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Big Books of the Week

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) leads holds this week, with appeal across age levels. NYT shares what you need to know about the new “Hunger Games” novel.

Other titles in demand include:

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green (Crash Course)

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery (Canary Street; LJ starred review)

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore (One More Chapter)

The Writer by James Patterson & J.D. Barker (Little, Brown)

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer)

These books and others publishing the week of March 17, 2025, are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Three LibraryReads and nine Indie Next picks publish this week.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (Tordotcom; LJ starred review)

“Dorothy Gentleman, ship’s detective on the Fairweather, is trying to solve a mystery in which the victim has been erased completely and there is a very real possibility that she herself is inhabiting the body of the killer, due to an emergency action by the ship's mind. Insanely clever and truly original.”—Jill Minor, Washington County Public Library, VA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“This was fabulous! It was such a delight to read a murder mystery with a unique setting; I am begging for more of this world. This book is for the readers who love a classic murder mystery, yet want a fresh and vivid story.”—CoriAnn Theroux, The Green Dragon Bookshop, Fort Dodge, IA

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry (Atria) *Good for Book Clubs

“Clara Harrington receives a phone call regarding a letter from the mother who abandoned her when she was young and who is now presumed dead. From the moment Clara and her precocious daughter Wynnie arrive in London to get the letter, a series of coincidences change their lives. A novel of love, motherhood, forgiveness, and being open to possibilities while knowing yourself.”—Judy Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, MA

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“The Story She Left Behind transports us across the Atlantic along with these characters. Patti Callahan Henry’s gorgeous writing grips our hearts and won’t let go as she weaves a story of mothers and daughters full of mystery and imagination.”—Theresa Decker, Book Love the Bookshop of Senoia, Senoia, GA

The Hall of Fame pick is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (S. & S.; LJ starred review)

Seven additional Indie Next picks publish this week:

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, tr. by Polly Barton (Hogarth; LJ starred review)

“Saou Ichikawa makes disability visible in Japan. This book shakes you to the core and takes you on an unforgettable journey. A portrait of what it’s like to live with disability and what it’s like to be a strong woman who makes her own decisions.”—Rosita Georgiades, City of Asylum Bookstore, Pittsburgh, PA

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch (Morrow)

“An SAT tutor stumbles upon a brutal murder, immediately becomes the prime suspect, and embarks on a wild cross-country ride with a mysterious, alluring woman found at the scene. Staying one step ahead of the law requires guts, brains, and trust.”—Mike Hare, Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga Springs, NY

O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy (One World)

“A beautiful novel that seamlessly weaves together themes of trauma, belonging, and belief. The underlying eeriness and sense of paranoia throughout are gripping, and the thought-provoking questions raised offer plenty to discuss.”—Maggie Shaw, Honest Dog Books, Bayfield, WI

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett (Riverhead)

“As a central Floridian myself, this book feels like home. It’s an homage to our weird, wonderful (yet often unwelcoming) state and the beautiful queer people who live here. I laughed, I teared up, and I now want to go on a deep dive into clown culture.”—Rayna Dunlop, Fern & Fable Books, Ormond Beach, FL

The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury)

“This isn’t your typical myth retelling—Pulley sets an ominous tone, perfectly complementing the story’s intrigue and intensity. It brims with monsters, mystery, and vivid, haunting imagery. An unforgettable reimagining.”—Dave Suiter, pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue (S. & S.: Summit)

“What a cast of characters! A 21-year-old anarchist armed with a bomb; a seven-and-a-half-year-old boy traveling alone; a heavily pregnant young, unmarried woman; rich, poor, old, young, Black, white—it’s 1895 on the train to Montmartre. I loved it!”—Carol Katsoulis, Anderson’s Bookshops, Naperville, IL

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky (Knopf)

“Hot Air is a delicious read—smart, funny, quirky, and unpredictable. While you’re gobbling up the plot, it sneakily brings up issues of class, parenting, and marriage. Take it with you on spring break—it’ll be right at home poolside with you.”—Kathryn Counsell, Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, NJ

