Hello,
My reading recs are lighter than usual this month because I’ve been in a big, no-fun book rut. But the clouds are clearing, and I’ve had a bit more focus over the last week.
This might sound strange, but when I’m in a reading rut, I’m wary of reading anything I’m too excited about for fear of ruining it with the wrong mindset. So, I’ve been reading outside my usual genres, catching up on audiobooks, and generally waiting it out until I feel back to my usual bookish appetite.
Books I loved in May:
STOLEN FOCUS by Johann Hari
Who is this for? Anyone questioning their relationship with their phone or wondering why true productivity feels harder than it used to.
I don’t say this lightly, but I think this book changed my life. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with my phone, and when recommended this when she guested on the podcast, I downloaded the audiobook ASAP. The book covers a wide range of topics from our relationship to our phones, myths around multitasking, to rising rates of ADHD alongside the author’s personal story of embarking on a total tech cleanse to try to reclaim his brain. I was comforted to know it’s not just me experiencing a lot of tech-anxiety or feeling like my focus is constantly frayed. I was also spurred to make some new phone rules that—so far—have felt really good.
THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley
Who is this for? Bridgerton girlies 🤝 Homeland girlies
This book was completely unlike anything I’ve ever read. Part love story, part sci-fi/dystopian future novel, part spy saga, it truly defies classification. Here’s the gist: in the near-future, England has discovered time travel and is running tests by bringing historical figures through time to the present day. The unnamed narrator is assigned to be the companion to Graham Gore, a naval officer and arctic explorer from 1847. Seeing Graham adjust to the present day was a hoot and the love story had very chaste, slow-burn season 1 Bridgerton vibes. Even though I was a little confused by the ending, I netted out strongly positive. This was also our May Bad on Paper book club pick, so you can listen to a full discussion about it here.
New Release Radar:
What I lack in reviews, I hope to make up for with this heaping helping of new releases. It feels like there are more releases than usual in June,1 but I’m not complaining because that means there’s so much amazing summer reading in our future.
** titles are ones I’ve already read and can personally recommend!
**June 4: SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE by : My most anticipated book of the month (Of the year! Of life!) is finally here. A twisty (but not too scary) thriller about an influencer who goes missing during a livestream. People are going to be talking about this book’s astute take on influencer culture and the internet at large.
* *June 4: SUMMER ROMANCE by Annabel Monaghan: A professional organizer whose personal life is a mess has a post-divorce fling with a reformed screwup. Annabel Monaghan cannot miss. She’s 3 for 3 in my book.
June 4: SERENDIPITY by Becky Chalsen: A group of high school friends rent a Fire Island share house. Obviously, drama and secrets ensue!
June 4: HONEY by Isabel Banta: A coming-of-age novel about a pop star in the late 90’s. It’s giving big Britney Spears energy.
**June 11: MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe: A young mom starts an Only Fans with tips from her ex-pro-wrestler father. This is the weirdest and most charming novel I’ve read in a long time. Calling it now: it’s going to be the TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW of 2024.
June 11: SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: The queen of beach reads is retiring, and this is her last Nantucket novel. So, savor this one.
**June 11: THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center: This enemies-to-lovers ode to the romcom genre may be my favorite of hers yet.
June 11: ONE LAST SUMMER by Kate Spencer: The former Forever 35 podcast co-host is back with an enemies-to-lovers romcom set at a summer camp!
June 11: HOW TO AGE DISGRACEFULLY by Clare Pooley: An ensemble comedy about a senior citizen’s center forced to team up with the daycare next door.
**June 18: ONE-STAR ROMANCE by Laura Hankin: I cannot stop shouting about how much I love this romcom about a couple that definitively *do not* hit it off but are continually forced together by their respective best friends’ life milestones.
June 18: THE MYTH OF MAKING IT by Samhita Mukhopadhyay: What comes after the girl boss era? No really, I need this book to tell me.
June 18: LITTLE ROT by Akwaeke Emezi: The genre-jumping author is back with a literary thriller set in the seedy underbelly of a Nigerian city.
June 18: SANDWICH by Catherine Newman: A family trip to Cape Cod where the narrator is sandwiched between her adult children and aging parents. I’ve heard this is not as sobby as WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, but I’ll be prepared with tissues anyway.
June 25: A NOVEL LOVE STORY by Ashley Poston: A literature professor finds herself INSIDE a novel. This sounds tailor-made for bookworms.
June 25: HUSBANDS & LOVERS by Beatriz Williams: A friend raved about this novel following two women—one in present-day New England; the other in 1950’s Cairo—who are united by a mysterious family heirloom
June 25: YOU’RE SAFE HERE by : An Elizabeth Holmes-esque founder invents a new form of wellness tech that’s not as shiny as it seems in this near-future dystopian novel.
June 25: A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey: A heartwarming dual-timeline novel following a granddaughter getting a family home ready to sell and the grandmother she never knew who lived there.
Books to Big Screen News:
It seems like you all liked this column last month (me too!), so I’m making it official. Here are the latest book adaptation updates on my radar. Publicists, producers, bookish insiders: if you have tips for next month, my inbox is open (beccafreemanbooks@gmail.com).
Sandra Hüller, the Oscar-nominated actress from Anatomy of a Fall, is set to co-star in the PROJECT HAIL MARY adaptation opposite Ryan Gosling. The film is slated for release in 2026, which feels actual lightyears away. Frankly, I’m dying to see how they play Rocky, which feels make or break for this film.
This is likely too scary for me, but it caught my attention that Kiera Knightley is set to star in the Netflix adaptation of Ruth Ware’s WOMAN IN CABIN 10.
Screenwriter turned author Yulin Kuang gave an interview to Variety about how she’d want to see her novel, HOW TO END A LOVE STORY, adapted (it hasn’t been optioned yet). She also mentions turning in revised scripts on the Emily Henry adaptations she’s working on. Sounds like PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION (which she is writing, but not directing) is further along and has a final script. BEACH READ (which she is both writing and directing) is still in the scripting phase.
This was announced back in February, but you probably didn’t care because the book wasn’t out yet, but MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLE got a straight to series order at Apple starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. I cannot wait!
Again, file this under “I didn’t care when it was announced”: THE MINISTRY OF TIME is also getting the A24 treatment in a 6-part miniseries for BBC. The film rights were a hot commodity undergoing a 21-way auction. (Yup, you read that right… 21!)
A24 is on a bookish roll: they’re also teaming with Stephen Spielberg to adapt James McBride’s THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE.
Cast photos have been released for Amazon Prime’s adaptation of 2014’s WE WERE LIARS, which had a pandemic TikTok resurgence. I thought Emily Lind was great in the Gossip Girl reboot, I’m excited.
And that’s this month’s book report. Until next time.
Becca
I hypothesize that publishers are pushing a lot of releases into the front half of the year to avoid publishing into the election cycle.
One of my current favorite things is watching you cheer on Olivia during her book release. Women supporting women is just the BEST!
This months books are INSANE. I’m so excited for all my preorders to roll in.