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Must-Read Books March 2026 |
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Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter
by Heather Fawcett
Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats. Now it's the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock--who also happens to be the world's most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past--including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse. Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop--and the cat shelter--in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart. Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn't need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he's more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue--and romance--in her life. After all, second chances aren't just for rescue cats. For fans of: A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, Can't Spell Tea Without Treason by Rebecca Thorne.
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| Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna EverhartIn 1940s North Carolina, unmarried 24-year-old Ruth is unjustly accused of promiscuity by the sheriff and incarcerated at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. When 15-year-old Stella is raped and gets pregnant, her parents take her to the same place. There, Superintendent Dorothy Baker reigns, forcing medical treatments and more. This moving, eye-opening novel is based on a real government program. Read-alikes: Ellen Marie Wiseman's The Lies They Told; Meagan Church's The Last Carolina Girl.
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| The Belle of Chatham by Laura FrantzIn 1777 New Jersey, as their brothers fight for liberty in the Continental Army, two sisters find themselves on opposite sides of the American Revolution: loyalist Coralie is secretly engaged to a British lieutenant stationed in New York, while Mae falls for an American officer billeted in their home. Then events lead Mae to suspect Coralie of gathering information for the British. For fans of: well-researched, faith-filled historical romances; Kimberley Woodhouse's The Patriot Bride. |
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| One & Only by Maurene GooForty-year-old matchmaker Cassia Park must learn to follow her heart when she's forced to choose between 28-year-old Ellis Yang-Cohen, with whom she recently had a fling, and Daniel Nam, Ellis' boss and the person she's fated to marry. YA author Maureen Goo's moving and magical realism-tinged adult debut will appeal to fans of In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. |
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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; Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen. |
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Good People
by Patmeena Sabit
Sharaf could do no wrong. Zorah Sharaf brought shame upon her family. What's the truth? Depends on who you ask. The Sharaf family is the picture of success. Prosperous, rich, happy. They came to this country as refugees with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And now, after years of hard work, they live in the most exclusive neighborhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father's eye. When an unthinkable tragedy strikes, everyone is left reeling and the family is thrust into the court of public opinion. There is talk that behind closed doors the Sharafs' happy household was anything but. Did the Sharaf family achieve the American dream? Or was the image of the model immigrant family just a fa ade? Like a literary game of ping-pong, Good People compels the reader to reconsider what might have happened even on the previous page. Told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, it is a riveting, provocative, and haunting story of family--sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and the communities that claim us as family in difficult times. For fans of: A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda; The Other Americans by Laila Lalami.
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| The Everlasting by Alix E. HarrowSir Una Everlasting's legend as a courageous knight has been memorialized in story, but her life itself has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory's love of her tale suddenly takes him back in time to Una herself, where they will be entangled in a story bound to repeat over and over again unless they rewrite history. For fans of: knighthood fantasy with compelling characters and intricate storytelling, such as Lev Grossman's The Bright Sword and Charlotte Bond's The Fireborne Blade. |
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Operation Bounce House
by Matt Dinniman
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there's a complication. Even though the settlers were promised they'd be left in peace, Earth's government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an eviction action. But maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes? The game is called Operation Bounce House. Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who've paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he's ever known.
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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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Halcyon Years
by Alastair Reynolds
Yuri Gagarin is a private investigator who picks up small cases from his local community, runs into trouble with the local police, and generally ekes out a living as best he can. He's aboard the Halcyon - a starship, hurtling through space, carrying thousands of passengers with thousands more sleeping the journey away. Only his usual investigative work - catching cheating spouses, and small time con artists - is about to take a turn. He's hired by a mysterious woman called Ruby Red to look into a death in one of Halcyon's most elite families . . . and then warned off the case again by a second mysterious woman called Ruby Blue. Caught between the two, he's about to be embroiled in a murder mystery in which - at any moment - he could be the latest victim.
