Hello and welcome to the month of June. We hope that you started out the month with the traditional utterance of “rabbit rabbit.” We are currently immersing ourselves in Ibrahim Alfa Jnr.’s Infinite Black Inside (thanks for the recommendation, Hearing Things) and planning out our June reading. Here are some of the books we’re most excited to explore.
Krystle Ratticus, Ornery Cuss
(June 1, Weirdo Du Jour)
There’s something about a great vintage-style book cover that gets our attention, and this volume of writings from Krystle Ratticus has precisely that. And if this excerpt is any indication, its chronicling of lived-in experiences and fraught relationships should make for an immersive read.
Alex DiFrancesco, The Grief Shop: and other stories from a broken world
(June 2, Seven Stories Press)
We’re longtime admirers of Alex DiFrancesco’s work, which can encompass everything from Italian witchcraft to visions of the near future. This new collection returns to the speculative realm, following a protagonist making her way through a series of jobs in a subtly altered futuristic society.
Deborah Levy, My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein: A Fiction
(June 2, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Speaking of writers whose work can encompass a vast range of styles and themes: Deborah Levy, everyone! A book by Levy might be a complex comedy of manners or a dissonant and fractured view of the world. This new book is about art, the messy lives of writers, and — as you might expect — one Gertrude Stein.
Greg Tate, Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America
(June 9, AUWA)
Greg Tate was one of the best writers to chronicle pop culture, full stop. This new edition of Flyboy in the Buttermilk is both a stunning work in its own right and features contributions from two more very knowledgeable sources: Hanif Abdurraqib and Questlove.
Sophie Lewis, Femmephilia: Love Letters to Trans Mermaids, Queer Mothers, and Marilyn Monroe
(June 16, Haymarket Books)
A recent review of Femmephilia in Write Through the Night got to the heart of this book’s appeal: “Sophie Lewis has a gift for analyzing complex topics of sexuality and gender expression and transforming them into political lenses through which to view the world.” So if you’re looking for a wide-ranging look at culture, gender, and sexuality, this book should leave you with plenty to consider.
Susannah Felts, The Come Apart
(June 15, TriQuarterly)
Susannah Felts’s first novel This Will Go Down On Your Permanent Record remains a favorite coming-of-age book around these parts, as well as an excellent example of Only Child Lit. Felts returns with a tale of frustrated creativity, a changing music industry, and a geographic relocation, all of which should make for a thoroughly compelling read.
Guillermo Stitch, The Coast of Everything
(June 16, Sagging Meniscus)
Do you enjoy your novels vast in scope and complex in structure? Guillermo Stitch’s second novel, following the acclaimed Lake of Urine, fits that bill perfectly, featuring a nested structure and no shortage of big ideas. In a review for Compulsive Reader, David Brizer called this book “a tour-de-force with wings.”
Courtney Bush, Learning
(June 23, Joyland Editions)
Courtney Bush’s writing has covered a lot of territory, including acclaimed forays into film and poetry. Her new book is something different: a concise yet expansive look at the life of a woman working at a day care center in Brooklyn, and the myriad paths her thoughts take over the course of one day.
Isaac Butler, The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars
(June 23, Bloomsbury)
Isaac Butler is one of the pre-eminent writers covering pop cultural history right now. (Check out his books on Angels in America and Method acting if you’re curious.) His latest book takes on an essential subject: the moment in the 1980s when art and politics collided in the U.S., changing the way both would be perceived in the decades that followed.
Colin Asher, The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music
(June 30, W.W. Norton)
There are plenty of influences that have played a role in shaping American music over time. Colin Asher’s new book makes a compelling case for prisons as one of them. A recent Publishers Weekly review succinctly summed up the appeal of Asher’s work here: “This is illuminating.”
Emmalea Russo, The Moon Papers
(June 30, Arcade)
Last year, we read (and enjoyed) Emmalea Russo’s ambitious, complex novel Vivienne. This year brings with it another novel from Russo set in the art world, albeit to very different ends. The artists in this one, you see, are at work on a life-size replica of the Moon. What could possibly go wrong?
Note: all cover artwork and release dates are subject to change.