General Fiction on My June Reading List

June is one of the big publishing months of the year. What follows are general fiction titles that caught my attention. Some of these books are perfect for light reading on a hot day by the pool; some are heavier and will make you think.

The blurbs are taken from the publishers' summaries. I've also provided the names of the audiobook narrators.

The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter (Harper): A stunning [short story] collection about those moments when everything changes—for the better, for the worse, for the outrageous—as a diverse cast of characters . . . [question] their roles in life and [find] inspiration in the unlikeliest places. First line:

Mother was a stunner.

Audiobook: Read by Edoardo Ballerini and Julia Whelan

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady (Berkley): Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. One Summer to set the record straight. First line:

There’s something unique about friendships forged between girls at summer camp.

Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley and Imani Jade Powers

The Catch by Alison Fairbrother (Random House): A story of the gifts we’re given over the course of a lifetime—the ones we want and the ones we don’t yet understand that we need. First line:

My father, a minor poet, celebrated holidays out of season.

Audiobook: Read by Julia Knippen

Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro (Knopf): The story of three once-inseparable college friends in Nigeria who reunite in Lagos for the first time in thirty years . . . about mothers and daughters, culture and class, sex and love, and the extraordinary resilience of female friendship. First line:

In the photo they are eating something out of frame, pounded yam, perhaps, or maybe eba.

Audiobook: Read by Tarlye Peterside

Gilt by Jamie Brenner (Putnam): A luxurious and richly compelling . . . novel . . . about a famous family jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all. First line:

She reached for her mother's hand, excited and just a little bit afraid.

Audiobook: Read by January LaVoy

Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux): A thrumming, searching novel about the friendships that shape us more than any love affair. First line:

Rose and I moved to New York to be motherless.

Audiobook: Read by Cady Zuckerman

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown): An immensely satisfying page-turner . . . about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel. First line:

Nantucket Island is known for its cobblestone streets and redbrick sidewalks, cedar-shingled cottages and rose-covered arches, long stretches of golden beach and refreshing Atlantic breezes—and it's also known for residents who adore a juicy piece of gossip (which hot landscaper has been romancing which local real estate mogul's wife—that kind of thing.

Audiobook: Read by Erin Bennett

The Measure by Nikki Erlick (William Morrow): Both heartbreaking and profoundly uplifting, [this] is a sweeping, ambitious meditation on life, family, and society that challenges us to consider the best way to live life to the fullest. First line:

It was difficult to imagine a time before them, a world in which they hadn't come.

Audiobook: Read by Julia Whelan

Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan (Putnam): Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, [this] is the best kind of love story—the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. First line:

Hollywood is coming today.

Audiobook: Read by Hillary Huber

Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins (Berkley): A funny and surprising new novel about losing it all—and getting back more than you ever expected. First line:

Six months ago, if you had asked me what I thought I’d be doing today, the answer would not have been transporting a drugged skunk to the house where my soon-to-be ex-husband lived with his much-younger fiancée.

Audiobook: Read by Xe Sands and CJ Bloom

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany (Grand Central): A paean to youth and female friendship—and to all the joy and messiness love holds. First line:

"Do you think Eid sex is a thing? Like birthday sex, but just the Muslim equivalent?"

Audiobook: Read by Shazia Nicholls

Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta (Scribner): A pitch-perfect new satirical novel about ambition, coming-of-age in adulthood, and never really leaving high school politics behind. First line:

There was another front-page story in the paper.

Audiobook: Read by a full cast

Truth about Ben and June by Alex Kiester (Park Row): This . . . novel explores the complexity of a modern-day marriage and motherhood, when a new mother vanishes one morning, and her husband must retrace events of their recent past to bring her home. First line:

On the day everything fell apart, Ben awoke to the sound of the baby crying.

Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley and Pete Cross

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow): A delicious summer read set in midcoast Maine, tackling family secrets, marriage, motherhood, and privilege. First line:

The Greyhound from Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Rockland, Maine, takes twelve hours and thirty-three minutes with three stops, all of them in the places where you don't necessarily want to use the bathroom but may find you have no choice.

Audiobook: Read by Stacey Glemboski

Who You Might Be by Leigh N. Gallagher (Henry Holt): A fiercely original debut that takes readers from 1990s Southern California to a UFOlogist holdout in Nevada, the graffiti playground of Detroit, and a self-important New York art scene in an unflinching examination of how life’s most unexpected turns—and the people we meet along the way—shape who we become. First line:

Two fourteen-year-old girls, one beautiful and one just okay, are running away from home on a northbound Amtrak.

