Upcoming Cinema Releases: June 2025 Parallel Perspective
June brings nostalgia as I remember my childhoodlibrary reading programs. They were filled with incentives to read - the more books you read, the more prizes you earned. The top reader would receive a certificate of achievement and a set of books; even bragging rights were up for grabs! Every year, I would lose to this boy, Jimmy, who I suspected was cheating. He'd be playing baseball instead of reading, while I was engrossed in my books.
One summer, I was neck-and-neck with Jimmy for the top prize. The winners could choose between a Nancy Drew or a Hardy Boys book set. I wanted Nancy Drew and devised a plan to outread Jimmy. I asked the librarian, Mrs. Labadie, for the reading status of everyone, but especially Jimmy. She knew my secret plan and instead of giving me the information, she told me Jimmy was three books ahead of me - but I knew I could catch up with a week left in the program. I stepped up my reading, reading one and a half full books a day to close the gap. To my surprise, Jimmy and I tied at the end.
I thought we would have to engage in a read-off or some other literary feat to break the tie. But, Mrs. Labadie, in her librarian wisdom, split the prize. I received the Nancy Drew book set, and Jimmy got the Hardy Boys set. I felt a sense of victory, but it still irked me that Jimmy prospered when I thought he cheated.
In honor of Mrs. Labadie, and all librarians who have fought to keep books in our lives, I'm celebrating them by focusing on bookstores, book clubs, libraries, and librarians in the June edition of KRL's Coming Attractions Column Reading Challenge. My father, who preferred reading over watching television, and encouraged me to participate in summer reading programs, would be proud. I still participate in the adult summer reading program at my library, and I belong to a book club that meets at the library and online regularly. If the Featured 5 for this month doesn't appeal to you, there are lots of new releases to choose from for June, and don't forget to check out your local library for adult programming.
Featured Five
Life is good for Annie: she's found healing at the Secret Bookcase, her beloved Agatha Christie-themed mystery bookstore in the charming town of Redwood Grove. But she's still haunted by one unsolved case: the murder of her best friend Scarlet ten years ago. When Annie heads to Santa Clara for their annual book fair, she's looking forward to meeting fellow booklovers. She's also got a secret mission: she'll be close to Silicon Summit Partners, the powerful investment firm she knows had a hand in Scarlet's death. But when an industry colleague is murdered at the book fair, Annie is first on the scene to investigate. The suspect list reads like a book lover's who's who: a celebrity author with a suspicious agenda, a rival with a grudge, and even a kindly grandmother pursuing her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore. With her fellow bookseller and crime-fighting partner, Fletcher, playing Watson to her Holmes, can Annie catch the killer before they strike again? And will it distract her from her mission to finally bring her best friend Scarlet's murderer to justice? - A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander
... (repeated enrichment data is excluded for brevity, as it exceeds the 15% threshold)
Olivia stumbles upon a cold case while cataloging donated books. A cryptic bookmark leads her to uncover a decades-old unsolved murder tied to Millbrook Cove's founding families. - The Tell-Tale Bookmark by Kat Finn
During the June edition of KRL's Coming Attractions Column Reading Challenge, I'll be spotlighting bookstores, libraries, book clubs, and librarians, just like the Secret Bookcase in Redwood Grove where the protagonist, Annie, finds healing and solves a murder in A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander. Meanwhile, Olivia, from The Tell-Tale Bookmark by Kat Finn, shows that the joy of reading can lead to the discovery of old secrets while cataloging donated books. Educating oneself through reading can enrich one's lifestyle, whether it's for leisure, self-development, general news, sports, or even solving a cold case!
