Books Added to My Shelves in May 2026

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in May 2026. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers; others were purchased or 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 over the last month.

Family and Life Update

I helped host a bridal shower for my niece, Angie. It was a fun morning, and so great to celebrate her upcoming wedding.

My friend Bekcy and I went to Pella for Tulip Time. Even though the tulips were mostly done, we still had a blast shopping, eating, and walking through the town.

We spent Mother’s Day in Pella for the Tulip Time worship service that Patrick is part of, and then dinner together as a family.

Pat and I went to Washington, D.C. for 3 days. You can read all about that trip, HERE.

I finished my 16th year of subbing. Got the garden and all of the flowers planted, found time to sit in the sun, and worked on some projects in the house. Bring on Summer!!

I finished 9 books in May, including a couple of romance novels, some fiction, a mystery, historical fiction, and memoirs. We also watched several movies lately. I loved Netflix’s adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures. Well done!! Michael with Jaafar Jackson playing Michael Jackson was so fabulous. I can’t wait for the sequel. Project Hail Mary lived up to my expectations after reading the book.

My current reads include JUNE BABY for review, LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE for my 2026 challenge of reading the books I received as gifts, HELLO, SUMMER for book club, and I’m listening to THE DEAD ROMANTICS.

This month’s new book stack includes fiction, a mystery, memoirs, cookbooks, a nonfiction book, and a few children’s books.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see them all 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 purchase link. 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

BREATHING UNDER WATER
By: Jacqueline Friedland
Published: August 4, 2026
Publisher: Harper Muse
Fiction
Format: Paperback for Review

I just really loved this synopsis of this one and how these two women will likely save each other.

Berry thought she had it figured out—juggling her vice-principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Brody. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family’s deepest needs, she must confront whether she’s been fighting the wrong battles all along.

McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student’s carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism—including Brody.

As these two women’s paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.

SEX ON MURDER ISLAND
Book 2 – Luella van Horne Mystery
By: Jo Firestone
Published: June 30, 2026
Publisher: Bantam
Mystery
Format: eBook for Review

This one sounded so salicious and perfect for summer that I couldn’t resist.

Marie Jones has hit rock bottom. Just three months ago, her crime solving alter-ego Luella van Horn cracked the case of a murdered contestant on the hit reality show Sex Island, but now all her gigs have dried up. Marie finds herself on the verge of eviction, broke and alone, in the midst of an August heat wave.

Then she gets a call that might change everything. Luella is asked to find evidence of a woman having an extra-marital affair. The case seems simple enough. The only hitch is that it’s on Murder Island, a private island for the uber-rich just outside of New York City. But a job’s a job, and maybe it’ll be good to get out of town for a bit.

Just as Luella begins her investigation, the suspected paramour is found murdered. Luella soon uncovers a den of iniquity and sexual secrets that will shock the world if the news ever gets out—and if Luella gets out alive. It’s her most challenging case yet, but for the first time, she finds herself not alone. She makes some friends in this one!

Murder! Sex! A boat chase on the East River! Pretty exciting stuff, huh?

THE BOOKSHOP WOMAN
My Year Transforming Lives One Book at a Time
By: Nanako Hanada
Translated by: Cat Anderson
Published: September 15, 2026
Publisher: Tiny Reparations Books
Memoir
Format: eBook for Review

I couldn’t resist this Japanese bestseller, now translated into English. I’m fascinated by this real-life story of a “book whisperer”.

“I’m the manager of a very unusual bookshop. I have over ten thousand books in my vast memory bank, and I’ll recommend the perfect one for you.”

Nanako Hanada is a passionate book lover who manages the Village Vanguard, an iconically eccentric bookstore in Tokyo. But her story takes a turn with the breakdown of her marriage. Spending her nights alone in Tokyo’s four-hour capsules, she’s finding herself rather isolated. That’s until Nanako finds the meet-up site Perfect Strangers.

