Are you ever disappointed when an author’s sophomore novel doesn’t live up to the promise of their debut? Well, you don’t need to fret when it comes to these eleven authors! If you’ve already read and liked one of their works, we guarantee you’ll love their next one. All of them are constantly creating great works of literature, but their prolific writing pace never takes away from the greatness of each work they produce. And if you haven’t cracked the spine of a book by one of these authors before, dive in now and enter a whole oeuvre of terrific reads.
11 Authors We Can Always Count On
November 9
BookTok sensation Colleen Hoover always delivers an irresistible romance premise paired with characters so alive you’ll feel like you know them. In NOVEMBER 9, Ben and Fallon meet on the eve of Fallon’s move across the country. Their instant attraction leads them to spend her last day in Los Angeles together on an adventure that inspires novelist Ben’s writing. As time goes by, the two continue to meet on the same day every year and Fallon continues to be Ben’s muse, until Fallon begins to wonder if what she knows about Ben is truth or a fantasy.
November 9
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The Last Chairlift
THE LAST CHAIRLIFT, prolific novelist John Irving’s first novel in seven years, follows slalom skier Rachel Brewster during a fateful trip to a skiing championship in Aspen in 1941. While Rachel does not come home carrying a trophy, she does come home carrying a baby. Years later, her son, Adam, goes back to Hotel Jerome where he was conceived, looking for answers. Instead, he finds ghosts, all with their own stories to tell. Like Irving’s beloved previous novels, his latest has well-developed characters and that epic quality that boasts a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.
The Last Chairlift
John Irving, one of the world’s greatest novelists, returns with his first novel in seven years—a ghost story, a love story, and a lifetime of sexual politics.
In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor.
Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; in The Last Chairlift, they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees.
John Irving has written some of the most acclaimed books of our time—among them, The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules. A visionary voice on the subject of sexual tolerance, Irving is a bard of alternative families. In The Last Chairlift, readers will once more be in his thrall.
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Harlem Shuffle
To his customers, Ray Carney is the respectable salesman of reasonably priced furniture in Harlem, providing for his pregnant wife and child. But Ray comes from a long line of crooks and dapples in the sale of goods stolen by his cousin Freddie. When Freddie tries to use Ray’s services as part of a heist-gone-wrong, Ray finds himself with a whole new set of clientele: crooked cops, lowlifes, and gangsters. Just as Ray navigates a double life, two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author Colson Whitehead balances a family saga and a crime story in this hilarious and powerful novel.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
In fifteenth-century Constantinople, Anna reads the story of Aethon to her sister while the great siege of Constantinople is under way. In a present-day Idaho library, elderly Zeno tries to direct five children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story like teenaged Seymour plants a bomb amongst the stacks. And in the future, on an intersteller ship, Konstance copies Aethon’s story, which her father told her, onto scraps. CLOUD CUCKOO LAND is a glorious and redemptive novel that is wide in scope and passion, a passion Doerr brings into all of his interviews and novels.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
On the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks * A New York Times Notable Book * A Barack Obama Favorite * A National Book Award Finalist * Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more
“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” —The Washington Post
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See, comes the instant New York Times bestseller that is a “wildly inventive, a humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences” (The New York Times Book Review).
Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.
In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.
In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege.
And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father.
Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.
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The Night Watchman
Each one of Louise Erdrich’s 28 books feels lyrical and cared for, including THE NIGHT WATCHMAN, which won her the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Thomas is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant on a reservation in North Dakota. In 1953, he and other members of the Chippewa Council work through the consequences of the new “emancipation” bill that seeks to abandon treaties made with Native Americans in the past. Meanwhile, Patrice, local valedictorian and a worker in the plant, embarks on an ill-fated journey to find her missing sister in Minnesota.
A Tidy Ending
If you love a fun, quirky plot, Joanna Cannon’s your author! In the darkly twisty and funny A TIDY ENDING, Linda has finally settled into a quiet life in Wales after surviving a traumatic childhood. But life with her normal, boring husband isn’t quite the salvation she hoped for, especially not after young women in the area start disappearing. It’s certainly nothing like the exciting lifestyles she sees in the magazines that get delivered to her house for a previous resident, Rebecca Finch. Maybe if Linda could track down Rebecca, she can get the life she really wants . . .
A Tidy Ending
From the bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things About Elsie, a delightfully sinister novel about a married woman living a nice, quiet suburban life—but things aren’t always what they seem…
Linda has lived in a quiet neighborhood since fleeing the dark events of her childhood in Wales. Now she sits in her kitchen, wondering if this is all there is: pushing the vacuum around and cooking fish sticks for dinner, a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy magazines coming through the mail slot addressed to the previous occupant, Rebecca.