Audiobook: Read by Aven Shore

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14 Nonfiction Books to Read in March

March is a big book month, which means I’ve spotted many, many more great books than I can possibly read in a timely manner. Just because I can’t get to everything, doesn’t mean you can’t.

Here are 14 nonfiction titles that made it to my wish list. So far, I’ve read only one, but I hope to get to most of them—if not this month, then certainly before too long.

Notes: All the following books are coming out this month, according to Edelweiss+. I’ve provided audiobook information when possible. All books were provided to me in one or more formats (print, digital, audio) by the publishers. The descriptions are adapted or taken from the publishers’ summaries.

Celebrate Women’s History Month

• Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell (Park Row): The true story of how, in the Victorian Era, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Sophia Jex-Blake became the first women to earn medical degrees. Not only did they break the glass ceiling, they transformed the nature of women’s healthcare. Audiobook read by Jean Ann Douglass (~11.5 hr).
• The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster): You don’t have to be a geneticist to get caught up in and understand this well-researched account of how Doudna and colleagues discovered a way to use CRISPR technology to alter genes, eventually leading to the development of the COVID vaccine. For my thoughts on the audiobook, see AudioFile Magazine. Audiobook read by Kathe Mazur (~16 hr).
• The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights by Dorothy Wickenden (Scribner): This an account of how Harriet Tubman, Frances Seward, and Martha Wright formed an unlikely alliance in their fight for abolition and women’s rights in the mid-1800s. Relying on firsthand accounts, including the women’s letters, Wickenden reveals the work of these women starting before the Civil War and ending in the 1880s. Audiobook read by Heather Alicia Simms, Anne Twomey, and Gabra Zackman (11 hr).
• Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s Greenwich Village by Jan Jarboe Russell (Scribner): In 1920, Eleanor Roosevelt left her husband and children, relocating to the Village, where she connected with forward-thinking women of all ilks. This book explores why she took the break, how it changed her, and how it influenced the rest of her life. Audiobook read by Samantha Desz (~6.75 hr).
• Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt): This is the story of the women who met the surprisingly stringent requirements to become stewardess for Pan Am in the 1960s and 1970s. We learn more than what it was like to manage disgruntled vacationers; these women were intimately caught up in the effects of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and feminist causes. Audiobook read by Andi Arndt (~7.5 hr).

Learn about Science and Medicine

• Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health by Alessio Fasano and Susie Flaherty (MIT Press): Many of us are now aware that our gut and the many and varied microorganisms that live there play key roles in our health. This book was written to help us better understand the connection between our microbiome and our current and future physical well-being. This is not a self-help book; it’s an easy-to-understand explanation of how the bacteria that live within us offer numerous benefits. Audiobook: N/A
• Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older without Getting Old by Andrew Steele (Doubleday): Researchers have long been asking whether it’s possible to grow old without getting frail, without weakening immune systems, and without dementia. In this book, Steele presents the current science, medicine, and research concerned with aging and provides commonsense actions we take right now to up our chances of having a vigorous life right up to the end. Audiobook read by the author (10 hr).
• Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul by Brandy Schillace (Simon & Schuster): This is the biography of Dr. Robert White, who had two identities. On the one hand, the renowned surgeon was a Nobel Prize nominee, developing advances in neurosurgery. But he also hoped to find a way to conduct brain transplantation, thereby allowing “the soul to live on after the human body had died.” His story will make you thankful for today’s ethics committees. Audiobook read by Jean Ann Douglass (~10.75 hr).

Look at the World around You

• Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth’s Tiny Conquerors by Susane Foizik and Olf Fritshe (The Experiment): Think about this: “Ants number in the ten quadrillions and they have been here since the Jurassic era.” This book introduces us to the quintessential picnic pest, revealing their complex social structure, childrearing practices, and political actions. Audiobook: N/A
• The Nation of Plants by Stefano Mancuso (trans. Gregory Conti; Other Press): This is an easy-to-read treatise about the importance of plants to our own lives and to the planet. Mancuso outlines the foundational tenets on which plant life depends and reminds us that if we don’t treat plants well, we’ll soon lose their protective and nourishing benefits. Audiobook read by Nigel Patterson (3 hr).
• Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World by Kimberly Nicholas (Putnam): If you haven’t noticed that the climate is changing, then you haven’t been outside your house in 10 years or more. In this down-to-earth book you’ll learn that climate change is real, but you’ll also learn that you—yes, you—can make a difference. Nicholas, a climate scientist, tells us just how important it is for each of us to change our behavior: every small change makes a huge difference. Audiobook read by the author (~9 hr).

