with adventure, discovery, and the promise of new beginnings, this is a story about the transformative power of hope and change. Narrated through a series of emails that Grace writes to a former student, the story unravels like a personal memoir mixed with Haig’s signature touches of magic realism. Themes of self-forgiveness, rediscovery, and hope are prevalent as Grace navigates Ibiza’s beauty and its surreal elements, uncovering secrets that challenge her rational, maths-focused mindset. Haig crafts a character who wrestles with grief and healing, making Grace’s journey both grounded and surprisingly profound.