Books Added to My Shelves in May 2025

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in May 2025. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were purchased, or were given to me as gifts. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres, including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few updates from our family’s life in the last month as well.

Family and Life Update

I attended a fun event at Sea Love in Marion where I could create my own candle. Sippin’ Sunshine has notes of coconut, mango, and champagne.

We were in Pella for the last day of the Tulip Festival to be part of the Tulip Time Worship Service since Patrick was leading the music. We got one last glimpse of the tulips.

We spent Mother’s Day in West Des Moines and Waukee. I love when all of us can be together!

We moved Reagan back home for the summer along with her kitty, Mini. That’s been an adjustment with our cat, Stormy, but it’s been fun to have a younger cat in the house again.

I spent a few days at my mom’s while family was visiting, so you know we had to go to Dairy Queen! My nephew owns the DQ in West Union, Iowa. Be sure to stop by if you are close by.

We had to replace our town’s Little Free Library due to vandalism. Pat put it together, and my friend, Mary, and I planted the flowers. (The vandals were caught and performed community service, so I hope they learned their lesson.)

Now, on to the books! 

Many have termed the month of May as Maycember. It definitely felt that way when we had kids in school, and for some reason, it seemed just a full for me as an empty nester.

I finished 6 books in May, even with a full schedule and some time at my mom’s. I hope this encourages you to read in the small and big pockets of your day. Even 10 minutes at a time can make a big difference. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, HERE, to see snippets of what I’m reading or what’s going on in my daily life.

This month’s list includes buzz-worthy books, fiction, historical fiction, and non-fiction. Of course, I’m also sharing some great children’s picture books, board books, and a middle-grade title perfect for summer reading. My current reads include HORSE for book club, GITEL’S FREEDOM and THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB for review, and I’m listening to LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET and Tom Selleck’s memoir, YOU NEVER KNOW.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see all of them by clicking HERE.  Or you can stay up to date with my monthly Quick Lit Roundup.

Clicking the photos of each book will take you to a link to purchase. If you choose to purchase through any of the links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

ADULT FICTION AND NON-FICTION

FINDING GRACE
By: Loretta Rothschild
Published: July 8, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

This one is getting tons of buzz, and readers are saying it will grab you in the first few sentences.

Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom (even if he does work one hundred hours a week). But her longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever.

Years later Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families’ lives in ways he could not have foreseen. As the consequences of that fateful choice unfold, two women’s paths become irrevocably intertwined. But when old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?

SPECTACULAR THINGS
By: Beck Dorey-Stein
Published: July 1, 2025
Publisher: The Dial Press
Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

I love a sister story.

Mia and Cricket have always been close. The gifted daughters of a young single mother, the “Lowe girls” are well-known in their small Maine hometown. Each sister has a role to fill: The responsible and academically minded Mia assumes the position of caregiver far too young, while Cricket, a bouncing ball of energy and talent, seems born for soccer stardom. But the cost of achieving athletic greatness comes at a steep price.

As Mia and Cricket grow up, they must grapple with the legacy of their mother’s secret past while navigating their own precarious future. Can Mia allow herself to fall in love at the risk of repeating a terrible history? Will Cricket’s relentless chase of a lifelong goal drive away her sister? When does loyalty become self-sabotage?

THE BAKER OF LOST MEMORIES
By: Shirley Russak Wachtel
Published: June 1, 2025
Publisher: Little A
Historical Fiction
Format: eBook purchase

The cover of this one reminds me of going to my Great Grandma Wilma’s house when I was a child. It was one of the FREE Kindle First Reads books last month.

Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached.

The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges college, love and marriage with a wonderful man, the dream of owning a bakery becoming a reality, and the hope that someday Pearl will return to share in Lena’s happiness—and to be there for her during the unexpected losses to come.

Only when Lena discovers the depth of her parents’ anguish, and a startling truth about her own past, can they rebuild a family and overcome the heart-wrenching memories that have torn them apart.

THE TO-DO LIST
By: Mike Gayle
Published: December 27, 2008
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Fiction
Format: eBook purchase

I’m a Mike Gayle fan. Two months ago, I purchased his new short story. This one was on a Kindle deal last month, and I grabbed it.

Would a proper adult ignore the spilt milk under the fridge for weeks? Would a proper adult take three years to post a solitary Christmas card? Would a proper adult have decades-old underwear in active service? Mike Gayle is nowhere near being a proper adult — even though his tenth wedding anniversary is looming; his second child is due any moment; and in less than twenty-four hours he is going to be officially closer to forty than he is to thirty. Appalled by this lack of maturity, Mike draws up a To-Do list containing every single item he’s been meaning to do but just keeps putting off…He’s got a lot of stuff that needs doing. But unlike previous To-Do lists, he promises himself that this one will actually get DONE. And along the way, Mike will learn stuff about life (323), love (999), friends (1004) and family (9) and finally work out what it means to be a grown up (846).

HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS
By: Allison Larkin
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Gallery Books
Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Audible

I loved Larkin’s THE PEOPLE WE KEEP, so I immediately used my Audible credit to grab this one as soon as I heard she had a new book out. Plus, I also love to read any books about the circus.

After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago.

Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home.

ARISTOTLE’S GUIDE TO SELF-PERSUASION
How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life
By: Jay Heinrichs
Published: July 15, 2025
Publisher: Crown
Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback for Review

I thought this book sounded pretty interesting.

Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been tested for more than three thousand years. In Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion, Heinrichs helps readers persuade their most difficult audiences—themselves—by using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by our culture’s most persuasive characters. With their help, rhetoric can convert the most negative situations into positive ones. 

Heinrichs brings in examples from history and pop culture—Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie—to illustrate the concepts. But the core of the book tests the tools of self-persuasion and Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books, and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?

Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the power of what language can do for you, Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself.

GLUCOSE REVOLUTION
By: Jessie Inchauspé
Published: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Simon Element
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase

I am hearing about this book everywhere I go. I know so many people reading it right now.

Improve all areas of your health—your sleep, cravings, mood, energy, skin, weight—and even slow down aging with easy, science-based hacks to manage your blood sugar while still eating the foods you love.

Glucose, or blood sugar, is a tiny molecule in our body that has a huge impact on our health. It enters our bloodstream through the starchy or sweet foods we eat. Ninety percent of us suffer from too much glucose in our system—and most of us don’t know it.

The symptoms? Cravings, fatigue, infertility, hormonal issues, acne, wrinkles… And over time, the development of conditions like type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancer, dementia, and heart disease.

Drawing on cutting-edge science and her own pioneering research, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé offers ten simple, surprising hacks to help you balance your glucose levels and reverse your symptoms—without going on a diet or giving up the foods you love. For example:
* How eating foods in the right order will make you lose weight effortlessly
* What secret ingredient will allow you to eat dessert and still go into fat-burning mode
* What small change to your breakfast will unlock energy and cut your cravings

Both entertaining, informative, and packed with the latest scientific data, this book presents a new way to think about better health. Glucose Revolution is chock-full of tips that can drastically and immediately improve your life, whatever your dietary preferences.

EVERYDAY PRAYERS FOR LOVE
Learning to Love God, Others, and Even Yourself
By: Rachael Adams
Published: December 3, 2024
Publisher: Whitaker House
Christian Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback Purchase

I’m not exactly sure where I heard about this one, but it was in my Amazon cart, and I noticed the paperback copy was only $3, so I decided to order a copy to use as a devotional reading next year. As of this writing, it is only $2.50 for the paperback copy!

Rachael Adams was sitting in a church pew one Sunday morning when a love offering envelope caught her eye. She sensed the Lord whisper to her heart, “You are My love offering. I’ve given you My love. Now how are you going to give My love to those around you?” Rachael’s heart overflowed; she felt a burning desire to help others feel God’s precious gift. In Everyday Prayers for Learning to Love God, Others, and Even Yourself, Rachael extends the tender invitation from a loving God to His beloved. She explores the concept of biblical love and then guides readers through practical ways to live out love for others. In this thirty-one-day devotional and reflective journal for women, you • Realize that God is love • Understand the characteristics of biblical love • Grasp how much God truly loves you • Learn how to love yourself • Live out love through your actions toward others • Experience fulfillment through living out your purpose to love • Develop a deeper prayer lifeEveryday Prayers for Love will help you discover who God is leading you to love in a tangible way—and motivate you to impact others with the gift of love.

HORSE
By: Geraldine Brooks
Published: June 14, 2022
Publisher: Viking
Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback Purchase

This is our book club choice for this month. I previously read CALEB’S CROSSING by Brooks. I’ve heard good things about this one.

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse–one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.

Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.

CHILDREN’S FICTION AND NON-FICTION

OUR GORGEOUS BABY
By: Smriti Prasadam-Halls
Illustrated by: Eve Coy
Published: March 18, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Board Book for Review

All the joy of having a new baby in the house, along with the not-so-enjoyable parts.

Baby’s eyes are not brighter than the sun. And she isn’t as light as a feather—she weighs a ton! Less princess than clown, with a voice a little more screechy than angelic, this baby may keep their family up at night, but no one could love baby more. With lyrical humor, Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Eve Coy reflect the routine chaos a new baby brings, showing that even the noisiest, smelliest, and messiest of babies poses no challenge to the bonds of affection that smitten families—older siblings included!—have with their gorgeous babies.

PEEKABOO DOG
By: Camilla Reid
Illustrated by: Ingela P Arrheneus
Published: February 19, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Interactive Board Book for Review

Babies love to play peekaboo, and the interactive features on each page make this one a fun read-aloud. I’ve shared other books illustrated by Ingela Arrheneus, HERE.

Babies and the very youngest of children are fascinated by animals, and they’ll love this dog-themed book. Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with a smooth mechanism to push, pull, or turn on every page, makes this a totally irresistible board book that toddlers will want to read again and again.