Murder through History

• A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon (Abrams): On the surface, it appears that Ancient Rome had a different relationship with life and death than we do; after all people came out in droves to watch gladiators fight to the death and they murdered their emperors in public view. Employing her sense of humor and an easygoing style, Southon tells all about Roman murder and culture and notes their relevance to modern times. Audiobook read by Sophie Ward (~11 hr).
• Terror to the Wicked: America’s First Trial by Jury That Ended a War and Helped Form a Nation by Tobey Pearl (Pantheon): In 1638 near Plymouth Colony, a Nipmuc tribesman was robbed and murdered by a white indentured servant. Before he dies, the man reveals the details of the crime and names his killer. This is the story of the ensuing manhunt and the first jury trial by colonizers in the Americas. The case involved famous figures like Myles Standish and everyday citizens who testified before the court and served on the jury. The outcome of this trial had far-reaching consequences for the colonies and the new country to come. Audiobook read by Barrett Leddy (~7 hr).
• The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman with Jennifer Jordan (Atria): In the 1960s, when her mother worked during the day and danced in Provincetown bars at night, Liza and her sister were in the care of a babysitter: a good-looking, nice man who worked as a hotel handyman. When Liza learned that Tony Costa was arrested for brutal murders, she couldn’t reconcile the nice guy who took her for ice cream with the Cape Cod killer. This is her story of the man, how the knowledge of the murders affected her, and how she ultimately coped. Audiobook read by Andi Arndt and Alda Reluzco (~9 hr).

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17 Books to Read This Week

Welcome back to my "new releases in June" series. While more complete lists can be found via a Google search and some buzz books won’t be found here, my lists are curated to my own tastes. Here are the books released this week that interested me most.

Note that release dates have been changing owing to current events. Please double-check availability before ordering or searching your local library.

Contemporary Stories

• They Say Sarah by Pauline Delabroy-Allard (Other Press). Genre: literary fiction; LGBTQ+; translated. Learned from reviews: The writing promises to be as poetic and passionate as the relationship between a teacher and musician. Fast-paced and captivating story of an all-consuming love. First line: “In the half-light of three a.m., I wake.” Audiobook: no information.
• 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan (William Morrow) Genre: women’s fiction; rom-com Learned from reviews: Lissie, a London nurse, is asked to temporarily swap places with Cormack, who provides medical care to a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Though they’ve never met, they end up emailing and texting to discuss patients and more. What happens when they meet in person? First line: “It should have started with ominous dark crows, great murmurations and flutterings, bad omens taking to the sky; with thick storm clouds rolling in, clocks striking thirteen.” Audiobook: Read by Eilidh Beaton (11 hr, 3 min)
• Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins (Berkley) Genre: general fiction Learned from reviews: A family’s cheery veneer is cracked after John has a stroke; as his wife and daughters take on care-giving responsibilities, their flaws and vulnerabilities are exposed. Humor eases the sharp edges of the more serious issues of family dynamics and living up to others’ expectations. First line: “ ‘You’re engaged? Oh! Uh … huzzah!’ ” Audiobook: Read by Laural Merlington, Amy Rubinate, Xe Sands, & Graham Winton (12 hr, 58 min)
• The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow) Genre: general fiction; beach read Learned from reviews: A summer of transformation for three people who meet on Block Island. Two women and one man, all in different seasons of their lives, meet, become friends, and try to hold their secrets close. By August’s end, no one is the same. First line: “ ‘It was disconcerting, to see a man cry like that,’ said Bridget Fletcher.” Audiobook: Read by Courtney Patterson (12 hr, 15 min)

Stories for Food Lovers

• Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (Doubleday) Genre: literary fiction; quirky. Learned from reviews: A pregnant, conflicted, grieving pizza-delivery girl becomes obsessed with a stay-at-home mother who orders a weekly pizza for her son. Pregnancy hormones raging, pizza girl struggles to find her future. First line: “Her name was Jenny Hauser and every Wednesday I put pickles on her pizza.” Audiobook: Read by Jeena Yi (5 hr, 33 min)
• Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman (Sourcebooks Landmark) Genre: contemporary woman’s fiction Learned from reviews: Kate’s life seems to fall apart on the eve of her 40th birthday. Reluctantly, she volunteers at an assisted living home, where she meets the feisty 90-something Miss Cecily. Through their friendship and the older woman’s cookbook, Kate finds a brighter future. First line: “Kate Parker is ravenous.” Audiobook: no information

