For the Love of Reading, May 2026

I read 5 books in the month of May, here are my reviews

John of John by Douglas Stuart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Douglas Stuart has written another exquisitely painful and deeply personal novel that had me feeling all the feels. While nothing may ever match the personal recognition I felt reading Shuggie Bain, this is still a powerful and incredibly well-written book. The Scottish island setting feels like its own character, creating a world of crofters, sheep, wool, and weaving. Combine that with a deep-rooted commitment to the church and an unhealthy fear of God, and you get characters with incredibly limited choices for their lives. What’s truly heartbreaking is not just what they endure, but what they withhold; their hopes, desires, and truths are buried beneath obligation, fear, and habit to the point that many of them don’t even know what they actually want. And when they do, they often resign themselves to the idea that they can’t have it. Despite all of that, there is a thread of hope woven through the book—but it’s fragile and uncertain. The ending is just ambiguous enough to allow for the possibility of happiness, but it’s faint. And knowing Stuart’s tendency to absolutely destroy his readers, I hesitate to believe it’s real. Beautifully written, emotionally devastating, and steeped in Scottish culture, I highly recommend John of John for longtime Stuart fans and those new to his work alike.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

August Lane by Regina Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
August Lane tackles an important and underrepresented subject through its exploration of Black artists in the country music industry, and I appreciated the way Regina Black exposed the racism and exclusion that have historically shaped the genre. I also appreciated the handling of heavier themes like childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, and the realities of small town life. That said the central romance just didn’t really work for me. I had a hard time believing these two characters were star-crossed lovers destined to find their way back to each other, so the emotional payoff felt a little flat.
Overall, this was a solid read with thoughtful commentary and strong emotional themes, even if the romance wasn’t entirely convincing for me personally.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Middle of the Night has many of the elements of a typical Riley Sager novel: a childhood mystery that refuses to stay buried, a creepy neighborhood setting, and just enough supernatural possibility to keep me questioning what was really happening. The best thing about the book is the setting. Sager captures that unsettling feeling of familiar places becoming strange after dark, and I enjoyed the way the story revisited a childhood tragedy from an adult perspective. Overall, this was an enjoyable but ultimately average thriller for me. Recommended for fans of the genre and Riley Sager.

Whistler by Ann Patchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ann Patchett has done it again. Whistler contains all of the elements that make her novels so memorable: gorgeous writing, richly developed characters, realistic settings, and an emotional undercurrent that quietly builds until it leaves you utterly rearranged. What Patchett does so well is make ordinary human experiences feel profound. She writes about loss, aging, family, memory, and connection and in doing so creates characters who feel alive and relatable. The relationships are complex and also authentic, and every chapter carries emotional weight. While Patchett tackles the difficult truths about time, grief, and the ways people disappoint one another, she never loses sight of tenderness or hope, and she never becomes overly sentimental. She understands and conveys that families are complicated and built as much on memory and obligation as on love. I adored this novel from beginning to end. It may actually be my favorite Ann Patchett novel after Bel Canto, which is saying a lot. Beautifully written, emotionally intelligent, and deeply human, Whistler is exactly the kind of literary fiction I love most.
I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Children by Melissa Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Melissa Albert’s The Children isn’t typically the kind of book I gravitate toward, but I ended up appreciating quite a bit about it. The eerie forest setting, the unsettling mystery surrounding the house, and the questions about where the mother’s inspiration came from created a genuinely creepy atmosphere that kept pulling me forward. Albert does a great job building that sense of unease throughout the novel. I also thought the book handled childhood trauma thoughtfully, giving the story more emotional depth beneath the mystery and horror elements. The pacing dragged a bit for me in the middle, and I occasionally wanted the story to move more quickly toward its answers. Still, I appreciated that Albert ultimately wrapped up enough of the mystery to feel satisfying while leaving things open-ended enough that a sequel would make sense. Even though this isn’t my usual genre, I can absolutely see why readers who enjoy atmospheric, unsettling stories would connect with it.
I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hope you found something to add to your TBR!