The Most Anticipated Books Of March 2022

March 1

Tessa Bailey’s follow-up to It Happened One Summer centers on ladies’ man Fox Thornton. His best friend, Hannah Bellinger, needs his help to land a date with her crush, so he schools her in the art of the pickup — but the more time they spend together, the more they both realize that Hannah might just be crushing on the wrong guy.

March 1

Set in Iceland, Karitas Untitled follows the titular Karitas, a painter who longs for more than the life prescribed to her by early 20th-century gender norms. As she settles into the traditional life that’s foisted upon her, Karitas clings to her love of art, approaching each new scenario as a landscape waiting for her touch.

March 1

Pond author Claire-Louise Bennett follows a young working-class woman as she writes a career for herself from the ground up. Part novel and part memoir, Checkout 19 is a work of autofiction that’s sure to have readers buzzing this spring.

March 1

An innkeeper’s daughter, stricken with a grim curse, must venture beyond the safe, unremarkable life she knows to find a cure. Accompanied only by a magpie spirit, she’s thrust into a world of demons, magic, and intrigue — a world she must learn to navigate if she ever hopes to return home.

March 1

Twenty years after it began offering memory-deletion services to clients who wished to forget past trauma, the Nepenthe company finds itself targeted by a class-action lawsuit alleging that some pruned memories grow back on their own. As the company notifies customers who’ve elected to forget that they ever used its services, letting them know that they can recover their memories by choice, a doctor working in a UK clinic becomes increasingly convinced that her boss is up to no good.

March 1

Set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, Lizz Huerta’s The Lost Dreamer follows two young seers, Indir and Saya. Indir is a trained seer, who finds her profession and way of life under threat when the political tide shifts. Saya, on the other hand, is untrained — and lives under the thumb of her mother, who exploits Saya’s talents for her own gain. But despite their disparate backgrounds, Indir and Saya soon discover that they share a mysterious connection.

March 1

Attending an elite university was supposed to be Arun’s way out of poverty. But when he graduates without a prestigious job offer — something his friends had no trouble landing — Arun decides to take up writing, and move to a remote village. Years later, when a journalist comes to his remote village looking for answers about his former classmates, Arun must choose between the pastoral life he’s built and the urbanite existence of his dreams.

March 1

The Tobacco Wives centers on Maddie, a young woman who inherits her aunt’s sewing business based in Bright Leaf, a prosperous North Carolina town. The wealthiest men in Bright Leaf make their money off the thriving tobacco industry, and Maddie counts their wives among her clientele. When Maddie realizes something is desperately wrong with these women, she’ll be forced to choose between speaking out and staying silent.

March 1

Warsan Shire follows Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth and Her Blue Body with Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head, her first full-length poetry collection. Born in Kenya to Somali parents, the Black British poet often focuses on matters related to immigration and Black womanhood. Dubbed a collection of “fiercely tender gifts” by Roxane Gay, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is perhaps the most highly anticipated poetry collection of 2022.

March 1

In this new novel, Sarah Tolmie offers a magical origin story for Iceland’s horses, which were introduced to the island in the first millennium BCE. It follows two Norse traders journeying to Mongolia, where they strike a bargain with a wealthy man: exorcise the ghost of his dead wife, in exchange for 25 steeds.

March 1

When Leo, an obituary writer, is tasked with writing his own — living — wife’s obit, he discovers that the woman he’s built a life with doesn’t really exist. Seven years into their relationship, he doesn’t even know Emma’s real name. With Leo’s trust in her shaken, Emma must reveal the past she hid from him to keep her marriage intact.

March 1

From the author of The Last House on Needless Street comes Sundial, the story of a mother and daughter who each work to uncover the other’s secrets — secrets that have the potential to destroy them both. Rob has built a life for herself as the doting mother of a picture-perfect family, far away from the terrors of Sundial, where she grew up. But when Rob noticed changes in her daughter, Callie — changes that remind her of home — she finds herself heading back to Sundial, with Callie in tow.