True Stories

• The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams (Simon & Schuster) Genre: nonfiction; nature. Learned from reviews: Written by a science journalist, this introduces us to the hidden life of the “world’s favorite insect.” We learn about their behavior, life cycle, preservation, and relationship to the ecosystem and to us. First line: “Long ago, when I was twenty, penniless, and hanging in London, looking for something free to do, I drifted into the city’s Tate Gallery—filled with some of the world’s best-known art—and walked straight into a staggering J. M. W. Turner masterpiece.” Audiobook: Read by Angela Brazil (8 hr, 38 min)
• Honey and Venom by Andrew Coté (Ballantine) Genre: nonfiction; memoir Learned from reviews: Written by a leading urban beekeeper, this memoir takes us through a year of what it’s like to be a honey producer in New York City. With hives on the rooftops of iconic buildings and even on the grounds of the United Nations, Coté shares not only the ins and outs of his family’s business but also a unique look at the city. First line: “I bleed honey.” Audiobook: Read by Andrew Coté (9 hr, 22 min)
• Rebel Chef by Dominique Crenn with Emma Brockes (Penguin Press) Genre: autobiography; culinary Learned from reviews: I first heard of Crenn through the show Chef’s Table; I was interested in knowing more about her. Here Crenn shares her journey from her native France as the adopted daughter of a politician to her earning three Michelin stars for her San Francisco restaurant. Not an easy trip for anyone, especially a woman. First line: “When I was six months old, I was left in the care of an orphanage near Paris and it was from here, a few months later, that my parents adopted me.” Audiobook: Read by Hope Newhouse (5 hr, 14 min)
• Cult of Glory by Doug J. Swanson (Viking) Genre: history Learned from reviews: I’ve always been fascinated with the fabled Texas Rangers, especially as they are portrayed in film and fiction. In this examination, investigative reporter Swanson sets the record straight, revealing the sometimes ugly truth of the 200-year-old law-enforcement agency that learned to put a positive spin on their deeds, even before Texas was officially part of the union. First line: “There is not, nor has there ever been, a group quite like the Texas Rangers.” Audiobook: Read by Kaleo Griffith (17 hr, 56 min)

Stories Set in the Past

• Belladonna by Anbara Salam (Berkley) Genre literary fiction; coming of age. Learned from reviews: After high school, two American friends move to Italy to enroll in an art history program. In the late 1950s, Bridget nurtures a secret love for Isabella, but over the course of their freshman year, she learns Isabella has secrets of her own. First line: “It was Isabella who invented the game Dead Nun.” Audiobook: Read by Jill Winternitz (10 hr, 34 min)
• The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (Random House) Genre: literary fiction; family Learned from reviews: When Ellie discovers she’s pregnant in the early 1950s, Brick marries her—each giving up dreams of college and leaving their small Ohio town—to raise their daughter together. This novel covers deep themes of family, sacrifice, the women’s movement, secrets, marriage, and lost and found hopes. First line: “Samantha McGinty pressed her cheek against the cold window and exhaled slowly to cloud the glass.” Audiobook: Read by Cassandra Campbell (14 hr, 12 min)
• Red Sky over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (Mira) Genre: historical fiction; WWII Learned from reviews: I’m reading this one now. Set on the Big Island of Hawaii and starting on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we meet Lana, who not only must cope with the aftermath of the bombing, but is also grieving her father’s recent death, discovering his secrets, and helping his neighbors. Once I started reading, I was hooked. First line: “When I close my eyes, I still see the fiery glow of lava in Halema‘uma‘u crater.” Audiobook: Read by Jennifer Robideau (10 hr, 1 min)

Stories Set in Other Worlds

• The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forest (Inkyard Press) Genre: epic fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This third in the well-love Black Witch Chronicles series is told through multiple points of view. Things I like about this series: flawed but likeable characters and a focus on a grass-roots civil rights–like movement. Note that some readers found the first book to be homophobic, but my take was that the characters grew, learned, and changed. First line: “Edwin Gardner sits on the silk-cushioned chair in a haze of grief.” Audiobook: Read by Julia Whelan (19 hr, 50 min)
• Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Inkyard Press) Genre: contemporary fantasy; YA Learned from reviews: This is the second in the Harbinger series, continuing the story of Trinity (half human, half angel) and her gargoyle protector, Zayne. They fight demons and try to save the world from their home base in Washington, D.C. Super character development and world building. First line: “I blinked open achy, swollen eyes and stared straight at the pale, translucent face of a ghost.” Audiobook: Read by Lauren Fortgang (16 hr, 38 min)

