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Must-Read Books March 2026 |
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Belgrave Road: A Love Story
by Manish Chauhan
A] poignant and perceptive coming-of-age story about two strangers who become star-crossed lovers . . . Belgrave Road shows us that, sometimes, the promise of a future is all it takes to fight the ghosts of one's past. --The GuardianAn unforgettable debut novel about two young people searching for better lives, and the blossoming forbidden romance between them that threatens their families and futures--a breathtaking story perfect for fans of Colm T ib n and Monica Ali.Mira's days are filled with duty and light on freedom. In a new country, living with a husband she barely knows--and who she fears she'll never love--Mira is desperate to discover all that her new life in England might offer.And then there's Tahliil. The quiet, beautiful man she sees at work each day. With a depth in his eyes and a face full of questions. He's the first person in this new world who listens to Mira's hopes for who she yearns to become.But beyond their lunchtime encounters, the pair couldn't lead more different lives: the duties that bind them, the homes they are trying to build threaten to subsume them. As Mira and Tahliil navigate the deep and turbulent waters of their new worlds, can they find a way to be together, and will finding each other set them free?
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The Poet Empress
by Shen Tao
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves. Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel, dissolute heir of the blood-gutted Azalea House--where poetry magic is power, but women are forbidden to read. But in a twist of fate, the palace now stands on the knife-edge of civil war, with Wei trapped in its center--with a violent prince. To save herself and the nation, she must survive the dangers of court, learn to read in secret, and compose the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of love--and death--
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With Love from Harlem
by Reshonda Tate
In 1943 Harlem, beloved jazz pianist Hazel Scott is at the top of her game, performing in front of Langston Hughes and others when she meets married pastor and councilman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., leading to an exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changes the course of her life. For fans of: well-researched biographical novels starring Black artists; Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray.
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The Secret of Snow
by Tina Harnesk
Meet Mâariddja: eccentric, 85-years-old, with not much time left to live. When she is diagnosed with cancer, there is only one thing she can think of - how to keep the diagnosis from her husband Biera, and how to find someone who can take care of him once she's gone. She embarks on a series of outrageous actions that eventually require the police, the fire department, and the military to handle. Meet Kaj: a new transplant to the village, recently engaged to Mimmi, and now mourning the death of his mother Laura. One day, when Kaj unexpectedly finds a box of Sami handicrafts belonging to his mother, he unlocks something within himself he never quite anticipated, something that will change his life for years to come. A novel of humor and heartbreak, lyricism and tenderness, Tina Harnesk's debut introduces a cast of loveable, quirky characters grappling with the consequences of loving and losing someone, and the consequences of forgetting and remembering history-- Provided by publisher.
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| This Is Not About Us by Allegra GoodmanThis "unsparingly frank, wryly funny" (Kirkus Reviews) linked story collection is narrated by three generations of the Rubenstein family as they navigate 74-year-old Jeanne's death, a feud between her older sisters over apple cake, and various get-togethers for holidays, divorces, a bat mitzvah, and more. Read-alikes: The Family Izquierdo by Ruben Degollado; Underburn by Bill Gaythwaite. |
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The witch roads
by Kate Elliott
When a proud prince and his entourage are stranded in Orledder Halt amid political turmoil, former child slave and skilled courier Elen must lead them through treacherous terrain, but their peril deepens after the prince ignores her warning and emerges changed from the haunted Spires.
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What We Can Know
by Ian McEwan
Rising seas have changed the landscape of the United Kingdom, where in 2119 Professor Thomas Metcalfe studies every detail he can find about “A Corona for Vivien,” a lost masterpiece read by an esteemed poet at his wife’s 2014 birthday party. In the second half of this eloquent novel, Vivien herself narrates. Try these next: C. Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey; Eiren Caffall’s All the Water in the World.
