March book preview (a really big one)
Plus, which publications have the best books coverage? I asked Twitter.
A few weeks ago, I asked culture critics (and their readers) in my social networks which publications they consider “reputable and interesting” for books, film, tv, video games, and music coverage in my 2024 Culture Outlet Survey.
The total sample size (~100 respondents) was small, but 92% of the respondents were culture critics themselves — which lends the sample more weight since there aren’t exactly thousands of active culture critics in the U.S. these days. Still, it’s heavily skewed by my personal network.
According to the survey, 36% of respondents say they read culture publications in order to follow the work of specific critics. For reference (and fun), here are the 10 critics most frequently cited by these respondents!
Merve Emre, Parul Sehgal, Constance Grady, Angelica Jade Bastién, Emily Nussbaum, Keith Phipps, Emily St. James, Andrea Long Chu, Matt Zoeller Seitz, Elisa Gabbert.
Since this is a newsletter about books, here’s how culture critics ranked outlets for the best books coverage.
Tier 1
Chosen by 40% or more of the respondent pool as “interesting and reputable.”
A few ties. Not surprised by the top 3 here (NY, NY, NY), but The Guardian is higher than I expected, and the LA Times is lower (though the recent layoff of beloved books editor Boris Kachka may have doomed it). I love seeing the Chicago Review of Books this high, but it’s obviously skewed by my own social media networks where this survey was first shared.
Tier 2
Chosen by 10%-39% of the respondent pool as “interesting and reputable.”
Esquire, Bookforum, The New Republic, BOMB, and Words Without Borders feel criminally underrated here, as they would each be in my personal top 10.
Tier 3
Chosen by less than 10% of the respondent pool as “interesting and reputable.”
A few of these likely deserve to be higher, but aren’t as well-known (American Scholar, 4 Columns, Debutiful, the SRB), while others just don’t cover books very often (Vogue, Smithsonian mag). I can’t explain why the LRB is this low, other than a primarily US-based audience and cost-prohibitive paywall. Most of the outlets with less than 5% were write-ins.
What does this all mean? Maybe nothing, especially since it’s so dependent on my own, small network. In response to this, Dan Sinykin shared a similar poll with very different results. But it’s interesting to see where critics want to get their work published (and presumably where editors are the most swamped with freelance pitches).
Moving on, March is one of the best and biggest months for new books in years, so I’ve expanded my usual 15 picks to 21 — and email subscribers may need to click “view full message” at the bottom to see them all.
My 21 most-anticipated books of March 2024
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft (Bloomsbury, March 5). I read the first chapter of this the other day and was blown away!
Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon (Scribner, March 5). Lyon’s a fantastic writer, and this is a reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter.
Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi (Riverhead, March 5). The city of Prague is a character (!) in Oyeyemi’s new novel (love the title).
The Werewolf at Dusk by David Small (Liveright, March 12). Illustrated short stories from the minds of Lincoln Michel, Jean Ferry, David Small, and others.
The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan (Ecco, March 12). One of my favorite contemporary poets returns with what looks to be an all-time banger.
Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson (FSG, March 12). A new interpretation of the book of Genesis (?!) from one of the finest prose writers in history.
Little Underworld by Chris Harding Thornton (MCD, March 12). Thornton has a really unique voice, so I’m always excited to see what she’ll do next.
Lessons for Survival by Emily Raboteau (Henry Holt, March 12). Looks like fascinating guide to parenting through crises.
Through the Night Like a Snake by Various (Two Lines Press, March 12). I love these themed translated collections from Two Lines, and Latin American Horror might be the most fascinating one yet.
Not Your China Doll by Katie Gee Salisbury (Dutton, March 12). Sounds like a fascinating biography of Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star.
Jumpnauts by Hao Jinfang, translated by Ken Liu (March 12). Liu’s sci-fi translations are always worthwhile.
The Morningside by Téa Obreht (Random House, March 19). Obreht’s first two novels were divine, and this one is delightfully high concept.
Tree Doctor by Marie Mutsuki Mockett (Graywolf, March 19). A woman becomes “preoccupied with her mother's garden — convinced it contains a kind of visual puzzle — and the dormant cherry tree within it.” I’m sold!
Fervor by Toby Lloyd (Avid Reader Press, March 19). Immediately sold on “a close-knit Jewish family in London pushed to the brink when they suspect their daughter is a witch.”
Notes from the Henhouse by Elspeth Barker (Scribner, March 19). A newly collected memoir-in-essays from the author of one of my all-time favorite Gothic novels, O Caledonia.
The Strange (paperback) by Nathan Ballingrud (Saga Press, March 19). One of last year’s best novels (and my new all-time favorite Mars novel) gets a nicely designed paperback release.
The Stars Turned Inside Out by Nova Jacobs (Atria, March 19). The “suspicious death” of a physicist at CERN sounds like a great premise for detective thriller.
Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo (Thomas & Mercer, March 19). A Chicago-set suspense thriller that may or not not include ghosts?
The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Press, March 26). The third volume in his horror trilogy that began with Don’t Fear the Reaper.
Half-Lives by Lynn Schmeidler (Autumn House Press, March 26). A debut short story collection selected by Matt Bell, a writer I really admire.
All the World Beside by Garrard Conley (Riverhead, March 26). You remember Conley from his memoir, Boy Erased, but this novel is about two men who fall in love in 18th-century Puritan New England.
Forthcoming in The Frontlist
Behind the book with Scott Alexander Howard (The Other Valley), Rachel Lyon (Fruit of the Dead), and Nathan Ballingrud (The Strange) — all in March!