Stories with a Twist

• Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle (Park Row) Genre: domestic thriller Learned from reviews: A young woman marries a rich older man; despite gossip and doubters, her life seems blessed. All that begins to unravel when a woman’s body is found floating in the lake by their house. Her husband asks her to lie, an investigative journalist is reviving cold cases, and Charlotte is beginning to question everything. First line: “I untie the dock cleats and shove the boat into water as gray as the sky.” Audiobook: Read by Xe Sands (9 hr, 39 min)
• Safe by S. K. Barnett (Dutton) Genre: thriller Learned from reviews: Twelve years after her kidnapping, Jenny returns home, welcomed by her grateful family. She knows she is supposed to feel safe now, but is she really? What happened to Jenny during the missing years? Promises to be twisty, captivating (ha!), creepy, and unputdownable. First Line: “The first poster was put up within a day of the disappearance.” Audiobook: Read by Brittany Pressley (9 hr, 4 min)

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5 Coming-of-Age Stories to Read This Month

When deciding which books to add to your reading list, are there themes, genres, or settings you just can't say no to? One of mine is coming-of-age stories. I love following a character as he or she transitions from innocence to reality. There is something about the arc of personal growth that appeals to me, whether the protagonist is a child, a teen, or an adult.

If you're like me, then January is going to be a great month. Here are five books with coming-of-age elements that made it onto my teetering book stack. I hope you plan to add at least one to your own reading list.

The Truants by Kate Weinberg (Putnam, Jan. 28) follows the transformation of Jess, a small town girl who discovers diversity through the friends she makes freshman year at a college in East Anglia. Although billed primarily as a thriller with literary themes (Agatha Christie looms large), this is also a story of how little we really know about other people and what happens when we begin to see them without our rose-colored glasses. First lines:

It’s hard to say who I fell in love with first. Because it was love, I think you’ll agree, when I’ve finished telling you.

Audiobook: Read by Olivia Dowd (Penguin Audio; 9 hr, 36 min)

The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick (Park Row, Jan. 7) is set in New York just over a hundred years ago. Two sisters from a well-off family hardly notice the girls living in the nearby anything-but House of Mercy for the wayward, until the older Luella disappears. Young Effie checks herself into the House of Mercy to look for her sister, only to find that she's alone and that life isn't full of fun for everyone living in the city. First lines:

I lay with my cheek pressed to the floor, the cement cool against my spent rage. I’d screamed. I’d bitten and scratched. Now I was paying for it, but I didn’t care. I’d do it again.

Audiobook: Read by Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson, and Amy McFadden (Harlequin Audio; 12 hr, 24 min)

The God Game by Danny Tobey (St. Martin's Press, Jan. 7) is a mix of techno-thriller and mystery as a group of nerdy high school seniors discover a cool game hidden in back reaches of the internet. The more involved they get with the game, the more powerful the consequences, until at least one of them has to begin to balance AI with reality and deal with issues of theology, ethics, and friendship. First lines:

The blue light of the computer screen was flickering on Charlie’s and Peter’s faces, making them look like astronauts lit by the cosmos.

Audiobook: Read by Andrew Eiden (Macmillan Audio; 13 hr, 31 min)

Creatures by Crissy Van Meter (Algonquin, Jan. 7) begins as a young women prepares for her wedding on an island off the coast of Southern California. The story is told partly through her memories and partly in real time, as she comes to terms both with her childhood (raised by a charming though drug-dealing father) and with her present (dead whale on the beach, sudden appearance of her long-absent mother, and fisherman groom possibly lost at sea). First lines:

There is a dead whale. It rolls idly in the warm shallows of this island, among cartoonish sea animals with tentacles, suction cups, and goopy eyes.

Audiobook: Read by Piper Goodeve (Highbridge; 5 hr, 58 min)

We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan (Riverhead, Jan. 14) follows a trio of graduate students enrolled in a low-residency MFA writing program at a prestigious college. During one of the on-campus sessions, their famous-author advisor goes a step too far in the critique of their work, and the students are left with the stark truths of power, art, competitiveness, and love. First lines:

There is no train ride in the world prettier than the one from Penn Station to Albany. Ten of the seventeen people in our class took that train up to the first June residency.

Audiobook: Read by Kristen Sieh (Penguin Audio; 7 hr, 27 min)

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6 Coming-of-Age Stories to Read in July

I have a soft spot for coming-of-age stories (don’t we all?). They tend to tease out those strong emotions, as our protagonist comes hard against the end of childhood (or new adult) innocence. As I was looking through my eReader for my next book, I spotted a half dozen novels coming out this month classified as coming-of-age. I’m not completely sure which one I’ll read first, but here are my choices.

