--- description: Here are the best new books to read this month from Karen Russell's new novel to Amanda Nguyen's memoir title: 12 New Books to Read in March image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09d0ef2ad5868be7/6998c46447fe51188755b77d/what-to-read-march-2025-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in March by [Shannon Carlin](/author/shannon-carlin/) ## Shannon Carlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Carlin is a contributor for TIME. Mar 1, 2025 12:00 PM CUT  by [Shannon Carlin](/author/shannon-carlin/) ## Shannon Carlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Carlin is a contributor for TIME. Mar 1, 2025 12:00 PM CUT Spring is just around the corner. As the days get longer, you’ll want to spend those extra hours of sunlight with a good book. This month’s must-reads include astronaut and activist [Amanda Nguyen](https://time.com/collection/women-of-the-year/6150543/amanda-nguyen-interview/ "undefined")’s debut memoir, [Torrey Peters](https://time.com/author/torrey-peters/ "undefined")’ experimental follow-up to her 2021 debut bestseller [_Detransition, Baby_](https://time.com/collection/100-must-read-books-2021/6120660/detransition-baby/ "undefined"), and [Abdulrazak Gurnah](https://time.com/6137861/abdulrazak-gurnah-afterlives/ "undefined")’s first new novel since winning the Nobel Prize four years ago. Other notable March releases include _Swamplandia!_ author [Karen Russell](https://time.com/63548/goldfinch-female-authors-reading/ "undefined")’s long-awaited second novel, _Slate_ senior writer [Scaachi Koul](https://time.com/4788073/best-non-fiction-books-2017-so-far/ "undefined")’s much-anticipated sophomore essay collection, and journalist Josh Duboff’s charming debut about the struggle to [maintain friendships in your thirties](https://time.com/7010514/what-makes-friendships-last-forever/ "undefined"). Here, the 12 new books you should read this month. ## _Sucker Punch_, Scaachi Koul (March 4)  Scaachi Koul’s follow-up to her 2017 essay collection, _One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter,_ looks at the radical changes the journalist experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. With humor, she writes about the end of her marriage, the loss of her job, and her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Throughout _Sucker Punch_, she also examines the many fights she has had with her mom, her ex-husband and too many online trolls, questioning whether any of them were actually worth having. **Buy Now**: _Sucker Punch_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781250270504 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/41BiTj2 "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/43cLdcs "undefined") ## _Saving Five_, Amanda Nguyen (March 4)  To tell the story of her life so far, activist and astronaut [Amanda Nguyen](https://time.com/6968824/time100-amanda-nguyen-kelley-robinson-equality/ "undefined") consulted her younger selves. Her debut memoir, _Saving Five_, uses magical interludes to incorporate her points of view at the ages of five, 15, 22, and 30 in the hopes of better understanding the lingering effects of an abusive childhood, [campus sexual assault](https://time.com/collection/american-voices-2017/4478049/amanda-nguyen-american-voices/ "undefined"), and the [subsequent fight for justice](https://time.com/collection/time100-voices/6314229/amanda-nguyen-universal-jurisdiction-sexual-violence/ "undefined") that resulted in the passage of the 2016 [Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act.](https://time.com/4346255/sexual-assault-survivors-rights-act-2/ "undefined") **Buy Now**: _Saving Five_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780374615918 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4gWzl1v "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/41pEnzy "undefined") ## _Count My Lies_, Sophie Stava (March 4)  Sophie Stava’sdebut, _Count My Lies,_ is a suspenseful thriller told from the perspective of a compulsive liar. Nail technician Sloane Caraway has a knack for spinning the truth, but she might have just met her match. When a seemingly harmless white lie lands her a job as a nanny with a wealthy New York couple, she believes she’s hit the jackpot. But she quickly discovers that her new employers have secrets of their own—ones that they’d prefer to keep hidden. **Buy Now**: _Count My Lies_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781668079348 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3D8E3LM "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/count-my-lies-sophie-stava/1145682419?ean=9781668079348 "undefined") ## _The Tell_, Amy Griffin (March 11)  With her debut memoir, _The Tell,_ power broker Amy Griffin attempts to understand the intense anxietythat has plagued her throughout adulthood. Her search for answers leads her back to her hometown of Amarillo, Texas, where she reckons with a childhood trauma that she buried so deep as to have nearly forgotten it.Through alternative therapies, Griffin attempts to excavate her repressed memories of sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted adult in the hopes of finally finding closure. **Buy Now**: _The Tell_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593731208 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3XHtbvF "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/4gUvJwV "undefined") ## _Stag Dance_, Torrey Peters (March 11)  Over the course of a decade, bestselling author Torrey Peters wrote _Stag Dance,_ a provocative collection of three short stories and a novella that each explore what happens when people are forced to hide their gender and sexual identities. The four works cover a hormonal apocalypse spawned by a jealous ex, a secret romance gone wrong between students at a Quaker boarding school, a young person’s quest to find their true self during a night out in Las Vegas, and a dance party thrown by a group of male lumberjacks where some volunteer to pose as women. **Buy Now**: _Stag Dance_ on [Bookshop](https://fave.co/3QAH2Qo "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4idYeqA "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/3Vzgsdi "undefined") ## _The Antidote_, Karen Russell (March 11)  Bestselling author Karen Russell’s sophomore novel, _The Antidote_, is a