But don’t worry, no one is suggesting that you get out your paint by numbers set just yet. Instead, we recommend a humble book. While reading is often regarded as a luxury, in the colder months, there’s ample time to dig into an engrossing story or two. So, regardless of the fact that you might not have a roaring fireplace or a triple layer hot chocolate to hand, now is the perfect time to find yourself a new page-turner.
Last month, team R29 explored a range of titles, including a queer love story based on 12th-century nuns and a 600-year history of quarantine. This month, however, the team are diving into a new selection of reads detailing everything from intergalactic warfare to gender inequality.
Click through the slideshow ahead to discover everything we’re reading this November…
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn a commission.
Book: The Cabinet by Un-Su Kim, translated by Sean Lin Halbert
Why is it your November read? Squid Game might be grabbing all the headlines right now but here’s another South Korean gem that you may not have heard of but promises just as much anticapitalist food for thought. Mr Kong is stuck in a dead-end job; a paper pusher without many papers to push. One day, when the boredom becomes too much to bear, he breaks into the mysterious Cabinet 13 and discovers the ‘symptomers’ – humans with strange abilities and fantastical stories. There’s the woman whose doppelganger broke up with her boyfriend, the man who wants to turn into a cat and fulfil his unrequited love, people who survive on newspapers, people with trees growing out of their fingers, descendants of aliens… Think of it like X-Men, only much, much weirder.
Sean Lin Halbert, UN-SU KIM The Cabinet, $, available at Blackwell’s Books
Book: Free by Lea Ypi
Why is it your November read? Free is an engrossing and fascinating coming-of-age memoir about growing up in Albania as the last-Stalinist outpost in the Balkans. From the outside looking in, Albania was impossible to visit and impossible to leave, and defined by queuing, scarcity and the dominance of the Party. But for Lea as a child, it was home. Through her eyes we see how her life was shaped by socialism and her perspective on the world shattered by the revolutions in 1989 and the introduction of multi-party rule. The result is a moving story of life in political upheaval and how the shift from socialism to capitalism shapes and reshapes your idea of what ‘freedom’ really means.
Lea Ypi Free: Coming of Age at the End of History, $, available at Amazon
Book: My Body Keeps Your Secrets by Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Why is it your November read? I loved Lucia’s last book, I Chose Elena. I am loving her new work just as much. Lucia is a unique writer who merges memoir with academic writing and original reportage to share the stories of others. This book is about trauma and how it impacts us. The secrets our bodies keep are explored from gender identity to menstruation; sexual pleasure to its darker foil abuse. Lucia draws on more than 100 interviews with women and non-binary people to explore how we are defined by and constantly fighting for our bodies. In doing so, she shines a light on gender inequality and how it shapes the way we treat the bodies of those assigned female at birth.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley My Body Keeps Your Secrets, $, available at Waterstones
Book: Artists on Art: How They See, Think & Create by Holly Black
Why is it your November read? This November, London-based visual culture journalist Holly Black presents her very first book, ‘Artists on Art’, where she goes head to head with 50 great artists, including Tracey Emin, Sin Wai Kin and Mona Hatoum. Ever wondered about what these artists get inspired by? Or how the masters have developed their distinctive styles? You’re in safe hands with Holly who guides you through each of their practices in a meaningful, and elegant way. (It has some pretty pictures, too).
Holly Black Artists on Art: How They See, Think & Create, $, available at Waterstones
Book Title: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Why is it your November read? While I enjoy otherworldly books, I’ve always been wary of jumping into space-filled sci-fi. Perhaps it’s because the genre has always felt pretty male-centric, which is why this new novel by Ryka Aoki has me so intrigued. Described as a fantastical mash-up, the story follows three female characters as they navigate a series of larger than life challenges. Following Shizuka Satomi as she navigates a deal with the devil, she soon finds herself coaxing young musical prodigies to sell their souls for fame. It’s through this pursuit to escape damnation that she meets Kartina, a wildly talented transgender girl who has run away from home. However, just when she thinks she has found the key to her own survival, she meets Lan Tran, an intergalactic refugee who makes her reconsider what the price of a soul really means.
Ryka Aoki Light From Uncommon Stars, $, available at Amazon
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