The 10 best new books of March 2024
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“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” This saying, attributed to motivational speaker William Arthur Ward, also describes the attitude of many characters in our 10 best books for this month.
Individuals sowing the seeds for change include Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor, Frances Perkins, in the historical novel “Becoming Madame Secretary,” and George C. Marshall, in the biography “The Making of a Leader,” whose design for post-World War II Europe became known as the Marshall Plan.
Among the authors of nonfiction books, Marilynne Robinson draws on her love of Scripture in “Reading Genesis,” Elizabeth Kolbert offers an antidote to climate despair in “H Is for Hope,” and Nancy A. Nichols explores the social impact of driving in “Women Behind the Wheel.”
Why We Wrote This
Books we love this month include a legendary romance between two poets, a thrilling mystery set in Ireland, and a compelling biography of George C. Marshall, architect of the Marshall Plan.
The Swan’s Nest, by Laura McNeal
Laura McNeal’s historical novel “The Swan’s Nest” captures the great love between poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. McNeal dramatizes the challenges the two Romantics overcame to forge a life together.
Becoming Madam Secretary, by Stephanie Dray
Why We Wrote This
Books we love this month include a legendary romance between two poets, a thrilling mystery set in Ireland, and a compelling biography of George C. Marshall, architect of the Marshall Plan.
Frances Perkins, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor, steps crisply and convincingly from the pages of Stephanie Dray’s novel. As events unfold – including the Great Depression – Perkins practices an ethos of “investigate, agitate, legislate” to effect change.
Help Wanted, by Adelle Waldman
Adelle Waldman’s novel looks at the hardships faced by part-time workers at a big-box store. Her characters, who long for the stability, benefits, and job security of full-time work, cook up a plan that sparks their hopes and dreams.
The Hunter, by Tana French
Tana French stretches the tension – and the mystery genre – like taffy in her return to the ethically murky Irish village of Ardnakelty. Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper has crafted a life with veterinarian Lena and Trey, the teen he teaches carpentry and ethics. Then Trey’s father returns, claiming, “There’s gold in them hills.” Only those who have read “The Searcher” first will fully appreciate the stakes as Cal and Lena work to save Trey.
James, by Percival Everett
Huck Finn’s sidekick Jim earns pride of place in Percival Everett’s retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Here, he becomes James, a smart, self-educated man confronting a vivid cast of ne’er-do-wells, enslavers, and fellow escapees as he wends north hoping to buy his family’s freedom.
The Far Side of the Desert, by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Alliances – familial, situational, political – gird this engrossing thriller from novelist Joanne Leedom-Ackerman. U.S. foreign service officer Monte disappears during a visit to Spain; the search to find her, spearheaded by older sister Samantha, ricochets from Morocco and Egypt to Washington. Monte’s captivity is brutal, but there’s resilience, too, as both sisters slay old demons and chart new paths.
Reading Genesis, by Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson, author of the 2005 Pulitzer-winning novel “Gilead,” offers her idiosyncratic reading of the Book of Genesis. By not taking any of the familiar Bible stories at face value, she makes a case for God’s enduring covenant with creation.
The Making of a Leader, by Josiah Bunting III
Rather than focusing on George C. Marshall’s military accomplishments during World War II and, later, his role in rebuilding postwar Europe, historian Josiah Bunting III examines Marshall’s early years. His insightful, admiring biography illuminates Marshall’s leadership qualities.
Women Behind the Wheel, by Nancy A. Nichols
Journalist Nancy A. Nichols offers a spirited exploration of the effects of the automobile on American women. She documents the ways driving has both expanded women’s freedoms and, citing midcentury isolation in the suburbs, limited their opportunities.
H Is for Hope, by Elizabeth Kolbert
New Yorker science writer Elizabeth Kolbert’s trenchant essays on climate change are combined with haunting illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook into a graphic nonfiction alphabet. It’s an urgent, innovative book.
