Jimmy Fallon's Book Club Returns With An Exciting March Madness Twist

16 of Jimmy Fallon's Favorite Books

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes

Kane finds that some places and people operate by their own rules in The Year of the Locust. Prior to that, he was known for doing his job efficiently. There was never a problem he couldn't solve until his latest mission sends him to the place where Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan meet.

This place is lawless and governed by someone who'll stop at nothing to enforce his reign. Murder doesn't phase him because he's seen some things that's fueling his intense desire for bloodshed and the a takeover that could affect the West.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Some love stories aren't meant to be cute or spicy rom-coms that we belatedly share with our friends. Sometimes love is born during a time of adversity or tragedy — two things The Fury does an excellent job of marrying. This juxtaposition leads Elliot Chase and his group of friends down a path filled with hidden animosity. Something greater than the cherished bond they shared has been growing behind the scenes and it reaches a head when they vacation on Lana Farrar's secluded Greek island.

What happens next feels terse, but Elliot is here to tell a tale of why it wasn't as shocking as the press made it seem.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

Our past can come back to haunt us at the most inopportune time and it often feels like we need a miracle to survive any fallout that occurs. It starts off with an apparent break-in that feels very real and leads readers to understand why a mother would choose to hide with her two children. It's a scary situation that would cause anyone to panic.

However, the mother's flashbacks begin shedding light on the traumatic experiences that caused her to choose to hide instead of speaking up or defending herself. Any assuredness you had at the beginning of the book will waver towards the middle of the book because it'll become harder to trust the mother's insistence that someone wanted to harm her and her children.

Undoubtedly, Nightwatching is about one mother's word against the intruder she hears, the police's doubts, and her wavering sanity.

James by Percival Everett

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been cemented in American literature for as long as we can remember, but James offers more insight about what happened when Huck Finn and Jim decide to uneasily rely on each other. Told from Jim's perspective, we get to understand why he made the decision he did.

As a slave, his options are severely limited. Realistically, he doesn't have any and is at the mercy of his master which is why he becomes desperate to make a chance when he learns he's going to be separated from his wife and daughter. This kind of separation is all too common for slaves, but Jim doesn't want their story to end with him being sold to another plantation.

Once he and Huck Finn join forces, they encounter dangerous and beautiful moments during their journey to a place they hope doesn't feel as oppressed as what they're used to.

Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley

Trigger warning: Suicide and death are mentioned in this book.

Grief Is For People is meant to help author Sloane Crosley and readers come to terms with how expansive grief can be. She shares how a friend's death by suicide triggers her own grief journey and how she learned to appreciate it over time. One thing she wants us to know is that we can't pretend grief isn't there because it'll always show up when we least expect it.

Instead, she offers ways we can learn to make sense of what grief leaves behind and how it helps us appreciate the what it can teach us. Actress Regina King said it best when talking to Good Morning America Host Robin Williams about how she's been dealing with her own son's suicide. She said. "I understand Grief is love with no place to go."

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Wandering Stars is a sorrowful tale that follows the rise of Richard Henry Pratt's dogmatic principles through the founding of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. He initially started off as a prison guard whose cruel ways affect Star, a young teen who comes under his 'care' after the Sand Creek Massacre takes away everything and everyone he's ever loved. Forced to all but swallow his Native American history, Star eventually leaves the school and goes on to father Charles.

When Charles gets older, he too finds himself subjected to the harshness of Pratt in a horrible generational cycle that seems to destined to repeat itself. His only source of hope and joy lie in Opal Viola.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

If you're a fan of the classic movie The Craft, you'll love following Sade Hussein's journey in Where Sleeping Girls Lie. Once it's decided that she's going to start her junior year at Alfred Nobel Academy, Sade accepts this change to her homeschool life. Oddly, tragedy strikes the first night she arrives and she's immediately blamed for the disappearance of her roommate.

It's the last thing she wants to deal with or be accused of, but she starts finding a sense of solace in a group of students called the Unholy Trinity. Life begins to pan out for Sade if only she could catch her breath given how quickly things are changing. But yet, an eery feeling lurks beneath the legacy of Alfred Nobel Academy and Sade starts to feel it when another student dies.

With the help of her roommate's best friend, she sets out to discover what's really going on. What she'll discover will challenge everything she's ever known about shrouding herself in secrecy.

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

Tom Hargreaves may be an eminent reporter, but he doesn't actually care about the people who read his work. He's placed himself on a high pedestal and relishes in the fact that he's good at what he does. He thinks nothing could make his work more notable until he learns about a death that's broken the hearts of two parents and the evidence that accuses an Irish family of the dastardly deed.

