Looking to kick start your reading for the month? Covering everything from cyberpunk to sports manga, the literary experts of QBD Books share their top picks for June 2020.
Lost Soul, Be At Peace
By Maggie Thrash
Out Now
This one is touted as a “graphic novel memoir”, which just sounds so good, I want it immediately. Bound by a story about her beloved cat who goes missing inside her large home, Lost Soul, Be At Peace tells the story of a teenage girl’s battle with depression, and the displacement she feels within her own family.
Drawn from the author’s own battle with mental health, this is an incredibly honest insight into the worried mind of a teenage girl. After the beautiful way Maggie Thrash dealt with similar issues in Honor Girl, I can’t wait to see how this one turns out!
– Katrina, QBD Books Indooroopilly, QLD
Jo & Laurie
By Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl
Out Now
I loved Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and absolutely adored the recent movie adaptation. So, naturally, I am incredibly excited to continue on with Jo March’s story in this new novel. While the independent woman in me is glad Jo rejects Laurie’s marriage proposal, the Disney girl in me wants to see whether the authors can give me the happily ever after I secretly wish to see between these characters.
Both are well-loved YA authors, and Melissa de la Cruz has already successfully reimagined the love story between Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler, so I am sure they will do this story justice.
– Brooke, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
Again Again
By E. Lockhart
Out Now
This YA contemporary is unlike anything I have read before. E. Lockhart gives us a glimpse into the multiverse theory with a lifetime of “what if’s” in just 300 pages.
What if I had said something else? Or reacted a different way?
In Again Again, we follow Adelaide Buchwald in many different lives. We see what is, what was, and what could have been. Ultimately, we are led to question our own lives, and how each decision we make affects every aspect of it. Adelaide has a lot on her plate, and like most people, she does the best she can. We, as the reader, get to see the other paths Adelaide could have taken in life. But the question remains… what if I had said something else?
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Dark Tide
By Alicia Jasinska
Out Now
I love how this novel takes a new spin on old tropes by first making it a witch queen who steals a human boy once a year to be sacrificed in the name of saving the city from sinking, then making it a girl who has to rescue the next boy who is taken. AND THEN having the aforementioned queen and girl develop feelings for each other. As well as all this greatness, the two girls must work together to save the island from going below the waves that start flooding the streets by deciding if they’ll save themselves, each other, or the whole city.
– Brooke, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
Alpha Night
By Nalini Singh
Out Now
I cannot sit still waiting for Nalini Singh’s newest addition to the Psy/Changeling world, as Alpha Night promises to be a sucker punch to the senses! New challenges are faced while we jump back to Russia, where the most savage wolf changeling alpha, Selenka Durev, is fighting to protect the newly awakened Empaths, who now hold the future of the Psy race in their hands.
Nalini is always able to have me on the edge of my seat with every book she releases. Give me a world in political turmoil, mix that up with a great love story, and I’m hooked! I know this one will have me laughing, crying, and cheering, as a once cold and lifeless world is slowly awakened to their buried emotions.
– Monique, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Vol. 9
By Hiromu Arakawa
Release Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Fullmetal Alchemist is back, and bound better than ever. The amazing hit manga from Hiromu Arakawa returns with brand new hardcovers for these collector’s compilation volumes.
Fullmetal Alchemist is the story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who committed the grave sin of human transmutation (attempting to bring back a dead human through the power of alchemy). Alchemy is the science of converting and manipulating matter, and the boys are attempting to use this power to reclaim what they lost on the night they tried to bring back their mother.
For those wanting to get into this classic manga series, these compilation volumes contain slightly more chapters than the original release volumes. They also contain concept art and full colour artworks for those who are already in love with Fullmetal Alchemist and want a little something extra. Basically, these volumes are perfect for fans both old and new.
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Haikyu!! Vol. 38
By Haruichi Furudate
Release Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Haikyu!! is one of the most popular recent manga series to hit shelves, and for good reason. Haruichi Furudate has created an amazing series, with high intensity stakes and stellar characters with believable development.
Shoyo Hinata has always wanted to play volleyball, but his lack of height, combined with a lack of interest from his peers, means that he rarely gets to play. In his first and only game of volleyball, he was bitterly defeated by Kageyama, the ‘King of the Court’. But when he enters Karasuno High, he gets the chance to play on a real volleyball team. With, of all people, Kageyama.
Haikyu!! is not only one of my favourite sports manga series, but also one of my favourite manga series of all time. Every single character is well written, no matter how briefly they appear. You’ll find yourself in love with Haikyu!! before you know it!
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
The Court of Miracles
By Kester Grant
Release Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Described as Les Misérables meets Six of Crows, The Court of Miracles is an alternate history in which the French revolution has failed.
Cosette and Eponine hold a special place in my heart and, as anyone who knows me could tell you, I love a good retelling. Though this is not strictly a retelling I am going to give it the same love that I would if it was.
Eponine (Nina) is a talented burglar, spending her time avoiding her father’s fists, and protecting her younger adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie catches the eye of the ruthless guild lord, known as the Tiger, Nina is faced with a terrible choice. Protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between guilds, or lose her sister forever.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Empire of Gold
By S. A. Chakraborty
Release Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2020
The release of this book makes me both happy and sad, because I can’t wait to return to this magical, Middle Eastern-inspired world. But at the same time, I don’t want the story to end.
The Daevabad trilogy is very character-driven, with centuries-old grudges being reincarnated through heroes and villains brought back to life. The complex magic system is rich with detail and underlying prejudices that are tested and brought to a head in brutal ways.
Chakraborty has incorporated epic world building on par with Game of Thrones, as well as an awesome mixture of creatures and tales. The city and surrounding landscapes themselves are beautifully described, and it is hard to imagine that they are actually works of fiction. I am excited to see where she will take these wonderful characters, and how she will challenge them in this final installment.
– Brooke, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
Repo Virtual
Release Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
A city of blended realities and stark contrasts, and a contract thief who accidentally steals the world’s first sentient AI. What’s not to love? This sounds like the futuristic cyberpunk heist novel that everybody needs in their life.
I’ve been a huge fan of Corey’s Voidwitch Saga novellas for years, and after meeting him in person at Supanova, I’m the proud owner of a signed trilogy. It will be exciting to see what he can do with his first full novel – guaranteed to be filled with intense critiques of the world we live in, and the world we may well become a part of, all with a sliver of dark humour to complete the mood.
– Jeremy, QBD Books Support Office, NSW
The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly
By Jamie Pacton
Release Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
A cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in suburban Chicago. A young girl working as a waitress, fighting against restrictive, gender-based policies imposed on the staff. Where do I sign up?
Kit Sweetly is a waitress, but she wants to be a knight, like her brother. She has the knowledge. She has the ability. And she really, really needs the pay rise. One day, while filling in for her brother, Kit defeats the Green Knight, becomes internet famous and lands herself in a whole lot of trouble with management.
Should Kit follow the rules at all cost to save her job? Or should she band together with the other cast members, and fight to keep the old, medieval gender roles where they belong – in the past?
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
Lead Image: Covers of ‘Repo Virtual’ by Corey J. White and ‘Alpha Night’ by Nalini Singh.
