Summertime and the reading is easy… and our June Monthly Picks have arrived like a much-needed glass of lemonade on a hot day! We have a work of narrative nonfiction that’s as relevant today as it was 20 years ago; a picaresque novel from the acclaimed author of Heavy: An American Memoir; a thriller about fathers and sons and family legacies; a magical, mysterious fractured fairy tale; a charming and hilarious story of learning to love yourself; and an epic tale of imagination and adventure for young readers. So whatever you’re into, book-wise, we’re sure to have something that piques your interest.

Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick

Blacktop Wasteland

S.A. Cosby

A father can pass down many things to his son: His life of crime? A classic muscle car? Or the sense of duty and obligation to one’s family? S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland may not lead you down this road at first. Instead, there are crimes, fast cars and characters of questionable nature. But soon enough, you’ll see how Beauregard (“Bug”) weighs the life and responsibility of his family against that of his past. Can one life save him from another? You will be moved and surprised to discover which is fiercer: Bug’s beloved Duster or his heart.

Our Monthly Nonfiction Pick

Nickel and Dimed

Barbara Ehrenreich

Twenty years ago, a national debate about welfare inspired Barbara Ehrenreich to see if she could support herself on minimum wage. She took the cheapest lodging available, any minimum wage job offered, and tried to make it work. This book helped set a path for writers to dig into complicated social issues with personal narrative (books like Maid, Heartland and Nomadland), framing how we talk about these issues even now. As relevant today as it was when first published, this anniversary edition includes a foreword by Matthew Desmond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted.

Our Monthly Fiction Pick

Long Division

Kiese Laymon

The debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of Heavy: An American Memoir is a picaresque coming-of-age story that will have you laughing and crying, sometimes in the span of a single sentence. Filled with indelible characters and beautifully written, this genre-bending novel is a provocative and unforgettable story of love and family and internet fame and time travel set in rural, post-Katrina Mississippi that Jesmyn Ward (Sing, Unburied, Sing and Salvage the Bones) calls “smart, funny, and sharp.”

Our Monthly Speculative Fiction Pick

For the Wolf

Hannah Whitten

What if the fairy tale is nothing but a lie? Red knows her destiny: to be sacrificed to The Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But then she learns the truth … This fractured fairy tale retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” is spectacular — a perfect recommendation for fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted or Spinning Silver or the The Winternight trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch) by Katherine Arden.

Our Monthly YA Pick

Camp

L.C. Rosen

At Camp Outland, 16-year-old Randy feels like he can truly be himself. However, when Randy decides he finally wants to nab his longtime crush Hudson, he changes just about everything about himself to become Hudson’s dream guy — or so he thinks. Camp is a charming and fun story about growing up and learning to love yourself, with a hilarious and diverse cast of characters. A fabulous recommendation for fans of What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera and June 2020 #BNYABookClub pick The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta.

Our Monthly Young Reader Pick

The Land of Roar

Jenny McLachlan

Ben Mantle (Illustrator)

Eleven-year-old twins Arthur and Rose are growing up and growing apart, until one day their grandfather disappears. When the twins realize that Grandad has vanished right by the entrance to their old imaginary land called Roar, they team up to return to save Grandad and Roar itself. The Land of Roar is an epic tale of imagination and adventure that young readers will love escaping into. (If you’ve always wanted to live in Narnia or Neverland, this is the book for you!)

The post Our June Picks are Here! appeared first on Barnes & Noble Reads.