ANIMALS EVERYWHERE
A Lift, Look, and Find Book
By: Stéphanie Babin
Illustrated by: Sophie Ledesma, Robert Barborini, Marie Caudry, Jessica Das, Marie Kyprianou, and Charlotte Roederer
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: Twirl
Non-Fiction
Format: Interactive Board Book for Review

A search-and-find lift-the-flap board book featuring animals in various habitats makes this a fun learning read-aloud. I’ve shared other books by Babin, HERE.

Tigers, toucans, butterflies, and more! Children will love poring over every scene of this oversize look-and-find book with foldout pages and flaps. Featuring animals that live in the backyard, the forest, and even the polar regions, this interactive book will engage curious children and help develop their concentration and observations skills.

EVERY DAY MAGIC
By: Melanie Lane Dunham
Illustrated by: Naty Scabuso
Published: March 24, 2025
Publisher: Paper House
Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

I’ve already reviewed this one, HERE.

THE GREATEST GIFT
By: Emma Dodd
Published: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Templar
Fiction
Format: Picture Book for Review

A little zebra learns about the greatest gift you can give…love.

If I could, I’d give you
the best that life can bring—
the freedom to dance
and a song to sing.

Featuring a gentle rhyme and adorable baby zebra, The Greatest Gift teaches young readers about the strength of love and the unconditional acceptance between parent and baby.

MAKING LIGHT BLOOM: CLARA DRISCOLL AND THE TIFFANY LAMPS
By: Sandra Nickel
Illustrated by: Julie Paschkis
Published: June 25, 2025
Publisher: Peachtree Books
Non-Fiction/Biography
Format: Picture Book for Review

Most kids probably have no idea what a Tiffany lamp is today. I’m excited to read this one about Clara Driscoll. Sandra Nickel’s books are always a favorite.

Drawing inspiration from her childhood gardens, Clara Driscoll created designs for Louis C. Tiffany’s stained glass windows. Clara had such a flare for glass that Tiffany put her in charge of a special workroom, staffed with women—called the Tiffany Girls. But Clara wanted more. She wanted to create a three-dimensional work that would make light bloom. So she figured out how to engineer a lamp—how to shape and bend glass and light it so that her designs sprung to colorful, vivid life.

Today, we all recognize Tiffany lamps, but we almost forgot the woman who created them. Extensive back matter features more information about Clara Driscoll, her letters, and her design and manufacturing process, as well as bibliography and sources.

HAZEL THE HANDFUL
By: Jamie Michalak
Illustrated by: Matt Myers
Published: April 1, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Picture Book for Review

Hazel is a tiny dog, but she can create a mess. She and Bea were best friends until a new baby arrived. Now, Hazel isn’t the center of attention anymore.

People stop to say, “Oh, what a cutie patootie baby!”
What? Is it not clear? I am the patootie.

Follow the adorable puppy Hazel through a typical day at home, where she rules the roost. Check out the dozens of toys, the nifty stroller, the comfy places to take her (many) naps, the various tasty snacks, and most of all, lots of quality time with her girl, Bea. Together, Hazel and Bea are sensational. Until the baby arrives, that is, and everything changes. Now Hazel isn’t always the center of attention—even Nana barely has time for a cuddle. Things have gone too far! But when Hazel runs off to hide, the family is desperate to find her, and Hazel is reminded just how much she is loved. In this endearing comedy for dog lovers and expanding families from a stellar creative team, there’s room for everyone in the hug circle—and messy new arrivals who drop enticing crumbs turn out to be not so bad after all.

FIRST THERE WAS ME, THEN THERE WAS YOU
By: Yvonne Sewankambo
Illustrated by: Aurore McLeod
Published: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Picture Book for Review

Big Brother is excited for his new baby sister. Once she is old enough, he can’t wait to show her all the fun things to do. Great for families with a new baby on the way.

A heartwarming story of new siblings captures the friendship, imagination, and occasional rivalry of a brother and baby sister growing up together.

You were as small as a pumpkin,
with a cute button nose.
It was love at first sight . . .

When a big brother meets the baby sibling he’s been waiting for, he loves her immediately, but is a little disappointed at how little she can do. Soon it’s time to show her the ropes! Walking, talking, hide-and-seek, reading, making Mom and Dad laugh—he’s got her covered. Even through tantrums and squabbles, each day they learn new things or make new friends, and wherever they go, they can always count on each other. In a charmingly illustrated story with sure appeal for families introducing a new baby, Ugandan-Canadian-Australian author Yvonne Sewankambo and illustrator Aurore McLeod relay the magic (and occasional missteps) of sibling relationships everywhere.

LOON COVE SUMMER
By: Donna Galanti
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Wild Trail Press
Middle Grade Fiction
Format: Paperback for Review

A perfect middle-grade read for the summer!

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center.

The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when she suspects Dad is dating Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a new world of grief.

With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her late mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks-or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.

Which books are you adding to your reading list?

Click HERE to see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves.

So many books, so little time!