May 2026
Welcome to The Book List!
This month had some winners, but as is usually true of me, my reading today impacts how I feel about all of it. Blame it on being a present-oriented Enneagram One, but it is so hard for me to not apply how I feel right now to everything. Because I am not technically "in the middle" of reading anything good, because I've started three novels and keep casually switching between them, and because I still have to wait two more weeks for every audio library hold and the newest Harry Potter, I'm a little meh. And yet, what a good opportunity to remember that now is not forever. How I feel today does not and should not discount the fact that I read my favorite novel of the year this month, that I got to listen to my favorite Harry Potter book (and that it exceeded my expectations!), and that I got help navigating the world in a way I desperately needed.
Now is not forever, even in reading.
This Month’s Books
Book Reviews
The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content warnings: none that stand out
Book words: quirky, fast-paced, thoughtful, saturated
What a delightful surprise. I don't understand why I'm not seeing this book in more places.
In a small college town, the only "fancy" restaurant is all a twitter because John Grisham has a reservation that night. Unfortunately, the day is derailed when someone discovers that all the ribeye steaks are missing from the walk-in, save one. Did someone steal them? Is someone sabotaging the John Grisham dinner? It's the weirdest premise for a book and absolutely magical.
The story takes place over this one day, and each chapter is from the perspective of a different restaurant staff member. A mystery unfolds and it's a great one, but it's also such a tender, poignant, sometimes raw depiction of a group of normal people just trying to make it in the world.
It's rare to find a book that would make a majority of readers happy, and this is definitely one.
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casting: none
Content warnings: cracked door romance, panic attacks
Book words: cute, surprisingly thoughtful, what you want a romance to be
Last month, I read Practice Makes Perfect, the second book set in Rome, Kentucky, about a set of four siblings. Four books. Four romances. The first one was about the big brother, the third was about the uptight older sister, and I didn't/won't read either. Practice was the one about the shy florist who practices dating with the hot bodyguard (I liked it!), and this final installment is about the fun-loving sister who has a reputation for getting into trouble and failing at everything she spontaneously pursues.
After barely graduating culinary school, she finds herself back in Rome running the kitchen of a new farm-to-table restaurant that will hopefully save the farm of her childhood crush, resident good guy James.
The thing about romances is you know exactly how they're going to end. It's like Bridgerton. Everyone gets their happy ending eventually. You just don't know how. The how is the fun. Some "hows" are better than others, and this one was solid. Typically dramatic and at times a little overwrought, but surprisingly mature, too. I liked it a lot.
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casting: I had a cast, but I’ve already forgotten it.
Content warnings: none
Book words: thriller, dramatic, twisty
I've read a handful of McFadden books, and while they're all entertaining, they're not memorable for me. I like a smart thriller, and her books are like the romances of thrillers: quick, a little shallow so that the story can move, and in it for the gasps. (Innuendo intended.) I don't mind that in a romance, but I don't love it in a thriller. There are too many rich mysteries out there, so this is likely my last Freida. No shade. We all like different things.
An engaged couple is riding high until the guy gets fired from his high-powered job and they start running out of money. In order to keep their New York City brownstone, the couple brings in a tenant. She turns out to be crazy. Chaos ensues.
I definitely gasped a couple of times. One twist I saw coming and another I did not, so it was nice to be surprised. But all in all, it was just fine.
Sylvia's Second Act by Hillary Yablon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Casting: I tend to make a lot of older leads Helen Mirren because she's the GOAT, and I was true to form here. The best friend is described is being like Jane Fonda, so I just imagined Jane Fonda. The husband was John Slattery. The boyfriend was a Mark Harmon type.
Content warnings: infidelity, cracked door romance
Book words: fun, sweet, feisty, coming-of-age but as an adult
This was delightful. I was surprised how much I loved this one.
The story opens with Sylvia discovering her husband having sex with another woman who lives in their Florida retirement community. After realizing she's unhappy and he's not going to change (despite his protests to the contrary), she sets out on a quest to reclaim her life, accompanied by her feisty best friend.
The two women move to New York City for a second chance at life, looking for homes and jobs and friends. It's a bit of a romp but also has a lot of relational richness to it. I mean, don't expect literary fiction here - it's light and fun, but it was surprisingly moving and just a great time.
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casting: none
Content warnings: child kidnapping, child abuse
Book words: dark, slow-build, mysterious
I had high expectations for this one. I chose it for a subscription box and was all in on the dark Peter Pan retelling. Turns out, it wasn't just Peter Pan but also a little Lord of the Flies and maybe something else. The story took notes from old stories but created something else entirely, a something else I didn't enjoy.
Nowhere is a secret city somewhere in the mountains, filled with runaways who are sometimes violent. No one knows if the place is even real, but when a documentarian tries to dig into the story, lots of weird stuff starts happening.
