Welcome to my March 2026 Favorite Books post! This monthly post is where I share the 5 star books I’ve read so far each month. You can see the first half of my March reading here and I will share the rest of my March reads next week, on Thursday for the Share Your Shelf link up. If I have further 5 star reads after writing this post, they will be shared in that post as well. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
Title: Nobody’s Girl
Author: Virginia Roberts Giuffre
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Knopf, 10/21/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
If you don’t know the name Virginia Roberts Giuffre, you should, and her memoir Nobody’s Girl is now along with Chanel Miller’s Know My Name on my list of memoirs that everyone should read and bear witness to. Giuffre describes horrific abuse that she experienced as a child and how she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago and brought home to Jeffrey Epstein. Becoming one of Epstein’s most victimized, she went on to name many others who abused her and she fought to get justice for herself and so many others.
“The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words—until now. In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. Nobody’s Girl is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity. Here, Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell’s grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims. The pages of Nobody’s Girl preserve her voice—and her legacy—forever.”
Giuffre was defamed and threatened for speaking out and, while she didn’t accuse him in her book, apparently her husband was also abusive to her. In the end, she died by suicide, which is so sad and upsetting after all that she experienced. I wish her life story had a different ending but I hope that her legacy will continue and will help others to get justice, and that our society will take better care of those victimized like her in the future.
Title: It’s Not Her
Author: Mary Kubica
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Park Row, 2/3/26
Source: Book of the Month – February
Why I Read It: Book of the Month pick
My Rating: 5 Stars
My February Book of the Month pick was It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica and I loved it. This is about Courtney, whose brother and sister in law are killed at a rustic cabin where the family is as vacationing. At the same time, Courtney’s niece Reese goes missing. Courtney’s chapters are told from the murder going forwards, while Reese’s viewpoint begins when they arrive at the campsite leading up to her disappearance.
“A scream shatters the silence…
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs—unharmed.
A town full of secrets…
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family—and the town itself—begin to surface. Is Reese a victim… or the killer?
A truth no one saw coming…
With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who—or what—to trust.”
There were lots of suspects and a good amount of twists and I didn’t predict the culprit. I appreciated that this book was not only a thriller but it also addressed feeling alone, missing children, and bullying. Adding to favorite thrillers list now!
Title: Still Alice
Author: Lisa Genova
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Gallery Books, 7/6/07
Source: Bought
Why I Read It: Author and Subject
My Rating: 5 Stars
Still Alice by Lisa Genova is an older book that I recently purchased and read after it had been on my TBR for years. This month was an especially meaningful time for me to read it, as my mom moved into a memory care facility last week. This is about early onset Alzheimer’s, from when Alice realizes something is wrong and following her over her disease progression. Early onset Alzheimer’s is genetic and it is so sad that in the 20 years since this was written, there hasn’t been more progress in terms of a cure.
“Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what’s it’s like to literally lose your mind…”
Told from Alice’s point of view, this book really gave an understanding as to how someone with Alzheimer’s might feel. It is sad and touching and was an emotional read for me.
Title: Keeper of Lost Children
Author: Sadeqa Johnson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: 37 Ink, 2/10/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson was an amazing story of three people whose lives intersected, taking place in the 1950s and 60s. Ethel is living in Germany after World War Two and finds an orphanage full of mixed raced children of German women and Black American GIs. She begins to help them find homes. Ozzie is a volunteer for the army and he meets a German woman while stationed there. And Sophia has grown up on a farm with uncaring parents, until she is given an opportunity to attend a boarding school as one of the first Black students.
“Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children of German women and Black American GI’s, Ethel feels compelled to help find these children homes. Philadelphia born Ozzie Phillips volunteers for the recently desegregated army in 1948, eager to make his mark in the world. While serving in Manheim, Germany, he meets a local woman, Jelka, and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever. In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. While at the school, she discovers a secret that upends her world and sends her on a quest to unravel her own identity.”
While this was not a short book, it was a page turner, with each character’s story leaving me wanting more. I was intrigued by each of them and couldn’t wait for their connection to be revealed. There are some difficult topics included with abuse, harassment, and more. The love shown and felt in this book was moving and I loved learning history through these characters.
Title: The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan
Author: Jasmine Warga
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer & Bray, 3/3/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga was so sweet. It is told from the viewpoints of Chase, an orphaned cheetah cub, and Finn, a lost dog who is taken in by a new family. Because of this new family, Finn becomes a support dog for Chase, and a lovely friendship is formed.
“Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart. Chase is a newly orphaned cheetah cub. The two animals couldn’t be more different. But one day, they are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help Chase gain the confidence she needs to perform as part of an educational program for children at a zoo. Finnegan and Chase have each suffered losses and have trouble trusting. Yet somehow, they are just what the other needs. But if Finnegan isn’t able to help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting Chase down―he could be risking his new home as well.”
I loved the animals in this story and how their emotions were so relatable and understandable. I also loved their human friends Ryan and Basma. It is so interesting that dogs really do help at zoos with animals like Chase the cheetah! This is middle grade and the kind of middle grade I think everyone can appreciate.
Come back next week for the rest of my March reads and the Share Your Shelf link up!
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month?