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| This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby PageWhen her new husband Joe dies of cancer, grief-stricken London book editor Tilly learns from their local bookseller that Joe has arranged for her to receive a book -- along with a note -- every month for a year. As the weeks pass, Tilly becomes friends with struggling bookstore owner Alfie and tries new things with Joe's literary encouragement in this charming read. For fans of: Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover. |
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And the Crowd Went Wild
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
After a mortifying--and very public--humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn't seen in almost twenty years? But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he's a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods ... and out of his sight
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To Kill a Cook
by W. M. Akers
Nobody in Manhattan eats better than Bernice Black. It's 1972, and she is the city's busiest restaurant critic, juggling her fiance and his two young sons with demands of fine dining. Bernice talks fast, walks faster, has a razor-sharp wit and no patience for anything--or anyone--that gets in her way. When she stops by the famed restaurant of her favorite chef and mentor, Laurent Tirel, early one morning, she stumbles across a horrific scene in the kitchen: Laurent's severed head, perfectly preserved in a flawless mold of jellied aspic. Her meeting with the cops assigned to the case proves only one thing-they know nothing about food or the seedy underworld that BB Black has made her home. With layoffs looming, Bernice makes the gamble of her career--she promises her editor she can catch Laurent's killer before the week is out. To Kill a Cook is a delicious, witty, fast-paced mystery with a lovable, unforgettable protagonist at it center.
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Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life
by Tara Lohan
Free-flowing rivers in the United States are an endangered species. With more than 500,000 dams in place, we've dammed and diverted almost every major river, straightening curves and blocking passage for fish and other aquatic animals, pushing many to the brink. Now a heartening new movement is helping to demolish harmful or obsolete structures and restore new life to rivers and the communities that depend on them. In doing so, it offers a pathway to undoing environmental harm to nature--and to ourselves. In Undammed, environmental journalist Tara Lohan takes a clear-eyed look at the unexpected benefits of dam removal after centuries of dam-building. In helping to restore rivers, she argues, we're protecting our own communities by improving water quality, enhancing public safety, and boosting fish populations that feed people and restore rights for Native American Tribes. In Europe, where river barriers occur almost every half-mile, the US movement is spurring a rival effort to restore natural flow to rivers degraded by obstructions. Undammed is an inspirational look at our changing relationship with the natural world, showing the cascade of benefits that come when we no longer turn our backs on rivers. And in helping to restore rivers, we're helping ourselves.
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Nights and Weekends: Recipes That Make the Most of Your Time - A Cookbook
by Alexis Deboschnek
As a veteran recipe developer, Alexis thought she had home cooking on lock until she became the primary caretaker and chef for her mother, which inspired her to think harder about cooking the daily task. Nights and Weekends is the solution to this quotidien dilemma, offering recipes that are eminently achievable for every time and effort constraint. In the Nights section, which is divided by type of food (such as Soups, Vegetable, Meat, Pasta, Fish), recipes have a short ingredient list that can be easily sourced, will come together in under 40 minutes, and only one pot or a sheet pan. The Weekend section is organized by type of meal -- Brunch, Dinner, and a chapter on Snacks for informal gatherings -- and features recipes that are slightly more adventurous, as well as a chapter on homemade desserts. Through dishes such as One-Pot Gnocchi Ragu, Everything Bagel Tomato Panzanella, Hot Butter Garlic Shrimp, 7-Minute Eggs with Mayo and Chile Oil, and Curried Chicken and Cauliflower Phyllo Pie, this cookbook not only gives you delicious meals, but it also gives you your invaluable time back to enjoy them--
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| The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us by Rebecca Newberger GoldsteinThis thoughtful, curious book explores our deep need to feel like we matter and all the surprising (and sometimes painful) ways we build our lives around that urge. Blending philosophy, psychology, and vivid storytelling, it examines how our longing for significance shapes relationships, creativity, and conflict in a world hungry for purpose. |
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Bunns Rabbit
by Alan Barillaro
When Bunns is born with small but perfectly functional rabbit ears, the warren is abuzz with auguries. Surely such short ears spell bad luck for the community. Sheltered in her family's burrow, Bunns listens to the rhythm of her mother's heartbeat-Thump, thump, thump-a song of home and belonging. Her father explains that unlike a rabbit's words or thumping feet, a heartsong cannot lie. But the unknown world of the meadow, the sounds and smells above, call to Bunns. When at last she's ready to brave the staring and whispering of neighbors who fear her because she's different, and the disapproving elders who threaten to banish her family, she finds a world beyond the warren where myths and riddles, magic voyages, and important new friends await. Can the "bad omen bunny" follow her own heartsong to a destiny-a wish-meant just for her? Academy Award-winning director, writer, and animator Alan Barillaro's graceful storytelling, warm illustrations, and dramatic graphic panels weave light and dark into a seamless tapestry to enchant children and adults alike
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Is It Spring?
by Kevin Henkes
Fickle weather makes for an uncertain yet hopeful changing of the seasons.
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Fustuk: A Graphic Novel
by Robert Mgrdich Apelian
The odd one out in a family of talented chefs, seventeen-year-old Katah and his siblings strike a deal with a powerful div to save their mother's life in exchange for a dish that rivals their late father's.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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