13 Book Club Picks For March 2024, From Oprah to NYPL’s Teen Banned Book Club
Spring is finally here (sorry, allergy havers)! If you enjoy reading outside, now is your time. Stuff your books in a tote and find a lovely spot; take your ereader to a place where you can people watch and read; or pop in your earbuds and go for a lovely walk amongst nature while catching up on your audiobooks. If you are looking for your next read, these book clubs have you covered! Peruse the list to know what “everyone” is reading this month, or find a book club to join in as little or as much as you’d like. Almost all of these are virtual book clubs offer various ways to join in, and they usually round out the month with an author chat. So what did these book clubs pick for March 2024?
Oprah doesn’t have a set schedule for her book club, but this month, she picked a memoir to read. Jenna Bush picked two titles this month in celebration of her book club turning five. There’s a YA novel about gentrification, a novel about a captain spy during the Vietnam War, a historical YA novel on banned/challenged book lists, as well as Palestinian literature, a thriller with a fictional true crime podcast, Tommy Orange’s new historical novel, and more!
You may notice a coincidental color theme this month where all the covers except one slot into a blue color story or a red/orange color story — sometimes mixed together into one!
Teen Banned Book Club at NYPL
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
About the book club: The NYPL is selecting young adult books that have been challenged or banned from schools and offering them free nationwide via digital access. The book club also hosts the authors for an event.
What The New York Public Library’s Teen Banned Book Club said about the book: “Our latest Banned Book Club pick is The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. Readers anywhere in the U.S. can borrow the book for free from the “Books for All” library on SimplyE, NYPL’s e-reader app. The Downstairs Girl is available to all readers ages 13 and above through April 30, 2024.
Thursday, April 25 | 3 PM ET | Online: Banned Book Club Event with Stacey Lee: ‘The Downstairs Girl’“
Follow The New York Public Library on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram
Subtle Asian Book Club
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
About the book club: Tiffany and Alexandra, longtime friends, created the Subtle Asian Book Club in 2020 with the goal of uplifting Asian voices and storytellers. You can read along with the monthly book chosen, join on social media, and watch videos of their live author interviews.
About the book: If you’re looking for a Pulitzer Prize winning spy novel that looks at political extremism, this is your book club for the month!
Follow Subtle Asian Book Club on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Discord
The Audacious Book Club in 2024
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
About the book club: Author Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Ayiti, The Banks) selects a book every month with the goal of uplifting “authentic and necessary perspectives from writers who fearlessly share their stories.”
What Roxane said about the book: “Wandering Stars is a novel that raises questions about genocidal violence and the trauma it passes on, colonialism and its legacies, the realities of addiction, what it means to be Native in this country. Part of what makes this novel so masterful is that it does not attempt to give us simple answers to any of these questions; instead this novel tries to answer those questions in complex, unexpected and brilliantly conveyed ways. I’m excited to discuss this powerful story with you over the next few weeks. And we will be in conversation with Tommy on March 21st at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST.”
Follow Roxane Gay on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Mocha Girls Read
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
About the book club: Mocha Girls Read is a monthly book club of Black women who love to read. They currently have chapters in 14 cities across the U.S. Starting in 2024, anyone can join “an IG Live every first Saturday of the month at 5 pm PT. Alysia, our founder, will chat about our current book club selection.”
What Mocha Girls Read said about the book: “As we get ready to embrace Women’s History Month, our reading journey takes us to the heart of Palestinian literature. This March, we’re diving into ‘Her Palestine!’ – we are showcasing the work of female Palestinian authors. Their stories, steeped in rich cultural heritage and fraught with the complexities of their land’s history, offer us a window into the resilience and creativity of Palestinian women.”
Follow Mocha Girls Read on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, MeetUp, Goodreads, Pinterest
Eclectix The Book Club
There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia
About the book club: Dawnshaeé Reid is a self-proclaimed eclectic blogger who created this book club with Black authors as a priority. It aims to highlight a wide range of genres. There’s an in-person, once-a-month meeting option if you’re in Louisville, KY, and a virtual option that meets the last Tuesday of every month.
What Eclectix The Book Club said about the book: “🏘️ March 2024 Pick: There Goes the Neighborhood by @jadeadia — genre: young adult ‘a raised fist against the destructive forces of gentrification and a love letter to communities of color’”
Follow Eclectix The Book Club on social media: Instagram, Discord, TikTok
Sapph-Lit
Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam
About the book club: Born from TikTok, Sapph-Lit is a safe space book club for sapphic women and nonbinary readers to come together and chat books, life, and offer support. One book a month is selected, alternating each month between fiction and nonfiction.
What Sapph-Lit said about the book: “A global history of gender non-conformity that illuminates the stories of people across the globe whose experiences have defied binary categories.”
Oprah’s Book Club
The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin
About the book club: Oprah’s book club has taken on different forms over decades, starting in 1996 on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She’s still book clubbing and this month she picked her 103rd title!
What Oprah said about the book: “The wait is finally over! We’re excited to announce that our next Oprah’s Book Club selection is… The Many Lives of Mama Love, by @laralovehardin.
