The 10 Best New Books to Read in March

Harper, Berkley, Penguin Books, HelloGiggles

People say February is the gloomiest month of the year, but I tend to think it's March. March is full of promise, but it's also full of chaos. (It's the start of Aries season. Need we say more?) There are no days off, everyone around you is sick, and just when you think spring is on the horizon, another snowstorm hits. Why, March? Why?

We can't change the month, but we can change the vibe. After all, Mercury is finally out of retrograde! Let's make the most of it with some really good books. There's something for every mood: literary fiction, emotional essays, domestic suspense, moving poetry. Treat yourself to the 10 best March books.

1. 'What's Mine and Yours' by Naima Coster, out March 2nd.

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Gee and Noelle are students at an integrated North Carolina high school. Their paths—and their mothers—cross when they're in high school, and so begins a story that bonds their families for the next few decades. Naima Coster's writing sticks to your bones; this sweeping multigenerational story will make you think about race, class, and gentrification.

2. 'My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between' by Mari Andrew, out March 2nd.

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Mari Andrew is pure magic. Reading her words is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket: comforting, loving, familiar. Her new book, My Inner Sky, will make you feel especially cared for. Andrew explores how emotions are rarely black or white, how life is full of in-betweens, and how many things can be true at once. It's the reassurance that everything will be okay that we all need right now.

3. 'Yolk' by Mary H.K. Choi, out March 2nd.

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TW: disordered eating, bulimia, infertility. Jayne is barely balancing fashion school, superficial friendships, and a dead-end relationship. Her sister June, on the other hand, has a perfect job, huge apartment, and cushy bank account. Everything is going wrong for Jayne and everything is going right for June—until June is diagnosed with uterine cancer and the estranged sisters find themselves living together. Mary H.K. Choi writes with incredible and authentic emotion.

4. 'Too Good to Be True' by Carola Lovering, out March 2nd.

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Skye is over the moon when her boyfriend Burke proposes. The only problem? Burke isn't who he says he is; he's happily married and using Skye. The more she plans their perfect wedding, the deeper his lies go. Hello, a massively unexpected plot twist that changes everything.

5. 'Black Girl, Call Home' by Jasmine Mans, out March 9th.

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Your bookshelf needs more poetry. And you should start with Jasmine Mans' collection about identity, race, queerness, sexuality, feminism, and belonging. It's exceptionally moving.

6. 'The Windsor Knot' by S.J. Bennett, out March 9th.

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Have you ever wondered what Queen Elizabeth II really does all day? Well, this clever new series invites you to imagine a world where she secretly solves crimes on the side of performing her royal duties. Yes, really. What a delight.

7. 'The Arsonists' City' by Hala Alyan, out March 9th.

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Always on the move, the Nasr family is spread across the world. But they've always had an ancestral home base in Beirut. When Idris' father dies and he decides to sell their home, everyone returns to try and change his mind. From Syria to Lebanon to the U.S., this multi-generational story is deeply thought-provoking.

8. 'The Performance' by Claire Thomas, out March 16th.

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Margot is a professor nearing retirement who's caring for a sick husband. Ivy is a philanthropist with what appears to be a perfect life. Summer is a young drama student. All three women—who are each at turning points in their lives—go to the theater and see a play. As wildfires burn outside and the performance takes place inside, each woman's story unfolds through their internal monologues.

9. 'The Dating Plan' by Sara Desai, out March 16th.

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We just wanted to say that we're here for any and all fake fiancé stories. (Hi, Bridgerton). Which is why we're head over heels for The Dating Plan. To appease her impatient family, Daisy asks her childhood crush Liam to be her fake fiancé. That works out perfectly for him because he'll lose his inheritance if he doesn't find a wife. It's an incredibly sweet and charming story.

10. 'When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today' by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, out March 23rd.

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You might not realize it, but women made television what it is today. From writing to producing to hosting, this well-researched book explores a forgotten chapter in pop culture history. These are the stories of how Irna Phillips, Gertrude Berg, Hazel Scott, and Betty White (yes, that Betty White!) changed TV forever.