March 1

Set in the aftermath of a societal collapse brought on by an environmental crisis, The Doloriad centers on the Matriarch: a woman who has ensured the survival of the human race by building an incestuous family line with her own brother. After a prophetic dream reveals that the Matriarch’s descendants are not the last humans living in what used to be Prague, she sends her daughter, Dolores, to marry one of the other survivors. When Dolores returns home without a husband, the Matriarch begins to lose power over her kin.

March 8

This novel from We Need New Names author NoViolet Bulawayo is set in a fictional country ruled by animals, but inspired by very real events — specifically, Robert Mugabe’s fall from power in Zimbabwe. The story follows the oppressed animals of Jidada, who begin to feel hopeful for change after Old Horse’s unexpected downfall.

March 8

Fans of The Secret History will find a lot to love in this new novel from Social Creature author Tara Isabella Burton. The story centers on Laura, a teenager who enrolls in a storied prep school, where she falls in with the leader of the school choir. Through her, Laura is introduced to a world of occult ritual and fervor — a world that’s being challenged by the school chaplain.

March 8

Melissa de la Cruz’s newest novel is Cinder & Glass, a Cinderella retelling set in 17th-century France. With Prince Louis set to choose a bride, young debutantes from across the country are summoned to parade before him in a series of balls. Among them is Cendrillon de Louvois, also known as “Cinder,” who uses the prince’s fêtes to escape life with her wicked stepfamily. Louis is enamored with her — but so is his younger brother, Auguste, whom Cinder quickly begins to fall for.

March 8

Maayan Eitan’s debut novella follows Libby, an Israeli sex worker who, in the wake of a horrific encounter, begins to pursue a traditional romance. As her attempts to build a new life falter, however, Libby begins to notice that sex work and married life aren’t as different as they might seem.

March 8

Based in Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, Deborah Falaye’s Blood Scion centers on Sloane, a 15-year-old descendant of the Orisha. Her heritage gives her the ability to wield fire as a weapon, but Sloane must keep her powers hidden if she wants to survive the current colonial regime. When she’s drafted into the military, however, Sloane seizes her chance to take back her homeland from inside the halls of power — a choice that may cost her dearly.

March 8

In Booth, Karen Joy Fowler crafts a story about the family behind one of America’s most infamous killers. Beginning in 1822, when Shakespearean actor Junius Booth immigrated to the U.S. with his mistress, the novel traces the family’s rise to power and prominence on stage, examining the circumstances that led Junius’ son, John Wilkes Booth, to plot and carry out a presidential assassination.

March 8

In her first essay collection, humorist Jill Gutowitz traces how lesbian culture permeated mainstream American media, examining Orange Is the New Black, JoJo Siwa, fan culture at large, and much more. Here, our complicated situationship with pop culture — never clean, never pure, and always messy — takes center stage.

March 8

From the author of The Rib King comes The Last Suspicious Holdout, a new short story collection that traces 15 years in the lives of one Black community. Stretching from 1992 to 2007, the stories weave their way through the neighborhood, watching characters fall away and return as time marches on.

March 8

Too often, environmentalist proposals and platforms appear willing to sacrifice people — usually the most vulnerable — in exchange for saving the planet. Leah Thomas’ The Intersectional Environmentalist aims to fix this problem, offering philosophical defenses for protecting those affected most by climate change, as well as strategies young activists can use to turn theory into practice.

March 8

In her debut memoir, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe revisits her transient childhood, her punk-rock adolescence, and her mission to live up to the name her great-grandmother — a linguist who preserved the Lushootseed language — bestowed on her.

March 8

Fifteen-year-old Blue has spent her whole life on the run with her mother — Scarlet, a painter — who insists that a wicked man is chasing after them. When the mother-daughter duo take refuge in a small town in Michigan, Blue starts to hope that their transient lifestyle has finally come to an end. But as Scarlet continues to work with the psychoanalyst she traveled so far to see, her mental health only seems to deteriorate.

March 8

From the author of House of Furies and Asylum comes a novel about two girls who live out a book-lover’s ultimate dream — only to find it become a nightmare. After Adelle and Connie step into the world of Moira, their favorite gothic novel, they soon begin to regret it. Something is dreadfully wrong in this version of the book’s world, and Adelle and Connie are about to encounter dangers they never expected.

