June 2025 TBR – books to read this month

June is my birthday month, and that means I will be getting new books but also reading lots. For the most part, my June 2025 TBR will be books I own that I have been wanting to read for a while, plus some library books and ARCs. However, I am also going to completely embrace mood reading this month, so my actual reading may look vastly different from what’s listed here. Either way, I’m excited to spend a good chunk of the month reading and trying to reduce my TBR.

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June 2025 TBR

Physical Books

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration that he has observed in his woodland.

Library Wars Vol 3 by Kiiro Yumi

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves–the Library Forces!

Iku is witness to a disturbance during a Board of Education speech on protecting children from the danger of books. The perpetrators are two young boys protesting the banning of their favorite books. But while Iku wants to reach out to the next generation of book lovers, Dojo insists that they can’t play favorites. Will Dojo’s prickly insistence on sticking to the rules ruin their budding friendship?

Summertime Rendering Vol. 2 by Yasuki Tanaka

After the tragedy at the Summer Festival, Shinpei started July 22nd for the 4th time! His first priority is to locate Ryunosuke Nagumo. Who is this mysterious lady that could be the key to defeating the Shadows?

My Happy Marriage Vol. 4 by Akumi Agitogi

CAUGHT BETWEEN FRIEND AND FOE…On their trip home from the Kudou family villa, Miyo and Kiyoka narrowly escape an ambush from the leader of the Gifted Communion, Naoshi Usui, who claims to be Miyo’s father. Fearing that Miyo will be targeted again, Kiyoka insists that she accompany him to his workplace from now on and appoints a female soldier named Kaoruko as her bodyguard. Though Miyo is unsettled by the revelation that Kaoruko was one of Kiyoka’s previous marriage candidates, the two women gradually warmup to each other and become friends. But can their bond survive the hidden threat coming for Miyo…?

Spy x Family Vol. 8 by Tatsuya Endo

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Yor is assigned to be a bodyguard for a mafia family on a cruise ship by the secret organization Garden. But with Lloyd and Anya also on board thanks to a giveaway they won, Yor is starting to have doubts about her secret life as an assassin…

Komi Can’t Communicate Vol. 29 by Tomohito Oda

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who decides to step out of his comfort zone in order to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends.

Itan High is in danger! Proxy Chair Icho has accidentally placed the school on the chopping block, but the students still have one way to save their beloved institution—study camp! There’s another school at the camp, though, and their star pupil is someone special from Tadano’s past. How will Komi handle the scholastic and romantic competition?!

Fly Me To The Moon Vol. 9 by Kenjiro Hata

First comes marriage, then comes an earthbound love that is out of this world!

From the day his parents named him, Nasa Yuzaki has felt connected to outer space…whether he likes it or not. His efforts to outperform the space program veer off course when an accident introduces him to Tsukasa, a mysterious girl with strange powers. Is she an alien, a moon goddess, or something else? Since she insists on marrying him, Nasa will have plenty of chances to find out!

As the summer heats up, Nasa looks forward to the pleasures of the season: festivals, fireworks, and seeing his wife in a yukata. He’d also like to make some progress on his ongoing mission to see her naked, but the two can’t manage a simple trip to the bath without being interrupted by wacky hijinks. Is this volume chock-full of romance manga cliches? Sure, but Nasa’s no fool. He’s been prepping by reading shojo manga.

Ebooks

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?

And can Carl finally find some pants?

Germination by Seth Ring

For John Sutton, things are finally looking up… For now…

The farm is running smoothly, the local bandits have been pacified, and he is starting to understand how magic works. Though none of that will matter if he can’t get his Doom Points under control.

As Ellie seeks to join the ranks of Class Holders, the mystery surrounding her grandmother grows and the two of them set off to discover the truth. But her legacy as a Witch is not the only mystery that needs to be explored. A strange plant is growing in Ferdie’s field, and it’s given John a new quest.

Meanwhile, a secret organization spreading its tendrils of influence throughout the war-weary world is plotting to destroy the fragile peace John fought so hard to achieve. As the shadows that surround this world are peeled back, he’ll need every ounce of wisdom and restraint he has ever possessed to keep from blowing the whole thing up himself.

ARCs

Wraith and The Revolution by A.J. Calvin

Kye Verex is trapped.

Due to a fluke of genetics, the decisions of the galaxy’s elite, and a lack of finances, he’s stuck on his polluted and noxious home world indefinitely. And it’s slowly killing him.

Then his more fortunate sister returns one day, bringing the promise of salvation. Kelsey has always hoped to find the means to pull him out of his desperate cycle of survival, but it has taken years. Now, she has a plan, one that will cure his genetic condition and clear him for interstellar travel.

The catch?

