“Every Ann Patchett novel casts a spell, but Whistler is a gem of pure magic I will never forget,” Rachel says. Lindsay calls it “an absolute gift of a book.” Kim echoes the sentiments of many Patchett fans around the world when she says, “Every time Ann writes a book, I think, this is the one. This is the masterpiece. Then she writes the next best thing I’ve ever read.” Clearly, Whistler doesn’t disappoint. Congratulations, Ann!

Ruta Sepetys takes us to 1920s Detroit in A Fortune of Sand. Marjorie is the youngest daughter of an automotive dynasty family. Most of them don’t take her seriously. She secretly goes to an artistic retreat. Rules are restrictive and women disappear. Something is not quite right at the retreat… and maybe something strange is happening in her family.

The Children is completely breathtaking! I read it in one sitting and could feel my heart pounding the entire time. Truly, a genius blend of fantasy, horror, lit fic, suspense, and a complicated love letter to children’s literature

It’s the middle of the night and a big ol’ light beams down from the sky, beckoning you towards it–do you go? Norman does, much to the surprise of his husband of three decades, Jesse. Take Me With You is a story equal parts tender and hilarious, as only Steven Rowley can pull off.

Land begins in Ireland with a boy and his father at the edge of a mysterious pool in a copse and expands to cross oceans and millennia. This sweeping family saga reflects on survival, desire, home, loss, all while asking the reader to consider how the very land we inhabit holds, and often cries out against, its own history. Here, is a transfixing story as only Maggie O’Farrell can envision.

If all Amina and her crew did in this book was go to the local watering hole and have a pint I would have been perfectly happy. But we get so much more! What a thrill to be back with the crew on an adventure of epic proportions. I love these people. I love this story. Amina may not always get it right as a parent and a nakhuda but what I wouldn’t give to sail the seven seas with her.

The Runaway Bride meets When Harry Met Sally in this humorous romance by Katherine Center. After fleeing her own wedding, Jojo arrives for her sister’s wedding cruise determined to win over the man of her dreams– but is it who she thinks it is? Many shenanigans and mishaps follow to bring Jojo to her answer.

Also loved by Ashby!

A thriller with strong, unlikeable characters. One of five people waiting for a train will die, but who do you wish it to be? Are their past lives an excuse for their personalities? It keeps you guessing until the end. This is a great book for discussion.

Life-play allows you to become someone else. If you decide to become an Elvis impersonator, you BECOME an Elvis impersonator, stepping in and out unnoticed. Beth joins a Life-Players club and her life gets exciting. When Beth’s sister becomes ill, Beth wants to become her sister to fulfill her dreams. This book makes you think about who you are and who you want to be.

Two estranged sisters travel to Ireland to uncover the origins of a family painting they must sell. They repair their relationship, solve a cold case, and find family on their journey.

A queer Lancelot retelling to break your heart and heal it too! The Lost Book of Lancelot is full of tenderness and magic in an old world threatened by the new ways. John Glynn’s writing is utterly breathtaking!

Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker married 2 sisters in 1843, thus beginning one of the most unusual marriages ever. They raised 21 children and led productive lives. This is a well-written and fascinating novel. I loved her book The Orphan Train, but love this more!

In this beautiful and eerie tale, Katherine Arden explores the world of Anne of Brittany as she struggles to find her place and her power in as a woman of power and property in a world that wants to take both from her. Mystical and enchanting, this story will have you believing in fairy tales again.

Three adult sisters inherit a beach house from their grandmother on the condition they reunite at the house each May. When one sister doesn’t show up, secrets are revealed as the past unravels.

Something quite different from The Women’s Hotel author. Barbara is a middle-aged New Yorker recently dumped by her best friend, Susan. She begins analyzing this friendship and past ones. You will laugh, cry, judge, and think more broadly about friendships and their importance.

A true dark academia gem, filled with philosophical wonderings, acerbic collaborations, and eerie visions, all set in a world where intellectualism is a crime punishable by death.

Puff, puff but DON’T pass on Pot Shot by LPL. This stoner rom-com is hilarious and hot with some incredible chronic illness rep. As a fellow Crohnie, it means the world to see this miserable illness in a genre I love so much, done with care and humor. Plus New Jersey! It’s like this book is my memoir except I’m gayer.

A sly, bloody, feminist spin on Hitchcock’s Psycho. Marion doesn’t make the best decisions, but I’m still rooting for her.

Hunger is a brief, hypnotizing portrait of a co-dependent relationship that unfolds through flashbacks and cannibalism. Either I lost you immediately at “cannibalism,” or you’ll read this in one sitting. There’s probably not much middle ground.

I love a good satirical fantasy world and The Devil and Mrs. Gooch delivered! This book’s vibrant, quirky characters and social commentary remind me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, but Darkshire’s Household Gramayre universe feels more dangerous. Will Mrs. Gooch destroy the city of Verdigris with her rental property scheme, or is her plot too diabolical for the Devil himself?

If you only read the first story in this incredible collection, you would get your money’s worth. Lucky for all of us, Ozeki has graced us with 11 mysterious and moving tales.

I have become fully obsessed with Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, the wondrous pseudo-biography of a poet whose life moves freely through time, space, and gender from 1588 to 1928. Susanne Kuhlendahl’s dreamlike watercolors richly complement Woolf’s classic, offering a visual celebration of the infinite versions of the self.

Golden Girls fans will not be surprised that Blanche was an artist’s muse or a Radio City Rockette. Now Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia are trapped on an island with the dead artist. Blanche, as his muse, is the prime suspect, so the four have to figure out what really happened. This second in the series was as good as the first and I hope for a third. If only Murder She Wrote’s J.B. Fletcher could join them!