March 8

Every autumn, a magical creature known as the hala appears in New Albion, and teams of two — one hunter, one alchemist — compete to see who can take it down first. Maggie, a hunter, believes that killing the hala will help her bring her mother home to stay, but she needs an alchemist in order to compete. Enter Weston: a young man from an immigrant family, who’s looking to study alchemy with Maggie’s mother. Together, the two enter the magical hunt, and soon find themselves thrust into a world of political intrigue.

March 15

Darwin’s devout Rastafarian mother raised him to stay away from anything related to death, but without any other options, he’s been forced to begin working as a gravedigger. At a sprawling cemetery, he meets Yejide — a woman who will soon inherit her mother’s ability to help souls transition into the afterlife. Together, they form an unlikely kinship.

March 15

Caitlin Barasch’s A Novel Obsession centers on Naomi, a 24-year-old aspiring writer who lives in New York City. Naomi’s life takes a turn when she learns of her boyfriend’s ex, Rosemary, who also lives in the city and works in the book world. After a fair amount of social media stalking, Naomi becomes so intrigued by Rosemary that she finds herself striking up a friendship with her under false pretenses — and eventually, using her as inspiration for her novel.

March 15

From the author of Girlhood and Abandon Me comes Body Work, a memoir-in-essays that examines what it means to write about the self. Melissa Febos ruminates on what we really talk about when we talk about our bodies, our experiences, and ourselves.

March 15

Beloved author Elena Ferrante expounds on the joys of the literary life in her new book, In the Margins. Here, Ferrante explores the intersections of womanhood, femininity, language, and literature. One of the most anticipated books of 2022, this is a must-read for any Ferrante fan.

March 15

It’s no exaggeration to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer left an indelible mark on pop culture in the 1990s and early 2000s. In Evan Ross Katz’s Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born, the show’s influence and legacy gets the in-depth exploration it so richly deserves.

March 15

Set in contemporary Lagos, Nigeria, Eloghosa Osunde’s Vagabonds! moves between a vibrant cast of marginalized characters — the titular vagabonds — as they live and work and build communities away from mainstream culture. With heavy focus on the queer underground in Lagos, this novel is an eye-opening read that paints a vivid portrait of life.

March 15

The Book of M author Peng Shepherd returns to store shelves this March with The Cartographers — a new novel that centers on Nell, a mapmaker, who works to solve a mystery. After she finds a rare map in her late father’s desk, Nell learns that a killer is tracking down copies of the very map she now holds in her possession, and finds herself swept up into a case of international intrigue.

March 15

Simone St. James is a household name for thriller fans, so expect to hear your coworkers discussing this one all year. The Book of Cold Cases follows Shea, a true-crime blogger who lands the interview of a lifetime when she crosses paths with Beth. Forty years ago, Beth was acquitted of two murders in Claire Lake, Oregon. Now, she’s jumped at the chance to share her side of the story with Shea’s readers. Once inside Beth’s home in Claire Lake, however, Shea begins to realize that something’s amiss.

March 15

Originally published in Norway in 2020, Silje Ulstein’s debut novel centers on two women living 13 years and several miles apart: a dutiful owner of a pet python, and a mother whose preteen daughter has gone missing. As one detective works to solve the mystery of the missing girl, he begins to suspect that all is not as it seems.

March 22

In this slim volume, Julissa Arce revisits her childhood in Texas and Mexico, her experiences as an undocumented adolescent, and her career on Wall Street, all with an eye toward the demands of Anglo-American society — namely, assimilation. Rather than attempt to become unaccented, English-speaking Americans, Arce argues, Latinx immigrants should endeavor to maintain their language, culture, food, and other traditions on U.S. soil.

