Booklist Reader

Published by Booklist, an imprint of the American Library Association. Booklist Reader features diverse book and audiobook recommendations, for readers and listeners of all ages. Filled with high-interest, themed lists that showcase books for your family or book discussion group.

From the Editor & Publisher

Booklist Reader

Second Chances • Spring is all about renewal. For us humans, that can mean second chances at love and life. These works of fiction, including suspense, literary novels, a short-story collection, and romances, offer imaginative, affecting, and charming variations on this hopeful, though often complicated, theme.

To Beach Their Own • The definition of a beach read is truly in the eye of the beholder: some readers want to be challenged, some want to be comforted; some want a quick read, some want to get lost in languorous descriptions. We hope this lively and unusual approach to summer reading recommendations will inspire you to try something new or relax with your favorite genre.

Fantasy Pirates • In Alexandra Rowland’s Running Close to the Wind, a queer pirate fantasy, a pirate captain and their intermittent ex team up to sell some secrets to the highest bidder, leading to a perilous romp with political machinations, sea serpents, and an annoyingly celibate monk. Pirates are having a moment in the speculative genres. Here are a few more adventures featuring swashbuckling characters on the high seas and beyond.

New & Stellar LGBTQ+ Reads • These novels, memoirs, and works of history and reportage delve into LGBTQ+ lives past and present with fresh perspectives and a keen attunement to psychological nuance, crucial relationships, and social conflicts and change.

Nicholas George • Nicholas George worked as a newspaper reporter before embarking on an extensive career in public relations and communication management. His love of long-distance walking in the U.S. and England prompted him to create his Walk through England series of mystery novels about group walks in the English countryside. Nick cowrote the feature film Perfect Match, prominently featured at the Chicago and Montreal film festivals. He lives in Pasadena, California, with his husband Bert. Visit him at NicholasGeorgeAuthor.com.

Adult • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Chosen Monthly by America’s Library Staff

HALL OF FAME TITLES • The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly list since 2013.

Beachy Audiobooks for Pride Week • June is a great time to celebrate Pride with queer-centered genre fiction that’s narrated with genuine emotion and intuitive authenticity.

Family Listening for Summer • With family vacation season right around the corner, listeners’ advisory is about to get a little trickier. But there is an audiobook out there for every family looking for a shared listening experience, no matter the age range. The following categories are great jumping-off points for finding the right listen for every journey.

PBS BOOKS

Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Anguish and Anarchy • Tomi Adeyemi made a big splash in 2018 with the release of her debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone, the start to the blockbuster Legacy of Orisha series, that dominated best-seller lists at the time. This month, the trilogy conclusion, Children of Anguish and Anarchy, has finally arrived, and if it’s leaving you hungry for more immersive high fantasy, we’ve got you covered.

Trans and Nonbinary Athletes • The world of sports has traditionally been structured around a rigid gender binary. For young transgender and nonbinary athletes, this creates natural conflict, making sports settings ideal devices for characters exploring their gender...