Índex per June 2023 a Booklist Reader

Booklist Reader|June 2023

From the Editor & Publisher

In June each year, the American Library Association (ALA) holds a conference where library workers, teachers, publishers, and those who simply love books and reading convene. For me, a shining feature of the conference is meeting and talking with library workers and teachers, even though these edifying conversations often center on difficult topics. For example, during the past year, many discussions I’ve had focused on the challenges associated with censorship and book bans. I echo and enthusiastically agree with ALA’s Executive Director, Tracie D. Hall, who was recently honored as one of Time100’s Most Influential People in 2023, when she said at the Time100 gala, “I represent a belief. A belief that stories can transform the way that we see the world. And that everyone’s story deserves that opportunity.” Library…

2 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Family Secrets and Surprising Connections

Bellewether. By Susanna Kearsley. 2018. Sourcebooks/Landmark. A woman who becomes curator of a museum on Long Island is unprepared for the ghost that haunts it. Meanwhile, a woman in the mid-eighteenth century reluctantly falls in love with a French Canadian lieutenant stationed at her house in this imaginative, authentically detailed story. The Color Line. By Igiaba Scego. Translated by John Cullen and Gregory Conti. 2022. Other Press. Celebrated artist Lafanu Brown was born in the mid-nineteenth century to a Chippewa mother and an African Haitian father, and found success as a painter in Italy; in 2019, Somali Italian researcher Leila discovers Lafanu’s work and becomes fascinated in this lyrical novel. The Daughters of Foxcote Manor. By Eve Chase. 2020. Putnam. A young woman nannying for a wealthy family spends the…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Women Scientists and a River of Adversity

The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe. By Glynis Ridley. 2010. Crown. Expert “herb woman” Baret was chosen by botanist Philibert Commerson to assist him on France’s first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, but she had to dress as a man since women were forbidden on ships. Ridley recounts Baret’s brutal outing and remarkable discoveries as a pioneering botanist. The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science. By Kate Zernike. 2023. Scribner. Zernike details the microaggressions, sexual harassment, and professional disdain women scientists endured at MIT, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of molecular biologist Nancy Hopkins. Forces of Nature: The Women Who Changed Science. By Anna Reser and Leila McNeill. 2021. Frances Lincoln. Who…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

June 2023

The Beach at Summerly: A Novel Beatriz Williams (William Morrow) Love, Theoretically Ali Hazelwood (Berkley) The Spectacular: A Novel Fiona Davis (Dutton) Unfortunately Yours: A Novel Tessa Bailey (Avon) The Five-Star Weekend Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown and Company) Mortal Follies: A Novel Alexis Hall (Del Rey) We Could Be So Good: A Novel Cat Sebastian (Avon) Lady Tan’s Circle of Women Lisa See (Scribner) The Only One Left: A Novel Riley Sager (Dutton) Zero Days: A Novel Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout Press) Find the full annotated list: www.LibraryReads.org/HOF Read-alikes provided by NoveList and the LibraryReads Community. | Made in LibraryAware - www.libraryaware.com…

1 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Audio Exclusives

Agent of Exiles: The League of Set. By Tom Doyle. Read by a full cast. 2022. 6hr. GraphicAudio. This historical spy series-starter is set in ancient Babylon. Sound effects, music, and a full cast create an immersive experience with just the right amount of tension. The Babysitter Lives. By Stephen Graham Jones. Read by Isabella Star LaBlanc. 2022. 7.5hr. Simon & Schuster Audio. Indigenous teen Charlotte’s simple babysitting job goes horribly wrong. LaBlanc aces Jones’ distinct rhythm and writing style, giving it a naturally flowing quality. Getting Started with Sourdough. By Chad Robertson and Jennifer Latham. Read by the authors. 2020. 2h. Books on Tape. A cookbook on audio? In this innovative production, the bakers behind the Tartine bread process walk listeners through the steps, allowing bakers to work as…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Introducing LGBTQ History

