With a new season, better weather, spring break, and longer days to look forward to this month, it might seem like a list of new books might pale in comparison, but not this list. This month’s new releases span a broad spectrum of interests and genres, with a side of celebrity memoirs by Paris Hilton and Tiffany Haddish.
Expect highly anticipated works from Jeannette Walls and Cathleen Schine, who revisit history through the eyes of strong women protagonists (just in time for Women’s History Month), along with new literary fiction novels exploring female grief, first love, and the power of storytelling. And spring break wouldn’t be spring break without immersing yourself in the latest whodunnit by Alex Finlay (Every Last Fear), or an occult mystery by Sarah Penner (The Lost Apothecary), or a mermaid body horror by debut author Jade Song. Of course, no best new books list would be complete without a healthy dose of new self-development books. That’s where the latest nonfiction analyses of health and wellness, addiction, and career empowerment come in.
Check out the list of books below and don’t worry about having to read them all at once. Feel free to start a few and save as many as you want for later — that’s the beauty of your subscription. Fair warning: We’ll deliver a brand new list next month, too!
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin
Theranos meets “The Social Network” — with a queer twist. After dabbling in petty scams, best friends and con artists Ezra and Orson found a shady wellness company called NuLife, which promises health and happiness to all who buy in. Frumkin (The Comedown) accomplishes something rare in Confidence, a zany dark comedy that manages to disparage capitalism and the wellness industry without becoming preachy or grim.
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Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
In Lucas’ pensive debut, a middle-aged woman remembers the love affair she had in her twenties with a much older man and how their relationship affected her views on intimacy, loyalty, and self. Set on the Australian coast and rich in metaphor, Thirst for Salt is a love letter to love itself, particularly young love with all its fraught ups and downs.
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What Have We Done by Alex Finlay
In a highly anticipated thriller by the author of Every Last Fear, the past comes back to haunt Jenna, Nico, Ben, and Donnie, who met in a teen group home. As adults, they’re drawn together when Ben is murdered and the rest narrowly avoid the same fate. The brisk plot shifts between their perspectives as they navigate twists and turns to discover who is out to get them and why.
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The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
Penner follows her bestselling debut, The Lost Apothecary, with an equally enthralling sophomore novel. In 19th-century Paris, Lenna Wickes works with renowned medium Vaudeline D’Allaire to solve her sister’s murder. They soon become entangled with the all-male London Séance Society — and a darker plot involving the occult. This gothic mystery includes feminist themes and sapphic romance. Naturally, it begins and ends with a séance.
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Without a Doubt by Surbhi Sarna
Sarna’s life and career are proof that you don’t have to have an early advantage to succeed. Despite years of being disregarded — or perhaps because of it — she went on to develop a life-saving medical device for women. Sarna is now a successful venture capitalist and a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur. “Without a Doubt” overflows with humor, vulnerability, and empathy as the author inspires readers to chase their passions no matter the odds.
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Stash by Laura Cathcart Robbins
Though the author dedicates much of this book to her sobriety journey, Stash is much more than an addiction memoir. Robbins, host of the podcast The Only One in the Room, opens up about living a lie and the toll dishonesty takes on our joy and humanity. The result is an unflinchingly honest account of a complicated life and the determination to live it as well as possible.
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Paris by Paris Hilton
What most of us know of Hilton was curated by early aughts reality TV, which painted her as an overly-sexualized fashionista and party girl. This eye-opening memoir delivers a fresh portrait of a surprisingly grounded woman. In Paris, Hilton covers sexual abuse, mental health, and mainstream media’s delight in exploiting young women. Gracious and empathetic, the heiress corrects the popular narrative without veering into self-pity — and that’s hot.
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A Manual for How to Love Us by Erin Slaughter
This linked story collection fearlessly embraces female grief without the constraints of societal expectations. Each protagonist faces a loss of some kind, and their emotions become increasingly and authentically savage. Set in neglected towns across the American South, which have an untamed quality of their own, A Manual for How to Love Us is spellbinding and genre defying.
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The People’s Hospital by Ricardo Nuila
This book reveals how America’s healthcare system fails its most vulnerable people and offers a model for a humane future. Nuila doesn’t shy away from the harsh truths of capitalism and for-profit healthcare, sharing stories of actual patients to make this topic less theoretical and more human. The People’s Hospital is essential reading today and for as long as our system remains unchanged.
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Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine
Schine’s (The Grammarians) latest is an engaging and witty ode to storytelling. Mamie Künstler has lived in Los Angeles since her family fled Austria in 1939. In 2020, her floundering grandson comes calling, but lockdown extends his visit indefinitely. Mamie fills their time by sharing stories of Old Hollywood and her community of refugees, including notable Jewish artists, performers, and intellectuals.
