It’s the first Tuesday in June, which means that summer and Pride Month are here, and, to inaugurate both, there’s a bevy of books hot off the proverbial presses to check out. Below, you’ll find no less than twenty-six new titles to consider in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, a number of which explore queerness from different vantage points, including a guide to queer desire from the ancient Greeks, a study of queer athletes in the twentieth century under fascist regimes, and more. There are highly anticipated novels from Chukwuebuka Ibeh, Joseph O’Neill, Maxim Loskutoff, Essie Chambers, Claire Kilroy, Gabriel Smith, Marcela Fuentes, and more; there’s also an exciting collection of stories told in Kafkaesque fashion by members of our modern literati, including Tommy Orange, Elif Batuman, and Ali Smith.
You’ll find a a new poetry collection from Michael Lista after a long hiatus. And, if you’re in the mood for nonfiction, you’ll find a lot to be excited about: Jennifer Romolini exploring the nature of ambition; a new look at Kafka’s literary legacy; an exploration of Poe’s techniques and his influence; a study of the women who helped popularize the concept of department stores and transformed America’s fashion and economy; and more. It’s a grand day for new literature.
Read deeply, and let your book piles grow. There’s always more space , right? * “Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s debut novel is a quiet but profoundly moving coming-of-age story about a young g.