Summer reading may not be required for adults, but books go hand in hand with beachy weather and bright skies. These June book releases are primed to accompany you outside and include the final chapter of Tomi Adeyemi's "Legacy of the Orisha" series, a hip-hop history book and an experimental novel from Rachel Cusk.
'The Future Was Color' by Patrick Nathan (June 4)
Patrick Nathan's latest novel has all the earmarks of a good beach read. "The Future Was Color" starts as the story of a "semi-closeted gay screenwriter in 1950s Hollywood," but the "scope grows to encompass issues of identity, social mores and the survival of humankind," said Kirkus Reviews. George, a Hungarian immigrant working as a screenwriter in 1956 Hollywood, finds himself taking refuge in the home of a predatory pair of married actors as he tries to write about politics in a post-war era. Nathan's novel is an "immaculately written exploration of postwar American decadence, reinventing the self through art and the psychosis that lingers in a world that's seen the bomb" said the Los Angeles Review of Books. Order here.
'Tehrangeles' by Porochista Khakpour (June 11)
If you are the type who loves "talking to your smartest friends about the Bravoverse," then Porochista Khakpour's "Tehrangeles" is the "summer novel for you," said Jessie Gaynor on Lit Hub. The Milanis, a wealthy Iranian family in Los Angeles, have just landed a reality TV deal that could turn them into stars. But it is late 2019, and the world is about to be turned upside down by Covid-19. The novel is loosely like "Little Women" meets "Shahs of Sunset," with a "cast of pitch-perfect characters who I found exasperating, heart-rending and endlessly compelling," Gaynor said. "Tehrangeles" is a pandemic novel but "not in the way you and I experienced it," Khakpour said on her Substack. "It is about pandemic madness and people who cannot help but do the exact wrong thing often." Pre-order here.
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In the "spiritual sequel" to his 2021 book, "Music Is History," the musician and Oscar-winning director traces the first 50 years of hip-hop through "insightful and passionate analysis" that celebrates the "big-named artists who popularized the style," as well as "lesser-known creatives who quietly influenced rap's rise," said Time. Questlove pairs the history of hip-hop with a personal reflection on how the genre shaped his identity during his childhood in Philadelphia. "A must-read for old-school hip-hop heads and burgeoning fans alike," Time said. Pre-order here.
'Parade' by Rachel Cusk (June 18)
Rachel Cusk, author of the Outline trilogy, is known for her experimental style. She is back with her latest novel, Parade, which tells the story of an artist, G, who takes on the personas of "many different people, leading different lives, encountering different experiences and sensations," said Lit Hub's Dwyer Murphy. The book bounces back and forth between an omniscient narrator and a first-person perspective. Like her most recent book, 2021's "The Second Place," the novel has a "penetrating interrogation of what it means to experience the world through, with and alongside artists," said Murphy. Cusk is a "kind of magician," leaving readers "wondering how it was done, how this sense of wonder was elicited so beautifully." Pre-order here.
'Children of Anguish and Anarchy' by Tomi Adeyemi (June 25)
Tomi Adeyemi's West African-inspired New York Times bestselling "Legacy of Orïsha" series is finally coming to a close with the third and final book, "Children of Anguish and Anarchy." The first book in the series "Children of Blood and Bone" made a huge splash when it was released in 2018, with Adeyemi's work being compared to some of the best young adult series. With a film adaptation to come, now is the perfect time to catch up on the series ahead of the finale. It has been five years since her last book, so this is one of the year's most anticipated releases. Pre-order here.
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Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
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