June Book Recommendations

JUNE Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Vo’s book, set in the heyday of Hollywood starlets, lives up to the title. Luli will do anything to be an actress on her own terms, but this is difficult especially when the real monsters in Hollywood aren’t the ones on screen. It’s dark and gritty, but also inspirational as we discover a Chinese-American from Hungarian Hill’s plight to live the magic that is Hollywood stardom.

Back to the Prairie by Melissa Gilbert

Many of us grew up watching Gilbert play Laura Ingalls Wilder in the television series Little House on the Prairie. Told with humor and a dash of privilege, Gilbert’s memoir focuses on her family’s transition during the pandemic from Hollywood to a rustic cabin in the Catskills. As she rediscovers her life, she finds that she didn’t have to stray too far from where she started.

Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently owned bookstore.

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

In this retelling of the classic Peter Pan, the dark currents of fairy tales are exposed as Wendy’s granddaughter, Holly Darling, works to rescue her children from the clutches of Peter Pan. As it turns out, he isn’t the innocent storybook hero everyone thinks he is. Michalski can bring the magic of fairy tales to light while still exploring grief, aging, sacrifice, and motherhood.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

What do you get when a literary agent and brooding editor find themselves thrust together in the most serendipitous situations? You get the newest rom com by Henry that is rife with literary themes. The bookish world is the background and even though all the tools are at the reader’s disposal, the secrets Nora and Charlie unravel will keep readers – and the characters – turning the page.