Best New Books of March 2021
Kick Off Spring With the 25 Best New Books of March 2021
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March's collection of must-read new releases is full of heavy hitters. This month brings new books from famed authors like Kazuo Ishiguro, Kate Quinn, and Isabel Allende, as well as a number of highly anticipated debuts. Among March's highlights are a historical-fiction novel that will transport you to a ship known as the "Titanic of the South," a nonfiction title to help you conquer self-doubt, and a stirring collection of poetry about identity — it truly is a bounty of literary goodness. And that's just the beginning, from thoughtful sci-fi novels to sprawling family tales that span decades, the best books of March are enthralling, surprising, and captivating reads that will have you turning pages all spring long.
1 But You're Still So Young by Kayleen Schaefer
Kayleen Schaefer's But Your Still So Young challenges outdated ideas about the traditional markers of adulthood with a potent combination of wit and a keen observational eye. Each section of the book focuses on one of sociologists' five markers of adulthood: completing school, moving out, getting married, becoming financially independent, and having children. But Schaefer then uses real-life stories of modern day thirtysomethings to prove there's no right way to be an adult.
Out March 2
2 Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman
Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman is a warm and funny novel about three generations of a family that are forced to confront their issues when a home aide comes to care for the clan's mischievous grandmother. At 83, Kevin Gogarty's mother Millie is still getting into all kinds of trouble. And since his wife always seems to be away and his teenage daughter has her own troubles, Kevin decides to hire a home aide to care for Millie. What he doesn't expect is for the newcomer to force his entire family to face their problems head on.
Out March 2
3 In the Quick by Kate Hope Day
A determined astronaut fights to bring home a crew that's been missing for years in Kate Hope Day's imaginative sci-fi adventure In the Quick. When June was 12, the Inquiry — which was fuelled by cells that her late uncle invented — went missing. Now a trained astronaut herself, June is determined to rescue the Inquiry's crew in her uncle's honour, even though the rest of the world seems to have given up on them.
Out March 2
4 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel since he took home the Nobel Prize in Literature is finally here. In Klara and the Sun, the acclaimed writer turns his attention to Klara, an Artificial Friend, who sits in a shop window observing the world and waiting for someone to take her home.
Out March 2
5 The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Sarah Penner's astonishing debut The Lost Apothecary spans centuries as the mystery of London's apothecary murders is unraveled by Caroline, a historian whose dissatisfaction in her own marriage connects her to the case in a unique way. Caroline's research uncovers the story of a woman named Nella who once sold poisons to women desperate to rid themselves of the terrible men in their lives. But what the historian could never expect is how her own story will intersect with the past.
Out March 2
6 Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones serves up life-changing tips on how to conquer fear and live your best life. With her uniquely funny and bright style, Jones delves into the topic of fear in order to embolden readers to confront imposter syndrome, engage in truth-telling, and embrace your inner troublemaker in order to become your most authentic self.
Out March 2
7 The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende
A Long Petal of the Sea author Isabel Allende turns her attention to nonfiction in the meditative The Soul of a Woman. Allende, who writes that she first called herself a feminist in kindergarten, offers readers an inside look at her time as a journalist during the second wave feminist movement of the '60s, while also sharing the insights she's gathered as she's watched the movement evolve and change over decades.
Out March 2
8 Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi follows an Afghan American woman as she seeks answers about the deadly coup that left her entire family dead. Decades after an American diplomat adopted her, a face from Sitara Zamani's past prompts her to return to Kabul in hopes of discovering the truth about the murder of her family when she was just a child.
Out March 2
9 What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Spanning decades, What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster is the story of two families that are intrinsically linked after the integration of a North Carolina school. When Gee and Noelle join the school play, they inadvertently set their families on a collision course that will affect them all for the rest of their lives.
Out Mar. 2
10 Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
Jasmine Mans's Black Girl, Call Home is a powerful collection of poetry devoted to Mans exploring her identity as a Black, queer woman in America. Through her poems, Mans writes about coming of age and searching for a sense of home and belonging.
Out March 9
11 The Fourth Child by Jessica Winter
The Fourth Child by Jessica Winter is first and foremost a book about mothers and daughters. In the early '90s, the devoutly Catholic Jane is drawn into the pro-life movement and ends up adopting a fourth child, a little girl who struggles to form a bond with her new family. Meanwhile, Jane's eldest daughter begins to pull away from her mother, forging a new path for herself in high school that echoes her mother's more than she could possibly realise.
