New George R.R. Martin & A Book About A Murderous Sister Will Make The Holidays SO Much Better

With Thanksgiving Day rapidly approaching, you're probably desperately searching for a way to make the back-to-back-to-back family gatherings a little more bearable. Or maybe you're looking for a way to make plane, train, and automobile journeys less of a nightmare. Either way, there are two new books out this week that definitely keep you entertained if you can find a minute or two away from the extended family you like but not enough to spend an entire day with.

First up, there's a new George R. R. Martin book out this Tuesday, and no, it's not The Winds of Winters. (Martin says the next A Song of Fire and Ice book isn't finished yet because it will be "very complex.") But if you're a diehard fan who wants details on the forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel or hints about the upcoming Fire and Ice books, you will find this expansive history of House Targaryen to be a satisfying read. Clocking in at a hefty 739 pages, Fire & Blood honestly might keep you occupied until the New Year, and George R. R. Martin promised the book contains clues about what happens in The Winds of Winter, though "readers will have to find them and puzzle out whether they’re hints or red herrings."

If reading a 700+ page tome on the history of Westeros is not exactly your version of a "good time," there is another book out this week you might want to pick up: My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. I promise it's less grim than it sounds.

The book centers on Korede, who is bitter and frustrated with Ayoola — who happens to be the favorite child, the beautiful sister, and a brutal serial killer who keeps murdering all of her boyfriends. Korede never takes any credit for getting rid of the bodies and or for keeping Ayoola out of prison. But then her sister stakes her claim on a new man — a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works. There's one huge problem, though: Korene is in love with him — and now she must finally reckon with the truth of what her sister has become. It's frightening, it's funny, and it will definitely keep you from murdering your own family this holiday season.

If you're looking for more reading options, check out Bustle's guide to the best nonfiction, best fiction, and best young adult novels of November 2018.