Why is the Stonewall Inn important? The Stonewall Inn was a popular meeting place for the LGBTQ community in New York City. When the police raided it on June 28, 1969, riots broke out. This began the LGBTQ rights movement. Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. By Rob Sanders. Illus. by Jamey Christoph. Random. Gr. 3–6. When do Pride parades take place? They can happen anytime, but they typically occur in June to honor the Stonewall riots. This Day in June. By Gayle E. Pitman. Illus. by Kristyna Litten. Magination. PreS–Gr. 3. What does it mean to be trans? Your gender identity doesn’t match what people thought you were when you were born. It Feels Good to Be Yourself. By Theresa Thorn. Illus. by Noah Grigni. Holt. Gr. 1–3.…

1 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

New Mythologies

Older Bull. By David Elliott. Read by Cherise Boothe and Korey Jackson. 2017. 2hr. Recorded Books. Gr. 9–12. This striking, poetic reexamination of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur translates particularly well to audio. Each character’s first-person poems have a different rhyme scheme, but all have a hip-hop cadence. Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story). By Daniel Nayeri. 2020. Levine Querido. Gr. 7–12. Twelve-year-old Khosrou, known as Daniel to his skeptical Oklahoman classmates, tells “a version” of his life story in the tradition of 1,001 Nights’ Scheherazade. He weaves short, personal vignettes into the Persian histories, myths, and legends that are his ancestry. I, Claudia. By Mary McCoy. 2018. Carolrhoda. Gr. 9–12. At Imperial Day Academy, the true power lies in the honor council, an elected group…

5 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Fashion in Historical Fiction

By Her Own Design. By Piper Huguley. 2022. Morrow. Ann Lowe, granddaughter of enslaved people, defied the odds to establish herself as dressmaker to the elite. Woven throughout the book is a notable example of her resilience: the story of Jacqueline Kennedy’s destroyed wedding dress, which Ann recreated in less than a week. The Collection. By Gioia Diliberto. 2007. Scribner. Talented seamstress Isabelle Varlet leaves her French village for Paris in 1919 and lands in the atelier of the radical and ambitious designer Coco Chanel, where she must navigate the cutthroat competitiveness of haute couture. Diliberto continues Chanel’s story in Coco at the Ritz (2021). A Dress of Violet Taffeta. By Tessa Arlen. 2022. Berkley. A look back at Lucy Duff Gordon, who divorced her wayward first husband, built a…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Transcending Heartache

100 Poems to Break Your Heart. By Edward Hirsch. 2021. Ecco. For all those who seek solace in poetry and its assurance that one is not alone in facing heartbreak and loss, Hirsch’s darkly illuminating anthology includes work from Gwendolyn Brooks, Nazim Hikmet, Garret Hongo, Patricia Smith, Mary Oliver, and many others. Coventry. By Rachel Cusk. 2019. Picador. Exploring literary narratives as well as those we create in relationships, homemaking, and parenting, Cusk pulls apart the stories we tell to reflect on the mess underneath. Crying in the Bathroom. By Erika L. Sánchez. 2022. Viking. In her refreshingly candid memoir, Sánchez spares no detail in relating her life experiences, from her youth to her early dating life, marriage, divorce, professional success, and motherhood. Dept. of Speculation. By Jenny Offill. 2014. Vintage.…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Adult

Fiction All the Sinners Bleed. By S. A. Cosby. Flatiron. Titus Crown, the first Black sheriff in his small Southern town, is on the trail of a young Black man who killed a beloved teacher who was harboring secrets in the latest from best-selling, award-winning Cosby. Be Mine: A Frank Bascombe Novel. By Richard Ford. Ecco. Septuagenarian Everyman Frank Bascombe is back, this time helping his son with treatment for ALS, then embarking on a road trip with him to Mount Rushmore, in a novel that captures the strained dynamic of two men attempting to articulate emotions. Central Park West. By James Comey. Mysterious. The debut from the controversial former FBI director follows a federal prosecutor about to put a New York crime boss behind bars when an ex-governor is…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

