books published in June 2023
- The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church, by Rachel L. Swarns
In 1838, a group of powerful Jesuit priests sold 272 enslaved people to help secure the financial future of a pre-eminent Catholic school: the university now known as Georgetown. Swarns, a journalism professor and a contributing writer for The Times, builds on earlier reporting to show how the history of the Catholic Church in the United States is inextricably linked to slavery, and traces one family for nearly 200 years, starting with Ann Joice, a Black woman who arrived in Maryland in the 1600s as an indentured servant.
- All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby
Cosby follows his earlier thrillers “Razorblade Tears” and “Blacktop Wasteland” with a rural, hair-raising crime story. Titus Crown, a former F.B.I. agent, has returned to his Virginia hometown and become the rare Black sheriff in the area. A beloved white high school teacher is killed, bringing to light a much darker crime: The teacher was part of a group that tortured and killed Black children, and one of his conspirators is still at large. As the Crown investigates, each twist is a reminder that, in Cosby’s telling, “no place was more confused by its past or more terrified of the future than the South.”
- The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
This is a contemporary fiction that spans Vienna in 1938 to Arizona in 2019. Samual Adler is sent away from Vienna at 5 years old with nothing but a change of clothes and his violin. Seven-year-old Anita Diaz and she become separated while seeking refuge in the US after escaping El Salvador.
- The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley
Jess is a lawyer who needs a change when she finds out her husband is cheating on her. Allison needs to take a hiatus from her career. They both come back to their childhood homes with their daughters and decide to reopen the beloved town bookstore.
- The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Hollis Shaw’s life comes crashing down when her husband dies in a car accident. In order to get her life back on track, Hollis decides to have a 5-star weekend- one weekend with her best friends from her teens, twenties, thirties, and middle age.
- You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride
a Black woman finds an abandoned white baby, the decision may risk people discovering the truth about her own past.
- Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie
From the Author of Reese’s Book Club pick His Only Wife comes a brand new novel in time for June 2023 book releases. Selasi and Alkorfa were best friends and cousins growing up together in Ghana. As they get older, Selasi begins to change and shut Akorfa out. When Akorfa leaves to attend US medical school, she encounters racism. The crisis brings the cousins back together in this novel about friendship and female bonds.
- The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
Everything seems perfect on Harlow Street until the hostess of a barbecue explodes in fury when her son disobeys her in front of everyone. When the same boy falls from his window in the middle of the night it will leave everybody wondering what happened.
- Lady Tan’s Circle of Women: A Novel by Lisa See
In the Mong Dynasty, Tan Yunxian became one of only a few female physicians. This novel is based on the incredible true story of a woman who broke free from traditions with the power of friendship and determination. This pick from the June 2023 book releases looks like a fantastic read and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
- The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
Paris 1939: Elise and Juliette are best friends whose daughters are playmates. Elise must make the horrific decision to leave her daughter with Juliette while she tries to escape the Nazi occupation. When she returns, Juliette’s bookshop has been destroyed and Juliette is nowhere to be found. Elise must set off to find Juliette and answers.
- The First Ladies by Marie Benedict
This pick from the June 2023 book releases is a biographical fiction about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Mcloud Bethune, a civil rights activist. This story is about two women and their amazing friendship.