I was attracted to Lara Williams’s Supper Club (Putnam, July 9) because it’s the coming-of-age story of a twenty-something woman who is facing body image issues, loneliness, and a love of cooking and eating food. When Roberta meets her new best friend—who’s as outgoing as Roberta is introverted—they start an after-hours, eat-till-you-drop, women-only club in which members are encouraged to lose themselves in their passions. It’s wild, it’s fun . . . until, for Roberta, it isn’t. What happens when she truly faces herself? Set in contemporary London, the novel tackles eating, bodies, indulgence, women’s friendship, and (of course) hunger.

I like the way Bianca Marais focuses on tough, real-life issues in her novels. Her newest book, If You Want to Make God Laugh (Putnam, July 16), is about three very different women looking for healing and redemption in post-Apartheid South Africa. Two middle-aged white sisters—one an ex-nun, one an ex-free spirit—reunite on their failed family farm, each running from her past. Meanwhile in a camp for the homeless, a black teenager is trying to find a way out of her pregnancy. When a dark-skinned baby boy is left on the sisters’ doorstep and the girl later shows up seeking a job, the women’s complex emotions surrounding motherhood, choices, the future, and race converge.

I could not resist Alexi Zentner’s Copperhead (Viking; July 9) because it combines two of my favorite fiction elements: how life can change in the second it takes to make a decision and a coming-of-age experience for a teen. Jessup, a high school senior and star football player, has one dream: accept a football scholarship and escape his small-town, white-trash life. Even though his brother is in jail for killing two black men and his stepfather is being released from jail for the same crime, he has hope for his future, until he’s in a car accident and turns to his family’s white supremacist church for help. Just how much can the liberal teen take and can he be pushed far enough to stand up for himself and his own mistakes? Set in upstate New York.

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells (Simon & Schuster BYR, July 30) takes a different tack. In this new epic fantasy, a quiet young girl must find the strength and wherewithal to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend. Although she’s never seen herself as a fighter, Maren comes up with a scheme to steal one of the emperor’s dragons, but first she must apprentice herself to the dragon trainer. Mixed with familiar fantasy elements (dragons, prophecies, rebellion) are themes of love, growing up, and facing our demons. Set in a fictional world with LGBTQ+ characters. This novel is an Indie Next pick for July, though not every reviewer was enthusiastic.

I love the cover of Goodnight Stranger by Miciah Bay Gault (Park Row, July 30), but that’s not the only reason I want to read this book. This is another novel that mixes some of my favorite themes: family story, thriller, and coming-of-age. A brother and sister live a fairly isolated life in their beach-side home on a fictional island off the coast of Massachusetts. Their parents are gone and a brother died in infancy, but the pair is doing okay, even if ultra-shy Lucas seems incapable of taking care of himself. When a stranger arrives on the island who seems to know way too much about the siblings and their family, twenty-something Lydia has questions: Who is this man, what does want, and can he be trusted? His presence forces Lydia to reassess the past, risk her relationship with Lucas, face her long-held fears, and confront the stranger with what she learns before it's too late to save herself and her brother.

Now for something a little more traditional in a coming-of-age story, take a look at Sarah Elaine Smith’s Marilou Is Everywhere (Riverhead, July 30).  Cindy and her brothers have, once again, been abandoned by their mother. Although the boys keep half an eye on her, Cindy's mostly on her own. So when her brother’s middle-class girlfriend goes missing, Cindy slips into her place, tending to the girlfriend's ailing and delusional mother, who mistakes Cindy for her own daughter. At first, the teen loves having a stable home, feeling a mother’s love, and discovering how the other half lives. But even at only fourteen, Cindy soon realizes she must take stock of what she’s doing and assess the pull and meaning of her birth family. Set in rural Pennsylvania, this is the story of a neglected girl who finds a home, but at what cost?

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7 Crime Fiction Picks: The Shallow Edition

I often judge a book by its cover. Yeah, admit it, you do too. I’m also big into escape reading (see last Friday’s post). Thus today’s mystery/thriller round-up is heavily into the covers and all about getting lost in someone else’s problems. Hello, summer; I welcome your long days of reading on the porch (on the deck, by the pool, on the beach, on the train, in the cabin . . .).

