The Best New Books Out in June, According to Indie Booksellers

The bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait sets her sights on Ireland in the 1860s. In a country recently ravaged famine and starvation, a man named Tomás and his son Liam are working on the Ordnance Survey, a project to map the whole of Ireland for the British Crown. Tomás is determined to make a map not only of his country but of The Great Hunger, so recently thrust upon them by the English. But when Tomás is sent off course in a upsetting encounter, it’s up to Liam, only ten, to try to finish his father’s work even as he struggles to understand what is happening around him. —Rachel Brittain

Three Chinese women arrive in 1870s Los Angeles, still just a small desert town recovering from the after-effects of the American Civil War. Dove, the daughter of an imperial scholar, has come to California for an arranged marriage with an older man. Petal, born to peasants and sold off by her father, arrives in America only to be sold again. Dove, wife to a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, is educated and beautiful, but suffers the pain and embarrassment of her failed footbinding as a child. The three women have little in common, but when anti-Chinese sentiment boils over in their new home, all three will find a connection that will help them face the hardships that lie ahead. —Rachel Brittain

Do you love riotously original novels that make you feel like nothing will ever be the same after you read tehm? Then get ready to have your brains melted by this incredible debut. It’s about Yara, who receives a message from God, telling them they need to slay one of the Earth’s Bad Guys. Not one to question a missive from above for too long, Yara strikes a deal and sets off on their assignment. Meanwhile, a downcast prophet with a hidden power is hoping to get in good with the man upstairs and carries out her own plan. So prepare yourself: Canon is a mind-bending adventure about life, death, and fate that will ruin your life, in the best way. —Liberty Hardy

For fans of multiple POV, witnessing a crime, and New York City!

Brandon is a night-shift concierge who breaks hotel policy and sleeps with a guest. Which is how Brandon ends up in possession of a mysterious bag with a cell phone, and ends up witnessing a murder with one of his best friends. Now Brandon and his group of friends are on the case! —Jamie Canaves

Puck is a nonbinary reality TV producer in this fun and appropriately chaotic Shakespeare-inspired rom-com. They’ve created a hit reality dating show by putting troubled couples through hell over the years, but when their college roommate announces her engagement to another of Puck’s friends, they know this marriage is headed toward disaster. Over the course of a week at an upscale Appalachian resort where the wedding festivities are taking place, Puck secretly rearranges the couples in their friend group. But a determined bridesmaid set on making this wedding happen could upend Puck’s plans—and all their ideas about what makes a happily ever after. —Rachel Brittain

Raasch’s Magic and Romance sequel follows the lovely magic sports star Orok and his budding devotion to his fake PR boyfriend, an adorable cheerleader with a mysterious past. When Orok saved Alexo from a bar fight, he wasn’t expecting that his professional rawball team and church patron would want to capitalize on the viral moment by proposing a PR relationship. If he can wrangle his possessive tendencies and stop himself from renouncing the patron god he resents, Orok might have a chance at a real relationship with the guy of his dreams. —R. Nassor