PBS Program Feature

June is Pride Month and Immigrant Heritage Month. Originally commemorating the Stonewall riots in New York City, Pride Month celebrates the LGBT rights movement and its culture. Over the years, PBS has interviewed numerous LGBTQIA+ authors and is thrilled to be able to highlight some stories, like "The Yellow House," by Sarah Broom, at pbsbooks.org/pride. As of 2022, June was designated National Immigrant Heritage Month, recognizing the countless contributions that immigrants have had on our country. PBS Books shares interviews about outstanding American immigrants, who have contributed to the rich fabric of our society; highlights include Maria Hinojosa, Geraldine Brooks, Juliet Menéndez and more. Visit: pbsbooks.org/immigrantheritage. On June 21, PBS Books will present a special conversation with Crosby Kemper, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, about the…

2 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Summer Listening

Southern Families There’s more to the South than sweet tea and sun porches. Here, accents convey a sense of place. How to Sell a Haunted House. By Grady Hendrix. Read by Jay Aaseng and Mikhaila Aaseng. 2023. 13hr. Books on Tape. Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause. By Ty Seidule. Read by the author. 2021. 10.5hr. Macmillan. Well Traveled. By Jen DeLuca. Read by Brittany Pressley. 2022. 9.5hr. Books on Tape. Science-y Fiction These titles keep one foot on the ground while seeking beyond the stars or diving into scientific concepts. The Weight of the Stars. By K. Ancrum. Read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. 2021. 7hr. Tantor. Paradise. By Laura Maria Censabella. Read by Jeff Marlow and Medalion Rahimi. 2021. 2hr. L.A.…

2 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

While You Wait for Camp Sylvania

Camp Murderface. By Josh Berk and Saundra Mitchell. 2020. Harper. Gr. 4–7. Scoff if you dare, but this tale of a cursed summer camp lives up to its title as two campers determine to crack the mystery surrounding the lakeside retreat. Corryn and Tez quickly hit it off and immediately begin noticing strange things that can’t be logically explained, and they snoop around in between camp activities on a risky mission to put things right. Chunky. By Yehudi Mercado. Art by the author. 2021. HarperAlley. Gr. 3–6. Perennially fat and always funny, Mexican Jewish Yehudi Mercado just wants to watch Saturday Night Live, but his doctor insists he drop some pounds. At his dad’s insistence, he reluctantly (and unsuccessfully) tries a series of sports, cheered on by his unusually honest…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

When Parents Get Sick

Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year. By Nina Hamza. 2021. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. Gr. 5–8. Ahmed is in for a tumultuous sixth-grade year when his family suddenly moves from Hawaii to Minnesota so his father can receive lifesaving treatment for health complications due to hepatitis C. While Ahmed uses humor to cope with these circumstances, it doesn’t diminish their seriousness, making his resilience all the more admirable. Auma’s Long Run. By Eucabeth Odhiambo. 2017. Carolrhoda. Gr. 6–8. Auma dreams of winning a high-school track scholarship that will take her out of her Kenyan village; however, when her father grows seriously ill with AIDS, she must decide whether to continue her schooling or work to feed her family. In this gut-wrenching look at the 1990s AIDS epidemic, Odhiambo flawlessly weaves Kenyan culture with preteen…

5 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

To Beach Their Own

Big Books There’s nothing quite like getting lost in the narrative of a good, long book. These titles, each over 500 pages, will entice readers with an Africa-set fantasy quest; the lyrically tumbling thoughts of a fortysomething mother of four; an extensive, unique biography of an exceptional first lady; the story of an opera singer whose shadowy past is revealed in a new opera; and a corrective history of a scientific breakthrough. Black Leopard, Red Wolf. By Marlon James. 2019. Penguin. Ducks, Newburyport. By Lucy Ellmann. 2019. Biblioasis. Eleanor. By David Michaelis. 2020. Simon & Schuster. The Queen of the Night. By Alexander Chee. 2016. Houghton. The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. By Howard Markel. 2021. Norton/Liveright. Bite-sized Tales…

