June Recommendations – Read Alberta’s Summer Reading Challenge
Let the games begin!
Our summer reading challenge is back, and we have sooooo many good books to recommend. Every week this summer, we’ll be sharing book lists for each bingo prompt to keep you inspired and motivated.
Ask your local independent bookseller for more recommendations or browse titles in the Read Alberta eBook collection.
Learn more about Read Alberta’s Summer Reading Challenge and download your bingo here.
Won an Award
Looking for a book with bragging rights? Check out these award-winning titles published right here in Alberta.
Winner of the 2025 Canadian First Book Prize.
Northerny Dawn Macdonald
Published: Feb 02, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
Dawn Macdonald 
Published: Feb 02, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772127379
Winner of the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction.
Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand Tim Bowling
Published: May 01, 2025 by Freehand Books
Tim Bowling
Published: May 01, 2025 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781990601866
Winner of the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry at the 2025 Alberta Book Publishing Awards
Attic Rain Samantha Jones
Published: Sep 01, 2024 by NeWest Press
Samantha Jones
Published: Sep 01, 2024 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390986
Gold Winner of the Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book – Fiction.
Moon Dust in My Hairnet Published: Apr 19, 2024 by Mythic Roads Press
JR Creaden
Published: Apr 19, 2024 by Mythic Roads Press
ISBN: 9781738125401
Featured on 49th Shelf
49th Shelf is a fantastic resource for discovering Canadian books from across the country. We’ve selected some Alberta books that have been featured on 49th Shelf booklists. Pick one up at your local indie bookstore and cross it off your bingo card!
Featured in 49th Shelf’s Read the World booklist.
Safarnameh: A Traveller’s Journey Along the Hippie Trail Trevor W. Harrison
Published: Jul 28, 2026 by Athabasca University Press
Trevor W. Harrison
Published: Jul 28, 2026 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771994378
Featured in 49th shelf’s It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.
Northern Bull Michelle Swallow
Published: Jan 21, 2026 by Freehand Books
Michelle Swallow
Published: Jan 21, 2026 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781997534051
Featured in 49th Shelf’s Seven Books by Canadian Authors Which Fed My Writing.
Baba Yaga and the Girl Who Ate the Rope Kate Rogers
Published: Apr 15, 2026 by Frontenac House Ltd.
Kate Rogers
Published: Apr 15, 2026 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781997580126
Featured in 49th Shelf’s Alberta Mystery Novels to Add to Your TBR Shelf.
Ghost Detective Zachary Muswagon
Published: Sep 15, 2012 by Eschia Books
Zachary Muswagon
Published: Sep 15, 2012 by Eschia Books
ISBN: 9781926696201
Featured in 49th Shelf’s Short Fiction Sensations.
Mind the Gap Alice Zorn
Published: Apr 15, 2026 by NeWest Press
Alice Zorn
Published: Apr 15, 2026 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774391341
Featured in 49th Shelf’s 9 Alberta Books with Beautiful Book Covers.
Whistle at Night and They Will Come: Indigenous Horror Stories Volume 2 Alex Soop
Published: Oct 01, 2023 by Durvile Publications Ltd.
Alex Soop
Published: Oct 01, 2023 by Durvile Publications Ltd.
ISBN: 9781990735301
LGBTQIA2S+ Characters or Authors
Fill your bingo card, bookshelf, and heart with these queer reads. Read an Alberta book that is:
A celebration of the queer spaces and people that have shaped Edmonton.
Cruising the Downtown: Celebrating Edmonton's Queer History Published: Oct 15, 2025 by NeWest Press
Published: Oct 15, 2025 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774391181
A compelling queer coming-of-age story about the persistence of hope when there’s nothing else left.
We Are All of Us Left Behind Bradley Somer
Published: Sep 09, 2025 by Freehand Books
Bradley Somer
Published: Sep 09, 2025 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781990601927
An exceptional debut poetry book that interweaves war-devastated landscapes and queer joy.
Refugee Mouth Sanita Fejzić
Published: May 23, 2025 by Frontenac House Ltd.
Sanita Fejzić
Published: May 23, 2025 by Frontenac House Ltd.
ISBN: 9781989466940
A romantic coming-of-age story about understanding queer identity and what happens to the stories you never tell.
Lily Kat Simmers
Published: Mar 19, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Kat Simmers , Ryan Owen
Published: Mar 19, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754306
A poetic work that traces the trajectory of queer self-discovery from childhood to adulthood. A powerfult non-fiction that tells the true story of the transatlantic transgender community who profoundly shaped the history and study of gender identity in the 1950s.
