New Book Releases: March 10, 2020

Each Monday, I’ll catalog the biggest and most exciting adult and YA fiction — and the occasional nonfiction — coming out that week.

Because of an apparent inability to understand what day it is, last night — when I usually work up these weekly book releases — I did next week’s releases instead. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get this week’s out in time, and I’m cutting it close. But with COVID-19 putting a massive damper on authors’ ability to do publicity and events, and because so many of us are stuck at home with extra time on our hands to read, I think it’s especially crucial that this get published. It’s late, and I’m tired, so it’ll be a bit shorter than usual, and my personal taste will even more clearly dictate which books end up on the list this week. I hope you’ll forgive me — and buy a book, or three. Supporting authors while distracting yourself from the stressful circumstances outside our doors is a win-win, in my opinion.

MY DARK VANESSA, Kate Elizabeth Russell. One of the best books I’ve read in years. A startling, remarkable debut about an “affair” a teenager has with her English teacher, and her decades-long quest to unearth the truth of how that period of her life changed her. Read my review for GEN here. Aggregated critical reviews, Indiebound, Amazon.

GOLD RUSH GIRL, Avi. In this middle-grade novel set during the California gold rush, a young girl goes on a dangerous adventure to save her brother. I don’t usually cover middle grade, but it’s Avi and set in my hometown of San Francisco! This looks absolutely delightful. Indiebound, Amazon.

NEW WAVES, Kevin Nguyen. Two marginalized tech employees plan a heist, but when one of them unexpectedly dies, the other realizes how little he truly knew about his best friend. Aggregated critical reviews, Indiebound, Amazon.