May Reads 2026

 🌸 May Reviews 💐 

May 1st-31st

In May, I read 9 books with 1985 pages. It has been a busy month of writing, watching more tv than usual, and reading a good amount of fanfiction. I did not read what I had planned for this month for books, but that is okay. My new favorite book was The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason

Hope everyone enjoyed what they read this month! Happy Reading.    

Book 70:  Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics: Further Comical Tales From Ancient Greece and Rome, Series 9-11 

By Natalie Haynes

Read April 30th-May 2nd

Listening Time: 8 hrs 17 mins

Release Year: 2025

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 Another great addition to this series. I love Natalie Haynes' sense of humor so much and I highly enjoyed her stand up for these classical figures and Greek/Roman gods and characters. My particular favorites from Series 9-11 were Martial, Athene, Livia, and Aphrodite. After every one of these I always find even more works to pick up. I want to read Martial's epigrams which sound hilarious.

Book 71: The Lost Books of the Odyssey

By Zachary Mason

Read May 3rd

Pages: 240

Release Year: 2007

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This book was wonderful! Zachary Mason chose to retell Odysseus's story in many different vignettes. Each chapter takes his story in various ways, some little deviations from his time at Troy to his journey after the Trojan war, and others are quite different. 

Many of the chapters are told in Odysseus's voice and others are in various characters' perspectives. We get chapters from Polyphemus, Achilles, etc. Such an interesting way of taking such a well known story. Along with stories dealing with the Iliad and the Odyssey, there are also ones from other Greek Mythology stories such as the Minotaur and Theseus. My favorites were probably the one dealing with Polyphemus, the one with Odysseus fabricating his own story, and the one with Theseus. 

I absolutely adored this book and will definitely be picking up more of Zachary Mason's works. Greek Mythology is one of my favorite topics and I'm always looking for original takes.

 

Book 72:   The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia: An Illustrated Novel

By Leia Ham

Read May 3rd- 4th

Pages: 320

Release Year: 2026

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The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is about a young girl named Sparrow who is starting her first year at Zenith Academy for Magical Development. Zenith is a school where the students learn how to strengthen their magical abilities. In Sparrow's world, children are the ones with magic and will eventually lose their abilities by adulthood. It's important for them to make the most of their magic while they still have it and find a place in their world without it. 

Sparrow has been living in the shadow of her more talented older brother, Ainsley, for her entire life and she hopes to be able master her fire mage abilities. One of her motivations is to make those around her proud and prove herself to them. While, she works hard at the academy a strange illness starts affecting the other students, which is draining their magic from them. Sparrow works with her friends to try and find out what is going on and who is causing this to occur. 

Leia Ham has created a great book for middle grade readers and those like me who still like to read this age range. I was originally drawn to Sparrow's story because of Leia's stunning illustrations. She is one of the artists I follow on Instagram. Each page in this stunning book is illustrated and they all look absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to see what a finished copy of this book will look like.  

Sparrow's story is one I relate to. I had to work very hard in school when I was in elementary and middle school to keep my grades higher. Like Sparrow, I always wanted to make my parents proud of me and in my mind that was getting the best grades I could. She never feels like she is good enough and I know there are plenty of people who can relate to her. It was a joy to watch her grow throughout the novel. 

Along with Sparrow, I highly enjoyed following all of the friends she made at Zenith including: Lyndon, Orla, Camellia, etc. There are so many strong characters in this book which make it even more enjoyable. I loved watching their characters develop over the course of the story and I look forward to seeing more of their adventures in future books. 

One of my absolute favorite characters from the story was definitely the raven, Sahir. I'll always be a sucker for a talking animal in a story and he was great. He was such an endearing character and I loved the nickname he had for Sparrow, "bird-child," so cute! 
 

The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is a wonderful middle grade fantasy story which has a lot of  heart, humor, and a story that will draw you in. The characters are relatable and the world-building is interesting. I believe middle grade readers will love this story and I'm sure there are plenty of older readers who would love Sparrow's story too. Cannot wait for more adventures in this world and to add this one to my collection. 

*Thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher, and Leia Haim for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

 

Book 73: Alice's Guide to Wonderland 

By Eric Geron

Read May 4th-5th

Pages: 192

Release Year: 2026

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A fun look at the world of Wonderland from the 1951 Disney movie Alice in Wonderland which is based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I have been a fan of stories focusing on Wonderland ever since I was a child and am glad I was able to read an ARC of this book. 

It is told from Alice's perspective after multiple journeys down the rabbit hole. She gives the reader a tour of Wonderland along with information about the world such as the talking flowers, how to act at an Unbirthday party, the residents of Wonderland, and so many other pieces of lore. Along with Alice's guide, there are marginal notes from the Wonderland characters. The Cheshire Cat follows Alice through the entire book, while the other characters pop in at various points. 

