Looking Ahead: June Highlights

It seems fitting to be writing this post after spending the last day of May and the first day of June at Book Expo, surrounded by books, buzz and readers with a serious amount of energy. While I tried to limit the number of galleys I acquired at the show (I'm moving in July, so a massive stack of more books to pack seemed like a bit of a waste), I did grab some titles I'm exceptionally excited about. Then there are those not at the show but that are definitely on my radar for June reading:

The Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa, by Benjamin Constable (Gallery, June 4th): I've actually already read this one, and my full review will follow after the book's release. It's a dark, slightly chilling novel about a girl named Butterfly who kills herself and leaves a kind of treasure hunt for her friend to follow after her death. The clues span Paris and New York, and each reveals some deeply hidden secret about Butterfly. Not entirely uplifting, but definitely an interesting premise that Constable has executed quite well.

Chocolates for Breakfast, by Pamela Moore (Harper Perennial, June 25th): This is one of those novels with a publication history as interesting as the story itself. Written by 18-year-old Pamela Moore in the 1950s, the novel was first published in 1956 and went on to become an international bestseller before falling out of print. Now it's back, with an introduction from Emma Straub (author of Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures), and promising to be just as relevant today as it was 60 years ago.

The Celestials, by Karen Shephard (Tin House, June 11th): Shephard's fourth novel centers on 75 Chinese laborers working in New England in the 1870s. From its description, it sounds like a combination of historical fact and incredibly imagined storytelling, bringing 19th century New England to life on the page. 

The Engagements, by J. Courtney Sullivan (Knopf, June 11th): Sullivan's 2012 novel, Maine, was a smash hit last summer, and this summer, we get more from her. The Engagements promises to be a deep dive into both the influence of advertising and the various forms marriage can take, and I'm all giggly about it. Plus I got to meet Sullivan at BEA and she was just a-freaking-dorable, which makes me all the more excited about this.

The Universe vs. Alex Woods, by Gavin Extence (Red Hook, June 25th): The publisher's comp titles for this book include Skippy Dies, one of my favorite reads this year (though it was released in 2010), so needless to say, I was intrigued from the start. Then it was described as "a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology," and I was hooked. I have a galley from BEA and hope to find time to pick this one up in the next few weeks.