I Want to Go There

I’m in love with the cover of Bone Deep by Sandra Ireland (Gallery Books, June 11). I downloaded an eGalley of this psychological thriller set on a semi-isolated estate because of it. The plot involves a baker, a writer, an unlikely assistant, supposed accidents, and long ago deaths. I’ve already started it and I’m hooked. Can you sense a theme? I was absolutely drawn to the cover photo of The Perfect Plan by Bryan Reardon (Dutton, June 18) and was also swayed by the comp to The Marsh King’s Daughter, which I really liked. This one involves a kidnapping, brothers, politics, and a hidden past and is set in Delaware. Anyone ready for a walk around the pond?

Show Me Your Face

It’s so typical of crime fiction to hide the face of the women on the covers. Is it because we’ll guess the ending if we could see their faces? (That’s a joke, folks.) I picked Dear Wife by Kimberley Belle (Park Row; June 35) because it involves a missing woman, new identities, secrets, and possible crimes. Plus, Belle wrote the very popular Three Days Missing. We get a better glimpse of the woman on the cover of The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin (Grand Central; June 11) but still can’t quite ID her. This one revolves around a supposed drowning, a second wife, an unreliable narrator, and a past that comes back to haunt. Laurin is a sure bet for suspense. Even historical mysteries get into the Who’s that woman? act, as seen on the cover of Jennifer Ashley’s Death in Kew Gardens (Berkley, June 4). This third in a series set in Victorian London features Chinese tea, a murder, government officials, and a downstairs cook. Lots of fun and well-researched period details.

Deceptively Attractive

At first glance the dragonfly and bright flowers on the cover of Her Daughter’s Mother by Daniela Petrova (Putnam; June 18) look pretty. But a closer look shows the wilty petals and hints at something darker. Set in New York City, this thriller features a stalker, obsession, and fertility alternatives. Oddly, this too is comp’d to The Marsh King’s Daughter. I love the fun cover—including the kitties!—on Kate Carlisle’s The Book Supremacy (June 4, Berkley), but appearances can be deceptive. This cozy mystery series, set in San Francisco, features twisty multiple murders that always have a bookish theme. If you like light mysteries, I strongly recommend Carlisle, one of my go-to authors.

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Starting from Page 1: Which June Book Is for You?

It's been a really long time since I've done a Starting from Page 1 post (as in a few years), but so many of my June books have great opening sentences, I just had to revisit this feature.

Today I share the opening lines from 9 general fiction books published this month. All of them caught my eye, and I'm not quite sure which to read first. (Okay, that's a little bit of a lie, because I think I know what I'll be reading next. Can you guess?)

Just for fun, I'm giving you the bare minimum information for each title. Based only on the first lines, which ones are calling your name?

FKA USA by Reed King (Flatiron); dystopian; humor; comp'd to everything from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Wizard of Oz!

" 'There,' Jared Lee, the first of my two and a half friends, pointed past the stubby line of waste-treatment plants. 'Right there. See? Refugees.' "

How Could She by Lauren Mechling (Viking); set in New York and Toronto; 21st-century issues

"Geraldine considered her grapefruit."

Lifelines by Heidi Diehl (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); set in Oregon & Germany; family, relationships, motherhood

"Louise was a passenger in her own car."

The Summer We Lost Her by Tish Cohen (Gallery); comp'd to two of my favorite books: Deep End of the Ocean & Map of the World

"It was one of those things that never should have happened--the kind you turn over, splay open with pins, and examine at intervals for the rest of your life because it will never, ever cease to matter."

A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (Mira); sisters; buried past; redemption

"What do alligators dream about?"

The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore (William Morrow); a beach read set on Block Island

" 'It was disconcerting, to see a man cry like that,' said Bridget Fletcher"

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung (Ecco); mathematics; family history & secrets

"There is nothing as intriguing as a locked door."

This Is Home by Lisa Duffy (Atria); set in Boston; coming of age

"The year I turned ten, my father shot the aboveground pool in our backyard with his police-issued pistol."

The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney (Park Row); aging; friendship; maintaining independence

" 'Miller,' Joel whispered across the space between their two beds. 'Why aren’t you dead yet?' "

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7 Novels You Don't Want to Miss

Here we are on the last day of May, and I haven’t yet finished all the books I wanted to read this month. Sob. The good thing about books, though, is that they don’t have an expiration date. What’s more, just because *I* haven’t yet found the time to read the novels I’m featuring today doesn’t mean that *you* can’t add them to your own reading list.

The following seven novels deal with a variety of issues and themes, and I’m sure there’s at least one that will call to you. I'm not quite sure which I want to read first.

