May 2026 Reading Wrap-Up

Hello and welcome to my May 2026 reading wrap-up! I finished reading 12 books in May, which is around my usual average. However, I also DNF’d several (most notably The Wedding People, I’ll Watch Your Baby, and The Downloaded) and started a few others that I didn’t manage to finish by the end of the month (Dark Is When the Devil Comes, Marion, and Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World). I’ve been teetering on the brink of a major reading slump, so if a book didn’t immediately grab me and keep me turning pages, I dropped it and looked for one that did.

At some point in the month, my brain finally made the switch from its Winter Mode of wanting to read mostly horror and thrillers to its Summer Mode of craving science fiction and classics. But at the same time, I was working on a Reading My Physical TBR bingo board created by Mikala at Ghosts in the Library on YouTube, because my physical TBR is getting out of control. I didn’t manage to get a bingo, but I did read 5 physical books I own this month, which is the best I’ve done all year. The rest were from the library and Libby.

PLEASE NOTE: The title of each book links to its corresponding Goodreads page in case you want more information. Beside each title are affiliate links to each book on Bookshop.org (a great resource for Americans and Brits who would like to order books online but still support their local independent bookstores) and also on Booksellers.ca (the Canadian version of the same concept). I’ll receive a small commission from any purchase you make through the affiliate links, which I will put towards paying the blog bills.

On to the 12 books I finished in May!

Starting with my least favourites

The Whistling by Rebecca Netley ( sadly not sold on Bookshop.org | buy on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐

I had high hopes for this one, but overall I found it weak.

Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐

I’ve been wanting to read this Canadian classic for a while. I thought at first it was going to be a masculine version of L.M. Montgomery-type storytelling, edgier but full of the magic of childhood. That’s not what it turned out to be, though. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the Canadian prairies, but with its coarser language and subject matter, it seems aimed at a more adult audience.

It’s also a bit meandering at times. Random chapter-long anecdotes are sprinkled throughout, where one aspect of a character’s life will be under the microscope, and these chapters can cover months or even years without seeming to overlap with any other storylines going on. And characters that appear halfway through the book are suddenly main characters whose love lives we’re supposed to care about. I don’t know, I didn’t love this book, sadly. Beautifully written, but that wasn’t enough for me.

A couple of mediocre works from great authors

Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐

I’ll be making a post about this one soon for a Reading-Steinbeck-in-Two-Years project I’m working on. It was his first published novel, and honestly, it shows. Still fun in spots, though.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐

Not my favourite from Grady Hendrix, but I’ve heard some really scathing reviews of this one, and I don’t think they’re warranted. Then again, I’ve never liked the older slasher movies, so I rather enjoyed the way Hendrix calls out their misogyny and exploitation of women. Maybe that didn’t go over well with some slasher fans, but it was my favourite aspect of this book.

I predicted who the killer was pretty early, but there were a couple of surprises along the way. I liked the dynamics between the Final Girls. Was a little bored at times in the middle. I don’t know, this was a so-so read for me. I think it would have been better if it had been clear all the way through whether it was a parody, an homage, or a critique of the slasher genre, rather than vacillating between the three.

An important read for Canadians

21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act by Bob Joseph ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a really important read for Canadians. The 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is clear on how Indigenous peoples throughout the world are to be treated, but the Indigenous people of Canada are still living under legislation set in place during the most racist period of our government’s history (the Indian Act). It has to change. This short book spells out what those changes need to be, and what improvements those changes will make for Indigenous peoples and the rest of Canada.

My one quibble is that at times it’s a bit dry and academic and might not maintain the focus of a casual reader. I wish Joseph had added in more personal anecdotes, like the story of his difficulty getting credit to buy a car as a Status Indian. Personal touches like that really bring the injustice to light in a way all Canadians can see, but many chapters don’t have them. Other than that, though, it’s a good read and very informative.

Some fun rides

The Deep by Nick Cutter ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was in the mood for some atmospheric scifi horror, and this book certainly delivered. It helped that I have an intense fear of both the ocean and of tall (or deep, apparently) things, and it takes place at the bottom of the 8-mile cliffs of the Mariana Trench. Yeah, NO THANK YOU. I was suitably horrified throughout.

