March recommended lists you don’t want to miss
There is excitement building as Spring approaches! March is Women’s History Month and a great time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women everywhere. With so many books by and about women, there is plenty to check out for every audience! Easter also snuck into March this year, so Spring and Easter books may see some early interest. Your patrons will appreciate books for all that March holds, plus all the new releases they have been waiting for. Below are lists available to shop in OverDrive Marketplace to make sure your patrons are ready for the month ahead!
Celebrate Women’s History Month
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This large list is sure to cover all the titles you need to celebrate Women’s History Month, including biographies and memoirs, history titles, essays, and more. It includes titles for all ages, so there is something for everyone!
Featured title
Wild Girls by Tiya Miles
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From your OverDrive Digital Content Librarian (DCL): An immersive look at women from history that were impacted by nature in ways that allowed them to impact others. Supported with archival materials, Miles explores various women from different backgrounds and strikes a balance with information and imagery. Just a few of the highlighted women include Harriet Tubman as a woodswoman with skills and knowledge that helped her escape slavery and free others, Louisa May Alcott as a young outdoor explorer who played outside of gender norms and later wrote literature that explored gender norms, and Josephine Langley who facilitated outdoor free movement by coaching a winning basketball team of indigenous women at a boarding school. The lives of these women and many others are as richly described as the landscapes that inspired them. A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023. This is an inspiring read for users to explore this spring!
Lent & Easter
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As we continue into Lent and lead into Easter, it is a time for reflection and growth. Reading of any kind is great for this and this list features topical fiction and nonfiction titles for all ages to enjoy!
Top Titles of March
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Featured Title
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
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From the publisher: 1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.
But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.
March Blockbusters
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Featured Title
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
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From the publisher: Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.
Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.
Top Historical Fiction of March
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The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird
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From your OverDrive DCL: Staying at a Reno divorce ranch in the 1950s, Lois Saunders may be seeking a divorce, but finds herself looking for friendship and freedom. Feeling as lonely at the ranch as she did at home, getting to know the other ladies isn’t always easy, but with the help of new arrival Greer Lang, Lois starts to connect more with the others. As the weeks of residency at the divorce ranch tick by, the ladies get out more, going to bars and casinos, shopping, and exploring outside. As they spend more time together, they start to learn more about each other and themselves. When the fun turns more into high stake games, Lois starts to wonder what her friends and freedom are really worth. Beaird’s debut novel features engaging characters and a propelling plot that will appeal to readers.
Top Mystery/Thriller of March
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How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
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From your OverDrive DCL: While visiting a country fair with her best friends, young Frances Adams receives an unfortunate reading from a fortune teller: she will be murdered. Frances takes this to heart and spends her life trying to figure out who will murder her, collecting information on all the people in her life in a small village. Years later, Frances’ great-niece Annie is invited to a meeting about Frances’ will, which has had some recent changes. Upon Annie’s visit, Frances’ fortune comes true, and she is murdered. Surrounded by village locals who know more about Frances and her life, Annie works to uncover the murderer and learns more about her family along the way. With an intriguing mystery, or two, to uncover, How to Solve Your Own Murder is a fun read and sure to be a hit!
Top Nonfiction of March
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Featured title
Momma Cusses by Gwenna Laithland
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From the publisher: There are lots of experts out there who will tell you they have the magic recipe to raising perfect humans. Gwenna Laithland is not one of them. She’s one of us. Frustrated, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Her relatable representation of parenthood validates our experiences. In Momma Cusses, Gwenna uses her signature style of snark and sarcasm to explain her interpretation of responsive parenting vs. reactive parenting and outline the steps she takes to raise her kids. Whether you are a parent or someone who has had a parent, we all need to learn how to handle our emotional spirals responsively.
Now we can all be in it together by tackling some of the hilarious yet all-too-real scenarios Gwenna outlines in her book, including:
YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SH*T: Mom guilt vs. mom shame
ARE YOU YELLING OR ARE YOU JUST BEING LOUD?: Get in control of your emotions
THE BIG FEELS LOOP-DE-LOO: Get in control of their emotions
Accessible, digestible, and rooted in reality, Momma Cusses helps readers with navigating family dynamics and cultivating emotional resilience for everyone.
More March lists you don’t want to miss
Top Sci-Fi of March. Shop the list here.
Top Romance of March. Shop the list here.
Top Fantasy of March. Shop the list here.
If you ever need help shopping, you can always email your Digital Content Librarian! Find your DCL in the SUPPORT tab of Marketplace.
About the author: Tori Casper has worked in academic libraries, archives, and public libraries in various roles. Now at OverDrive, she helps public libraries build and highlight their digital collections. Outside of work and reading, she enjoys hiking, gardening, wildlife photography, and planning trips to national parks. Tori is always happy to discuss all the books with strong nature settings!
