Books We Can’t Wait to Read in June
Fiction
Long Division by Kiese Laymon - June 1 (Scribner)
The virtuous Kiese Laymon weaves two narratives together in this electrifying and topical new book. In a time-traveling twist of events, the main character experiences the injustices of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s as well as 2013’s relative glory of becoming an accidental YouTube star. Laymon’s darkly satirical take on what it is to be a Black teenager in America is sure to land on your book club list this month.
With Teeth by Kristen Arnett - June 1 (Riverhead)
Literary Twitter's favorite dad, Kristen Arnett, follows up her NYT-bestselling debut Mostly Dead Things with a dramatic, queer family story. With Teeth tells the story of two queer women raising their challenging son in Florida, with all the fixations and neuroticism present in all of Arnett's characters. If you are queer and like to read, it's likely that this book is already on your to-read list.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - June 1 (St. Martin’s Press)
Casey McQuiston, author of the beloved Red, White, and Royal Blue, spins a new queer romance that offers insights into public transportation's role in time travel. Those new to McQuiston's work will be intrigued by a romance story as sexy as it is funny, and fans of McQuiston's first novel will be thrilled with how lovable these new characters are.
Walking on Cowrie Shells by Nana Nkweti - June 1 (Graywolf Press)
Pulling from mystery, horror, realism, myth, and graphic novels, Nkweti showcases the complexity and vibrance of characters whose lives span Cameroonian and American cultures. A dazzling, inventive debut, Walking on Cowrie Shells announces the arrival of a superlative new voice.
We Two Alone by Jack Wang - June 1 (Harpervia)
In these deeply affecting stories, Jack Wang subverts expectations as he captures the hope, pain, and sacrifices of the millions who journey into the unknown to create better lives, and explores the shifting boundaries of morality, the intimacies and failings of love, and the choices circumstances force us to make.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo- June 8 (Avid Reader Press)
Following up her international hit Three Women, Lisa Taddeo has a new saga detailing one woman’s journey from being hunted to becoming the hunter, as it were. Though fictional, Animal raises similar questions to the recent film Promising Young Woman: how far can the violence of men go, and what are women meant to do in its wake?
The Godmothers by Camille Aubray- June 15 (HarperCollins)
Camille Aubray gives new meaning to "girl power" with this tale of romance, opulence, and action. Secrets intertwine and build upon each other in this sensational novel set in the 1930s and '40s. This intriguing story about housewives-turned-mobsters will give even the most hardcore fans of The Sopranos and Real Housewives something to agree on.
God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney- June 22 (William Morrow and Company)
Kelsey McKinney's debut novel is a Texan bildungsroman that balances the weight of faith against the bond of family. The story follows two sisters trying to preserve their family, while also assessing which parts of their family are worth preserving. God Spare the Girls will delight fans of GK Hudson's Boys of Alabama.
Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor- June 22 (Random House)
The acclaimed Brandon Taylor follows up his Man Booker Prize-shortlisted debut Real Life with a collection of short stories from the perspectives of several creatives in the Midwest. Taylor takes his distinct attention to interpersonal relationships and amplifies his skills with a new cast of characters, all of whom seem to be cut from the same cloth of longing, emotional pain, and lovelessness.
Nonfiction
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford - June 1 (Flatiron Books)
Ashley Ford's debut memoir is, in a word, astonishing. We enter the story of her childhood, which was largely overshadowed by her incarcerated father, and the traumas both brought on and affected by his absence. Somebody's Daughter shines a light on the particular and personal in powerfully heartbreaking ways. This highly-anticipated debut already has Glennon Doyle raving that “it will be a book of the year.”
Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book by Bella Mahaya Carter -June 1 (She Writes Press)
Bella Mahaya Carter's new book brings the age-old sentiments of being and presence to new light for writers looking for guidance in the wild world of publishing. This inspiring, writer-centric read is the pep talk that unpublished authors never knew they needed, serving as a perfect next step for fans of Courtney Maum's Before and After the Book Deal.
Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer - June 8 (Simon and Schuster)
John Paul Brammer, or Papi as he is known to his newsletter constituents, has more advice to give than he might give himself credit for. In his debut collection of essays, he details his journey from being a queer mixed-race child from rural Oklahoma to becoming "the Chicano Carrie Bradshaw."
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi - June 8 (Penguin Random House)
Akwaeke Emezi, the celebrated author of Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji, brings us a dazzling epistolary memoir on similar themes of identity, family, and spirituality. Having written extensively on Igbo belief systems in their earlier books, Emezi's letters in Dear Senthuran bring to light the interconnectedness of things as it relates to their life.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell - June 15 (Harper Wave)
Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities "cultish," revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven's Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of "cultish" everywhere.
Poetry
Worldly Things: Poems by Michael Kleber-Diggs - June 8 (Milkweed Editions)
Michael Klieber-Diggs's debut collection is equal parts joy and sadness. His poems outline the ways in which America fails its citizens, particularly the Black community, while also calling for said citizens to raise it up again.
The Vault by Andrés Cerpa - June 15 (Alice James Books)
From the author of Bicycles in a Ransacked City comes a new collection of complex poems. These poems tussle with grief and longing while Cerpa turns the narrative back on himself. The result is a collection of poems full of sorrow, power, and meaning.