Reviews

NYT reviews The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (S. & S.; LJ starred review): “What is Jones doing here, with this trifold narrative structure? He has created a novel that invites us to reflect on how the stories we tell about ourselves can be at once confessions and concealments”; Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, tr. by Polly Barton (Hogarth; LJ starred review): “The miracle of this novel is the intellect and spirit of Shaka, who transcends her physical discomfort and confinement with wide-ranging scholarship and various writing projects that provide outlets for her appetites and scorn”; Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett (Riverhead): “What Arnett does best, besides set up scenes so cinematic the book is practically begging for adaptation, is ground Cherry in emotional reality”; Rooms for Vanishing by Stuart Nadler (Dutton): “Even 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, many Holocaust survivors are still living with the hope of becoming whole again, which may well be Nadler’s point. There are no happy endings—only infinite variations of sorrow”; The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia R Kelly (S. & S.): “The Fisherman’s Gift invokes the supernatural and then strives to provide realist explanations at every turn”; Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope by Amanda Nguyen (AUWA): “Nguyen’s original contribution will, as its title promises, give both survivors and non-survivors some sense of hope for justice—and, now more than ever, such hope is essential”; Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky (Knopf): “Hot Air is a novel of sex, class and envy. Juicy topics to be sure, but it’s all a little deflated”; and Funny Because It’s True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire by Christine Wenc (Running Pr.): “The Onion’s rebellious spirit and disdain for selling out, plus some simple bad luck, got in the way of the brand hitting it big.”

Washington Post reviews Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper (Doubleday; LJ starred review): “It’s Bardenwerper’s goodwill that makes this book work—his diligent reporting, yes, but mostly his honest frustration with the way baseball is changing and his sincere belief that things can get better”; When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders by Edward Alden & Laurie Trautman (Oxford Univ.): “But globally, the authors of When the World Closed Its Doors suggest, covid marked an inflection point in the gradual turn toward ever-more-restrictive border regimes that began after the 9/11 attacks and accelerated after the 2014 migrant crisis”; The Mesopotamian Riddle : An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race To Decipher the World’s Oldest Writing by Joshua Hammer (S. & S.): “The Mesopotamian Riddle is an engrossing reminder that some of the most exhilarating adventures of all can be had by puzzle-solvers”; and Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, tr. by Sophie Hughes (New York Review Books): “What’s notable about Latronico’s experiment is that by borrowing Perec’s mode of caricature—exporting it into the present—he shows something universal about generations and their anxieties.”

LJ shares this month’s starred audio reviews.

Briefly Noted

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park by Randall K. Wilson (Counterpoint) wins the New York Historical’s Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize. NYT has coverage.

ALA releases a statement on an executive order issued by the Trump administration that calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. EveryLibrary also called on Congress to safeguard funding for libraries. Infodocket has details.

Canada Reads kicks off today. Watch book trailers for the contenders here.

CrimeReads suggests 10 new books for the week and the best psychological thrillers of the month.

Mental Floss has “11 Essential Books by Irish Authors That Are Worth Reading.”

Reactor previews indie press speculative fiction for March and April.

Authors select their favorite Jane Austen novel for The Guardian.

LA Times recommends four mystery books.

Electric Lit shares “7 Novels That Will Change the Way You Think About Divorce.”

NYT has a feature on Michael Connelly and previews his newly announced “Lincoln Lawyer” novel, The Proving Ground, which arrives October 21.

The Atlantic’s “Books Briefing” considers the literature of the pandemic.

Slate talks with Adam Higginbotham about his Kirkus Prize–winning book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space (Avid Reader/S. & S.).

The Rumpus has an interview with librarian and author Kristen Arnett about her new novel, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One (Riverhead).

Melody Beattie, author of Codependent No More (Spiegel & Grau), has died at the age of 76. Star Tribune has an obituary.

Authors on Air

John Green, Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (Crash Course), and Michael Lewis, editor of Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service (Riverhead), visit CBS Mornings.

T&C previews A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the forthcoming prequel to Game of Thrones (based on the “Dunk and Egg” books by George R.R. Martin), which premieres later this year.

Deadline previews “TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving in 2025 So Far.”

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