5 Books to Read Right Now

No matter how many hours I devote to reading each week, I just can't seem to keep up with my book list. I really must get working on that idea of reading in my sleep. In the meantime, here are five novels, all published in June, that I'm determined to finish by month's end (or maybe in July).

• The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon (Putnam): I loved Fallon's short stories and thus have high expectations for her debut novel, set in Jordon. The lives of two American military families crisscross and intertwine through love, fear, secrets, and politics.
• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (Custom House): Okay, I admit it: I'd read this book for the cover alone, but I'm happy to report that the novel has earned much buzz and glowing reviews. A widow and a vicar are determined to discover the truth behind the fabled creature that locals believe has killed one of their own.
• The Lake and the Lost Girl by Jacquelyn Vincenta (Sourcebooks Landmark): It's the Michigan setting that initially called me to this debut contemporary novel. In an ill-advised effort to strengthen her marriage, a woman joins her English professor husband in the search for a late-poet's lost work.
• The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor (Riverhead): Cantor is one of my must-read authors for historical fiction with strong Jewish elements. Her latest novel is set in German-occupied Austria and 1980s California. The themes of Nazi resistance, survival, love, and heartbreak center around the life of an Austrian stamp engraver.
• Necessary Monsters by Richard A. Kirk (Arche): Who can resist a book about a book lover? A stolen rare book, honor among thieves, sociopolitical issues, revenge, and at least one monster round out this techno-fantasy debut from a well-known visual artist and illustrator.