Nelson

As a nation, we give thanks this month, and readers can, too, since November’s new releases include several kinds of fiction (sci-fi, climate dystopia and thriller, among them) and nonfiction featuring a memoir from a nonagenarian legend, an octogenarian legend and an almost-septuagenarian legend. Happy reading!

FICTION:

Stations: A Novel
By Louise Kennedy
Riverhead Books: 288 pp., $28
(Nov. 3)

Kennedy (who penned the international bestseller “Trespasses”) is Irish and knows that country’s Roman Catholicism well, which means that her latest book’s title signals differences in class and status — but also has that whiff from the church thurible that signals the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of Sorrows. Roisin, a teen in 1982, falls hard for her friend Tina’s upper-class boyfriend, Red Camelin. She’ll undergo her own sorrows when she finds him again, in London, living in a squat.

A Glacier’s Guide to Dying: A Novel
By Michelle Porter
Algonquin Books: 272 pp., $29
(Nov. 3)

Robbie, a young Métis man, thinks the best way to find his missing father is through his Anglo uncle, Doug, who lives in Montana. When Robbie and his mother travel by bus from Alberta, Canada, they part ways for a time before he discovers raging wildfires threaten her location. Meanwhile, Doug has made a confession that haunts the men as they follow a pregnant bison onto an unstable glacier. It’s an unusual, slightly surreal, meditation on climate change.

Monsters of Ohio: A Novel
By John Scalzi
Tor Books: 272 pp., $30
(Nov. 3)

It’s a familiar scenario: A civil servant gets laid off and moves back in with family, far from Washington, D.C. Scalzi’s latest sees Mike Boyd return to Richland, Ohio, where the town’s major employer might be shutting down, and strange things are happening to mammals both two- and four-legged. As Mike teams up with a few pals, a police officer and an events organizer, a funny and remarkably optimistic story of small-town resistance unfolds.

This Impossible Life: A Novel
By Chinelo Okparanta
Mariner Books: 432 pp., $32
(Nov. 10)

Okparanta’s “Under the Udala Trees” was set during the 1960s Biafran War; her new novel takes place in 1993, as siblings Alohan and Ivie, ages 11 and 4, face a family tragedy that eventually leads to their separation. As the brother and sister forge lives, more tragedies occur. However, the author wants readers to see that displacement of many kinds, malignant or benign, can have far-reaching consequences — and sometimes those can be overcome.

27 Knots: A Novel
By Martin J. Smith
Open Road Media: 334 pp., $26
(Nov. 24)

The title refers to knots tied in a U.S. Navy Riverine force beret, each knot symbolizing what the men in those units believe is “an assassination in the name of duty.” Fifty years ago, the teenage Vance was sent to Vietnam and hunted down Viet Cong forces in the Mekong Delta. Today, he’s headed to Washington, D.C., for the funeral of a comrade — but another of his comrades might threaten his carefully constructed life. A thoughtful and riveting thriller.

NONFICTION:

Just a Shot Away: Martin Scorsese’s Life in Film
By Mark Binelli
Metropolitan Books: 544 pp., $36
(Nov. 3)

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster,” says Henry Hill in “Goodfellas,” and what better way to be a gangster than to create your own? In this hefty biography of director Martin Scorsese, long-time journalist Binelli leaves no reel unturned as he chronicles his subject’s Little Italy origins, years as a “functioning cokehead,” and rise to fame through films including “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “The Departed.”

Take My Word for It: A Memoir
By LeVar Burton
Random House: 352 pp., $32
(Nov. 10)

Burton’s multifaceted roles as Kunta Kinte in “Roots,” as Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and as the host of “Reading Rainbow” have affected his life deeply. As he explains in his lovely memoir, Kunta Kinte allowed him to understand Blackness as a cultural phenomenon, while Geordi LaForge lived in a future where Blackness was no longer an issue — and his passion for liberation led to encouraging kids to “Take a look, it’s in a book.”

China Whisperers: The Voices that Have Shaped America’s Views of Its Chief Geopolitical Rival
By Robert D. Kaplan
Scribner: 448 pp., $32
(Nov. 10)

While we watch shows like “The Diplomat” and “Black Doves” focusing on our country’s European allies, another global power deserves attention. As longtime political expert Kaplan explains, our understanding of China has been filtered through the perspectives of groups that include today’s technophiles and linguists, who help our government negotiate a land of great progress and huge differences. Perhaps we should send Jack Reacher to Beijing?