This is a perfect book to read for children first getting into this world and for long time fans, especially for the 75th anniversary of the movie. It is a cute interactive guide with beautiful full color illustrations. I know I would have adored this book as a child when I first got into Wonderland. 

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 74:  Punderworld Volume 1

(Punderworld #1) 

By Linda Šejić

Read May 5th

Pages: 176

Release Year: 2019

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May 5th, 2026 Reread: 
I highly enjoyed returning to this first volume before picking up the sequel. Linda Šejić's artwork is absolutely stunning and her characterizations of the Greek Gods are creative. I particularly love her take on Hades, Persephone, Charon, and Hermes. The style of the artwork fits so well with this story and I look forward to seeing what else Linda will do with this world. 

January 23rd-25th, 2022 Review: 
This was a great retelling of Hades and Persephone with beautiful artwork. I really enjoyed the characterization of Hades in this one and of Persephone and am very interested to see where it goes from here.

 

Book 75:  Punderworld Volume 2

(Punderworld #2) 

By Linda Šejić

Read May 6th

Pages: 184

Release Year: 2025

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It's so interesting how Linda Šejić is taking the elements of Hades and Persephone's myth and using them in this story. 

The character designs are perfect, especially Hecate and Hestia. Loved their depictions here. Hecate is one of my favorite characters from mythology and I enjoy seeing the ways various authors and artist decide to take her character.

Book 76:  Follow This Thread: 

A Maze Book to Get Lost In

By Henry Eliot

Read May 8th

Pages: 240

Release Year: 2018

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  One of the most unique books I have ever read and I highly recommend it to fans of mazes and labyrinths. This book is quite literally a maze book. You follow the red thread throughout the book as Theseus followed the thread throughout the Labyrinth. Also, you move the book along with it and the words. Many of the pages are upside-down or sideways.  

The book's prose goes between talking about mazes from literature and history. The framing device is the Greek myth about Theseus and the Minotaur. Henry Eliot weaves the story throughout the entire book and scatters in various information about the other stories and historical people. It was an intriguing way of relaying the information.

The red thread creates illustrations such as various different mazes and creatures like the Minotaur. If you like an interactive read that will literally have you turning the book upside-down, you should check out Follow this Thread.

 

Book 77: Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler (Lily Tripp Diaries, 1)

By Amelia Tait

Read May 11th-12th

Pages: 368

Release Year: 2026

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I would have adored this book in middle school so much. It has two of my biggest loves time travel and an epistolary format. Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler felt like middle grade version of The Princess Diaries crossed with Oona Out of Order. I listened to the audiobook while following along with the ebook copy. Kerry Gilbert's narration was perfect for Lily's voice.  

It was an interesting story with characters I enjoyed seeing different versions of throughout time. I thought the premise was very interesting in this book, especially the way Amelia Tait decided to take the time traveling. This is supposed to be the start of a series and I know I will check out further adventures with Lily. 

Highly recommend for middle grade readers. 

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Amelia Tait for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.* 

 

Book 78: Finding Chika: A Little Girl, 

an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family 

By Mitch Albom

Read May 25th-30th

Pages: 256

Release Year: 2019

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Such a beautiful and heartbreaking book.

 

My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

I really like the topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday, especially since it gives me a chance to talk about the authors that I adore and their best books (in my opinion). Many of these books are ones I am often gushing about but I also love talking about books that do not come up as often. Here are my ten favorite authors and my favorite book by each of them. 

1. Terry Pratchett: Hogfather (Discworld #20)- One of the harder ones for me because I love so many of Terry Pratchett's books. I decided on Hogfather because it is the book I come back to every year at Christmastime. It has become one of my many traditions during the holiday season to sit down and either read the book or listen to one of the two audiobooks. It brings me absolute joy every single year. Terry was one of the best at writing such a poignant and touching story with so much heart and wit. This is true with all of his books. He was a one-of-a-kind writer who I wish would have had more time. 

2. T. Kingfisher: A Sorceress Comes to Call - My second favorite author was really no question. I started reading T. Kingfisher's books in 2024 and instantly fell in love with her writing style. Her wit is above and beyond. A Sorceress Comes to Call was my favorite book of 2024 and I still think fondly of my time reading it. T. Kingfisher does an incredible job blending both fantasy, horror, and humor in a way that makes her books really stand out to me. Hester is one of my favorite characters. I absolutely loved her narration. It surprised me how many times this very dark story had me laughing-out-loud. That is one of my favorite aspects of T. Kingfisher's writing, how much she can make me laugh even at the most unexpected places in a story. She is a wonderful writer. 

