Fresh On Our Shelves
It's curl-up-and-coze-with-a-great-book season! This month’s new fiction picks remind us that every story is its own kind of escape. And for our Reading Challenge friends, November's theme is to choose a book for its cover—do any of these catch your eye?
New Arrivals
Craving a laugh, a thrill, or a quiet moment of connection? These fresh reads deliver something special. Find your next favourite on our shelves—or eBook app—and let the story take you away.
Clementine Crane Prefers Not To
Clementine’s life is one endless to-do list—keeping her family running, smoothing over chaos, and holding it all together. But when a sudden hot flash sparks more than a physical reaction, she finally decides she’s done putting herself last. Her small acts of rebellion snowball into something big when her raw and funny rants go viral, inspiring women everywhere to push back against burnout. A sharp, heartfelt story about reclaiming your time and your voice.
Genre: Contemporary fiction / Women’s fiction
Borrow Clementine Crane Prefers Not To by Kristin Bair
Red Star Falling
A high-stakes rescue mission becomes a race through Cold War secrets when an intelligence officer discovers his friend may still be alive inside a Russian prison. What begins as a personal mission soon unravels into a centuries-old mystery involving Ivan the Terrible’s lost library—and a satellite program that could reignite global conflict. Twists, danger, and coded clues abound in this fast-paced international thriller from New York Times bestselling authors Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood.
Genre: Thriller / Adventure
Borrow Red Star Falling by Steve Berry
Midnight Timetable
A night-shift worker at a mysterious research institute discovers that every object—and every room—has a story to tell. Haunted handkerchiefs, cursed sneakers, and even a ghostly cat blur the line between the living and the dead. A novel-in-ghost-stories, each eerie tale reveals dark truths about human cruelty and exploitation, weaving a chilling portrait of modern life’s hidden horrors. Haunting, thought-provoking, and darkly funny.
Genre: Literary horror / Speculative fiction
Borrow Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora Chung
Boom Town
When a dancer vanishes from Atlanta’s hottest club, her friend and fellow performer refuses to accept the silence that follows. As she digs for answers, she uncovers a dangerous world where power and privilege collide—and where women like her are too easily forgotten. Gritty, suspenseful, and fiercely told, this thriller dives deep into the underbelly of a city that never sleeps.
Genre: Crime thriller
Borrow Boom Town by Nic Stone
The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee
After being dumped in spectacular fashion, a heartbroken woman finds unexpected comfort in cooking—and in the company of strangers who understand loss. What begins as one spontaneous meal shared with a café manager and a kind monk turns into a healing community of “recipe funerals,” where each dish carries a memory of love lost and lessons learned. Warm, funny, and tender, this story proves that food really can mend a broken heart.
Genre: Contemporary fiction / Feel-good fiction
Borrow The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro
Under the Full and Crescent Moon
In a medieval Muslim city ruled by wise women during the Islamic Golden Age, a shy young scholar becomes her father’s scribe and discovers a world of learning, friendship, and courage. But when zealots threaten to dismantle her community’s peace, she must wield her pen as a weapon for justice. Lyrical and inspiring, this tale celebrates the power of knowledge, faith, and women’s voices in a time of rising darkness.
Genre: Alternate Historical fiction
Borrow Under the Full and Crescent Moon by Aamir Hussain
Menu of Happiness
At a quiet little diner in Kyoto, a father and daughter serve up more than good food—they offer second chances. Their specialty? Recreating dishes tied to lost loves and forgotten memories. With each meal, their patrons rediscover hope, healing, and the bittersweet taste of nostalgia. A third helping of the Kamogawa Diner series. Gentle, moving, and utterly heartwarming.
Genre: Cozy fiction / Magical realism
Borrow Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai
Beaver Hills Forever
Four unforgettable voices—each bold, flawed, and full of life—take turns telling the story of what it means to be Métis on the contemporary prairies. From the university halls to the oil fields, from dreams to delusions, their stories intertwine with humour and heartbreak. Told in a poetic, rhythmic chorus, this novella is both a critique and a celebration of survival, identity, and connection. Conor Kerr's 2024 novel Prairie Edge was the finalist for both the Giller Prize and the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust of Canada Fiction Prize.
Genre: Literary fiction / Contemporary Indigenous fiction
Borrow Beaver Hills Forever: A Métis Poetic Novella by Conor Kerr
The Keeper of Magical Things
A young apprentice mage with unreliable powers teams up with her prickly mentor to transport a warehouse full of quirky magical artifacts. Their mission should be simple—but between enchanted teapots, mischievous creatures, and a sleepy little town with big secrets, nothing goes as planned. As the two women form unlikely friendships, they begin to see that magic isn’t meant to be hoarded—it’s meant to be shared. A charming, cozy fantasy full of heart by the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes.
Genre: Fantasy / Cozy fantasy
Borrow The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
A Guardian and a Thief
In a near-future Kolkata, ravaged by climate change and sinking under floodwaters, a family prepares to flee for a better life abroad—until a single act of desperation changes everything. A stolen purse sets off a chain reaction connecting the lives of the desperate and the hopeful, the guilty and the innocent. Both sweeping and intimate, this powerful novel explores how survival, morality, and love collide in a world on the brink. Majumdar’s electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller A Burning, which was longlisted for the National Book Award
Genre: Literary fiction / Dystopian fiction
Borrow A Guardian and a Thief : A Novel by Megha Majumdar
Starry Starry Night
Through the eyes of a curious girl growing up in 1960s Trinidad, the world feels both full of wonder and quietly dangerous. As her family climbs the social ladder, she learns to read between the lines of adult secrets, shifting politics, and unspoken rules. Poetic and emotionally charged, this coming-of-age story captures the beauty and ache of childhood in a rapidly changing world.
Genre: Literary fiction / Coming-of-age
Borrow Starry Starry Night by Shani Mootoo
We Are All of Us Left Behind
An orphaned young man sets off from the Canadian prairies to Serbia in search of family, belonging, and the truth about where he comes from. Along the way, he discovers that love and identity aren’t defined by bloodlines but by the people who choose you. Both tender and raw, this cross-continent journey explores the lies we tell to survive—and the courage it takes to start anew.
Genre: Contemporary fiction / LGBTQ+ fiction
Borrow We Are All of Us Left Behind by Bradley Somer
Happy reading!