fantastical Dust Bowl epic that acts as an allegory for the current climate crisis. After a small Nebraska town is devastated by a severe dust storm, the community’s outsiders must come together to create a more sustainable future. The rag-tag group features a Polish wheat farmer, his orphan niece, an enchanted New Deal photographer, a chatty scarecrow, and a “Prairie Witch,” whose body is a depository for the memories the settlers wish to forget. As they journey onward, the characters must confront the mistakes of their personal and collective pasts. **Buy Now**: _The Antidote_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593802250 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3DbJ723 "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/3ZNfU5T "undefined") ## _Goddess Complex_, Sanjena Sathian (March 11)  Sanjena Sathian’s second novel, _Goddess Complex_, begins with a 30-something anthropology student ghosting her actor husband after terminating a pregnancy. When her estranged spouse mysteriously disappears before they can finalize their divorce, she embarks on a mind-bendingjourney to find him, only to come face-to-face with her still–pregnant doppelgänger. **Buy Now**: _Goddess Complex_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593489772 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3QW4MyF "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/43dE5fX "undefined") ## _Firstborn_, Lauren Christensen (March 18)  _New York Times Books Review_ editor Lauren Christensen began writing her debut memoir after losing her unborn child,picking up in the moments after she returns home from terminating a dangerous pregnancy at 22 weeks. _Firstborn,_ which acts as a remembrance for her late daughter, offers an achingly candid record of her unfathomable loss. **Buy Now**: _Firstborn_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593831816 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/43fooVE "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/4hWCUWI "undefined") ## _O Sinners!_, Nicole Cuffy (March 18)  In Nicole Cuffy’s new novel, journalist Faruq Zaidi embeds himself inside a California cult following the death of his devout Muslim father. Faruq has every intention of exposing the mysterious collective, but upon his arrival he strikes up a friendship with the group’s charismatic leader, a Vietnam War veteran named Odo. As their bond deepens, Faruq begins to wonder whether Odo’s unorthodox, but alluringteachings could be the cure-all to his grief. **Buy Now**: _O Sinners!_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593597446 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/41zqqOY "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/41gDNT9 "undefined") ## _Early Thirties_, Josh Duboff (March 18)  Journalist Josh Duboff’s debut novel, _Early Thirties,_ puts its focus on a pair of [30-something best friends](https://time.com/7010680/how-to-make-friends-as-adult/ "undefined") who are growing up and seemingly growing apart. After a devastating breakup, Victor struggles with his mental health and the pressures of his new job as a celebrity journalist for a popular print publication. Usually, he’d turn to his long time bestie Zoey for solace, but she’s got her own things to worry about including whether or not she should break off her engagement. The two soon realize that in order to move forward, they will have to find their way back to one another. **Buy Now**: _Early Thirties_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781668059937 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4hfFOVH "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/4bhw3ok "undefined") ## _Theft_, Abdulrazak Gurnah (March 18)  Nobel Prize-winner [Abdulrazak Gurnah](https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2023/6332618/desertion/ "undefined")’s twelfth book, _Theft,_ is a coming-of-age story set in Tanzania at the turn of the century. When teenager Karim goes to live with the mother who abandoned him as a child, he finds himself drawn to Badar, a poor servant boy who works for her. After Badar is accused of stealing, he is sent away. In this postcolonial novel about truth, ambition, and identity, Gurnah follows the two men as their paths cross over several decades. **Buy Now**: _Theft_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593852606 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4h0yi0s "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/3CXfamn "undefined") ## _Tilt_, Emma Pattee (March 25)  _Tilt,_ climate journalist Emma Pattee’s debut, begins at an IKEA in Portland, Ore. where a very pregnant woman named Annie is shopping for baby furniture. Then the unthinkable happens: a massive earthquake unlike anything the Pacific Northwest has ever seen. In its aftermath, Annie realizes the only way home from the store is to walk, forcing her to embark on a horrifying, anxiety-ridden pilgrimage to safety. **Buy Now**: _Tilt_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781668055472 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4gWAK8h "undefined") | [Barnes & Noble](https://fave.co/4itZ8Aa "undefined") These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7261949/best-books-march-2025/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7261949/best-books-march-2025/"},"headline":"Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in March","datePublished":"2025-03-01T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:51:35.867Z","description":"Here are the best new books to read this month from Karen Russell's new novel to Amanda Nguyen's memoir","url":"https://time.com/7261949/best-books-march-2025/","keywords":["Books","E-Commerce","freelance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09d0ef2ad5868be7/6998c46447fe51188755b77d/what-to-read-march-2025-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shannon Carlin","jobTitle":"Carlin is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/shannon-carlin/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09d0ef2ad5868be7/6998c46447fe51188755b77d/what-to-read-march-2025-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"What to read in March 2025","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7261949/best-books-march-2025/","name":"Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in March"}}]}] ```