Contemporary Issues

Randy Susan Meyers’s Waisted (Atria, May 21) is about two women who meet at a Vermont estate when they both enter an intense weight-loss program. For both Alice and Daphne, perceived excess body weight is causing problems with their families (though for different reasons). There’s catch to the Waisted program, however; the seven women enrolled in the program have agreed to be on camera, practically 24/7—the result will be a documentary charting their progress. How far will the filmmakers go to add drama to the experience and how much can the women be pushed before they rebel? Themes of overweight, friendship, and being in control of one’s own body. Audiobook: Simon & Schuster Audio; 9 hr, 53 min; read by Robin Eller and Amanda Ronconi

In The East End (Park Row, May 7), Jason Allen introduces us to two families, one uber rich and the other struggling working class. One night Corey, a local Hamptons high school senior, successfully breaks into the mansion where he and his mother work; all is going according to plan until the owner shows up unexpectedly, a secret male lover in tow. The boy witnesses a horrible accident that Leo must cover up before his wife, family, and guests arrive for their annual Memorial Day getaway weekend. Who else knows what happened that night, and what won’t the rich do to protect their status? Themes include family, secrets, the socioeconomic divide, trust, and ethics. Audiobook: Harlequin Audio; 8 hr, 20 min; read by Angelo Di Loreto.

Mary Miller’s Biloxi (Liveright, May 21) looks at what it means to be middle-aged, lonely, male, and facing new beginnings. After an early retirement, Louis—divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter—impulsively adopts a mixed-breed border collie, who changes his life for the better. No one is more surprised at the joys of owning a dog than is Louis himself, who begins to learn the lessons of loyalty and friendship and is motivated to get off the couch and turn off the TV to explore his Gulf Coast home. This novel about contemporary society promises the possibility of new beginnings and self-discovery, something we can all hope for. Audiobook: no information.

They say one should write what they know, and in the #ownvoices novel Birthday (Flatiron, May 21), Meredith Russo does just that. Two boys, born on the same day, become friends for life . . . at least that’s what Eric thinks. Morgan, however, is less sure. Dealing with the death of his mother, a distant father, and new school is only part of Morgan’s worries. He’s completely unsure how to reveal his knowledge that he was born into the wrong body. He knows, deep in his soul, that he is really a she. But if he reveals his true gender, who will be with him? Can she have the relationship with Eric she dreams of? Will her father reject her? This is an emotionally deep story of gender identity, friendship, love, and family. Audiobook: Macmillan Audio; 7 hr, 59 min; read by Dana Aliya Levinson (includes a bonus interview with the author)

Friendship & Love

Jessica Francis Kane’s Rules for Visiting (Penguin, May 14) is about a reclusive gardener who, at the start of middle age, decides to visit some her old friends in real life. When May is granted a sabbatical from her job, she uses the time to undergo a journey, reconnecting with each of her four best friends in turn. Her love of trees and cats helps her relish each day, and her knowledge of Emily Post and ancient Greece culture inspires her to be perfect guest. May’s decision to venture out into the world beyond her gardens reminds us that even in the digital age, nothing can beat face-to-face encounters with the people who matter to us and know us best. Audiobook: Penguin Audio; 6 hr, 34 min; read by Emily Rankin.

Wendy Wax’s My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding (Berkley, May 14) involves estranged friends, a beautiful wedding dress, and the struggle to forgive. When Lauren and her fiancee return to her home town on the Outer Banks to plan their wedding, she is dreaming about the beautiful heirloom wedding dress that’s been carefully stored and waiting for this happy day. Lauren also knows she’ll have to face Bree, once as close as a sister but now a source of betrayal and hurt. Will Lauren’s mother be able to heal the wounds, giving the Lauren and Bree a chance for a brighter future? Through Lauren and Bree, we learn that it’s never too late to seek and grant forgiveness. Audiobook: Penguin Audio; 11 hr, 28 min; read by Lauren Fortgang, Ellen Archer and Brittany Pressley.

How Not to Die Alone (Putnam, May 28) by Richard Roper is about how a lonely health service employee finds a way to embrace life and love. Andrew’s job is to track down the families of Londoners who die alone. Trying to distance himself from his deceased clients, he pretends to his co-workers that he has a family and an active social life, though in reality he lives alone, guarding his heart. But when Peggy joins the office, Andrew gets a hint at what he’s been missing and must find a way to reveal his truths without alienating the only people he sees on a daily basis. Andrew’s story reminds us that the risks of being emotionally vulnerable are outweighed by the benefits. Audiobook: Penguin Audio; 8 hr, 52 min; read by Simon Vance.

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