Shuffling of the Shelves – June Part 2
By Melissa Tran and Mairead Zielinski
Discover the LGBTQIA+ books that are topping the charts in summer 2023.
Amazon
Top of the Amazon charts are many books by Rachel McLean, who writes thoughtful and well-thought-out thriller series. Most notably in the charts is Death and Poetry (McBride and Tanner Book 2). This book follows DI Tanner and her collection of regular characters as they try to uncover the mystery of a Macbeth themed murder. Also notable in the charts by Rachel McLean is The Lighthouse Murders (Dorset Crime Book 8), which follows DCI Lesley Clark in Dorset, investigating the crime of a murder in her hometown, with one of those closest to her arrested and suspected of committing the crime. Gripping thrillers by a queer author you don’t want to miss for Pride Month 2023. Also in the Amazon chart is Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Our Wives Under the Sea is the story of a married couple, Miri and Leah, two women who struggle to understand each other after Leah returns from an unexpectedly long trip; Miri fears she has come back wrong. Our Wives Under the Sea is a novel about understanding, grief and the communal fear of what is truly out there.
WHSmith
At number twenty-six on the WHSmith bestseller list this month, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid further proves its enduring popularity since its original publication in 2017. It follows the life of ageing and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo, who is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life through the eyes of unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant. The novel gained a huge amount of traction on TikTok in 2021 and this online hype has translated into skyrocketing book sales, with it hardly leaving the bestseller list since. The newly released TV adaptation of Reid’s other extremely successful novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, has only further heightened the author's profile. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is also set to be adapted for Netflix by Liz Tigelaar, who was previously Executive Producer for the adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, along with Reid herself. Just beating Reid on the bestseller list at number twenty-four is chat show host Graham Norton’s Forever Home. This is Norton’s fourth novel, published in September 2022, and he claims it is the “funniest and darkest” story he has written so far. This darkly comic book examines the fraught relationships between mothers and daughters, the tension between truth and self-preservation, and has a healthy dash of murder mystery thrown in to make for a heart-breaking and wildly entertaining read.
Waterstones
In the Waterstones charts during June is Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart. Young Mungo tells the story of Mungo and James, who are Protestant and Catholic. Despite living in the same city, they are worlds apart. Separated by two different Glasgow housing estates and products of their working-class environment, we follow these two young men on their journey as they fall in love despite the difficulties that surround them. Young Mungo is a story of love, masculinity and the difficulties of growing up queer, and it is an incredible second novel by the Booker Prize winning author of Shuggie Bain. Also in the Waterstones charts is A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, the story of four friends with a queer protagonist, Jude, who struggles with childhood trauma and abuse. A Little Life is known for being a heart-breaking and haunting read that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
Author of the Month
The author of the month for June is actor Elliot Page who has just released his highly anticipated memoir Pageboy. Elliot Page rose to fame after starring in the hugely popular film Juno in 2007 and has recently featured in the lead role of Netflix’s TV adaptation of The Umbrella Academy. At its centre Pageboy explores Elliot’s recent transition into an extremely high-profile trans man; the pain of gender dysphoria, the difficulties of coming out and the freedom he finally feels. But the book is also a tender and often scathing exploration of his journey through acting, the film industry as a whole and love. Having been published on 6 June, we expect to see this coming-of-age memoir continue to climb the charts as copies keep flying off the shelves this Pride month.