Books of the Month June 2024

Six months can pass in the blink of an eye, especially with great books to help pass the time. Our readers have been wasting no time getting their hands on rivetting stories these past six months, and June was no exception. Here are the best books of the month for June 2024, as chosen by our readers.   Best RomanceEight Years GoneBy Cate BeaumanEight Years Gone by Cate Beauman is a second-chance romance featuring Jagger Tennyson and Grace Evans. Despite living in poverty on the wrong side of the tracks, Jagger falls Grace, who is growing up with wealth and privilege. Unfortunately, the high school sweethearts are separated one night when Jagger gets the opportunity to leave it all behind and create a new life. When Jagger returns eight years later, he has to prove to Grace that he still loves her, but with dreams shattered and trust broken, it won't be easy.  Best Mystery & ThrillerDeath of An Old GitBy Andrea FrazerDeath of an Old Git is the first book in The Falconer Files Murder Mysteries series by Andrea Frazer. It is set in the village of Castle Farthing, where a curmudgeonly old man is found dead in his cottage. Since he has been drugged and strangled, it is up to DI Falconer and Acting DS Carmichael from the nearby town of Market Darley to investigate the case. However, with no obvious prime suspects and a new partner with idiosyncrasies, Carmichael feels his grip on the case slipping.  Best BiographyThe Day My Mother Never Came HomeBy Reginald L. Reed Jr. The Day My Mother Never Came Home by Reginald L. Reed Jr. is a raw and unflinching memoir about how the author's mother was violently taken from his life. Reed not only shares the depths of his trauma and the impact that the death of his mother had on his life but also provides readers with a powerful message of hope and resilience. The Day My Mother Never Came Home is more than just a memoir or a true crime story but also highlights the authors' indomitable spirit in the face of adversity.  Best Children's BookA Leap Into DarknessBy Ray PetrolinoA Leap Into Darkness is a middle-grade fantasy adventure novel by Ray Petrolino featuring illustrations by Natalie Junqueira. Jake is a dog with a gift called "The Shine" who was rescued from his hardscrabble life by the King of Gorseland. However, his rags-to-riches fairy tale is threatened by the arrival of a sorcerer named Beezeldorn. Even though Jake knows something is wrong and Beezeldorn is more than just a charlatan, he is always one step behind the sorcerer who is worming his way into the castle.  Best Young AdultThe Year I Lived TwiceBy Alex WoolfThe Year I Lived Twice by Alex Woolf is the story of Jason, a young man who lost his brother, Archie, in a fire. However, Jason is given a chance to change the course of history when a mysterious accident sends him back a year to a time when Archie was still alive. In the process of trying to save his brother from a grim fate, Jason also discovers some unsettling secrets about the people around him.  Best FantasyChildren of AvalonBy S.E. WrightChildren of Avalon is the first book in The Traveller series by S.E. Wright. Kyah is a twenty-five-year-old orphan with a penchant for excessive daydreaming that is about to get her fired. However, one of her fantasies becomes true when a shimmering portal opens before her eyes, and she is shoved through to the other side by a green-skinned man. In this strange land of living myth, Kyah must use her previously dormant special powers to save King Arthur and release Avalon from the grip of darkness.  Best Historical FictionHer Other SonBy Lily SlutskyHer Other Son by Lily Slutsky is set many years after Sara, a young Jewish woman, falls in love with a Muslim electrician named Sammi. Despite knowing that she cannot ever marry a non-Jew, Sara becomes pregnant after a night of passion with Sammi. However, her desperate choice in the aftermath destroys any hopes of a future with Sammi. Many years later, Sara's daughter Tamara sorts through her late mother's estate when she discovers her shocking secret. This secret, which her mother has kept hidden from everyone for decades, will impact not only Tamara's life but also her son Omer and a Spanish man of Palestinian descent named Luciano.  Best HorrorOMG Zombies !!By Richard DietzOMG Zombies !! by Richard Dietz is a special promo edition containing the first two volumes of the episodic zombie series. It all begins in the town of Pinecrest, where Ben is enjoying a coffee in the town's local shop when all hell breaks loose. A strange and threatening man bites a police officer, and quickly, a cascading string of violent episodes begins occurring throughout town. The story continues in book two, where Ben and his family are hunkering at home when they have to deal with an intruder from the outside world.  Best Literary FictionScorchedBy Don SilverScorched is a coming-of-age story by Don Silver about a young man named Jonas Shore. Jonas begins selling weed and pills to the cool kids at his Philadelphia high school after his father suddenly dies and the family fortune takes a nosedive. However, this lands him in Lafayette Academy, a testosterone-fueled boarding school for fatherless boys, where Jonas must quickly learn to survive. Nevertheless, Jonas forms a tight bond with his roommates, vowing that they will all have each other's backs for life. Jonas's life is back on track two decades later with a family and several successful businesses. Unfortunately, the arrival of one of his old Lafayette friends puts it all in jeopardy.  Best Science FictionGalactic TerrorBy Michael RobertsonGalactic Terror is the first novel in Michael Robertson's space opera series of the same name. Sparks has spent the past year on a distant planet with a transient population, doing her best to be just another face in the crowd. However, when a stranger makes her a tempting offer, she decides to step from the shadows and return to the planet-hopping, high-risk thrill ride that used to be her life. The risk is significant, but with her powers, Sparks knows she wasn't born to make a living at society's fringes.  Best Non-FictionShadow Work for CouplesBy Eva PerryShadow Work for Couples by Eva Perry is written to help people navigate their relationships and find harmony despite the ever-increasing demands of modern-day life. This self-help book can help couples discover a deeper understanding of shadow work and what it is, as well as the importance of self-reflection and self-understanding. It can also help couples get out of a rut, strengthen their bonds, and grow together, amongst many other things. Along with a detailed guide on shadow work for beginners, the book also provides couples with preparatory exercises, practical methods and techniques, and plenty of advice.