I think the book does its job as a horror novel in that you don't feel great reading it. That's an interesting thing to say, but to me, it's true. A horror story is supposed to make you feel weird, and sometimes that's a feeling you want. Stephen King is the best at creating it. But this one wasn't a good feeling for me. It just felt too dark and too... slimy. It was also weirdly slow which is not something I want if I'm going to read horror. Either make me care about the people and tell a great story (thank you, Mr. King) or just get to the craziness. This book didn't do either, and I was both bored and a little grossed out even though nothing gross happened for a long time.
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Casting: none
Content warnings: serial killer, child endangerment
Book words: character-driven, literary adjacent, human, richly painted
I had high hopes for this one, too. The premise is great: the residents of an Irish town live in fear because of a serial killer in their midst, and two young girls take it upon themselves to catch the killer and solve the mystery so that life can get back to normal.
Any time there's a serial killer involved in a story, it's not going to be light. I knew that going in, but I also thought the story would be more about the actual crime-solving of these two girls. Almost like Encyclopedia Brown for grown-ups. Instead, it was more about the people in the town. Y'all know character-driven is not my favorite, and this was heavy on character. I did enjoy reading it, but I kept putting it down. It didn't stick and took a long time to finish. Plus, the ending was sad. Like, so sad. I didn't expect that based on the premise of crime-solving kids. I thought it would be lighter, and it very much wasn't.
That said, I think it would be a beautiful read for a lot of people. Fans of the Anns (Patchett and Napolitano) would likely really dig it.
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casting: none
Content warnings: parent-child estrangement
Book words: quirky, beautiful, tremendous point of view, story-driven with rich characters
Dude. This was so genuinely good. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, but it checked all the boxes.
Denny Voss is a neurodivergent adult living in rural Minnesota with his mom, Nana-Jo, and his blind and deaf St. Bernard named George. Unfortunately, Denny has been arrested for the murder of a prominent businessman in town and can't figure out how to explain what's going on.
In a series of stories, each weirder than the last (he kidnaps a goose named Tom Hanks and everyone thinks he actually kidnapped Tom Hanks), Denny tries to convince everyone he isn't a killer.
It is tender, quirky, human, and just the sweetest, best thing. Definitely sad but overall redemptive and a joy. I absolutely loved it.
Swamp Story by Dave Barry
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casting: none
Content warnings: a lot of violence
Book words: wild, weird, a romp
I think Dave Barry has cemented himself on my short list of "blind buy" authors. He is just incredible at telling a very specific kind of story, one that I happen to love.
Swamp Story takes place in the Florida Everglades and involves a whole cast of weird characters, some of which you love and others that you loathe. There is tremendous depravity in Dave Barry stories (people who would harm and murder in a flash), but there is also satire and belly-laugh humor. Everything is so absurd you can't help but bust a stitch. Within the first five pages, I was laughing so hard I had to put the book down. I read some of it on an airplane and felt awkward because I was audibly laughing and there was nothing to be done about it.
This is a romp to find gold in the Everglades, complete with viral-hungry content creators, a woman trying to get herself and her baby out of a bad relationship, brothers trying to save their dying bait and beer shop, and a whole slew of others. It's shiny and crazy and absolutely hilarious. It's not for everybody, but it'll be one of my favorites of the year.
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Ralph Cosham
Content warnings: These are murder mysteries, so there's always some element of violence. Substance abuse is also a common theme.
The next three books are books 8-10 in the Inspector Gamache series, an audiobook I depend on even when it's not great. I feel like The Beautiful Mystery is where the series becomes something different. We've invested all this time in Gamache and Beauvoir, and this is the book where things start to crystalize. I don't want to say much about the plot because I think the series need to remain a series, but this is the one where they go to the monastery to investigate the murder of a monk.
The last scene had me on the floor.
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Narrated by Ralph Cosman
Content warnings: Same same
I have little phrases for myself to describe each Gamache book, kind of like Friends episodes, and this one is "the one where everything happens." Good golly. I couldn't get over this one. Probably my favorite so far. It was the culmination of so many story lines, and I think Louise Penny stuck the landing.
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Ralph Cosman
Content warnings: Same same same
This is "the one about Peter." I liked it less because Clara is not my favorite. I like her fine, but I find her a bit annoying. I think in some ways I'm supposed to. She's an oddball artistic genius who takes everyone by surprise all the time. I feel that way about her, too.
All that said, of course I liked it.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration by Jefferson White
Casting: a mix of movie castings
Content warnings: typical dystopian stuff
Book words: exciting, dystopian
I LOVED THIS.
This is the story of Haymitch's time as a tribute in The Hunger Games, and it was just so stinking good. I didn't anticipate meeting so many characters I already knew from trilogy, and that was a genuinely fun surprise.
I also didn't know there was going to be a movie this fall! The trailer looks incredible, and Jesse Plemons as a young Plutarch is the chefiest kiss of all the kisses. I will go on opening night with a homemade fan t-shirt.