5 books to read this March to reset your existence right in time for spring
Another 'Hunger Games' prequel, an eye-opening look at lives of the 'working homeless' and more
When you make a purchase using links on our site, The Week may earn a commission. All reviews are written independently by our editorial team.
Spring is on its way, a perfect opportunity to refresh your bookshelves. If you are looking for new books to add to your stack(s), March's must-reads include a double-helping of nostalgic prequels and a return to fiction by the acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
'Dream Count' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
After more than a decade, the author of "Americanah" returns to fiction, and her latest "feels like a homecoming," said The Associated Press. "Dream Count" follows the stories of four women navigating life during the pandemic. Living between Washington, D.C., and Nigeria, the four women grapple with their personal lives as they seek stability. The Nigerian author's return to long-form fiction "reminds us of the sharp wisdom and sturdy empathy that have made her one of the most celebrated voices in fiction." Her new book succeeds because "every page is suffused with empathy," and "Adichie's voice is as forthright and clarifying as ever." (March 4, $29, Amazon, $32, Knopf)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Stag Dance' by Torrey Peters
Bestselling author Torrey Peters presents a "provocative collection" of three short stories and a novella that "explore what happens when people are forced to hide their gender and sexual identities," Time said. The four works are highly anticipated follow-ups to Peters' critically acclaimed 2021 debut novel "Detransition, Baby." The titular novella tells the story of a group of lumberjacks who plan a dance, leading some of them to volunteer to dance as women. The "series of explosive scenarios" that Peters presents in these four works "explore the complexities of queerness and trans life," said The New York Times. (March 11, $26, Amazon; $28, Random House)
'Sunrise on the Reaping' by Suzanne Collins
Fans of the popular "Hunger Games" series can look forward to a fifth book, which will be a prequel like the last one, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." In her latest book, Suzanne Collins goes back in time to focus on a young Haymitch Abernathy of District 12 as he faces the fiftieth Hunger Games.
The newest book takes readers back to the games that would shape the man who would eventually become Katniss Everdeen's alcohol-dependent mentor. A movie adaptation is already in the works and set to release in late 2026. (March 18, $20, Amazon, $28, Scholastic)
'Elphie' By Gregory Maguire
Speaking of prequels, Gregory Maguire gave us the book that inspired the "Wicked" musical about the college life of the green girl who would become the Wicked Witch of the West. Now, he returns to the land of Oz with another prequel that takes readers back to Elphaba's childhood as "the elder daughter of a fanatical father and a self-involved mother, prone to jealousy but full of hope," said the Times. Tracing Elphie's path from a young child to a student at Shiz University, Maguire "enchants with his whimsical narrative voice and the detailed wonders of the world he's spent so many years playing in," said Publishers Weekly. (March 25, $21, Amazon, $15, William Morrow)
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
'There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America' by Brian Goldstone
Atlanta journalist Brian Goldstone explores the lives of the "working homeless," a reality all too common in America. The book follows "five local families through stints of couch-surfing, car-living and squalid extended-stay hotels, all while the adults struggle to hold down jobs," said the Times. Their stories are heart-wrenching evidence that no city exists where a "full-time worker earning the local minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment," Goldstone said. (March 25, $30, Amazon, $30, Crown)
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Codeword: October 29, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Everything you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
8 of the best horror comedy films of all timeThe Week Recommends From parodies to ‘requels,’ these movies will make you laugh and scream at the same time
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while traveling.The Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