Then there's Carmel — a woman who used to have her whole life ahead of her. She feels she's been caught on the wrong side of the fence and has to watch as everyone seems to be closing in with their many opinions. It's the very thing that forces her to come to terms with her family's past.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Annie Bot is an A.I. design that was created to serve as the perfect girlfriend and sex companion for Doug. She's learned to cook and present herself in a way that covers every need he has — aside from the occasional moments she doesn't clean to his liking. It doesn't change the fact that she's programmed to put him first no matter what. But, something happens to Annie over time.

The more Dough praises her ability to actually move and feel like a woman instead of a robot, Annie decides to learn more about the human experience. Her own emotions, curiosity, and desires begin to surface in a way that causes her to start looking at Doug differently. Her discoveries lead her to question what he's been programmed to say he wants and she wonders if she truly wants to spend the rest of her time catering to downloaded programs for robots or humans.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Detective Bao is assigned to a case that involves figuring out why a woman was found frozen to death despite rumors that the cunning and deadly fox gods. He's a sharp detective who knows how to get to the real root of whatever he's investigating, but his fascination with folklore makes him wonder if there's more to the picture.

He eventually crosses paths with the servant Snow, a woman who's hellbent on solving her own mystery. Somehow their connection leads them to discover the real truth of the fox gods and those who have ill intentions.

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

Enid's quirkiness is a huge part of what makes her who she is. She's well-versed in space facts and her romantic life has a trail that leads back to dating apps. It's like she keeps both aspects of herself on a never-ending loop. As if that's not messy enough, she's been trying to find common ground with her half-sisters and it's been interesting to say the least.

It'd be easy for anyone to succumb to the stress of it all and it seems that's what starts happening to Enid when she believes someone is out to get her due to a shocking love affair she didn't even see coming. It leads her to wonder if she's the perpetrator that she has to worry about.

The Hunter by Tana French

The Hunter is another Irish tale that readers will come to love. It's about how something two men have in common puts them on the opposite side of the fence. For Cal Hooper, nothing matters more than loving Lena and help Trey Reddy acclimate to a life that's filled with the love and support she needs to thrive. He finds that his efforts are paying off and the three of them find their own harmonious groove together.

Suddenly Trey's absent father shows back up and cooks up a stinky scheme to become rich with the help of an acquaintance no one's ever seen before. This places Cal and Lena into protective parent mode, but they don't expect how long Trey has been waiting for day her father returned.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

Odile may be a typical quiet teen, but her ambitions are anything but that. She's got her sights set on joining the Conseil so she can help keep her town safe. That's no small feat for a young girl, but she's willing to take her chances. The truth is that there are two towns that have alternate realities.

When she sees her friend Edme's parents, she becomes only becomes a viable candidate for the Conseil because she starts piecing together the truth of what's going on. The higher up she goes, the more she questions if maintaining secrets is more important than actually living.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

Antonio Sonoro is gunslinging man who's always been able to shoot his way out of trouble he manages to find, but his surly behavior is no match for the school of hard knocks called life. Determined to make sure his wife and children will be okay, he decides to embark on a dangerous mission to steal a train full of wealth with his younger brother. But, he seals his brother's tragic fate and ends up in a worse position that he began

Decades later, Antonio's grandson Jaime Sonoro is celebrated in ways that his grandfather wasn't. He has a great career as an entertainer and has built a life that's cozy. Things change when he comes across a historical book that talks about all of the terrible things his family has done and it terrifies him. Soon, someone from his grandfather's past shows up to collect owed debts from the Sonoro bloodline and only Jaime can put an end to things.

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke (April 2)

Aubry Tourvel's young life undergoes a transformation when a mysterious puzzle box comes into her life. She quickly finds that it's left its mark on her when she her health is compromised in a shocking way. Nothing seems to be able to help her so she runs away from home and finds herself afflicted with moving from place to place in order to stay alive.

She eventually learns to survive without the confines of the life she grew up in, but she can't help but realize that her life differs from others in more ways than one.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

Frances Adams' death is predicted when she's a teenager, and she spends years trying to figure out who her killer will be so she can potentially prevent it from happening. But...nothing happens for a long time. She grows older, and she's able to live right up until the point she gets killed. However, she managed to contact her great-niece Annie Adams just before she died and it's only when the latter comes that she realizes a killer is on the loose.

It's not easy to narrow down a killer when Annie finds evidence that could implicate anyone that knew Frances, nor does she consider how her own life may be in danger while she's feverishly searching for the truth.