Turn the Page: June
If May was flirty, June is focused... until literary girl summer hits: bikinis are on and all bets are off.
Turn the Page highlights upcoming literary events at local bookstores, book-related media, exciting book releases, and reveals the next book club theme.
Bibliophile Collective Book Club
May Book Club in Review
Thank you to everyone who joined this month’s book club at Sullaluna Bookshop + Bistro! May’s Spring Fling theme brought out some stellar picks, and our conversation didn’t hold back: are we romantics, skeptics, or somewhere in between? Between laughter, real talk, and a few blush-worthy moments, we flirted with the idea that love might still be worth the risk. By the end of the night, our TBRs were overflowing, and our hearts maybe a little fuller too.
Check out this month’s book club picks:
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
All About Love by bell hooks
June Book Club: Bibliophile Run Club
This month’s vibe: healing, but make it cardio. We’re talking books that want you to be better, whether that means optimizing your morning routine, quitting the apps (both dating and meditation), or simply walking outside and touching grass. June’s theme is personal growth, health, and wellness, but not in the “$17 smoothie and an ice bath” kind of way.
From habit-hacking and heart-healing to money makeovers and mindfulness with a side of neurosis, this month’s theme reminds us that growth isn’t linear… but at least it’s well written.
Some potential picks for this month’s theme could be…
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk
RSVP Here: June Book Club
When: Sunday, June 29th @ 10:30am
Where: The Reservoir at Central Park
For June, we’re leaning into personal growth: mentally, emotionally, and yes, physically (but in a fun, “run and gossip” kind of way). We’re swapping wine for water bottles and taking book club outdoors with a lap around the Central Park reservoir.
After our run (read: light jog), we’ll grab lattes and cool down the only way we know how: by wandering through The Corner Bookstore and pretending we’re not going to buy three more books we don’t have room for. Join us for a morning of movement, mutual delusion, and maybe even a little self-betterment.
Looking forward to seeing your picks (and adding them to my ever-growing TBR)!
Follow the Bibliophile Collective Instagram for more: @bibliophile.collective
Upcoming Independent Bookstore & Library Events
Hot girl summer? Try literary girl summer. These are the panels, launches, and readings worth changing out of your reading sweatpants for. Check out some events I am excited about this month from public libraries and my favorite independent bookstores:
Center for Fiction: Susan Choi on Flashlight with Sarah Thankam Mathews (6/3)
Books are Magic: National Book Foundation’s 5 under 35 Ceremony (6/4)
Brooklyn Public Library: Yrsa Daley-Ward Discusses The Catch with Zakiya Dalia Harris (6/9)
Book Club Bar: Author Panel - Writing Midlife (6/9)
McNally Jackson: Rob Franklin presents Great Black Hope in conversation with Katie Kitamura at the Public Hotel (6/10)
Ripped Bodice: Love in Bloom Brooklyn Author Panel (6/12)
NYPL: Getting Started with Archives (6/18)
Books are Magic: Pride Panel - Queer Debuts You Should Know About (6/26)
Bookish Podcasts to Start the Day
Your June podcast playlist is here, and it’s equal parts brooding, brilliant, and bookish. Audition’s got layers, Emily Dickinson might’ve invented the tortured poet trope, and Bookshop.org’s founder is spilling the behind-the-scenes tea.
The Lit Hub Podcast: Wrapping up National Poetry Month, commentary on “books for men” discourse
What Should I Read Next?: Offbeat, intricately plotted books for an ambitious reading project
NPR Book of the Day: Katie Kitamura’s Audition is a puzzle, but she says it’s not meant to be solved
Secret Life of Books: The Tortured Poet’s Department - Emily Dickinson and, yes, Taylor Swift
Open Book: Stealing Crumbs from the Giant with Andy Hunter (Founder of Bookshop.org)
June Book Releases
June’s new releases are serving up everything you didn’t know you needed: tangled friendships, secret pasts, interstellar dreams, and the kind of emotional rollercoasters that pair perfectly with your 3pm coffee. Looking for your next read? Keep an eye out for these exciting titles hitting the shelves this month:
June 3
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid From space dreams to heartbeats on Earth, this 80's NASA story follows a group of astronauts chasing stars, friendship, and love.
Flashlight by Susan Choi A haunting, slow-burn family mystery that asks what happens when the people who raised you are strangers, the past is full of holes, and love is just as murky as memory.
June 5
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin A haunting portrait of grief, privilege, and identity, this debut follows a young man’s unraveling in the wake of scandal, addiction, and loss.
June 10
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab Three women, three centuries, one shared hunger: for freedom, for love, for something more than the lives they were handed.
Days of Light by Megan Hunter From an idyllic Easter Sunday to decades of love, loss, and longing, this is a luminous story about how a single day can echo through a lifetime.
Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson A twisty marriage thriller told in reverse, where decades of love and secrets unravel one shocking moment at a time.
June 17
The Story of ABBA by Jan Gradvall Pop icons, private lives, and a whole lot of sequins, this deep dive into ABBA is part behind-the-music, part cultural history.
June 24
Among Friends by Hal Ebbott Longtime friendships, polished marriages, and picture-perfect lives unravel over one explosive weekend. Even the prettiest brunch table can’t cover up decades of resentment.