 

3. Diana Wynne Jones: Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1) - I have read many of Diana Wynne Jones's books over the years now and have become so used to her writing style. It is so distinctive. My first of her books was Howl's Moving Castle, but I have loved so many of them since. One of my favorite things while reading is when I finish a book and automatically want to pick it right back up again. I especially love when I know a book's going to be a new favorite right away. I wish I could have read Diana's books as a young reader, especially the Chrestomanci series, because I know I would have been obsessed. Though, I will say I adore them now. 

 

4. Madeline Miller: The Song of Achilles - One of the books that has been on my favorites list the longest from this entire post. I first read The Song of Achilles back in 2016, knowing full well that it was going to break my heart. Greek Mythology has been one of my biggest topics of interest ever since I was a child and the stories surrounding Achilles are very popular. Little did I know how much Patroclus and Achilles's story would touch my heart in this novel. Madeline Miller has one of the most beautiful styles of writing. I love every single thing I have ever read of hers. 

5. N. R. Walker: Dear Milton James (Dear Milton James #1) - N. R. Walker is my favorite contemporary romance writer. I have read thirty of her books so far and have enjoyed almost all of them. Dear Milton James is above and beyond my favorite of her books. I loved following the romance between Malachi and Julian as they work together at a Dead Letter Office. N. R. Walker does such a great job setting up romantic leads in her stories while also having an intriguing plot and great secondary characters. Her stories always give me great joy and have me chuckling. 

6. Chris Colfer: The Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories #3) - I first got into Chris Colfer's books because of my love of him and his character Kurt on the tv show Glee. When I heard he was writing a fairy tale retelling series, I knew I was going to have to pick it up. Fairy Tale retellings are some of my favorite stories. The Land of Stories is a series I wish I would have had growing up. I know it probably would have been my favorite series back then. The Grimm Warning is the third book in the series and is definitely my favorite of them all. I enjoy the way the Grimm brothers are used in this book and the adventures Conner and Alex go on. 

 

7. Nikita Gill: Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters - My favorite poet is Nikita Gill, who oftentimes uses popular stories in her poems to help express the ideas she is trying to convey. Great Goddesses is a volume of poems which focuses on the Greek goddesses, gods, titans, mortals, and monsters. It is a stunning collection and I have read many of the poems multiple times over the years. Along with poetry, Nikita also has stunning hand-drawn illustrations throughout the entire work. I loved her depictions of these characters and her very different looks at gods who are often depicted in a negative light, such as Ares. So much of Greek Mythology is touched on in her poetry and I cannot get enough of it. 

 

Many of my Favorite Pieces from this Volume: 

~ "What it Means to be a Forgotten Magic Maker"
~ "The Titanomachy"- I really enjoyed Hera's depiction throughout this volume.
~ "The Making of a God-Queen"
~ "Athena's Tale"- Such a great piece
~ "War and Poetry"- This and the following piece are interesting takes on Ares
~ "Ares, After"
~ "Hephaestus's Tale"
~ "Apollo to Icarus"
~ "A Friendship: Demeter and Hestia"- Loved their story of sisterhood
~ "Hades to Persephone"
~ "Persephone and Hades, After"
~ "Asterion"- Stunning take on the Minotaur
~ "Athena to Medusa"
~ "Danae, Mother of Perseus"
~ "Penelope, Wife of Odysseus"
~ "Argos, Dog of Odysseus"- This one made me tear up
~ "Iphigenia, Daughter of Agamemnon"

8. Brandon Sanderson: Tress of the Emerald Sea- One of my favorite characters from literature as I am often saying on this blog is Hoid/Wit from Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Universe. This book is a story told by Hoid who is often telling stories to other characters in the Cosmere books such as in Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2). Tress of the Emerald Sea has so much that I love in literature such as adventure, strong characters, pirates, and humor. I knew going into this book that I was most likely going to love it and was not surprised by how much I adored everything about it. It is definitely going to be one of the books I reread sometime this year. 

 

9. Natalie Haynes: A Thousand Ships- Yet another take on Greek Mythology making it on this list because of my great love for them. Natalie Haynes does one of the best jobs at taking such well-known stories in different directions. A Thousand Ships stands out just as much as Madeline Miller's books to me. It is told from the various perspectives of women about the events of the Trojan War and it's aftermath. We get a great mix of perspectives from mortals, goddesses, muses, queens, and princesses. I especially enjoyed Penelope's messages to her husband throughout the entire novel. Also, the way Cassandra's story was portrayed here. Her story has always intrigued me so much. 

10. John Green: The Anthropocene Reviewed - My first introduction to John Green was through his Youtube channel he has with his brother Hank called: Vlogbrothers. It's hard to believe that was over 16 years ago now. They are both very special people who care so deeply for the people and world around them. I love their style of videos and I still watch them to this day. The Anthropocene Reviewed is part memoir, part insights into the seemingly random, and part review. It hit me so much harder than I could have believed possible and is one of the best pieces of nonfiction I have ever read. John has such a distinct way of looking at the world and this book is full of essays on so many different and interesting topics. 

