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Readers' Most Anticipated Books of March
At the beginning of each calendar month, Goodreads’ crack editorial squad assembles a list of the hottest and most popular new books hitting shelves, actual and virtual. The list is generated by evaluating readers’ early reviews and tracking which titles are being added to Want to Read shelves by Goodreads regulars.
Each month’s curated preview features new books from across the genre spectrum: contemporary fiction, historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, romance, horror, young adult, nonfiction, and more. Think of it as a literary smorgasbord. Check out whatever looks delicious.
New in March: Psychological mystery ace Tana French returns with her follow-up to 2020’s The Searcher. Percival Everett rethinks a classic of American literature with James. And debut author Sierra Greer channels our feverish AI anxieties with the sci-fi love story Annie Bot.
Also on tap this month: epic historical fiction in Panama, a roadside murder mystery in Michigan, and YA fantasy in the magical realm of Elfhame.
Add the books that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf, and let us know what you're reading and recommending in the comments section.
The Best Books of March:
The latest from Cristina Henríquez (The Book of Unknown Americans) chronicles the construction of the Panama Canal through the stories of a dozen intersecting lives—laborers, doctors, fishermen, soothsayers, and one courageous teenage girl. Stowaway Ada Bunting, just fled from Barbados, hopes to earn money for her sister’s surgery. She’s one of the thousands of unsung laborers working on the greatest engineering feat in the history of our species.
Read our interview with Henríquez.
Read our interview with Henríquez.
Among the most anticipated books of the season, the new novel from acclaimed author Percival Everett (The Trees) is nothing less than a complete reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This time around, the story is told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved runaway who joins Huck on the mighty Mississippi. Word is that many of the same dramatic set pieces endure—vicious storms and hidden treasure!—but the shift in perspective reveals a whole new narrative.
Read our interview with Everett.
Read our interview with Everett.
Irish author Tana French is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest mystery writers working today. Her new book—a sequel of sorts to 2020’s The Searcher—follows retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper to a small village in Ireland, where he continues to pursue a peaceful retirement. Instead, he finds treacherous gold hunters, meddling Englishman, and a teenager in peril. French specializes in mysteries where the solution resides in the labyrinthine wilds of the human heart.
Teenager Annie Adams, invited to the country estate of her reclusive Aunt Frances, discovers that her relative has died under suspicious circumstances. What’s even weirder: It seems Frances spent the past 60 years preparing for her own murder. Did she actually solve the crime before it happened? Maybe! She was pretty sharp, Aunt Frances. This debut cozy mystery from author Kristen Perrin is part of a recent and curious mini trend in which murder victims seem to predict their own demises.
Here’s a handy travel safety tip for motorists: When exploring new areas, avoid any local route called Murder Road. Newlyweds April and Eddie learn this the hard way when they stop to pick up a hitchhiker outside a small town in Michigan. Turns out: (1) The road has a long and bloody history. (2) The town has a terrible secret. (3) Something supernatural may be in play. (4) You’re reading the new thriller from the author of The Sun Down Motel!
Part of another recent mini trend in the mystery/thriller aisle, Amy Tintera’s Listen for the Lie involves our culture’s recent hunger for true-crime podcasts. The gist: L.A. woman Lucy Chase has worked hard to bury her past. Specifically, she’d like to forget that one awful night in Texas when she woke up covered in her best friend’s blood. Now the hit podcast Listen for the Lie has launched an investigation, and Lucy must face some deeply unpleasant possibilities.
Veteran romance author Kennedy Ryan is back on shelves in March with this second installment in her Skyland series. Soledad Barnes is what we call a Type A personality: Everything is organized, everything has a plan. But when disaster strikes, Soledad finds herself reeling from a betrayal she never expected. Job one, as always, is keeping her daughters safe. After that, life is an open highway. Early readers are loving the characterizations and representation in this one.
It’s a pretty good idea, actually: Max and Sophie are professional “objectors.” If you have an upcoming wedding that you’d like to see called off, they will show up at the venue and put the kibosh on any impending nuptials. Sophie sees this as a way to save people from wasting their lives. But how can she be falling for Max? Love doesn’t exist! The whole system is breaking down! Romance specialist Lynn Painter (Better Than the Movies) has the steamy details.