He has to sign over his very existence – and a portion of his humanity – to Zylar Inc., the galaxy’s most prominent and notorious corporation, in exchange for the necessary treatment. Is his cure worth the cost?

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

Debut author Gemma Stanton knows romance readers love a bad boy—and she has the perfect prototype for her novel: Mason Moretti. High school hockey god-turned-pro player, Mason was Gemma’s first crush, but she couldn’t forget the sting of his very public rejection. So, she casts him as a hot-headed Highlander in her spicy new historical romance. She never expected readers would find out on live TV when a morning show host invites Mason for a surprise on-air reunion…

As an aging hockey player with a rep for being ruthless on the ice—and roguish off of it—Mason has an image problem. So, when his meet-cute with Gemma goes viral, Mason proposes they build on the momentum with a few fake dates to boost her book sales…and his sagging profile. But when the fictional flirting gets a little too real, Mason realizes Gemma actually makes him want to become a better man—someone worthy of her trust and her love. 

Will Gemma give him a second chance? Mason knows it’s a long shot, but taking shots is sorta his thing, and besides, who loves a redemption arc more than a romance author?

Library books

The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith

To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first.

Claire, rakish Hero, angel Rami, and muse-turned-librarian Brevity have accomplished the impossible by discovering the true nature of unwritten books. But now that the secret is out, in its quest for power Hell will be coming for every wing of the Library.

To protect the Unwritten Wing and stave off the insidious reach of Malphas, one of Hell’s most bloodthirsty generals, Claire and her friends will have to decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice to keep their vulnerable corner of the afterlife. Succeeding would mean rewriting the nature of the Library, but losing would mean obliteration. Their only chance at survival lies in outwitting Hell and writing a new chapter for the Library. Luckily, Claire and her friends know how the right story, told well, can start a revolution.

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen

The first history of the notebook, a simple invention that changed the way the world thinks.

We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this wide-ranging history, Roland Allen reveals how the notebook became our most dependable and versatile tool for creative thinking. He tells the notebook stories of Leonardo and Frida Kahlo, Isaac Newton and Marie Curie, and writers from Chaucer to Henry James; shows how Darwin developed his theory of evolution in tiny pocket books and Agatha Christie plotted a hundred murders in scrappy exercise books; and introduces a host of cooks, kings, sailors, fishermen, musicians, engineers, politicians, adventurers, and mathematicians, all of whom used their notebooks as a space to think—and in doing so, shaped the modern world.

In an age of AI and digital overload, the humble notebook is more relevant than ever. Allen shows how bullet points can combat ADHD, journals can ease PTSD, and patient diaries soften the trauma of reawakening from coma. The everyday act of moving a pen across paper, he finds, can have profound consequences, changing the way we think and feel: making us more creative, more productive—and maybe even happier.

The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike

AD 573. Imprisoned in her chamber, Languoreth awaits news in torment. Her husband and son have ridden off to war against her brother, Lailoken. She doesn’t yet know that her young daughter, Angharad, who was training with Lailoken to become a Wisdom Keeper, has been lost in the chaos. As one of the bloodiest battles of early medieval Scottish history abandons its survivors to the wilds of Scotland, Lailoken and his men must flee to exile in the mountains of the Lowlands, while nine-year-old Angharad must summon all Lailoken has taught her to follow her own destiny through the mysterious, mystical land of the Picts.

In the aftermath of the battle, old political alliances unravel, opening the way for the ambitious adherents of the new religion: Christianity. Lailoken is half-mad with battle sickness, and Languoreth must hide her allegiance to the Old Way to survive her marriage to the next Christian king of Strathclyde. Worst yet, the new King of the Angles is bent on expanding his kingdom at any cost. Now the exiled Lailoken, with the help of a young warrior named Artur, may be the only man who can bring the warring groups together to defeat the encroaching Angles. But to do so, he must claim the role that will forever transform him. He must become the man known to history as “Myrddin.”

Ping Pong Vol. 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto

Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto doesn’t smile even though he’s got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game? Ping Pong is Taiyo Matsumoto’s masterwork reflection on friendship and self-discovery, presented here in two volumes, featuring color art, the bonus story “Tamura” and an afterword by the original Japanese series editor.

Things have changed since the last inter-high tournament. Peco has quit the game, and “Smile” Tsukimoto’s desire to play is gone. Even “Demon” Sakuma has been kicked off the Kaio team. But Coach Koizumi isn’t going to let all that talent go to waste and launches a plan to get Tsukimoto back on the team and into top condition. Every great athlete needs a great rival to push them past their limits, and Peco and Smile—friends since they were children—must now challenge each other to become the heroes they always dreamed they could be.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

I hope you enjoyed my June 2025 TBR. What books do you plan to read this month?