10 Canadian books coming out in June we can't wait to read
A new month means new books! Here are 10 new releases coming in June to check out.
Every Little Piece of Me by Amy Jones
Every Little Piece of Me revolves around the friendship of two women, Ava and Mags, whose every humiliation is tabloid fodder. Ava grew up on a hit reality television show where her big city family runs a small town B&B. Mags is the lead singer of a troubled Halifax rock band. Every Little Piece of Me is Amy Jones's sophomore novel, following the national bestseller We're All in This Together. Jones won the CBC Short Story Prize in 2006.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta
Frying Plantain follows Kara Davis through elementary school to her high school graduation, as she comes of age while being perennially caught between her Canadian nationality and Jamaican heritage. Over a series of 12 stories, Davis visits her great aunt in Jamaica, endures a cruel prank by close friends and deals with her stubborn grandparents. Frying Plantain is Zalika Reid-Benta's first book.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
Samra Habib's memoir We Have Always Been Here is an exploration of the ways we disguise and minimize ourselves for the sake of survival. As a child, Habib hid her faith from Islamic extremists in Pakistan and later, as a refugee in Canada, endured racist bullying and the threat of an arranged marriage. In travelling the world and exploring art and sexuality, Habib searches for the truth of her identity. We Have Always Been Here is Habib's first book. She's a journalist, photographer and activist based in Toronto.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
The Follies of Richard Wadsworth by Nick Maandag
A philosophy professor strings a career together contract to contract. A fire department chief taking education into his own hands when he answers a call at a night school. A co-ed monastery has a resident gorilla and trouble ensues when it becomes apparent the gorilla isn't the only one struggling with the rules. The Follies of Richard Wadsworth is a collection of comics that tell the stories of questionable protagonists with messy lives that showcase cartoonist Nick Maandag's absurdist sense of humour.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake
After being charged with assault, Niki flees Toronto for Barcelona where she begins to reinvent her life. Niki, a thief who dreams of becoming an artist, is inspired by the passion of Catalan separatist and decides to try to clear her name back home. Becky Blake is a two-time CBC Literary Prize winner. Proof I Was Here is her debut novel.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin
Lark Brossard is a supporting character in the lives of her artistically talented loved ones: her sister Robin is a wild and brilliant pianist, while her sometime lover Lawrence is a famous filmmaker. When Lawrence tells her he doesn't want children, Lark re-examines her life and takes control of her story. Alix Ohlin is a Vancouver-based writer whose novel Inside was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
When you can read it: June 4, 2019
Bunny by Mona Awad
Scholarship student Samantha Heather Mackey feels like an outsider at her elite university, especially when it comes to her fiction writing class. That's where she first encounters the Bunnies, a comically tight-knit group of annoying rich girls who invite Samantha to their exclusive "Smut Salon." Against her better judgment, Samantha is drawn into the Bunnies' orbit. Bunny is Mona Awad's sophomore book, following the Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl.
When you can read it: June 11, 2019
Those Who Dwell Below by Aviaq Johnston
After being trapped in a spirit world, a young shaman named Pitu returns to his life in the Arctic. When Pitu gets wind of a nearby community that is starving, he realizes he must travel to the depths of the ocean to meet with the sea goddess Nuliajuk. Those Who Dwell Below, written for readers 12 and up, is a sequel to Aviaq Johnston's debut novel, Those Who Run in the Sky, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
When you can read it: June 11, 2019
The Chai Factor by Farah Heron
In The Chai Factor, Farah Heron's debut novel, Amira Khan is dedicated to her career and finishing grad school. But when her grandmother rents out the family's basement apartment to a barbershop quartet, Amira can't focus. And when she begins to clash with the group's leader, Duncan, things only get worse. The Chai Factor is a romantic comedy about opposites colliding and how little inconveniences can become life-changing if you open up.
When you can read it: June 11, 2019
Lunch Quest by Chris Kuzma
In Lunch Quest, a hungry rabbit goes searching for lettuce and instead finds a universe of skater kids in his lettuce cubby. Zany adventures await the characters of this bright and colourful comic book. Chris Kuzma is a freelance illustrator based in Toronto. Lunch Quest is his first all-ages graphic novel.
When you can read it: June 21, 2019