Linda’s husband Terry isn’t perfect—he picks his teeth, tracks dirt through the house, and spends most of his time in front of the TV. But that seems fairly standard—until he starts keeping odd hours at work, at around the same time young women in the town start to go missing.
If only Linda could track down and befriend Rebecca, maybe some of that enviable lifestyle would rub off on her and she wouldn’t have to worry about what Terry is up to. But the grass isn’t always greener and you can’t change who you really are. And some secrets can’t stay buried forever…
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You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Artist Feyi is just beginning to think that she might be ready for love again after the death of her partner five years ago. During one whirlwind summer, Feyi finds herself on a dream vacation to a tropical island and with connections to a curator who could change her art career forever. But while she’s started dating the seemingly perfect guy, she can’t stop thinking about the one person she shouldn’t want: his father. Akwaeke Emezi is constantly switching up genres, but they never fail to produce beautiful writing and add their own twist to all their projects.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
A New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and “one of our greatest living writers” (Shondaland) reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.
Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.
It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio, and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.
She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the dangerous thrill Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits. This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?
Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.
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Please Join Us
Nicole’s law career is disintegrating, so when she receives an invitation to join an exclusive women’s networking group, she jumps at the opportunity. After meeting the women, client referrals start rolling in. But when Nicole is asked to do a sinister favor in return for another member, she realizes just how hard it will be to escape the organization she thought was her salvation. Just by reading the stellar Goodreads reviews, you can tell Catherine McKenzie deserves to be on this list: she’s earned the trust of her fans for good reason.
Please Join Us
A “propulsive thriller about secret organizations, hidden agendas, and the lengths one woman will go to reclaim her life” (Laura Dave, author of Reese’s Book Club Pick The Last Thing He Told Me) from USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine McKenzie.
At thirty-nine, Nicole Mueller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband, Dan, are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous, but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So, despite Dan’s concerns that the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.
Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.
Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career, and a great new apartment too. The favors she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life?
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Ordinary Grace
William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series has gone on for years, and if you’ve read every one, you feel like you’re part of the family. Finished with the O’Connor series? Krueger’s other works of fiction are still something you can count on to tug at your heart. In ORDINARY GRACE, for example, it is 1961 in a small, Minnesota town. During one typical summer, thirteen-year-old Frank Drum’s world is shattered when tragedy strikes his family. Suddenly, Frank is thrown into a world of secrets and betrayals and must grow up faster than expected.
Ordinary Grace
When tragedy unexpectedly comes to call on his family, thirteen-year-old Frank Drum finds himself thrust into a world of secrets, adultery, and betrayal. Set in 1961, Ordinary Grace is the story of what a shocking murder does to a boy standing at the door of adulthood and the fabric of a small Minnesota town.
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Game On
In this twenty-eighth installment of a fan-favorite series, agent Stephanie Plum knows her unmatched understanding of human nature will help her outwit a cruel and brilliant computer hacker named Oswald Wednesday. But when she starts working on the case, she learns that a fellow estranged apprehension agent, the ill-tempered and enormous Diesel, is also on Wednesday’s tail. Uncertain if Diesel is a partner or competition, Stephanie still sets her trap for Wednesday. With a witty character and trademark series, you can always count on Stephanie Plum for a good laugh.
Game On
Stephanie Plum returns to hunt down a new kind of criminal operating out of Trenton in the 28th book in the wildly popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.
When Stephanie Plum is woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of footsteps in her apartment, she wishes she didn’t keep her gun in the cookie jar in her kitchen. And when she finds out the intruder is fellow apprehension agent Diesel, six feet of hard muscle and bad attitude who she hasn’t seen in more than two years, she still thinks the gun might come in handy.
Turns out Diesel and Stephanie are on the trail of the same fugitive: Oswald Wednesday, an international computer hacker as brilliant as he is ruthless. Stephanie may not be the most technologically savvy sleuth, but she more than makes up for that with her dogged determination, her understanding of human nature, and her willingness to do just about anything to bring a fugitive to justice. Unsure if Diesel is her partner or her competition in this case, she’ll need to watch her back every step of the way as she sets the stage to draw Wednesday out from behind his computer and into the real world.
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Fairy Tale
Last but not least, we have the master storyteller himself! You can always count on Stephen King for a good book—or a good adaptation. In this spellbinding adventure, to get space from his alcoholic father, teenager Charlie begins doing odd jobs for his reclusive neighbor Howard, whose dog has stolen Charlie’s heart. But when Howard dies suddenly and leaves Charlie a message about the locked shed in his backyard, Charlie uncovers a truth that Howard has kept secret for years: a portal to a parallel world where everyone’s fate will be decided once and for all.
Fairy Tale
Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for that world or ours.
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.
Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
King’s storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy—and his dog—must lead the battle.
Early in the Pandemic, King asked himself: “What could you write that would make you happy?”
“As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city—deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street. I saw smashed statues (of what I didn’t know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell.”
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