March 22

Elaine Hsieh Chou’s satirical debut centers on 29-year-old Ingrid Yang, a Taiwanese American PhD student who hasn’t found a dissertation topic, even after devoting the last four years of her life to studying the life of Chinese poet Xiao-Wen Chou. A mysterious note among Chou’s papers appears to be Ingrid’s saving grace, but the discovery ultimately upends not just Ingrid’s life, but those of her friends — and enemies — as well.

March 22

Violet, a widowed speakeasy owner, is doing her best to keep her shapeshifting brother safe from a recent spate of attacks against people like him — while plotting her revenge on the shady police brotherhood that killed her husband. When another woman, Dolly, begins to suspect that the same brotherhood is responsible for the anti-shapeshifter violence, she and Violet join forces to take them down.

March 22

The Emperor is dying, and the only person he wants to see is Charm — a necromantic witch, held captive as his concubine. Knowing the end is near, he places her in charge of his empire’s future, saying that she’ll determine which of his sons is fit to take the throne by solving his murder. Charm has dreamt of her freedom since her people were overrun by imperial forces, but fears that reclaiming her autonomy may require sacrificing something much more precious.

March 22

A surprisingly timely work of science fiction, Rebecca Scherm’s A House Between Earth and the Moon follows Alex, a climate scientist, as he leaves the burning Earth behind for Parallaxis — a luxury space station owned by a tech titan, which has agreed to bankroll his latest research. Moving between Alex, his teen daughter living back on Earth, and the psychologist tasked with observing Alex and the other Parallaxis Pioneers, Scherm’s novel explores humanity’s fraught relationship with technology and innovation.

March 22

From the author of Pride and American Street comes Okoye to the People, a new novel that sheds some light on the leader of Wakanda’s Dora Milaje. Here, Okoye is a newly minted warrior anxious about her first mission, a diplomatic trip to New York City alongside King T’Chaka. Once abroad, Okoye must confront her own assumptions about life outside her home country, as she works to support teenagers living with substance use disorders in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood.

March 29

Ever since Finch miraculously survived the automobile accident that technically killed her, she’s felt drawn to Ulalume Academy, a prestigious private school located on an island. There, Finch and her new classmate, Selena, stumble upon a powerful creature capable of granting their deepest wishes — at a steep price. Soon, they soon find themselves in a race against the clock to save, not just their school, but the island itself.

March 29

From the comedian behind the specials Nanette and Douglas comes Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby’s new memoir. From her upringing in Tasmania to her late-in-life diagnosis as neurodivergent, Gadsby traces her path to her breakout Netflix special, with all the sharp wit her fans have come to expect from her work.

March 29

The first book in a new duology, Judy I. Lin’s debut follows Ning, a tea-maker who accidentally killed her mother and harmed her sister after brewing poison tea. Now, her only chance to save her dying sister is to enter a tea-making competition in the capital, hoping to win a favor from the kingdom’s princess.

March 29

Eleanor witnessed her grandmother’s murder and lived, because the killer knew something many don’t: Eleanor has prosopagnosia, the inability to distinguish between faces. When she inherits an isolated mansion from her late grandmother, Eleanor journeys there with a small group of trusted friends, including her boyfriend and a beloved aunt. But with the murderer still at large, she’ll have to watch her step.

March 29

In this follow-up to Dial A for Aunties, Meddy’s getting married, and she’s really hitting it off with Staphanie — the wedding photographer she’s hired, whose family runs another Chinese-Indonesian family business. But Staphanie and her clan are hiding a big secret: They’ve got mafia ties, and they’re planning to handle some “family business” on Meddy’s big day. Looks like the Aunties are going to have their work cut out for them again.

March 29

In Ally Wilkes’ new novel, a young trans man stows away on a post-WWI Antarctic expedition, hoping to find a life of adventure that will let him be true to who he is. But when the crew is forced to wait out the winter on land, he finds he’s in for more adventure than he bargained for.

March 29

Candice Wuehle’s Monarch centers on Jessica, a former beauty pageant star who learns that her childhood career may have been a front for an insidious government plot. What is the MKUltra-connected MONARCH program, and where does Jessica fit into its machinations? And perhaps more importantly, was her first love — another pageant queen — a fellow sleeper agent all along?