 

Two of my favorite quotes from the book:

 “... I called my brother, Hank, and told him I was feeling frightened. Hank is the levelheaded one, the sane one, the calm one. He always has been. We have never let the fact of my being older get in the way of Hank being the wise older brother.”

 "We all know what it's like to feel alone. We will all call out someday to someone who cannot answer us." 

Happy World Turtle Day! 🐢

 “The turtle moves.” - Terry Pratchett

 

I've been seeing a lot of turtles recently both at the park we go to walk at weekly and on another walking trail we take at the Riverlands in Berwick, Pa. The picture below is of some of the turtles at the Riverlands. I love that there is a day to celebrate one of my favorite animals. 

Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters

There have been many times that a secondary/minor character in a novel has made just as much of an impact for me as the main characters. This Top Ten Tuesday list has 10 of my favorite secondary characters from my favorite books and series.  

1. Hoid/Wit from the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson 

- One of my favorite characters out of any book is definitely Hoid/Wit from the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson. I first was introduced to Hoid in The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1). He appears in each of the books throughout the Cosmere and is absolutely delightful. In most of the books he is only a secondary character, but there are a few that he is the narrator of the story. 

- Some of the books that include Hoid: The Stormlight Archive and The Mistborn saga. He is the narrator of Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Fires of December (which comes out this December) 

         

2. CMOT Dibbler from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- CMOT (Cut-Me-Own-Throat) Dibbler is a street vendor in Ankh-Morpork and is often used as a running gag throughout the series. He shows up in most of the books set in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Dibbler is constantly failing at being a salesman. Though he is able to sell his sausage inna bun even to people who have gotten sick from them before. 

- Some of the books that include CMOT Dibbler: Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Soul Music, The Truth, Night Watch, and Making Money

3. Sybil from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- Lady Sybil Deidre Olgivanna Vimes (née Ramkin) is the Duchess of Ankh and is one of my favorite characters from the series. Sybil is first introduced in Guards! Guards! the first of the city watch books. She breeds dragons and is such an awesome character. I adore her and her relationship with Sam Vimes. 

- Books that include Sybil: Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, Thud!, Where's My Cow?,  and Snuff.

4. Albert from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- Albert (Alberto Malich) was the founder of the Unseen University (the wizard university in Ankh-Morpork) who tried to gain immortality. In the Discworld series he lives in Death's domain and is his man servant. 

- Books Albert appears in: Mort, Sourcery, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, The Last Continent, and The Last Hero.

5. Zale from The World of the White Rat books by T. Kingfisher- I first read about Zale in Swordheart last year and they instantly became one of my favorite characters. Zale is a priest for the Temple of the White Rat and a solicitor- sacrosanct with a focus on property law. I'm hoping they will come back into the sequel to Swordheart, Daggerbound later on this year. 

- Books Zale has appeared in so far (that I know of): Swordheart and Paladin's Grace

6. Shadow from the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett

- Shadow is a large black hound or Grim who is glamoured to look like a large dog. He is the best dog and a great companion to Emily. I really feel the scenes with Emily's anxiety about him aging. He is in each of the books of the trilogy. 

 

7. Orga from the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett 

- Orga is faerie cat who belongs to Wendell Bambleby. She is a loyal and fierce creature who helps aid Emily in her adventures throughout the Faerie realm. Orga appears in Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales. 

  

8. Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle series by Diana Wynne Jones 

- Calcifer is a sardonic fire demon who is bound to the wizard Howl by a magical contract they made. He was once a fallen star before he made his bargain with Howl.  Calcifer is described as a blue flame that turns green at the top. He has a long thin face with orange teeth. Often he is crabby, whiny and cowardly though he shows deep loyalty to those he cares for. 

- Calcifer appears in all of the books in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy. 

 

9. The Nome King from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum 

- The Nome King from The Oz series is one of my favorite villains from literature. The books he appears in from the books L. Frank Baum wrote for the series are: Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, Tik- Tok of Oz, and The Magic of Oz. 

    

10. The Hungry Tiger from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum  

- We meet the Hungry Tiger briefly in the first book in the series but his first major appearance is in the third book Ozma of Oz. There is a running gag with him where he constantly says he is so hungry he can eat a baby, but says he can’t because of his conscience. He is a good friend of the Cowardly Lion and goes on many adventures with him. 

 

- The Hungry Tiger is in many of the books written by L. Frank Baum for the Oz series: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz: "The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger," The Scarecrow of Oz, Rinkitink in Oz, and The Magic of Oz.