Thousands of books are published each month. And much as we’d like to, we can’t read (or review) them all. But what we can do is point out a few we think you might enjoy. In that spirit, here’s a rundown of forthcoming titles that caught our eye and may catch yours, too.

 

It Rhymes With Takei by George Takei, Steven Scott, Justin Eisinger, and Harmony Becker (June 10th, Top Shelf Productions, 336 pp.). In this full-color graphic memoir, the beloved “Star Trek” actor and late-in-life cultural icon shares his journey of coming out as gay at 68.

 

Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet by Kate Marvel (June 17th, Ecco, 304 pp.). It’s easy to be angry, scared, and sad about how rapidly our climate is altering. But it’s crucial not to let those be the only emotions we feel. We need to see the little miracles as well as the big picture.

 

If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw (June 17th, Tachyon Publications, 256 pp.). What’s weirder than a genie setting up shop in a kiosk at a dying suburban mall? Being the 17-year-old girl who works alongside him in his wish-granting operation.

 

 

Portraits in a Nutshell: The Art and History of Coquilla Nut Snuff Boxes and Bottles by Donna S. Sanzone (June 20th, Brandeis University Press, 256 pp.). This unusual work doesn’t just chronicle how the once-popular sniffing powder was stored; it shines a light on the generations of Africans — many enslaved in Brazil — who crafted the containers.

The Price of Our Values: The Economic Limits of Moral Life by Augustin Landier and David Thesmar (June 25th, University of Chicago Press, 232 pp.). How much does it cost to live the life you desire, and who really pays for it? We all (well, most of us) want to make the world a better place while also enjoying our time here, but it’s a constant balancing act — often driven by financial realities.

A Journey North: Jefferson, Madison, & the Forging of a Friendship by Louis P. Masur (July 1st, Oxford University Press, 184 pp.). In 1791, two future U.S. presidents took a three-week road trip (on horseback), forming a lifelong bond and learning a great deal about the country they would eventually lead.

 

Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: A Novel by James Goodhand (July 1st, Mira, 336 pp.). Ray Thorns is dead, or at least everyone thinks so, which provides him with an unexpected opportunity to truly live again.

 

Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef by Slutty Cheff (Aug. 5th, Marysue Rucci Books, 336 pp.). A real-life London chef — a woman in what’s often a man’s world — dishes on “the two best things in the world: food and sex,” not to mention the joy of cycling through the city at night.

 

The Understudy: A Novel by Morgan Richter (Aug. 5th, Knopf, 336 pp.). There’s one sure way to guarantee the star won’t make it to the performance — and one particular person who’ll benefit from it most.

 

 

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets by Andy Shallal (Sept. 2nd, OR Books, 224 pp.). A history of the beloved DC-area restaurant/bookstore chain, where outspoken political activism is often on the menu.

 

 

The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics by Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker (Sept. 2nd, Little, Brown Spark, 384 pp.). Covid-19 killed more than 7 million people worldwide. What did we get right or wrong, and how can we be better prepared next time? (Because you know there’s going to be one.)

 

Sympathy Tower Tokyo: A Novel by Rie Qudan; translated by Jesse Kirkwood (Sept. 2nd, Summit Books, 208 pp.). An architect hired to design a building intended to comfort lawbreakers wrestles with strong feelings about having been a crime victim herself.

 

Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests: A Novel by KJ Whittle (Sept. 9th, Sourcebooks Landmark, 352 pp.). Multiple characters recount a dinner party during which they were told the dates of their future deaths — dates which slowly prove to be all too accurate.