In this fast-paced, deeply moving memoir, Lara describes how she went from a suburban soccer mom to a convicted felon who stole her neighbors’ credit cards to fund her opiate addiction. But this is not a book about loss so much as it is, in @oprah’s words, a book ‘about redemption, about joy, about hope, about claiming yourself and what you rightly deserve.’
We urge you to get a copy of this page-turning memoir! It will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you see the potential in the people around you (not to mention the person in the mirror). Tap the link in our bio for more information on our new selection and author! #ReadWithUs”
Follow Oprah’s Book Club on social media: Instagram, Twitter
The Stacks Book Club
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
About the book cub: Hosted by Traci Thomas, The Stacks is a podcast that chats all about books, and there’s a monthly book club! The book chosen for the month is discussed on the podcast the last week of the month with a selected special guest.
What The Stacks Book Club said about the book: “INTERIOR CHINATOWN is a National Book Award Winner, a NYT bestseller, and now a #TheStacksBookClub pick. What can’t this book do? It’s the story Willis Wu, a generic background actor in his own life, as he’s flung into stardom and adventure by a sudden spotlight. This satire is written as a screenplay (hello, courier font) and takes Willis beyond his wildest imaginings.”
Follow The Stacks on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Matzah Book Soup: A Jewish Own Voices Book Club for All
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff
About the book club: Lillianne Leight and Amanda Spivack created this book club with a focus on Jewish books and characters “with varying relationships to Judaism” that welcomed all readers — Jewish and non.
What Matzah Book Soup said about the book: “We are so excited to announce that this month’s pick is TILL THERE WAS YOU by Lindsay Hameroff. 🧇 We are going back to rom coms and hope you all are as ready to read this one as we are 🫶🏻 Till There Was You is already out so make sure to grab a copy asap!
We will be meeting on MARCH 28 @ 8 PM EST on zoom!
Set in NYC restaurants, Till There Was You delivers a delicious second chance romance with a sprinkle of celebrity romance that’s sure to make you swoon. Plus, of course, it has Jewish rep!”
Follow Matzah Book Soup on social media: Instagram, Facebook
TODAY Book Club, #ReadWithJenna
The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez
About the book club: Jenna Bush Hager — current co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna — independently chooses a book each month that she personally loves. (“Jenna was not paid to mention these items and is unaffiliated with the authors and publishers“)
What Jenna said about the book: “We are ringing in year 5 (!!) of Read With Jenna with a DOUBLE book club pick for March! Get ready…this month we are pairing the beautiful new novel, “The Great Divide” by Cristina Henriquez with “The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros in honor of its 40th anniversary!
“The Great Divide” takes place in the early 20th century at the Panama Canal, where Omar, a young laborer, dreams of a better future while enduring the harsh realities of construction work. His story intersects with Ada, a spirited teenager from Barbados, and John Oswald, a dedicated scientist fighting malaria. Together, they become entwined in a clandestine network, revealing the deep connections, sacrifices, and hopes of those drawn to the monumental project.
“The House on Mango Street” is a coming-of-age novel that follows a young Latina girl named Esperanza as she grows up in Chicago. Through a series of vignettes, Esperanza reflects on her family, friends, and community, while grappling with issues of identity, belonging, and the desire for a better life.
These novels are complementary tales of ambition, identity, and resilience. “The Great Divide” is available in stores tomorrow, and available for preorder now! And look out for a new copy of “The House on Mango Street” with our sticker on it, or pick up your pre-loved one! Come read with us!”
Follow Read With Jenna on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Read With Jenna Goodreads group
Good Morning America‘s GMA Book Club
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
About the book club: Read along with Good Morning America Book Club, which aims to “showcase book picks from a wide range of compelling authors.”
What GMA said about the book: “The thriller about a true crime podcaster determined to crack an unsolved case has been called a ‘world-class whodunit’ by Stephen King.”
Amor en Páginas: The Latinx Romance Buddy Read
Next time you leave by Andrea Gonzalez
About the book club: This is a monthly book club run by two Latinas with the goal of amplifying romance novels written by Latinx authors.
About the book: If you’re a fan of romances featuring a second chance, best friend’s siblings, and/or BMX, this is your book club this month!
Follow Amor en Páginas on social media: Instagram
Reese’s Book Club
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
About the book club: Every month, Reese Witherspoon picks a book for Reese’s Book Club that centers a woman in its story.
What Reese said about the book: “Our March @ReesesBookClub pick is everything. 📚🌟
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by @XochitlTheG asks some big questions, like who in art or history is remembered, who is left behind or erased and WHY. I have goosebumps just talking about this story and I can’t wait to hear what you think.”
It should be noted: “Ms. Mendieta protested the notion that her aunt was ‘forgotten’ in the ’90s, a characterization of the fictional Anita de Monte included in the book’s marketing materials.” From When an Artist Dies, Who Owns Her Story?
Follow Reese’s Book Club on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube
If you’re curious about what book clubs previously picked, or if you like posts about book clubs, find it all here.