If you like your romance novels epic in scale, you might want to consider the Hades x Persephone Saga from author Scarlett St. Clair. Inspired by classic Greek mythology, the story follows the unlikely romance between the Goddess of Spring and the God of the Dead. This fourth installment finds Persephone trying to sort out things from her new and unfamiliar position as Queen of the Underworld. Bonus trivia: Author St. Clair is a proud member of the Muscogee Nation.
Author Jay Kristoff’s dark fantasy continues the saga of Gabriel de León, a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending what’s left of humanity from the creatures of the night. Sequel to 2021’s Empire of the Vampire, the new installment finds Gabriel teamed with Dior Lanchance, the young street urchin who is humanity’s last hope. Readers and critics alike have embraced Kristoff’s series, a combination of adult fantasy and epic horror.
Our culture’s rolling panic attack about artificial intelligence continues with this intriguing sci-fi debut from author Sierra Greer. Annie is designed to be the perfect girlfriend for her owner, Doug, attending to all his emotional and physical needs. But Annie’s powerful AI brain is learning about a lot of other things, too. And after figuring out how our world works, Annie has some wants and needs of her own.
More fascinating science fiction this month, ripped straight from news headlines: The futuristic thriller Baby X tackles impending ethical issues just around the corner. Advances in genetics have spawned a black market for stolen celebrity DNA. Bio-security agent Ember Ryan helps her famous clients by fending off DNA resellers willing to gather genetic tissue by any means necessary. Early readers are hyping the novel’s mystery elements and the plotline’s many twisty twists.
In this concluding chapter of the acclaimed Stolen Heir Duology, YA author Holly Black returns to the sprawling world of Elfhame, home to adventure, romance, ancient relics, scheming fae, palace intrigue, and the occasional psychopathic storm hag. Black’s peerless world-building is always a delight, and the new book brings even more detail to the series’ wintry northern wastes. Bonus trivia: Black’s adult fantasy series, the Book of Night duology, also has a concluding volume coming this year.
This YA fantasy debut from author Bethany Baptiste blends political intrigue, alchemical magic, and complex family dynamics. The setup: Teenage witch Venus Stoneheart specializes in illegal potions, a capital crime in the book’s alternate America. Things get dead serious when Venus finds herself caught in the corrupt mechanical gearworks of Washington, D.C. Author Baptiste recommends her book if you like Practical Magic, Breaking Bad, and/or “morally gray Black witches.” Sounds pretty great to us!
This memoir from writer Susan Lieu tells an incredible and heartbreaking story: When Lieu was just 11 years old, her mother—a devoted and tireless Vietnamese immigrant—died from a botched plastic surgery. The surgeon, it is later revealed, preyed upon Vietnamese immigrants. Twenty years later, the author examines the resonance of that pivotal event in a memoir that explores generational trauma, beauty standards, mother-daughter relationships, and the American immigrant experience.
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
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Law
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Feb 29, 2024 12:55AM
Never heard of any of them except Annie Bot. Where to start?
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Law wrote: "Never heard of any of them. Where to start?"My suggestion:
Tana French - check out In the Woods
Mystery - Thriller, definitely doesn't get the praise it deserves.
Though if you're more into the RomCom aspect then Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter would give you an idea of whether or not you'll like her writing style
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice. A Grave Robbery. I’ve been looking forward to these releases for months. If you want a great mystery series, both Finlay Donovan and Veronica Speedwell I highly recommend. Finlay is hilarious and Veronica is an amazing historical mystery series. Happy reading to all!
How to Solve Your Own Murder is giving me Knives Out energy, I'll have to give it a shot! Also I've heard nothing but good about Listen to the Lie, can't wait for that one
More books to add to my "To Be Read" list. I'm leaning towards adding "Annie Bot" to my Want to Read shelf first. It's always refreshing to see new authors bring unique perspectives to the table, and I'm curious to see how Greer weaves AI elements into a love story.
Loved both Listen for the Lie and Manicurists Daughter. Read LFL on one long plane ride. Great pacing, funny, and love Ben Owens.
