Whether you’re traveling this summer or staying close to home, these new novels coming out in June will keep you busy with summer reading.
6/6: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Former FBI agent Titus Crown is one year into his tenure as the first Black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia, when a murder leads to an investigation that uncovers a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight. From the author of Razorblade Tears. (thriller) A Peak Pick!
6/6: And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu
In this exploration of love and freedom in a deeply homophobic society, August leaves his hometown of Enugu City, Nigeria, for university, and finds himself attracted to an openly gay man who works at a local café – just as Nigeria passes antigay laws. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!
6/6: Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad
In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn’s Arab immigrant enclave, three siblings come of age over the course of one Ramadan, navigating family dynamics even as violence against their Arab community comes close to home. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!
6/6: A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari
In 1923 London, Saffron Everleigh has given upon on the aristocracy in order to study botany. She’s swiftly recruited to consult on a set of murders in which strange bouquets may have played a part. Sequel to A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons. (historical mystery)
6/6: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
In 15th century China, Tan Yunxian is born into an elite family and pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable for a woman of her class by pursuing medical knowledge, balancing her passion for helping women alongside her duties as a wife and mother. (historical fiction) A Peak Pick!
6/6: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
A young noblewoman finds her entry into high society hindered by a curse, and seeks help from another noblewoman rumored to be a witch. As the pair seek the root of these malign magic attacks, a romance blooms. (fantasy historical romance)
6/6: Open Throat by Henry Hoke
A queer mountain lion in the Hollywood hills navigates loneliness, human contact, and a fire that forces them into the streets of LA. (general fiction)
6/6: Relentless Melt by Jeremy P. Bushnell
In 1909, Artie Quick works as a salesgirl at Filene’s in Boston; at night she dresses as a man in order to study criminal investigation. Joined by her friend Theodore, who studies magic and the occult, they discover a series of abductions that may just take them face-to-face with an ancient evil. (fantasy historical mystery)
6/6: Such Kindness by Andre Dubus
One fall from a roof – and the chronic pain that results – is enough to sever Tom Lowe from his work and identity as a craftsperson. Living in subsidized housing, he struggles to find his footing. (general fiction)
6/6: Translation State by Ann Leckie
A translator, a diplomat, and a mechanic individually rebel against their prescribed futures and find their paths colliding as they search for a fugitive translator missing for 200 years, with consequences that may threaten the treaty between humans and the alien Presger. By the author of Ancillary Justice. (science fiction)
6/6: We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
In 1950s New York, Nick Russo has scrapped his way to a job as a newspaper reporter. Andy Fleming, the newspaper-tycoon’s son, agrees to work for a year in the newsroom, where he and Andy find an unexpected relationship, in an era hostile to gay men. (romance)
6/13: 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee
One woman adopts many different personas – among them murderer, spy, mother, slave, escape-artist, and more – in order to survive a life of turbulent times in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. (historical fiction)
6/13: Be Mine by Richard Ford
In this fifth and final novel featuring Frank Bascombe (first seen in The Sportswriter), Frank continues to search for meaning in life, from a new romance to a road trip with his son to Mount Rushmore. (general fiction)
6/13: The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
In the wake of World War I, a magical, time-traveling circus is a safe haven for magical misfits and outcasts. But even as they bring joy to the towns they visit, darkness follows and threatens to catch them. (fantasy)
6/13: Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
In 18th-century Venice, two girls at a prestigious music school are drawn together by a dangerous wager, and must decide what they’re willing to pay to achieve the futures they desire. (historical fiction)
6/13: The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
An expert puzzle maker offers to solve an enigmatic puzzle created by an inmate in prison for murder, only to be pulled into an ancient mystery. (thriller)
6/20: I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore
A novel of love and death, grief, and being haunted by the past, from a hospice in the Bronx, to an 1800s boardinghouse, to the afterlife. (general fiction)
6/13: Loot by Tania James
In 18th century India, young woodcarver Abbas creates a giant tiger automaton for a sultan’s sons, travels to France as the apprentice to a clockmaker, and must steal his tiger back from an English countryside estate. (historical fiction)
6/13: Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara
A riotous adaptation of the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche. (fantasy romance)
6/20: The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama
A fictionalized memoir of real-life actress Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star, beginning in the silent film era, who faced overt racism at every turn. (historical fiction)
6/20 The Three Deaths of Willa Stannard by Kate Robards
Sisters Willa and Sawyer may not have been close lately, but when Willa is found dead and the police rule it a suicide, she knows with absolute certainty it isn’t true. Saywer delves deeper into her estranged sister’s life to find the truth, but risks getting caught up in the same web of secrets that may have killed her sister. (mystery/thriller)
6/20: Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
In 1877, 16-year-old redhead Bridget washes up in Dodge City, Kansas, where she takes work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel run by women. There she finds tolerable work, good pay, and a family of sorts, including a relationship with another woman. When her stability and happiness are threatened, Bridget must forge her own destiny. (historical fiction)
6/20: Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang
In the wake of Sir Lawrence Linwood’s murder, his three adopted children – an archeologist, an engineer, and a journalist – gather at his estate, only to learn that receiving their inheritance hinges on solving his murder. (mystery)
6/27: Banyan Moon by Thao Thai
Three generations of Vietnamese American women grapple with the death of their family matriarch and the buried secrets that come to light in a story spanning decades, from 1960s Vietnam to Florida. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!
6/27: The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
Attending a UFO-themed wedding in Roswell, New Mexico, Francie finds herself abducted by aliens, alongside a motley crew of other humans. Were they abducted because the alien needs help, and how will they figure that out and get home? (romantic comedy)
~ Posted by Andrea G.
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