New York Times Best Sellers, Week of November 2, 2026: Maas Leads, New Entries (Nov. 5 Check)

Information checked: November 5, 2026, 6:09 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−05:00; 11:09 UTC).

Sarah J. Maas has taken the top spot on The New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction bestseller list with A Court of Splintered Harmony, while Michael Connelly’s The Hollow enters at No. 2. In nonfiction, Collin Gosselin’s In the Shadow of Eight, written with Allie Kingsley Baker, holds No. 1. These are the defining developments for the editorial week beginning Monday, November 2, 2026, and they replace last period’s fiction leaders rather than repeating them.

The New York Times chart is dated Sunday, November 15, 2026 and reflects reported U.S. book sales for the week ending Saturday, October 31, 2026. The editorial week, the week of retail sales and the Sunday issue date are different dates; readers should not interpret these rankings as sales collected during November 2–8.

Highlights: What changed in the bestseller rankings?

• Fiction: A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas is No. 1 on the combined print and e-book chart, ahead of Michael Connelly’s The Hollow at No. 2.
• Notable declines: Louise Penny’s Miss Wolcott’s Ghost drops from No. 1 to No. 14, while Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child falls from No. 2 to No. 12.
• Nonfiction: In the Shadow of Eight holds No. 1, with Matthew Cole’s Princes and Thieves and Sophia Bush’s And I Will Tell You Mine occupying Nos. 2 and 3.
• Method: New York Times rankings reflect reported and statistically weighted unit sales from U.S. bookselling outlets, not reader ratings or a nationwide raw-sales total.

Which books lead the New York Times fiction best sellers for the week of November 2?

The new combined fiction chart, dated November 15, places two titles without prior-week ranks at the top. In the previous November 8 issue, Miss Wolcott’s Ghost and Chain Reaction held the first two positions. That reversal is the clearest week-over-week story. The list below is specifically the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction ranking, not a mixture of hardcover, paperback and audio charts.

“Not ranked” here means there was no position on the prior week’s top-15 combined chart; it does not automatically mean the book was published that week or has never appeared on any other New York Times list. The distinction matters particularly for Maas’s earlier novel A Court of Thorns and Roses, which returns to the combined chart alongside her newest release.

What happened to Louise Penny and Lee Child?

Louise Penny’s Miss Wolcott’s Ghost moves from No. 1 to No. 14, a 13-place fall. Lee Child and Andrew Child’s Chain Reaction goes from No. 2 to No. 12, a 10-place decline. James Patterson’s The Family Cross also slides from No. 4 to No. 13. Those moves show how sharply the relative rankings can change when high-profile books enter the same category. The chart alone does not establish that the older titles sold fewer copies in absolute terms; it reports their positions relative to other eligible books.

Which established fiction titles gained ground?

Rebecca Yarros’s Threshing Day stays at No. 3. Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden rises from No. 5 to No. 4, John Grisham’s The French Illusion rises from No. 7 to No. 5, and Kathryn Stockett’s The Calamity Club moves from No. 9 to No. 6. Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl advances from No. 12 to No. 8. Together, these books illustrate that a week led by new arrivals also allows longer-running books to climb.

What are the leading New York Times nonfiction best sellers?

The November 15 Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction list retains In the Shadow of Eight at No. 1. Two books with no rank on the previous combined chart follow it: Princes and Thieves, Matthew Cole’s account of political and financial relationships, at No. 2; and And I Will Tell You Mine, Sophia Bush’s personal account, at No. 3. These titles should not be confused with rankings on the separate Hardcover Nonfiction list.

Among returning nonfiction titles, Malcolm Gladwell’s The American Way of Killing climbs seven places, from No. 11 to No. 4. Adam Grant’s Vibe rises from No. 10 to No. 6. Meanwhile, WTF America?! by Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas and Jordy Meiselas falls from No. 2 to No. 12. These are movements on one clearly defined combined-format chart, not universal standings across every book format.

Why did the bestseller charts change so much?

Several major authors have books near the top of the latest chart, including Maas, Connelly, Yarros and Grisham. The appearance of new titles and the repositioning of established series provide a plausible explanation for the shifts in relative ranking. However, the Times does not publish exact unit sales for each ranked title in its public chart. It would therefore be misleading to calculate a sales jump, claim a specific margin between No. 1 and No. 2, or attribute a movement entirely to publicity, preorders or one sales channel without additional evidence.

According to the New York Times Book Review’s official explanation, its bestseller rankings use confidential unit-sales reports from a broad group of U.S. vendors. Its published bestseller methodology explains that reporting outlets span physical and online bookstores, and that sales are weighted to represent the wider market. Combined print and e-book lists incorporate eligible sales in both formats; hardcover lists count a different market segment. These categories should not be merged into a single invented national top ten.

What could change in the next New York Times bestseller list?

The next chart will help show whether A Court of Splintered Harmony and The Hollow retain their positions after their initial high placements, and whether In the Shadow of Eight can extend its nonfiction lead. A further rise for older Maas titles would be consistent with renewed series attention, but this is a possibility, not an established outcome. Subsequent standings depend on new sales reports and any newly eligible books, so no next-week ranks can yet be confirmed.

For readers following updates, the clearest comparison is between the official combined fiction chart and the official combined nonfiction chart, ensuring the printed list date and the underlying sales week match. The rankings above refer to the November 15, 2026 issue and sales through October 31, not to later updates of those live pages.

FAQ: New York Times best sellers, November 2026

What is the No. 1 New York Times fiction bestseller for the week of November 2, 2026?

Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Splintered Harmony is No. 1 on the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction list dated November 15, based on the sales week ending October 31, 2026.

Which nonfiction book is No. 1?

In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin with Allie Kingsley Baker remains No. 1 on the corresponding Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction list.

Does “new to the list” always mean a newly published book?

No. An entry without a previous-week rank may be a newly released title, a returning older book or a title entering a particular format category. The status must not be interpreted as a publication date.