BOOKSHELF
June Books
Fiction
Atmosphere: A Love Story, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to journey into space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, she begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: top gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer who can fix any engine and fly any plane. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. Then, in December 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant. Fast-paced and emotional, Atmosphere tells a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love among the stars.
Blonde Dust, by Tatiana de Rosnay
Pauline, a young chambermaid who works at the legendary Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nevada, is asked to step in for a colleague and clean Suite 614. Although she was told the rooms were empty, a dazed, sleepy woman appears before her. It’s Mrs. Miller, aka Marilyn Monroe, whose stay in Reno coincides with the breakdown of her marriage to Arthur Miller and the filming of what was to be her last film, The Misfits. Set in the American West in 1960 where the mustang horses run wild, an unexpected friendship unfolds between the most famous movie star in the world and a young cleaning woman whose life will be changed forever through the course of a few weeks.
Nonfiction
Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship,
by Dana A. Williams
A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation’s most prestigious publishing houses. While Morrison’s literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison’s remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with such important authors as Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms. From the manuscripts she molded, to the authors she nurtured, to the readers she inspired, Toni at Random demonstrates how Morrison has influenced American culture beyond the individual titles or authors she published.
It’s Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground, by David Litt
David, the Yale-educated former Obama speechwriter with a fear of sharks, and his brother-in-law Matt, a tattooed, truck-driving Joe Rogan superfan with a shed full of surfboards, had never been close. But as America’s crises piled up and David spiraled into existential dread, he noticed that his brother-in-law was thriving. He began to suspect Matt’s favorite hobby had something to do with it. David started taking surf lessons. For months, he wiped out on waves the height of daffodils. Yet, after realizing that surfing could change him both in and out of the water, he set an audacious goal: riding a big wave in Hawaii. Together, they set out on a journey that spanned coasts, and even continents, before taking them to Oahu’s famously dangerous North Shore. It’s Only Drowning is a laugh-out-loud ode to embarking on adventures at any age.
Children's Books
Flower Girls: A Story of Sisters,
by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman
Daisy, Lily and Poppy are the flower sisters, each with their own corner of the garden to nurture and grow. Fancy Nancy illustrator Robin Preiss Glaser includes detail and wonder that will delight nature lovers and budding garden horticulturalists everywhere. (Ages 2-7.)
Where the Deer Slip Through,
by Katey Howes
Part seek-and-find adventure and part ode to nature, this stunning tale is the perfect read-together for young nature lovers and their grownups. (Ages 2-7.)
Never Take Your Rhino on a Plane, by K.E. Lewis
This little gem is sure to gather as many giggles on the first read as the fifth and should you need to transport your hippo on summer vacation, you’ll already have a list of do’s and don’ts! (Ages 3-7.)
Good Boy, by Andy Hirsch
Animal-loving graphic novel readers looking for something after burning through Dogman and PAWS will delight in this new series featuring Charlie and his rescue dog, Ralph, as they tackle the challenge of agility training. With adventure, real life problems, and some gross-out humor, this one’s a summer reading hit. (Ages 8-12.)