However, there were times when I got really tired of the gore and over-the-top disturbing imagery. I’m not gore-averse, per se, but it should serve a purpose, imo. It starts to bug me when it feels like the author is just enjoying the idea of grossing out the reader. (I grew up with older brothers. I recognize it when I see it.) It loses its effect for me then.

Overall, though, this book gave me the vibes I was looking for, and the writing and characterizations were pretty good, too, so I can’t be too mad at it.

The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read a few of Christopher Pike’s YA novels as a kid, but they were a little too “mature” for me at the time, so I never got into him the way I got into R.L. Stine. I’m pretty sure I never read The Midnight Club, though, and didn’t even know it existed until Mike Flanagan turned it into a Netflix series.

I LOVED the series, btw. It deserved a second season. But after reading the book it was based on, I feel like I’ve had some closure.

Flanagan must have loved this book. For the series, he kept all the things about the novel that make it heartwarming and special, and added just enough to strengthen its weak points. It’s a beautiful story, however it’s told. If you watched the series and felt short-changed by the way it ended, I highly recommend reading the book. Certain questions the series left us with are answered here. If you’ve already read the book, I highly recommend checking out the series. It brings these characters and their stories to life beautifully. And if you’ve neither read the book nor watched the series, obviously I highly recommend both!

Five by Ilona Bannister ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was one of my most-anticipated books of the year, and I devoured it in just over a day. I’m walking away from it with slightly mixed feelings, but I mostly enjoyed it.

I loved how the narrator includes the reader in the whole process. Loved the way the timeline jumps between the moments leading up to The Death and each character’s backstory. Loved how the way it plays out tricks you into hoping for certain fates for certain characters, and then forces you to confront your reasoning for that.

Didn’t love how long some of the backstories lasted or the similar beats some of them hit. It needed to be quicker-paced than that, in my opinion. And I also didn’t love that the author made specific assumptions about who we expected to die, in the same breath as acknowledging that different people will see it different ways and therefore can have great book club discussions. I “hoped for” (not really) an outcome that the author didn’t seem to consider, and that was a bit of a letdown. In my opinion, she should have either explored all possible expectations or else none of them, rather than seeming to expect everyone to think one of two ways. I don’t know.

Anyway, it’s a great read and I recommend it.

A couple of good scares

Strange Weather by Joe Hill ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a collection of 4 novellas:

Snapshot: 5 stars, loved it. A Polaroid camera that takes away your memories with every picture taken of you. Equally creepy and heartwrenching. I actually cried a bit at the end.

Loaded: 3 stars. Somehow manages to be a commentary on climate change, racism, and America’s gun cult(ure) at the same time. It was a while before I understood where this story was going, and I didn’t fully care once we got there. Not a bad story by any means, just not for me.

Aloft: 3 stars. Really cool concept, where a guy parachutes out of a plane and lands on a not-cloud. Didn’t completely love the direction it took, but it was a fun ride.

Rain: 4 stars. Extremely cool (and terrifying!) concept, where a chemical compound is released into the sky that turns raindrops into crystal spikes. I really loved this one, but some of the dialogue got a bit expositiony.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this collection! And I’ll always be a tiny bit scared of clouds..

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The real horror was the patriarchy all along. This book is 60 years old now, and the hype is still real.

An important read for pretty much everyone

Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In my opinion, this little novella will become the quintessential literary response to the early 21st century’s migrant crisis.

Examining the issue through the narration of a person who simply doesn’t care is actually genius. All the popular anti-migrant arguments are here, and the narrator’s own voice gives them away for what they truly are – self-centred and heartless crap. This novella doesn’t rely on saccharine heartstring-pulling, like other books about the migrant crisis I’ve read. It’s philosophical, symbolic, and beautifully profound. This is a book that deserves to be studied for years to come.

And 2 new additions to my top 10 reads of the year

The Country Will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read this because I heard it was similar to Iain Reid’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and I can definitely understand the comparison. Apparently this kind of melancholy, mind-bendy, abstract weirdness is my favourite thing to read right now? I absolutely loved it. Took me barely 2 hours to read it, but it’ll be living rent-free in my mind for a long time.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer ( on Bookshop.org | on Booksellers.ca )

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really really really enjoyed this. I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love books that make you dig into subtext for the answers and still leave lots of questions to debate forevermore. And the codes Kliewer hid in plain sight! Clever touch. Loved it.