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Piñata by Leopoldo Gout
Carmen Sánchez oversees a renovation project in Mexico City with her two young daughters in tow. When ancient artifacts are discovered at the construction site, the job is cut short, and the Sánchezes return to New York — but they aren’t alone. A sinister spirit follows, using Carmen’s daughter to avenge atrocities of the past. Gout skewers colonialism and racism with this possession tale based on Indigenous Mexican mythology.
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Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado
A disgraced police inspector hopes to salvage his career by solving an especially sinister case. But he needs the help of Antonia Scott — a civilian with an astonishing mind for forensics who’s currently out of commission after a personal tragedy. Newly translated from Spanish, Red Queen is the first in Gómez-Jurado’s Madrid-based crime trilogy featuring Antonia Scott. Translations for the next two titles are forthcoming, as is an Amazon Prime Spanish Original series adaptation (Reina Roja).
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Y/N by Esther Yi
Dubbed one of the most anticipated releases of the year by outlets like Literary Hub, Esquire, and Entertainment Weekly, Yi’s fervent debut follows a Korean American copywriter who becomes entranced with a K-pop star. Y/N moves from Berlin to Seoul and between reality and fanfiction, exploring how art and fandom shape our sense of self.
Start Listening MAR 21
The Lonely Dad Conversations by Chris Gethard
First and foremost, comedian Gethard wants you to know that being a dad is fun and deeply rewarding — but it’s also stressful, draining, lonely, and tons of other bleak adjectives. This compilation of interviews Gethard did with his dad friends (and one mom friend) is full of candid, vulnerable insights about parenthood that men typically don’t acknowledge, let alone share.
Start Listening MAR 22
Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls
Walls, a journalist, is best known for her memoir, The Glass Castle, and its film adaptation starring Brie Larson. In Hang the Moon, Walls turns to historical fiction set in Prohibition-era Virginia. Sallie Kincaid is a force to be reckoned with as she overcomes family trauma (and the fact that she’s a young woman) to run her father’s whiskey empire. Full of moral dilemmas and dangerous clashes with feuding bootleggers, this novel whisks readers along for a wild, captivating ride.
Start Listening MAR 28
Chlorine by Jade Song
Faced with mounting pressure to secure an Ivy League scholarship, high school swimmer Ren Yu dreams about leaving her life behind and becoming a mermaid. Her fantasies spiral into something dark and corporeal as the novel progresses. Sapphic coming-of-age meets body horror in this disconcerting but unputdownable debut reminiscent of Aronofsky’s Black Swan.
Start Listening MAR 28
I Curse You with Joy by Tiffany Haddish
Haddish, an actress and comedian best known for the film Girls Trip, follows her bestselling memoir The Last Black Unicorn with an essay collection featuring more stories about her life and career. Haddish doesn’t shy away from her mistakes and heartbreaks, but she also includes funny, uplifting tales about family, film, and Black joy. An entertaining and inspiring read free from pretension.
Start Listening MAR 28
Take the Lead by Alexis Daria
Gina Morales and Stone Nielson partner up for a reality dance show, each harboring their own motivations. For Gina, it’s about making her professional dreams come true, while Stone feels pressure to boost his family brand. Daria (You Had Me at Hola, A Lot Like Adiós) perfectly executes the opposites attract trope in this rom-com series starter. The protagonists’ authentic dilemmas enrich a fun, sexy story made all the more lively through dance.
Start Listening MAR 28
Into the Light by Mark Oshiro
Manny, a Mexican-cued teen, finds solace in the Varela family after being abandoned by his white, religious adopters. When an unidentified body is found in the California wilderness, Manny fears it’s his long-lost sister. Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert) explores religious indoctrination and the white savior trope through a queer, Latinx lens. Interwoven timelines and perspectives between Manny and another struggling teen build tension throughout this YA thriller.
Start Listening MAR 28
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison
Brothers Jay and Max dream of escaping their abusive father after high school. When a scuffle with a classmate turns bloody, the brothers wonder if violence is their unavoidable legacy. They must draw on their Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican) ancestry for wisdom and strength. Tison, also Bribri, dissects the effects of abuse and the power of heritage to disrupt generational trauma.
Start Listening MAR 28
The only thing as exciting as new releases are great books that stand the test of time. Enduring fiction and nonfiction titles await in Scribd’s best new books and audiobooks from past months.
About the Author: Lanie Pemberton
Lanie is a San Diego-based freelance writer with many Scribd Snapshots and recommended reading lists under her belt. She loves reading about animals and the natural world, with plenty of murder mysteries peppered in. When she needs a break from writing and reading, Lanie can be found taking long walks under the SoCal sun, usually alongside her husband and pampered pittie, Peach.
