May 2026 Reads
This May has felt very characterized by the weather, to me. The month has gone back and forth constantly between cold and rainy sweater weather (not that I’m complaining) to swampy heat, with little in between. That said, those few warm-but-not-hot, breezy not muggy days stood out all the more for their rarity. At the time of writing this, the giant event that is Free Comic Book Day feels months ago, not weeks; the passage of time becomes more inscrutable to me by the day. Yesterday, my partner’s band performed for a local music festival, to great success; I was super excited for them to have this opportunity, and had been the one who came up with the idea of them applying to play, and so I felt especially invested in making sure they had a nice event. Honestly I feel like I spent most of this month looking forward to it, and now that it’s behind me, I’m ready to move fully into summer as we enter June. As always, I feel like I’m wishing for more restful weekends in the coming weeks — I genuinely could use some time being bored right about now. Then again, I don’t really believe in being bored; I always find something to do! Usually it’s picking up a good book, hence this blog!
Without further ado, here are my May reads.
THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER
Corinne Leigh Clark, David Demchuk (2025)
This book was crazy. What I mean when I say this is, it genuinely took me for a ride in terms of the outlandish events presented. There are books, including this one, that tell you straight to your face “the narrator is unreliable” and you’re like “okay cool” and you take that into account as you read, and if it’s effectively done, you should be left questioning throughout “hmmm is this real or not?”, and maybe at the end you find out, and maybe you don’t. While nothing in The Butcher’s Daughter is so outright far-fetched as to make you feel like “there’s no way that really happened to our narrator” the entire book feels so heightened and surreal that the effect somehow….doesn’t quite work. I neither fully distrusted our narrator nor did I buy into the narrative enough to feel completely sympathetic to her either.
Given that this is the account of Mrs. Lovett, of the famous Sweeny Todd myth/musical (depending on where you’re approaching the story from) and the subtitle of the novel being “the hitherto untold story” I expected something that subverted expectations and presented the character in a new light. And it does….up until then end….where —SPOILERS — she’s just….a cannibal? So maybe they subverted my expectation of having traditionally subverted expectations? Subverse-ception?
However it occurred to me after some time spent thinking about it that perhaps this book is just a modern penny dreadful, the pulpy scandal and violence filled books of the time period the narrative itself takes place, and where Sweeny Todd first gained prominence. And if I think about The Butcher’s Daughter in those terms….it’s a highly successful piece in that regard! Pure period trash fiction, said as a compliment. That’s not to say there isn’t merit to perhaps inspecting the veracity of some of Mrs. Lovett’s statements, or reading in between the lines, but I think overly focusing on that kind of critical reading honestly kind of took away from my experience.
Check it out, enjoy it, but also, don’t think too hard about it, like I did.
LISTEN FOR THE LIE
Amy Tintera (2024)
I think it’s kinda funny, in a way, that for the second month in a row, I find myself reading book with a main character named Lucy. I enjoyed Listen for the Lie quite a bit more than Undying, although that’s admittedly kind of a low bar.
I don’t really have super strong feelings about this book if I’m completely honest. I would put this strongly in the “beach reads” category of book — fast paced with short chapters that would make it easy to breeze through in let’s say a three day weekend at the lake. It’s a mystery thriller filled with all the tropes: a small town, a dead girl, a quirky heroine, and everyone sleeping with everyone else. Just enough drama to keep you entertained but not something I imagine I’ll read over and over again — although I can absolutely see myself recommending it to my mom.
The hook of this book is that our main character, Lucy, is the subject of a true crime podcast, where she is the potential murderer. This angle was definitely what got me to pick up the book at all, as an avid listener of true crime. I was curious to see if it would address any of the moral or ethic debates behind the popularity of true crime media; True crime podcasts and shows can bring awareness to unsolved cases from years past and help victims find justice and their families find closure, however some folks reasonably view it as an industry profiting from human suffering. Does Listen to the Lie draw any conclusions about this dilemma? Not really! But I also realized pretty quickly that that’s very clearly not what it was about, and I decided to take it for what it is (perhaps a lesson learned after The Butcher’s Daughter previously)
This is a solid 3 out of 5 for me — it accomplishes what I think it sets out to do, no more and no less.
KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE
Jun Mayazuki (2020-2026; 2022-2026)
Kowloon Generic Romance is a manga series I feel extremely strongly about; despite having a live-action and anime adaptation in Japan (before the manga was concluded, mind you) I feel like at least in the west, the cultural impact has been significantly smaller than other manga/anime series. And to me, that’s a real shame.
Kowloon Generic Romance is preoccupied with the relationship between love and nostalgia, and more than that, the subjective relationship an individual holds with identity. I don’t want to delve overly deeply into this series here, because it has a twisty plot, and the author is a master of unraveling the narrative at an addicting pace — as some mysteries are solved, Mayazuki new puzzles are introduced , which left me hooked from the first volume. To spoil literally any of it here would be a crime, this is absolutely a series that must be read and experienced.
This time around, I re-read the entire series, all the way up to the most recent volume, volume 10, in anticipation of the recently released volume 11 (the series appears to conclude in Japan with volume 12, so as we quickly approach the conclusion, I wanted to refresh myself on the details) and I have to say, this is one of the tightest written manga I’ve read in ages.
If this is a series you haven’t acquainted yourself with, do yourself a favor. It’s a romance, it’s science-fiction, it’s a meditative piece on what it means to discover and define oneself. And it’s my biggest manga obsession of the last few years (alongside Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You which I expect I’ll be covering on this blog sooner rather than later) for a reason.
STIFF: THE CURIOUS LIVES OF HUMAN CADAVERS
Mary Roach (2003)
There’s something kind of poetic about watching a non-fiction darling from over 20 years ago resurrected (pun intended) as a staple of the currently trending “weird girl lit” genre. As a lifelong “weird girl” myself, I find it amusing to see this explosion in popularity, which seems sort of antithesis to the concept of weird, in my opinion, but I digress.
Stiff is an informative and lighthearted look at what happens to corpses after we shuffle off this mortal coil. From organ donation and body farms, to scientific study, there’s a lot more going on than you might expect!
The genius in this book is its handling of subject matter that might be considered morbid or troubling to the average reader, which it delivers with a surprising blend of humor and heart that never feels disrespectful.
One thing I WILL say about this book is that it is…dated. Stiff was published in 2003, and I would love to see a new updated edition someday, if Ms. Roach were ever up to it. What new technologies are we using on our corporeal friends? Do certain movements and attitudes still hold sway, or have the times changed?
Also FYI there is a pre-US Governmental Dr. Oz jumpscare in this book so be prepared for that (possibly the most frightening thing in a book about corpses!)
Check out Stiff if you’re the kind of person who’s curious, has a love of learning, and isn’t squeamish. I promise you’ll come away with SO many fun party tidbits.
AFFINITY
Sarah Waters (1999)
I was recommended Affinity probably over a year ago, searching for suggestions for a person (me) who loved the book Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. This book (and author Sarah Waters in general) came recommended for the Victorian Era atmosphere, queer characters, and the hint of the supernatural. I don’t think this book hits quite as hard for me as Plain Bad Heroines did, but I DID enjoy my time with Affinity and also would recommend it to readers with similar tastes.
Affinity follows Margaret Prior, a woman who, shortly after the death of her beloved father, has begun to fill her time by visiting the female inmates of the Millbank Prison, a real world prison of the time. As a proper lady, she’s meant to be a good example for the unfortunates there, who are locked up for a variety of reasons, some of which of course read as terribly outdated and tragic. While there, she meets a prisoner named Selina Dawes, a notorious Spiritualist imprisoned for the mysterious death of her patron. Margaret is immediately struck by something about Selina, and after spending some time with her, becomes convinced of Selina’s powers after she exhibits knowledge of things about Margaret that she couldn’t possibly know.
One thing I loved about this work was how meticulously researched it felt. It went over many aspects of prison life, reflecting the real women who would have worked and lived there. That level of authenticity really elevated the story for me, although to be completely honest I think it could have used ever so slightly less description of the walls and floors of the prison, and more time with the characters themselves, just for the pure dramatic tension.
Speaking of dramatic tension, the twist ending of this book really took me by surprise — I knew I was getting a bad feeling about things a few chapters away from the ending, but I still found myself with a sinking feeling when we got there.
THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES
GIDEON THE NINTH ✦︎
HARROW THE NINTH ✦︎
NONA THE NINTH
Tamsyn Muir (2019, 2020, 2022)
This trilogy delights and baffles me in equal measure. This was a re-read of all three books; my second time reading each of them.
Gideon The Ninth was a book cover I was aware of from online spaces, and kind of avoided for years. It seemed too….Tumblr adjacent. And that correlation makes sense, given that the author is (or was) an avid Tumblr user. The sense of humor she uses in the book is certainly evidence of that. But to chalk this up as “fantasy sci fi for people who spend too much time sending each other memes” would be simply unfair.
The Locked Tomb series (previously the Locked Tomb trilogy but so much for that) starts with a kind of combination tournament/challenge/murder mystery with a limited cast of characters, and unfolds from there into something so broad and hard to define that I genuinely felt to myself that maybe I’m too stupid for these books.
Upon first reading of Gideon, I was hooked; Harrow had me a bit perplexed as to where it was going but the payoff at the end made the whole book worth the read, and Nona….I honestly kind of disliked at first reading. Genuinely I was experiencing diminishing returns with each volume I read. However, having revisited the series thus far, I can say that The Locked Tomb thoroughly rewards you for returning to it for a reread. So much makes sense once you have further context of events that happen later, or that you learn down the road.
I would say “I don’t want to spoil anything” here but I genuinely don’t know that even if I DID it would make any sense, probably, and there’s a 90% chance I’d be spoiling it wrong anyway because maybe I didn’t understand what I thought I was understanding.
You might wonder what’s to love about a book series that sounds so utterly flummoxing. The answer is: fascinating world building, complex characters, a nuanced magic system and yes, occasionally a well placed meme.
HARLEEN
Stjepan Šejić (2020)
I used to be a really big fan of Harley Quinn; I grew up with the character, as she was introduced in Batman: The Animated Series from the ‘90s. However over time, as the character changed, I kind of fell out of love with her.
Harleen is the rare exception of a modern comic that I think does the original character justice.
This comic focuses on Harley Quinn’s time as a driven student, and then a driven woman, whose single-minded pursuit of her goals more than once leads her to making bad decisions. But this isn’t solely a cautionary tale about ambition, although it is that as well.
Šejić’s artwork is GORGEOUS, and I loved seeing his take on classic character and villain designs. His narration as Harleen feels completely relatable, you can easily put yourself in her frame of mind as she does what she does, so when she inevitably loses herself to the seduction of villainy, even if you hate to see her do it, you DO kinda get it. I also believe this is one of the few modern books that’s brave enough to posit the idea that Joker DOES love Harley — even if in a way he’s unable or unwilling to understand. You’re left wondering if any of what happened between the two of them was ever real, and since the other books in this series, originally conceived as a trilogy leading into the Harley/Ivy relationship, appears to be scrapped for the foreseeable future, I’ll just keep coming back to this book for the great art, the very human characterizations, and the mess.
NARROW ROOMS
Choi Sungmin (2026)
Narrow Rooms is a book about looking at others, being looked at, and the difference between seeing and actually being perceived.
This graphic novel follows an introverted young woman, Daye, going through art school, who finds herself the subject of unwanted advances from the school director. At the same time, a handsome young man moves in to the apartment next door to Daye, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with him through the fleeting glimpses she sees.
She descends into increasingly obsessive behavior trying to get close to this strange man, and it reads as kind of pathetic. I think Daye knows this, knows her actions are strange, but she doesn’t seem willing or able to stop.
The book is peppered throughout with the lives and perspectives of some of her classmates, who she never quite manages to connect to, but we get to see. They deal with their own jealousies, insecurities, and relationships, that sometimes do or don’t tie directly back to Daye and her mystery man; leading to an ultimate twist at the end that connects the threads together.
The art in this book is very clean, with simple lines and flat colors, but still manages to be expressive throughout, which I enjoyed.
In case you didn’t notice, this post is coming up a little later — I read so much this month I didn’t really leave myself time to chronicle all my thoughts! But really, having a lot to read isn’t such a bad problem to have. I’m already ankle deep in my June reads, so I’ll part for now and get back to it!
—M.