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| A Gift Before Dying by Malcolm KemptThis atmospheric debut follows divorced cop Elderick Cole, who's been exiled to a troubled small town in the Canadian Arctic after mishandling a missing child case. When a young Inuit woman is found dead by hanging, Cole realizes she didn't get there on her own in this haunting, immersive story. Booklist raves, "If you only read one mystery this year, this should be it." For fans of: Peter Høeg's Smilla's Sense of Snow. |
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| The Happiness Collector by Crystal KingHistorian Aida Reale thinks she has it made when a friend recommends her for her dream job in Italy. However, cracks slowly begin to appear in the facade as she and her new colleague Luciano do more research into her company, until she realizes that they are simply pawns in a game being played by the gods. Crystal King's contemporary fantasy also serves as an alternate history taking place between 2018-2021, where "urban fantasy, unexpected romance, and mythology all collide" (Booklist). |
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| In Her Defense by Philippa MalickaA London libel trial becomes a psychological chess match in this debut novel. As celebrity chef Anna Finbow battles her daughter’s controversial therapist in court, the truth emerges through the unreliable testimony of Anna's former assistant -- revealing obsession, manipulation, and the uneasy power dynamics binding three women at the center of a public scandal. |
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| Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra SimoneLooking for a fresh start after her politician boyfriend dumps her, Madelyn "Maddie" Kowalczk moves to small-town Mount Astra, Kansas, where she picks up nannying as a side hustle. The only problem? Maddie's first client is single dad Bram Loe, with whom she had a steamy one-night stand on her first night in town. Featuring explicit and mildly kinky sex scenes, this latest collab between the bestselling authors of A Merry Little Meet Cute will appeal to fans of The Nanny by Lana Ferguson and readers who like their romance on the spicier side. |
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The end of the world as we know it : new tales of Stephen King's the Stand
by Christopher Golden
Set during and after the events of The Stand, this authorized anthology gathers original stories from acclaimed writers who expand on the novel's apocalyptic world, exploring survival, morality, and human resilience amid civilization's collapse and the uncertain rebuilding that follows.
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The Library at Hellebore
by Cassandra Khaw
A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical. The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously powerful: the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers. Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that's what Alessa Li is told when she's kidnapped and forcibly enrolled. But there's more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa's class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school's library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone. Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?--
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The Nightshade God
by Hannah Whitten
Lore has failed. She couldn't save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn't save her allies from being scattered across the continent-their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn't save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn't save herself. Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that's captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount-the source of all the god's powers-and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land. But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger...and to a woman who's always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up--
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Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic
by Kenneth R. Rosen
Journalist Kenneth R. Rosen's compelling debut blends science writing, travelogue, and geopolitical analysis to detail how the Arctic could become the site of a new cold war, with Russia, China, and America all vying for control of the complex region. Try this next: So You Want to Own Greenland? Lessons from the Vikings to Trump by Elizabeth Buchanan.
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Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony
by Kate Murphy
Why do you immediately click with some people while others just as inexplicably turn you off? Do people emit vibes? Is it possible to read a room? Are bad habits contagious? Kate Murphy, author of the international bestseller You're Not Listening, answers these and other fascinating questions in Why We Click, the first book that explores the emerging science and outsize impact of interpersonal synchrony, the most consequential social dynamic most people have never heard of. Interpersonal synchrony is the seemingly magical, yet now scientifically documented, tendency of human beings to fall into rhythm and find resonance with one another. Not only do we subconsciously match one another's movements, postures, facial expressions, and gestures; recent breakthroughs in technology have revealed we also sync up our heart rates, blood pressure, brainwaves, pupil dilation, and hormonal activity. The result is that emotions, moods, attitudes, and subsequent behaviors can be as infectious as any disease, and can have just as profound an impact on our health and well-being. Interweaving science, philosophy, literature, history, business management theory, pop-culture, and plenty of relatable, real world examples, Why We Click explains why being in sync, in tune, in step, and on the same wavelength are more than just turns of phrase. From the bedroom to the boardroom and beyond, Murphy reveals with characteristic curiosity, concision, and wit how our instinct to sync with others drives much of our behavior and how our deepest desires--to be known, admired, loved, and connected--are so often thwarted in modern life.
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How to Save a Library
by Colleen Nelson
Casey is tired of always being the new kid at school. Now, for the first time in Casey's life, he finally feels settled--that is until his dad's job at the library is threatened. Every year Casey's life seems to be boxed up and shipped to a new city. His dad thinks moving is an adventure, but at this point Casey is so over adventure. In Armstrong's Point, Casey life finally feels stable. His talent on the soccer field has made him a natural fit with the popular kids and he loves the apartment he shares with his dad.But when Casey discovers the local library, where his dad works, is in need of extensive restorative repairs, his future once again feels uncertain. In order to save the one place in the world that feels like home, Casey joins the Kids Community Action Network (C.A.N) where his team will compete for community funding. Unfortunately, this means working with Addison--a former friend, turned not-so-friend--who isn't going to make it easy on him.Award-winning author Colleen Nelson weaves together a story of heart and humor, highlighting the power of libraries to bring communities together.
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Spy School Blackout
by Stuart Gibbs
Superspy middle schooler Ben Ripley and his friends go off the grid to eliminate a cybersecurity threat--Provided by publisher
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The Five Wolves: A Graphic Novel
by Peter McCarty
Across oceans, through fields, and down tunnels, five daring wolves traverse the planet in search of wonders to draw and paint. All the while, a disembodied narrator spins the tale of their absurdist adventure and asks big questions. What is art? And who does it belong to?--Provided by publisher.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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