Your Shelf Life: 5 Books to Read in June

Fates and Furies author Lauren Groff explores the natural drama of her adopted state in the new short story collection Florida. Danger lurks around every sentence, from snakes to isolation and global warming.

New Yorker critic James Wood ponders happiness in his first novel in 15 years with Upstate, which follows a family descending on Saratoga Springs to help daughter Vanessa through her depression.

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Abdi Nor Iftin’s memoir Call Me American chronicles his harrowing escape from war-torn Somalia—a story that first captivated This American Life audiences.

Rachel Cusk completes the trilogy she began in Outline and Transit with Kudos, which follows protagonist Faye to a literary festival animated by tales of marriage woes.

Early acclaim buzzes around Tommy Orange’s There There. The Big Oakland Powwow draws a set of characters who live out the desires and struggles of the urban Native American experience.

Your Shelf Life: 5 Books to Read in June