Out March 9
12 The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
A trio of friends and World War II codebreakers reluctantly reunite to root out a spy in Kate Quinn's twisty and evocative The Rose Code. In 1940, Osla, Mab, and Beth become fast friends as they work together to decipher German military codes for Great Britain. But by 1947, their friendship has been torn apart by a terrible betrayal. Still, the trio must set their differences aside when they receive a cryptic letter hinting at a traitor in their midst.
Out March 9
13 Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan is a historical fiction novel that explores the forgotten sinking of "The Titanic of the South." In 1938, the steamship Pulaski sank with many of Savannah's elite residents onboard. Callahan explores the tragedy from the point of view of two women: Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who each must make an unthinkable choice when the ship explodes.
Out March 9
14 Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West
Kathleen West's latest novel Are We There Yet? tackles the struggles of parenting with unflinching honesty. Alice Sullivan thinks she finally has her life figured out when she discovers her daughter is struggling through second grade and her son is using social media to bully his peers. Add in a startling bombshell dropped by her own mother, and Alice's picture perfect life seems to disappear overnight, leaving her with no choice but to embrace the mess.
Out Mar. 16
15 The House Uptown by Melissa Ginsburg
New Orleans is a character unto itself in Melissa Ginsburg's The House Uptown. After her mother's death, 14-year-old Ava is sent to live with Lane, the grandmother she barely knows. But for Lane, Ava's arrival is even more fraught as it brings back long buried memories she's spent years trying to forget.
Out March 16
16 The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
Every object tells a story in The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville. This magical debut follows Ev and Harriet, two women who can feel the emotions people leave behind on objects. But while they hope to harness their powers for good, there's a third person like them out there who is slowly succumbing to the darker side of their gift.
Out March 16
17 The Performance by Claire Thomas
A night at the theatre leads to the lives of three women intersecting in unexpected ways in Claire Thomas's The Performance. This creative novel not only examines the power art has to bring people together, it also explores the rich interior lives of three very different women as their lives intertwine over the course of a single night out.
Out Mar. 16
18 Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher
Ready for a beach read that comes with an emotional wallop? Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher is the book you've been waiting for. Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has avoided all risks, and that includes leaving the state of Tennessee. But when her younger sister convinces her to visit a tropical island for a spa weekend, Marin will be forced to leave her comfort zone in the dust and finally confront the trauma that has been holding her back from enjoying life for so long.
Out March 23
19 Red Island House by Andrea Lee
Set in Madagascar, Red Island House by Andrea Lee tells the story of Shay, a Black American professor whose marriage to an Italian businessman leads to her running the large household of her holiday villa. Over the course of 20 years of marriage, Shay watches stories unspool around her, but she can't stay a passive observer when life quite literally comes knocking at her door.
Out March 23
20 You'll Thank Me for This by Nina Siegal
The Dutch tradition of blindfolding teens and leaving them in the woods to find their way home is at the centre of Nina Siegal's engrossing thriller You'll Thank Me for This. Karin is one of four young teens dropped off in Hoge Veluwe National Forest by their parents, but when she clashes with the older teens, Karin is left to find her own way home as something sinister lurks in the woods.
Out March 23
21 The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will love The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton. Told in an oral history style, the book chronicles the rise and fall of Afro-punk trailblazer Opal and British singer/songwriter Nev. Just as their career is taking off in the '70s, Opal protests when their label signs a band that flies a Confederate flag at a concert. Nearly four decades later, a journalist reaches out to Opal in hopes of finally telling her story, and ends up uncovering a long buried secret in the process.
Out March 30
22 The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the youngest poet to ever read their work at a presidential inauguration. Now her stirring and hopeful poem The Hill We Climb is being released with a new foreword from none other than Oprah Winfrey herself.
Out March 30
23 Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge is the story of one young Black woman's quest for autonomy. Libertie Sampsona comes of age in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn where her mother plans for them to one day practice medicine side-by-side. But Libertie has her own dreams for the future which lead to her marrying a man from Haiti as she searches for a place where she can be fully and freely herself.
Out Mar. 30
24 Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
A woman in search of details about her family's history takes in the daughter of her neighbour after the woman is detained by ICE in Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt. However, Carmen's decision to care for Jeanette only makes her complicated life all the more complex, which leads her to visit her grandmother in Cuba as she searches for the truth about her family's story.
Out March 30
25 The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray is set in one castle across three different eras. Throughout history, the Chateau Lafayette is defended by women: Adrienne Lafayette, who fights for American independence from her home in France in 1774, Beatrice Chanler, a socialite who urges her fellow Americans to join the fight during World War I, and Marthe Simone, an reclusive artist who must take a stand on the eve of World War II. These history-making women are bound together by their bravery and their beautiful home, which stands strong across the decades.
Out March 30