The Last Leaf: Reflections on Late-Life Creativity — and My Longest Love Affair
By Willie Nelson
Penguin Press: 208 pp., $30
(Nov. 10)

Leave it to the tireless singer-songwriter and ganja connoisseur to give his new book such a punny title (and one that also references his song “Last Leaf on the Tree”). Nelson claims he’s slowing down in his old age, but given his prolific touring and recording, plenty of young musicians want what he’s having. His focus on living in the present, his decades-long marriage to wife Annie, and memories of true friends all show Nelson’s wisdom.

Secrets: A Reporter’s Memoir
By Bob Woodward
Simon & Schuster: 592 pp., $35
(Nov. 24)

Since, along with his colleague Carl Bernstein, Woodward once held that most secret of secrets — the identity of the Watergate informant known as “Deep Throat” — it’s fitting for him to use it as the title for this engrossing memoir. He’s covered everything from the White House to the Pentagon; expect a long list of source names, some of whom, Woodward says, permitted him to do so, while others are now a matter of public record.

Patrick is a freelance critic and author of the memoir “Life B.”

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! will be back on screens from November 2026 and, as always, several huge names from the world of showbiz have been rumoured to be entering the jungle

It’s that time of year again when, in the build-up to Christmas, Ant and Dec’s reality TV juggernaut I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! dominates the nightly schedules.

From November, the Geordie duo will come live from Australia with a fresh batch of stars braving all that the outback has to offer in a bid to become the latest King or Queen of the Jungle. Over the years, the programme has bolstered the careers of TV favourites like ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison and former X Factor star Stacey Solomon.

Others to have worn the crown include Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, footballer Harry Redknapp and, last year, YouTuber Angryginge ended on top. There is almost always a soap star in the camp too, with Coronation Street legends like Beverley Callard and Sue Cleaver both having taken part.

Last year, Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, just missed out on a place in the final. As the nation prepares for the 2026 series, The Mirror takes a look at the stars who could be heading into the jungle this time around…

Wayne Rooney

Two years ago Wayne’s wife Coleen entered the jungle, which came on the back of her infamous Wagatha Christie trial against Rebekah Vardy and saw her bag what was reported to be one of the highest paycheques in the history of the show,

Now the football legend himself could be about to sign up for I’m A Celeb. It was recently claimed that bosses had been in “negotiations with him for some time,” but on a recent appearance on This Morning, he simply said fans would “have to wait and see.”

In other words: he did not deny it!

AJ Odudu

AJ is currently fronting Big Brother with Will Best but, like her co-host, currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing, she could also be about to become a contestant on one of the nation’s biggest reality shows.

A source said: “She’s had early conversations about taking part and has made it clear she can absolutely make the dates they need her to.”

Jesy Nelson

Best known as part of Little Mix, Jesy, 35, last year gave birth to their twin daughters Ocean and Story. both born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 1.

She successfully lobbied the government and joined forces with the Mirror to campaign to have all newborns tested for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) when her twin girls were diagnosed too late after irreversible nerve damage.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “Continuing to raise awareness around SMA for her girls is something Jesy is very keen to do, and she knows she can use a platform like I’m A Celebrity to reach millions.”

Ade Adepitan

Paralympian Ade, 53, could be the first star in a wheelchair to enter the jungle. A couple of months ago, it was reported that he could be about to head into the jungle, with show bosses working to ensure the camp is adapted to accommodate him.

Nadiya Bychkova

Along with Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, and Michelle Tsiakkas, Nadyia fell victim to the so-called Strictly Come Dancing bloodbath last year after serving as a professional for a number of series.

It was said at the time that TV offers had been “coming in thick and fast” for the star, and she had been “in talks” with show bosses for a turn in the I’m A Celeb jungle.

Olivia Attwood

Olivia Attwood has enjoyed quite the TV career since she shot to fame on Love Island in 2017. Over the last few years, she has become a Loose Women panellist and fronted a number of investigative documentaries for ITV2.

She first entered the jungle in 2022 but had to withdraw on medical grounds after just 24 hours. She has previously said she would be open to the idea of a return if she could fit it into her pack schedule.

Su-Elise Nash

Su-Elise could be about to become the second member of Mis-Teeq to enter the jungle, after her bandmate Sabrina Washington competed in 2009 and has apparently been in early talks with I’m A Celeb bosses, especially after the Scandalous hitmakers reunited at Capital Summertime Ball.

Ricky Wilson

Ricky Wilson is known for huge hits like Ruby and I Predict a Riot as part of the Kaiser Chiefs. The Sun previously reported that he had “always politely declined” the jungle before, but could now have changed his mind.

Ben Stokes

Legendary cricketer Ben announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year, and could just be about to head into the I’m A Celeb jungle a matter of months later. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Ben Stokes could soon be swapping cricket for crickets, if the latest odds are anything to go by.”

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