Perfect Strangers isn’t a dating site—it’s where people meet for thirty-minute bursts to find friendship or romance, build a network, or just share ideas. She sets up her profile promising to recommend people “the book that will change their life.” In the ensuing year, Nanako meets hundreds of people, a ragtag range of strangers who happen to believe in the power of a great book. Soon she discovers that she can connect with just about anyone, and bustling Tokyo begins to feel like a welcoming—if a bit quirky—small town.

Written with comforting humor and populated by a delightful cast of Tokyo-ites, The Bookshop Woman is a soul-stirring book about a bookseller’s self-discovery. Here she shares what every bookseller knows: Books can be joyful paths toward meaningful connections.

HAPPINESS INCLUDED: Jan Brady and Beyond
By: Eve Plumb
Narrated by: Eve Plumb
Published: April 28, 2026
Publisher: Citadel
Memoir
Format: Audiobook Purchase

I love celebrity memoirs and was thrilled to hear about this one as a HUGE Brady Bunch fan who likely knows every episode by heart! This one should be a fun listen.

It’s finally time for Jan, Jan, Jan!

As Jan Brady, America’s most memorable middle child on the beloved TV sitcom, The Brady Bunch, Eve Plumb has been an enduring icon of American pop culture for over 60 years. Now in an engaging, intimate memoir, she shares the behind-the-scenes story of her colorful and impressively versatile Hollywood career and revelatory recollections of her off-camera life along the way—complete with many photos from her private archives.

Recognized world-wide as Jan Brady, the wonderfully misunderstood middle sister on television’s The Brady Bunch, actress Eve Plumb has embraced the association that seemed destined at age 10 when she was cast on The Brady Bunch. The iconic 1970s TV series has been in perpetual reruns for five decades and is well known by three generations of children and adults. Her engaging memoir reveals that her stint on The Brady Bunch was only the beginning of her TV career, a young lady with the confidence and spunk that her on-screen character often humorously lacked.

BIG TIME
A Simple Path to Time Abundance
By: Laura Vanderkam
Published: May 5, 2026
Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Purchase

I’m a big fan of Laura Vanderkam and couldn’t wait to get her newest book!

Many of us have an adversarial relationship with time. We’re always trying to beat the clock—behavior rooted in a fear that time is scarce and must be obsessed over, hoarded, and ultra-optimized.

But time management expert Laura Vanderkam argues that even busy people can come to feel that time is abundant. Drawing on original research about how hundreds of real people spend their time, and her own experience of tracking her time for a decade, Vanderkam offers simple tactics for how to manage a complex life, stick with long-term projects by breaking big goals into tiny steps, and make the most of leisure time many people don’t even notice.

By turns surprising, thought-provoking, and encouraging, Big Time shows readers that the daily experience of time can be quite spacious—and that, managed well, each day’s hours can be a source of happiness and satisfaction.

RHUBARB RENAISSANCE
By: Kim Ode
Published: March 1, 2012
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Cookbook
Format: Paperback Purchase

I love rhubarb and all the delicious desserts you can make with it. I spotted this cookbook at a Minnesota gift shop and had to have it. There are some really unique recipes, but my favorite will always be a rhubarb crisp, which was the first recipe I made from it.

Many know rhubarb thanks to a shockingly tart introduction in childhood, likely countered by dipping the stalk in sugar, or as simply “the pie plant,” a worthy component of custard or mixed-fruit pastries. Why not expand the concept beyond those idyllic, long ago summer days? A s ingredients and techniques have evolved to suit modern tastes, so too have opportunities to showcase this oft-overlooked vegetable. In Rhubarb Renaissance, seasoned writer and baker Kim Ode invites us to join her in celebrating rhubarb as one of the great flavors of horticulture.

In a lively re-introduction to this versatile vegetable, more than fifty creative recipes highlight uses from savory to sweet. Notes on rhubarb’s historic medicinal uses, preservation advice, and kitchen basics including foundation recipes for roasted rhubarb set up a selection of appetizers, entrées, desserts, and breads. Expand your repertoire with clever concoctions such as Rhubarb Corn Fritters, Turkey Tenderloins with RhubarBQ Sauce, Spiced Couscous with Rhubarb and Figs, or Chop-Chop Sweet and Sour Stir-fry. More familiar applications are offered with a slight—and tasty— Salted Caramel Rhubapple Pie, for example, or Zucchini-Rhubarb Bread. With these delectable combinations and more, Rhubarb Renaissance reinforces memories of grandma’s kitchen but also inspires delight in the stalk’s place at the contemporary table.