3 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Alexandria Bellefleur

Who is Alexandria Bellefleur when she is at home? When I’m not writing, I’m usually curled up with a good book, which nine times out of ten, is going to be a romance. If I’m not reading, I’m likely either crafting or cooking, both of which I find relaxing. I’ve recently gotten into abstract embroidery—it’s an artistic outlet that’s just for me, so it’s low stress and a great way to unwind at the end of the day. What can you tell us about your new book The Fiancée Farce? The Fiancée Farce is a sapphic rom-com about a quiet book-seller who, in order to save her family’s bookstore, agrees to a marriage of convenience with a newspaper heiress who moonlights as a romance novel cover model. It’s fake dating…

4 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

June 2023

TOP PICK The Quiet Tenant: A Novel Clémence Michallon (Knopf) The entire town feels sorry for Aidan Thomas when his wife dies. But the mysterious woman staying in the house Aidan shares with his teenage daughter has seen a very different side of him… and knows her every move has life-or-death stakes. A great pick for thriller fans looking for a page-turner with strong female protagonists. —Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library NoveList read-alike: The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead Find out more at www.LibraryReads.org All the Sinners Bleed S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books) As a Black sheriff in rural Virginia, Titus Crown is caught in political turmoil while a pedophile mass murderer runs amok. A brilliant perfectionist and former FBI agent, Titus ran for office to change things for the…

4 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Audio Originals

Booth: How is the decision made to publish an audiobook as an original? Laura Wilson (Penguin Random House Audio, Director of Spanish and Original Content): We make the decision to publish exclusive and original audiobooks based on content. Is it audio-forward? Does it make sense for the project and does it make sense for the author’s listeners? The great thing about audiobook originals is that authors can try new things. In some cases, we’re able to publish an author’s work on audio in a way we can’t in print. For example, we developed, recorded, and released Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Expanded Audiobook Edition in just six weeks in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Rather than writing a full manuscript, Snyder recorded extemporaneously from meticulously crafted notes,…

4 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Middle-Grade Fiction on Audio

Allergic. By Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter. Read by a full cast. 2021. 2hr. Scholastic. Gr. 4–6. This graphic novel about a girl allergic to the pet of her dreams receives a first-rate full-cast audio treatment with production elements that create a vibrant radio-drama feel. Answers in the Pages. By David Levithan. Read by a full cast. 2022. 4hr. Listening Library. Gr. 3–7. Three narrators help make sense of the layered story about Donovan, his classmates, and a book that creates some controversy. Coraline. By Neil Gaiman. Read by a full cast. 2022. 4hr. HarperAudio. Gr. 5–8. This twentieth anniversary celebration of Gaiman’s modern youth classic gets a full-cast treatment. This outstanding immersive audiobook will enchant adults and children. Ikenga. By Nnedi Okorafor. Read by Ben Onwukwe. 2021.…

2 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Becky Albertalli on Imogen, Obviously

Dominguez: When it comes to identity, many of us struggle with that inner voice that tries to help us understand ourselves. In the novel, Imogen is trying to understand changes in herself when it comes to sexuality and even her personality. Why is sharing Imogen’s story so important? Albertalli: I love the way you put this—the heart of Imogen’s story really is about listening for that voice, even when other voices seem louder. Identity is always complicated, and social media has a way of amplifying that. Like many of us, Imogen’s internal world is heavily influenced by the way she internalizes others’ perspectives—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! But it can be hard to untangle your own truth from community discourse, especially when that discourse veers into prescriptively upholding specific…

5 min.

Booklist Reader|June 2023

Children & Teens

Older Everyone Wants to Know. By Kelly Loy Gilbert. Simon & Schuster. Gr. 7–12. Honor Lo confronts family secrets in a painfully public way in this thoughtful yet searing account of the price of reality-TV fame from award-winning Gilbert. Going Bicoastal. By Dahlia Adler. St. Martin’s/Wednesday. Gr. 8–12. Natalya must choose between two options for her summer, and they play out in alternating time lines in this clever novel from acclaimed author Adler. Invisible Son. By Kim Johnson. Random. Gr. 9–12. Set against the atmosphere of unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, this thriller following an unjustly imprisoned teen and a missing foster kid pairs a propulsive mystery with sharp social commentary. The Library of Broken Worlds. By Alaya Dawn Johnson. Scholastic. Gr. 9–12. Johnson offers readers a…

2 min.