Deviant
Patrick Grace
Published: Feb 12, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772127416
Others of My Kind: Transatlantic Transgender Histories
Alex Bakker, Rainer Herrn, Michael Thomas Taylor
Published: Oct 31, 2020 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773851525
Borrowed From the Library
Summer is the perfect time for a run to the library. Here are four recommendations to add to your hold’s list and help you fill your bingo card.
Do you love love? Then this is the library book for you.
Alberta Comics Love Published: Sep 17, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Published: Sep 17, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781998489572
True crime lovers unite!
Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors & Jailers John L. Hill
Published: Jul 01, 2025 by Durvile Publications
John L. Hill
Published: Jul 01, 2025 by Durvile Publications
ISBN: 9781990735752
Borrow a hot new release!
Beneficiary JoAnn McCaig
Published: May 15, 2026 by University of Calgary Press
JoAnn McCaig
Published: May 15, 2026 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773856773
Feeling meta? Borrow a book about librarians (space librarians that is).
Starship Librarians
Shannon Allen & JR Campbell
Published: Aug, 2025 by Tyche Books.
ISBN: 978-1-989407-86-8
One-Word Title
We love a long, winding title that paints a picture before you even turn the first page. However, there’s something so intriguing about a title that pulls you in with a single word. Here are six Alberta books with one-word titles.
This one-word title perfectly evokes the prairie setting it takes place in.
Livingsky Anthony Bidulka
Published: Jun 01, 2023 by Stonehouse Publishing
Anthony Bidulka
Published: Jun 01, 2023 by Stonehouse Publishing
ISBN: 9781988754475
A compelling title and an equally compelling cover.
Sublunary Lisa Richter
Published: Mar 10, 2026 by University of Alberta Press
Lisa Richter
Published: Mar 10, 2026 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772128543
This one-word title expertly describes the main character.
Resilient George Michail
Published: Oct 15, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
George Michail
Published: Oct 15, 2025 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781998489176
A striking one-word title for a book of poetry.
Bonememory Anna Veprinska
Published: Apr 15, 2025 by University of Calgary Press
Anna Veprinska
Published: Apr 15, 2025 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773856100
This is a title that conveys adventure and high-stakes.
Aftermath
Sean O’Brien
Published: May 6 2024 by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
ISBN: 9781770532236
A title that evokes fear and unease, perfect for the shocking story inside.
200 Words or Less
A short book is the perfect companion for a Wednesday stat holiday. These six book recommendations are easy to slip into your bag and enjoy wherever the day takes you.
At just 56 pages, this powerful book explores how Indigenous stories can reshape our understanding of Canada and inspire meaningful, lasting social change.
Every Story Is a Call to Action David A. Robertson
Published: Feb 03, 2026 by Canadian Literature Centre / Centre de littérature canadienne
David A. Robertson
Published: Feb 03, 2026 by Canadian Literature Centre / Centre de littérature canadienne
ISBN: 9781772128512
Part workplace comedy and part horror, this action-packed title is just 96 pages.
Knight Terror George Michail
Published: Mar 18, 2026 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
George Michail , Andrew Buckley
Published: Mar 18, 2026 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781998489411
Only 168 pages, this is the perfect title for a very short Canada Day vacation.
The Wikimedia Movement in Canada: Communities, Institutions, and Free Culture Jean-Michel Lapointe
Published: Apr 28, 2026 by Athabasca University Press
Jean-Michel Lapointe , Marie D. Martel
Published: Apr 28, 2026 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771994521
At 110 pages long, this title can be enjoyed in one sitting.
Fifty-Five Ways to Survive: Graphic Poems for Strength Laurier Tiernan
Published: Aug 15, 2025 by Durvile Publications
Laurier Tiernan
Published: Aug 15, 2025 by Durvile Publications
ISBN: 9781990735820
Master storyteller Lana Skauge’s collection comes in at just 188 pages. The beautiful red cover also makes it the perfect accessory for Canada Day!
Made of Snow and Story
Lana Skauge
Published: April 2026 by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
ISBN: 978-1770532625
This creative anthology comes in at just 125 pages, making it an easy pick for a Wednesday off work.
Beyond Touch Sites: An Anthology of the Tangible Published: May 01, 2025 by Laberinto Press
Published: May 01, 2025 by Laberinto Press
ISBN: 9781777085964