New Books for June 2025
Small, Independent, and University Press, and Author-published Books
NewPages learns about many wonderful book titles each month to share with our readers. You can read more about some of these by clicking on the link to their blog post. If you are a publisher or author looking to be listed here and featured on our blog, social media, and in our weekly newsletter, please visit our FAQ page.
Arcana: The Lost Heirs, Author/Illustrator Sam Prentice-Jones, Feiwel & Friends
A tarot-inspired YA graphic novel in which five new friends explore a mystery in the Arcana.
See Editor’s Choice blog post here.
The Cobbler’s Crusaders, Rick Steigelman, Author Published
Nine-year-old Jacquelyn’s new, mischievous friends test her grandma’s patience and her own moral compass in this charming tale set in Paris. See sponsored blog post here.
DisElderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice, Judy Karofsky, New Village Press
“Karofsky writes that shoddy care, often from barely-trained and badly-paid Certified Nursing Assistants, is common.” Read the book review here.
The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami, Pantheon Books
An alternative reality in which corporations with power and money gain unlimited access to personal data, even in dreams. Read the book review here.
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: The Rebel Girl, Democracy, and Revolution, Mary Anne Trasciatti, Rutgers University Press
Biographer Mary Anne Trasciatti’s deep research accurately details the life of activist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Read the book review here.
Ginseng Roots, Craig Thompson, Pantheon
A bi-focused memoir on Thompson’s youth and the history of ginseng told through interviews with others. Read the book review here.
The Girl in the Walls, Meg Eden Kuyatt, Scholastic Press
A YA novel in verse form in which a neurodivergent girl finds a ghost in the walls and must decide if the ghost is an ally or an enemy. Read the book review here.
Isabela’s Way, Barbara Stark-Nemon, She Writes Press
“A vivid depiction of resistance and a powerful indictment of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and scapegoating.” Read the book review here.
The Persians, Sanam Mahloudji, Scribner
A novel about three generations of Persian women and the stories they have allowed themselves to believe. Read the book review here.
Spent, Alison Bechdel, Mariner Books
While this new graphic novel is fiction, it draws heavily on thematic aspects of Bechdel’s life. Read the book review here.
To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement, Benjamin Nathans, Princeton University Press
“Nathans carefully corrects dissident stereotypes from Cold War rhetoric” and offers perspective on our current climate. Read the book review here.
Universality, Natasha Brown, Random House
Details of a pandemic party event unfold through the perspectives of multiple complex characters. Read the book review here.
With My People: Life, Justice, and Activism Beyond the University, Jonathan Pulphus, Broadleaf Books
“. . . a valuable addition to books about social change, social justice, and sustained antiracist efforts.” Read the book review here.
More Notable New Books
Poetry
Agrippina the Younger, Diana Arterian, Northwestern University Press
Beautiful Outlaw, Jennifer Perrine, Kelsey Street Press
Borderlines: An Astral Experience in Poems, Alan Botsford, Cyberwit.net
The Grace of Black Mothers, Martheaus Perkins, Trio House Press
Itinerant Songs, Terra Oliveira, Recenter Press
Lullaby of Love: Selected Poems, Rebecca Winning, Indian Paintbrush Poets
Mapping the Borderlands: Haibun and Tanka Prose, Barbara Sabol, Sheila-Na-Gig Editions
Psalms from The Badlands, Hosho McCreesh, DrunkSkull Books
Rooms for the Dead and the Not Yet, Rhoni Blankenhorn, Trio House Press
Rosemary Catacalos, ed. Jim Lavilla-Havelin & Maha Ahmed, University of Houston
Splice, Anthony Borruso, Trio House Press
Voice/Poems, Susan Azar Porterfield, Trio House Press
The Wreck of Your Life on the Evening News, Roy Bentley, Sheila-Na-Gig Editions
Fiction
Coydog, David Tromblay, Dzanc Books
It’s No Fun Anymore, Brittany Micka-Foos, Apprentice House Press
Lost in the Forest of Mechanical Birds, Christian Moody, Dzanc Books
The Mighty Chronicles Book 2: Reckless Roads, Elias Garcia, Author Published
Nadezhda in the Dark, Yelena Moskovitch, Dzanc Books
Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine, Kristina Ten, Stillhouse Press
Visiting Composer, Amy Toland, Miami University Press
Nonfiction
Challenging Lies: The Racist White Man Has Told Lies About Africa Long Enough, Massocki Ma Massocki, Pierced Rock Press
Guest Privileges, Gaar Adams, Dzanc Books
Paradox, Kate Colby, Essay Press
See May 2025 book titles here.
To discover more great books from small, independent, and university presses, visit the NewPages Guide to Publishers as well as our Books Received monthly roundup. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date!