With the end of school and the start of summer, this month gives us a great selection of books to kick off summer reading. Be sure to sign up! Reading for 30 days earns you prizes (yes, even for adults!), and helps support the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Whether you’re spending long, languid days reading by the pool, or listening to an audio book while stuck in traffic, the library has you covered.
Fiction
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward
When twins Clara and Dempsey were babies, their mother Serene left them with a sitter and never returned. After she was declared dead, the girls were adopted by two different families but remained in contact. Now 30 (the same age as their mother was when she disappeared) Clara meets a woman who she’s convinced is their mother. Only Serene hasn’t aged a day. Dempsey thinks her sister has lost grip on reality, but the truth is much more surprising in this inventive, genre-defying novel. Available June 3. // Library catalog link here.
Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West
Six Minneapolis women, all named Sarah Jones, connect via Instagram and become friends. To differentiate between themselves, they go by their ages. 30 has recently moved to the area and is glad to have found the group and is especially close to 27. 27 is a nanny for a Sarah Jones who isn’t in the group, but when she turns up dead, 27 is the prime suspect. Once they confirm that the dead Sarah Jones isn’t one of their own, the group mobilizes to clear 27’s name. Throw in a cute FBI agent, a nun with secrets, and a missing persons cold case, and you’ve got a playful and quirky cozy mystery. Available June 10. // Library catalog link here.
If Wishes were Retail by Auston Habershaw
Needing money for college, Alex gets a job at the local mall, working for a genie who’ll grant the wishes of anyone willing to pay. Mr. Jinn has ultimate cosmic power, but no idea how the twenty-first century works. With Alex’s guidance and a viral video, the business takes off, but Mr. Jinn’s methods are unconventional at best, and people make really bad wishes. The mall’s anchor stores aren’t happy with a kiosk that keeps warping reality. Underneath the humor is a heart-warming cozy fantasy about family, community, and our hearts’ desires. Available June 17. // Library catalog link here.
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
College student Monica Tsai is a frequent user of a digital journaling project, EMBRS. The program scans journal entries to suggest personal connections, leading Monica to meet Louise, who once met Monica’s grandmother’s long-lost cousin. Louise brings a gift of a single pencil, which came from Shanghai’s Phoenix Pencil Company. The two cousins worked at the factory during WWII and discovered the family’s ability to Reforge every word ever written by a pencil. Monica’s search to reunite the cousins intertwines with their story of war, espionage, and separation. This luminous blend of magical realism, historical fiction, and family saga explores the keeping of memory, privacy, and who gets to tell and know our stories. Available June 3. // Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science by Carly Anne York
People often wonder at the point of studying such “silly” things as the tubercules of humpback whales, Yellowstone’s bacteria, or Gila monster venom. In exploring the “sillier” side of science, York argues for the importance of curiosity for the sake of curiosity and shows how discoveries build on discoveries and lead to important breakthroughs, such as more efficient wind turbines (the humpback whales) COVID-19 PCR testing (Yellowstone’s bacteria) and Ozempic (Gila monster venom). Witty and thoroughly researched, this is a timely look at some very fun science. Available June 17. // Library catalog link here.
What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution by John Birdsall
James Beard award-winning writer and chef Birdsall traces the role of food in queer history. He looks at early 20th century restaurants that provided safe havens to chefs like Harry Baker and Edna Lewis. He looks at queer coding in cookbooks and how queer people used food to build community. With sharp analysis Birdsall uncovers the role queer people have played in shaping food history, and the role food has played in shaping queer history. A delicious read. Available June 3. // Library catalog link here.
Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy and Lettuce by Lonnae O’Neal
Mixing memoir with cultural critique and food history, O’Neal traces her family history through the legacy of enslavement to the Bibb family. Decades before the Civil War, Major Richard Bibb freed dozens of slaves in his will, including Keziah, O’Neal’s fourth-great grandmother. He also fathered at least one of Keziah’s grandchildren. The will was executed by his son, John Bigger Bibb, who developed Bibb lettuce. O’Neal traces the complicated history of both the Black and white Bibb family in this powerful saga. Available June 17. // Library catalog link here.
Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong
Looking at 12 handmade carpets, Armstrong traces their journeys, and through them, the history of the world. From a carpet woven in the 3rd or 4th century BCE and discovered during an archaeological dig effected by the Russian Revolution, to one woven in 21st century Pakistan for commercial export, she examines the conditions in which these objects were made, moved, and found, and the people’s lives they touched along the way. Created by nomadic weavers often in the lower rungs of society, these works of art are desired as symbols of wealth and power. An intriguing look at history that might literally be beneath our feet. Available June 17. // Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Esme’s three older sisters are all brilliant. Her desire to feel some of her mother’s pride leads her to be, in the words of her friend Tegan, “too intense.” This summer, Esme has vowed to have a chill summer at the pool with her swim team, but a recent growth spurt has made Esme really fast. Now Esme’s mom is coming to meets and taking an interest, but her single-minded focus on winning verges on unsportsmanlike. Esme must learn to listen to her inner voice as she balances her mother’s approval with being a good teammate in this heartwarming story that will find a home in many pool bags. Available June 3. // Library catalog link here.
Teen
Now She’s Dead by Roselyn Clarke
Every summer, Mandy’s family spends two weeks at the Highmark Resort. Last summer, Sara, Mandy’s best friend at the resort was accidentally killed on a night filled with drinking and fireworks. Wracked by guilt that she might have actually been responsible for the death, Mandy’s not looking forward to returning, especially when her younger sister brings a friend who hosts a true crime podcast and wants to reopen the case. As Mandy looks into what really happened that night, she becomes more convinced the death wasn’t accidental, but less convinced she had anything to do with it. Alternating between last summer and this one, this dark and twisty mystery will keep readers guessing right to the end. Available June 3. // Library catalog link here.
Jennie Rothschild is a collection engagement librarian for Arlington Public Library.