May Reads
I was reading a newsletter from one of my favorite Homeschool Book Mamas (Read Aloud Revival) the other day, and she shared this quote from a book she had been reading called Mediations for Mortals by Oliver Burkman:
Treat your to-read pile like a river, not a bucket. That is to say: think of your backlog not as a container that gradually fills up, and that it’s your job to empty, but as a stream that flows past you, from which you get to pick a few choice items, here and there, without feeing guilty for letting all the others float by.
After adding that book to my notoriously long TBR list, I rested in the imagery of the river and not a the bucket I so often do. And as I reflected on those books in my To-Be-Read (TBR) list, they really are best when picked up in the right season, with the joy and anticipation to open those pages, not the burden to empty my overflowing (and unending) bucket. I’m letting books float by, and grasping for others while actually enjoying the process and removing “finish the TBR list” from my imaginary job description.
May was a good month for reading. Several books grasped out of the stream as soon as they released (four of them in fact!) and several others who hit the sweet spot for this season in my life. I wholeheartedly recommend so many of these to you!
Into a Golden Era by Gabrielle Meyer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book #7 (yes SEVEN) in this incredible series my husband loves to make fun of me for loving. Time travel, history, multiple timelines, and always still surprise endings. This book series is comfortable, relatable, enthralling, and satisfying. I know I need to stop listing a bunch of descriptors for this book (and the series) in this review, but it is hard not to! As one who doesn’t like to give too much of the story away, the main character finds herself between two very different worlds attempting to fix & prepare for her unavoidable departure from one (or both) of her lives. Along the way, Ally is challenged and changed and despite it feeling like a happy ending is impossible, it in fact is. Read it. Read them all.
Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life by Grace Hamman
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was fantastic. I loved learning about the historical context for the vices and virtues! I also was deeply convicted of how I look at and see the vices and the virtues. This book brings these somewhat archaic definitions and words back to life, showing how they can still help Christians today live fruitful lives in Christ. I highlighted most of the book, so I won’t go quote crazy here, but things that stood out to me were the idea of unraveling or replacing vices with virtues and just how inaccurate my definitions were for many of these well known (yet unvalued) words! The chapters on Humility/ Pride, Love/Envy, and Sloth/ Fortitude probably are my favorites but honestly I loved every part! I think this is a book for anyone who wants to bear much fruit for the Kingdom to read. There is much we can learn from the past and the saints who have gone before us!
The Brunswick by Callie Murray
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It’s been awhile since I picked up a WW2 novel (since I binged them for a season in my life) but this one is so refreshing in a sea of similar storylines. This takes a completely different side of the war and makes it come alive – we experience what it must have been like for a variety of people and the different burdens and tribulations people have had. I don’t think I ever connected a small southern town to the World Wars, but of course they were impacted – everyone was! I really enjoyed the characters and their development and the captivating storyline. Not everything is resolved or explained, but that is also how life works. I truly enjoyed this book and would have read more – I wasn’t ready for the epilogue to wrap it all up.
Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent. Enchanting. An instant classic. This is a book to be read aloud and we did just that. My husband read it to the family during our bedtime routine this year and it took us all on a journey. Written in prose, it bounces along in a singsong style as it is read allowing for an enchanting listening experience. The prose also does obfuscate the story at times for young listeners (aged 7,6,&3) and we would sometimes discus what was happening or what had just happened if they got lost. Neither my husband nor I were well versed in Arthurian ledged (besides the Disney movie Sword in the Stone) so we were taken surprise by the storyline and some of the characters (in the best way.) Honestly one of my favorite parts is the beginning call to take up the tale! So moving and beautiful. This is a book to read again and again. We already preordered the second book in the series!
The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is one of those books I started and didn’t really like at all, but then I finished it and looked back on my reading experience with such fondness. I’ve heard many people say this was their favorite LM Montgomery book and so I went in with pretty high expectations because, I mean, Anne of Green Gables is *chefs kiss!* When the first several chapters turned into this whoa is me pity party with absolutely no end it sight, I almost gave up. Alas, this was my book club read for the month (suggested by yours truly) so I really had to push through it. Then without warning, the book turned a corner, drawing me in and enchanting me with not only a love story, but a life story – redemption, hope, grief, real people. Packed with surprises abounding at the end, this really does capture your heart if you just keep reading!
Chapter One Again by Keelia Clarkson
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book starts with You’ve Got Mail vibes and made me want to buy school supplies and deliver bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils to strangers. While I read it soaking up the sun in the almost summer (and very unpredictable ) weather of May in Colorado, you should read it in the fall with leaves rustling over head. Then like any cozy Hallmark story, our girl boss comes home to a small town for a visit and reevaluates her dreams and goals. Her busy, predictable life is shaken up as she faces a reality she has been avoiding for a decade – aging parents, her childhood dreams, what makes a life meaningful. I’m a sucker for a Colorado themed book – nothing like reading something that feels like home. While I am someone who often rolls my eyes at a tv Christmas specials, this story captured my heart. I found myself rooting for Jane and praying she would see what really makes a meaningful life.
It Takes a Church to Baptize by Scot McKnight
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is an easy read filled with the whys and hows of Anglican baptism, specifically outlining the heart and purpose behind infant baptism. As someone who grew up in a church that practiced believer baptism, baby baptism was a bit of a culture shock to me 8 years ago when we joined an Anglican church. After attending a class at our church, we joyfully and confidently baptized all three of our kids as babies. We read this book with our small group and had fruitful conversation about baptism (and our many different views and backgrounds) I recommend this book for anyone who would like to know more about infant baptism specifically from an Anglican perspective.
Book Tracker: 31/52 books read in 2026. If you don’t already, follow or friend me on Goodreads where you will see what I am reading, what I want to read, my favorite books, and every review I write! I also share all the books that I have rated 4 or 5 stars on my Amazon storefront AND here is my Monthly Book Review archives where I have monthly chronicled my reading list since 2023! Always feel free to share recommendations with me in the comments too – I am a big fan of word-of-mouth!