Books

Thu Mar 13 2025

Clare Mulroy | Books Reporter

Morning, readers! USA TODAY Books Reporter Clare Mulroy here, back for another recap of what you missed this week in the book world.

Mark your calendars, because April 3 is the inaugural "We Need Diverse Books Day," organized by the nonprofit of the same name. To celebrate the event, "We Need Diverse Books" will encourage inclusive reading, recommending diverse titles and donating 10,000 books to schools and libraries, USA TODAY reveals exclusively.

And if you want a little reward for your reading, you've got just over a week left to enter USA TODAY's Winter Book Challenge, which closes March 21. If you submit this form and tell us which row of bingo you completed, you'll be entered in a giveaway and could win a $100 gift card to Bookshop.org. What's better than free books and supporting local booksellers?

Even I've completed the challenge. Tackling the second row to get bingo, here's what I read:

How Books Reporter Clare Mulroy filled out her book challenge bingo card.

Bingo illustration by Alan Nguyen, covers courtesy of HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster.

•	2025 release: "We Could Be Rats" by Emily Austin
•	In a series: "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire
•	Set in winter: "Maya & Natasha" by Elyse Durham
•	Set in a country you've never visited: "Good Dirt" by Charmaine Wilkerson (Italy!)
•	With elements of magic: "The Garden" by Nick Newman

One of my favorites among this crop was "Maya & Natasha," a sweeping tale of sisterhood, betrayal and ambition that follows two Russian ballerina twin sisters growing up in the backdrop of the Cold War.

What does your bingo card look like? I'd love to hear which categories challenged you the most and the titles you enjoyed. You can reach me at cmulroy@usatoday.com or share your bingo card on Instagram and tag @usatodaylife and @usatoday.