THE LORAFIED COOKBOOK
Easy Recipes and Budget-Friendly Hacks to Feed the Whole Family
By: Lora McLaughlin Peterson
Published: May 5, 2026
Publisher: DK
Cookbook
Format: Hardcover Purchase

I love following Lora on Instagram and find her simple approach to everyday living relatable and fun.

Do you have salt and pepper in your kitchen? Are you looking for quick and easy recipes that don’t cost a fortune to make? Then this book is for you! 

Cooking trends may come and go, but the appeal of recipes promising a quicker, easier route to dinnertime never grows old. Lora McLaughlin Peterson has been feeding her family balanced meals daily for over thirty years, so she knows all too well how a seemingly simple “30-minute one-pan wonder” can still leave us exhausted by not accounting for hidden tasks, such as chopping, rummaging through cabinets, or clean-up afterward. This is why she created LORAfied, a digital media company that helps people do life better on a budget. 

Her cookbook shares simple, quick, “fancy yet frugal” recipes, like Energy Muffins, Waldorf-Inspired Chicken Salad, Mini Donut Cheeseburgers, and Potato Chip Cookies, and recipe hacks for making french toast, mashed potatoes, corn, and more with ease. With low-hassle recipes, household hacks, and lifestyle tips, this book makes life easier, brighter, and more delicious—all without breaking the bank.

Children’s Fiction and Non-Fiction

I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE
A Celebration of Library Joy
By: Mychal Threets
Illustrated by: Lorraine Nam
Published: February 3, 2026
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book Purchase

You know I love libraries, and I couldn’t resist getting this one for our library.

Librarian and literacy ambassador Mychal Threets invites all to find themselves at the library! Perfect for little readers who are regular visitors and those who might be stepping into the stacks for the first time.

Welcome to the library!

It’s a place just for you! There are activities, movies, games, and SO. MANY. STORIES. Best of all, it’s a place where you will always belong.

Take a tour of the library with the internet’s favorite librarian, Mychal Threets! This heartwarming debut picture book from Mychal extends an invitation to anyone who could use a little library joy and a reminder that libraries are for everyone.

I LOVE YOU, LITTLE ONE
A High-Contrast Baby Book
Illustrated by: Becca Thorne
Published: April 14, 2026
Publisher: Z Kids/Zeitgeist
Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

These books are perfect for baby’s tummy time. This one opens accordion style so you can set it around your baby.

Share tender, meaningful moments with the infant in your life through a striking black-and-white board book created to spark connection and support early growth. I Love You, Little One: A High-Contrast Baby Book is made for tiny hands and newborn eyes, blending the science of infant development with the beauty of fine art—giving families a tool they’ll turn to again and again in those precious early months. Timeless, meaningful, and research-backed, this is the perfect gift for baby showers, new parents, and anyone beginning their journey with a little one.

THE ULTIMATE MAZE CHALLENGE
Published: December 2, 2025
Publisher: Z Kids/Zeitgeist
Non-Fiction/Activity Book
Format: eBook for Review

I loved these types of activity books as a kid. My secret maze tip from childhood is that I always worked a maze backwards. I don’t know why I did that, but it made it easier for me. These books are great for summertime screen-free activities and for road trips.

Tired of hearing “I’m bored”? Entertain your kid with The Ultimate Maze Challenge!, a supersized activity book packed with 175 easy to hard mazes that will keep them engaged for hours at a time! Each themed maze is a mini journey, from animal adventures and space missions to daring mythical quests. And with additional maze challenges, including timed mazes, pattern mazes, and number mazes, this book will boost your kid’s attention span, sharpen their focus, and improve their problem-solving skills.

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!