It’s summer and Juneteenth is right around the corner- what better way to celebrate than whipping up some historically inspired ice cream flavors? This book is a stunning celebration of the contributions Black cooks have made to our shared culinary history through the lens of ice cream. The recipes are also deliciously easy to follow––some you won’t even need an ice cream maker to try out!

Also loved by Abigail!

Jesmyn Ward, you will always be famous. This book includes previously published pieces, transcribed speeches, and new essays! It also serves as Ward’s manifesto for why, exactly, she writes what she does: We owe it to the ones we love to see them through their worst times and make sure that all the good and the bad don’t get forgotten.

Also loved by Abigail!

Dreams in Which I’m Almost Human should be required reading for a lesson in empathy. An able body is almost always taken for granted. In these essays, Hannah Soyer recounts her childhood spinal fusion surgery and the unshakable echoes it sends through her entire life.

A joyful love letter to fandom, Big Fan sees Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur embark on a globe-spanning trip to discover just what being a fan means. Along the way, they encounter Phillie Phanatics, the awe of Victor Wembanyama, the World Darts Championship, and even an impassioned defense of Steely Dan. A wonderful tribute to liking something an unhealthy amount, Big Fan is a must read for any die-hard fan.

Mary, we all know reading is fundamental! Parnassus carries countless books by LGBTQ+ writers, but if it weren’t for the queer elders that came before us, it wouldn’t have been so easy. Follow A.J. West as he guides you around the world, sharing the backstories of trailblazing queer bookshops and community hubs––big names, hidden gems, some still standing, and some gone over the rainbow. The library is open!

I will never not be heartbroken for Joan of Arc, and this narrative poetry collection tore that wound wide open. JOAN is a exploration of queer grief and gender identity through the framework of a most haunting history.

Diane… This thoughtful deep-dive into the history of Twin Peaks is a MUST read for any fan of the greatest TV show of all time. Filled with behind the scenes details, photos, cast interviews, and damning theories, this insightful analysis should be enjoyed with cherry pie and black coffee, or maybe with a mysterious and evil presence in the woods. “Everyday, once a day, give yourself a present.” Today, that present should be this book.

Also loved by Jake!

Our definition of “video game” is too narrow. Read 20 interviews with 22 LGBT+ designers, programmers, and writers helping us to reimagine and queer the gaming medium. I read this book in grad school for a class on digital rhetoric (more fun than it sounds!) and it was by far the highlight. You’ll be introduced to new games, programming platforms, and easily digestible rhetorical theories––what could be better!?

Sedaris is back with a delightful collection of 28 new essays, humorous, thoughtful, and poignant. He recounts adventures from his travels, with no photos to recollect the foreign lands, but scribbled notes. He excels in observing situations and finding the laugh. What a gem!

A cautionary tale and illuminating history rolled into one, Over/Under captures the gamblers, fixers, oddsmakers, and average joes who turned what was once the dark underbelly of sport into its unavoidable bedfellow. Jumping from New York to Vegas and everywhere in between, Bockino convincingly argues that gambling has not only always lurked beneath the surface, but that modern sports wouldn’t exist without it.

Why do we exist? This book unfortunately doesn’t answer that age old question! Instead of trying to give meaning to our absurd existence, Simone de Beauvoir explores the inherent moral responsibility that we carry within our freedom to make choices. If you are interested in existentialism, this is the one for you!

Dare I say the perfect (albeit unexpected) beach read? Eve Babitz—it-girl of the 60s and 70s, mentee and rival of Joan Didion, goddaughter of Igor Stravinsky—takes us through the L.A. she knows and loves. She’s so funny that I want to be her best friend, but I will settle for reading everything she’s ever written!

For anyone who has looked at their boychild and asked themselves, “How do I not eff this up?”. Whippman never pretends to have all the answers when it comes to raising boys, but I appreciated all of the wisdom found in these pages. In an age in which everyone has an opinion on parenting, it’s nice to be guided by someone who’s story feels familiar

If you want the inside scoop on the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America) and why you should never order fish on a Monday, this is the book for you. Anthony Bourdain is a rockstar stuck in a chef’s body, and his stories about the world of cooking are hilarious, outrageous, and unfiltered. If you already love this one, you should check out the Annotated Edition which includes Anthony’s insights from 20 years later!

Also loved by Jenness!

First Editions Club: June Selection

Whistler: A Novel

This is tricky.

Some people are happy when I pick one of my own books for the First Editions Club, while other people are less happy. I didn’t pick Tom Lake when it came out because I had the chance to pick James McBride’s brilliant Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. That’s what I was looking for this time as well, a book about which people would say, well, yes, I understand. She’d have to pick this instead.

I found that book this time as well. Land, by Maggie O’Farrell. Our novels were published on the same day. I was thrilled when I read Maggie’s book, in part because it’s thrilling, and in part because it solved my dilemma. Except it didn’t, because Maggie lives in Scotland and she isn’t coming to the States until the end of June, which meant my plan was upended. Maggie O’Farrell is coming to Parnassus on her very brief U.S. book tour. Land will be our July pick. Wait for it.

This isn’t false modesty on my part. It’s just awkward to choose my own novel. The truth is, I like Whistler. The world is a hard place these days, but there is also incredible kindness. I feel the hardness is more often portrayed in fiction, and the kindness falls by the wayside. Still, it’s there, and that’s worth remembering. I wrote this book for my friend Jim Fox, who died in 2024 on his eighty-fifth birthday. I put all of my love for him into this story, and all of his love for me. That part is true. The rest of it I made up.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: June Selection