March 2026 book club picks
March 2026’s book club includes titles by Ruth Brown, Julie Sykes, Emily Jones, Claire Powell, Love Ssega, Erika Meza, Jenny Jacoby, Emma Swan, Ramzee, Kimberly Whittam, Robert Muchamore, Billy Ray, and Alexis Henderson.
Billy Ray author page
Billy Ray biography
Billy Ray is an American screenwriter, director and author. He wrote the screenplay for The Hunger Games (2012) and was nominated for an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for Captain Phillips (2013). His credits as writer-director include Shattered Glass and Breach, and his television work includes creating and writing the miniseries The Comey Rule.
Ray’s debut young adult novel, Burn the Water, will be published by Scholastic in 2026. The book launches a planned duology and reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a dystopian romance set in a flooded future London.
Alongside screen and book work he has hosted the industry podcast Strike Talk, discussing the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes with creatives and union leaders.
Ray won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Captain Phillips in 2014.
Burn the Water by Billy Ray
Burn the Water is a YA dystopian Romeo and Juliet as rival soldiers fall in love in drowned London, risking execution while strange vessels arrive and centuries of hatred threaten everything.
Our picks of the best children’s books coming out in spring 2026
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in spring 2026. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Bestselling books by Billy Ray
Browse Billy Ray books on UK.Bookshop.orgBrowse Billy Ray books on Waterstones.com
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