{
  "id": 15718856,
  "title": "Meghan O’Rourke, Zaina Arafat, Philippa Gregory, and more: 20 new books out today!",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/meghan-orourke-zaina-arafat-philippa-gregory-and-more-20-new-books",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-20T08:12:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Literary Hub",
    "slug": "literary-hub",
    "url": "https://lithub.com/meghan-orourke-zaina-arafat-philippa-gregory-and-more-20-new-books-out-today/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After a major influx of highly anticipated fiction books, the market is now shifting towards nonfiction releases. Several accomplished authors have new releases this week, providing a diverse range of fascinating reads.\n\nMeghan O’Rourke has published \"The Story of the Body: Poems of Illness and Recovery\" with W. W. Norton. This work is described as \"essential reading for all\" by Ocean Vuong.\n\nZaina Arafat's \"Our Arab: On Longing, Belonging, and Hope\", published by Little Brown, is a poignant read that has been praised by Jay Griffiths as \"A book poignant in passion and electric in expression.\"\n\nPhilippa Gregory, known for her historical fiction, has released \"Royal Witch\" through William Morrow. The New York Post describes it as \"Richly researched … Reveals a number of surprising truths.\"\n\nBlake J. Harris offers a detailed look at television history in \"Emperor of Nothing: The Making of Larry David\" from Dey Street Books. Booklist calls it \"detailed, delectable, and invaluable television history and a vibrant living portrait of a brilliant comedian.\"\n\nLawrence Wright's \"Redemption: Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood\", published by Knopf, is a gripping crime novel that has left readers fundamentally changed, according to Belle Burden.\n\nFinally, \"Paradise Burns\" by Pol Guasch, translated by Mara Faye Lethem, is set to be one of the greatest, most perceptive novels of recent years, according to Pol Guasch's translator.",
  "summary": "We’re easing out of one of the biggest-fiction-books-falls I’ve ever encountered. It was nearly relentless, the huge, hotly anticipated novels that were flying off printing presses and into our waiting hands. We’re tapering off, slightly, at least in that genre,",
  "key_points": [
    "Meghan O’Rourke’s The Story of the Body: Poems of Illness and Recovery published by W. W. Norton",
    "Zaina Arafat’s Our Arab explores themes of longing, belonging, and hope",
    "Philippa Gregory’s Royal Witch offers richly researched historical fiction"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The current surge of diverse nonfiction releases signals a market transition away from the previous period of heavy investment in highly anticipated fiction titles.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}