Books are small universes; affordable and easily carried, filled with mind-expanding possibilities. Through their pages, I explore new experiences and worlds, meet unforgettable characters, and deepen my understanding of…everything.
These are the books I read in May 2026, listed chronologically, and graded by recommendation (highly recommend, recommend, and do not recommend).
The Custom of the Country
Want a better written, more interesting The Great Gatsby? Then this high-class satire is for you!
Follow Undine Spragg (yes, really) as she travels from the upper-middle class to the 1% in early twentieth century America. I’m not saying you’ll like her, but you’ll admire her; highly recommend.
The Professor’s House
It’s just moving houses! To a nicer one, even! Not something to have a midlife crisis about.
But Professor St. Peter is tired of acquiesce, orderliness, and what his (wonderful) family expects of him. As he isolates himself in the attic of his former home a question arises: is he sick of societal mores or life itself? It’s up to interpretation and I’m interested in yours; highly recommend.
The Fountain of St. James Court, or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman
Kathryn Callaghan just finished her latest novel about the painter Elisabeth Vigee-LeBrun (pal of Marie Antionette). She’d be more celebratory about it if she wasn’t bummed about her third divorce.
Court comes with a well-worn (but well-written!) literary device: a novel-within-a-novel, describing the two women’s lives (24 hours of Kathryn’s alternating with her manuscript of Elisabeth).
The beginning and Kathryn’s sections are a bit plodding, but the perspective of elder woman creatives is worth wading through; recommend.
The Theory of the Leisure Class
Not a fun book, but a necessary book, Leisure Class makes the connection between medieval feudalism and modern society. The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?
Listen: this book will call you out; you will feel bad about your consumption and complicity. Read it anyway; highly recommend.
The Complacent Class
This is the perfect book to read after Leisure, showing how the last fiftyish years have accelerated Veblen’s observations/predictions.
You will feel even more complicit after reading this, but your feelings aren’t important. Read it anyway; highly recommend.
The Shawl
If you’re maintaining a desperate hold on emotional equilibrium, this is not the book for you. Cuz I sobbed like a baby.
Shawl. a novella centering the Holocaust, the stories survivors were forced to carry, and eventually, stifle; highly recommend.
Once Upon A Time
A well-written, sympathetic biography of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, this book did more for her character than Ryan Murphy’s Love Story ever did.
Carolyn was a fascinating, smart, and wholly individual lady, I wished we’d seen how her story played out; highly recommend.
What Remains
Carole Radziwill of The Real Housewives of New York had an interesting earlier life as an award-winning journalist, married to a prince. And that prince just happened to be first cousins with John F. Kennedy, Jr (Anthony was the son of Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ sister).
Radziwill details the horror of losing Carolyn and John three weeks before Anthony died of cancer and the delight of existing in their orbits; recommend.
Terminal Boredom
I’m mad to be this old, just discovering Izumi Suzuki. I’m also mad that she deleted herself in the ’80’s, at age thirty-seven, after writing the title story.
You can tell from the science fiction short stories in this collection that she was a light meant to burn incandescently, not long; highly recommend.
Conclusion
In the quiet company of these May 2026 reads, I found stories and echoes of the human experience: resilience in the face of despair, the enduring power of connection, and timeless wisdom woven into words.
I hope these bite size book reviews open up new literary adventures for you. What are you reading? I’d love to hear!
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Happy reading!
Love,