Looking forward to read Baby X, A Touch of Chaos, and The Manicurist’s Daughter.
It's getting so hard to wait for Murder Road! :D
Having grown up in Missouri, there was so much Mark Twain & Huckleberry Finn - I'm happy to read James.
Really excited about James, it sounds great! But in all honesty I need to find the time to read all of these beauties. 💕
Currently reading Empire of the Damned. Another author that should have the warning - Reading this book will lead to very little sleep . (The other author with this warning in my opinion is Brandon Sanderson)Thankfully I started this on Friday - so two days I can sacrifice sleep to see what happens to the Black Lion.
I've already read Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, The Haunting of Velkwood, and The Woods All Black (all being published in March, and all 5⭐️ reads for me). I read an excerpt from Empire of the Damned and it was FABULOUS. Other releases I'm looking forward to in March are Diavola, Parasol Against the Axe, Day One, The Hedge Witch of Foxhall, and Icarus.
I’m looking forward to Kristin Ardis’ Smoke & Light.
My March 2024 list:The Breakup Vacation by Anna Gracia
The Party Crasher by Joshua Ryan Butler
Before The Badge by Samantha J. Simon
Her Last Hour by B.R. Spangler
The Sapphire Daughter by Soraya Lane
Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird
Egyptian Made by Leslie T. Chang
Eastern Drift by J.M. LeDuc
The Day Tripper by James Goodhand
The Trail Of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
Becky Lynch: The Man by Rebecca Quin
Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf
Lost In Ideology by Jason Blakely
Add me if you need a book bestie :)
My anticipated list:Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
Here After by Amy Lin
The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe
Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang
These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
Floating Hotel by Grace Custis
The Day Tripper by James Goodhand
The Stars Turned Inside Out by Nova Jacobs
The Morningside by Téa Obreht
A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Have you read any of these authors before?
Head to my blog for such lists every month, book reviews and author interviews. :)
so much hype over so much drivel, very disappointed!
Tiffany wrote: "Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice. A Grave Robbery. I’ve been looking forward to these releases for months. If you want a great mystery series, both Finlay Donovan and Veronica Speedwell I highly recom..." I've read and loved the Finlay Donovan series but hadn't heard of Veronica Speedwell...thank you.
The Fallen One by Brittney SahinI can't wait till it comes out. March 14th can't get here fast enough.
None of the above - have a long list of books to read already.
How to solve your own murder is a good cozy mystery, definitely has Knives out vibes but in a British setting.
My girl Holly Black being a legend.
Looking forward each month to another release in the MAGNOLIA BLUFF CRIME CHRONICLE Series. Same town. Different authors. Using many of the same main characters.Find the series page on Amazon. Book 22 release is March 20,2024.
GIRLFRIEND RETREAT...CHEAPER THAN THERAPY by Linda Pirtle.
Available now for pre-order.
Law wrote: "Never heard of any of them except Annie Bot. Where to start?"Also, I've read from Amy Tintera before, so her latest work might be good.
Tana French- ‘The Searcher’ still needs reading but so glad to see her name on the list! ‘Annie Bot’ sounds promising…
Murder Road was so good!! I’m interested in checking out James and How to Solve Your Own Murder.
How to Solve your own murder seems interesting. I’ve been looking to read more mystery books.
Tiffany wrote: "Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice. A Grave Robbery. I’ve been looking forward to these releases for months. If you want a great mystery series, both Finlay Donovan and Veronica Speedwell I highly recom..."im nnot ususally a huge fan of historical fiction but i enjoyed finlay donovon series. should i still opt for veronica speedwell?
OOOO I CANT WAIT TO READ ANNIE BOT. One thing about a woman (and WRO-man), she’s always going to find out!
Good
Annie bot sounds super promising, I always love a book that's specifically about women outsmarting men lol also very excited for the last book of the stolen heir so I can get it and read the duology with piece of mind
I have read The Manicurists Daughter as I got a pre release Arc. It was a beautiful written account of her life and finding peace with her mother’s death. Please read it.
“Un lugar soleado para gente sombría” de Mariana Enríquez. Me lo compré al otro día que salió y me duró menos de 2 días.
