May & June 2026 Wrap Up

Welcome to May and June’s wrap up! We’re already more than half way through the year, can you believe it!?

May was a rough month for us here with a medical emergency for my wife that put her out of her work for a while (she’s doing okay now and back to work, as well!), as well as a few other things going on that just caused me to not want to read really much of anything at all. Her birthday was also in May, as was our 18 year dating anniversary (omg we’re old), so it was just an overall busy and hectic month.

June was full of appointments for both her and me – as well as our dog – so it was just busy. I wasn’t doing too hot mentally, so I didn’t read much in June either, but that’s okay! Reading slumps happen because life circumstances can get in the way, and that’s okay! I need to tell myself this as much as some other need to hear it, I know lol

June was also the four year anniversary of my mom’s passing, so the past couple of months were just rough in general. I’m hoping July will be a bit better. I’m looking forward to the second half of the year, as I’m sure many are! I would also like the cooler weather already, mostly because I’m over all of the bugs being out and about.

Books I Read

Click on a cover to go to its Goodreads page!

The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna – The conclusion to the Deathless trilogy, The Eternal Ones was the finale I hoped for with this world, and it was one that made me feel so many emotions along the way. Check out my review here!
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth – I listened to this novella in one sitting and really enjoyed it! There was a full cast (three narrators), which was a nice surprise, and I think they each did so well in their performances. Check out my review here!

Started But Didn’t Finish

The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin – So far this book is very enchanting, but I just couldn’t bring myself to continue because of my mood. I’ll definitely be reading it this year, though! The vibe of this book definitely gives off winter wonderland type vibes, so I might wait until the end of the year to continue this one.

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker – I’ve been itching to get into this book since I got it, but each time I’ve read it I’ve been exhausted, so I basically would read a chapter then take a nap, then read a chapter the next day and take a nap. (I haven’t been sleeping well the past week, so I know it’s not the book but a me problem.)

The Stats

What I Talked About

April 2026 Wrap Up – Posted a few days late, but it was a hectic weekend. Also, April was full of Pokopia and video game excitement, so there wasn’t a ton of reading that got done (but a huge book haul did happen). Check out the post here!
May 2026 TBR Hopefuls – Instead of letting prompts choose what I read for this month, I allowed myself to just choose what I wanted to read instead. Will it be successful? Check out the post here!
Top Ten Tuesday: May Flowers – I was late posting this, but I set it to post on the correct date anyway. This post features books with covers that have flowers on them! Check out the post here!
Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors – This list was actually difficult to make toward the end, but I did it! Check out the post here!
June 2026 TBR Hopefuls – I have six books on the list that I hope to get to, from fantasy to dystopian to horror! Check out the post here!
July 2026 TBR Hopefuls – We’re more than half way through the year, wow! Here are my hopeful picks for July! Check out the post here!
Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books for the Second Half of the Year – I’m shocked we’re already here, but there’s some bangers coming out in the second half of the year. Check out my post here!

Book Haul

Click on a cover to go to its Goodreads page!

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi – This was on my most anticipated list for the first half of the year, and I finally got it! Now I just gotta read it!
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless – I’ve heard so much great stuff about this trilogy that I had to get my hands on at least the first book. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it.
His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora – I feel like I had heard some buzz about it somewhere, but I also saw it in store and thought it was just gorgeous. Plus it’s Egyptian inspired, which is right up my alley, so I’m in to at least give it a try.
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer – I have Braiding Sweetgrass by her, and though I haven’t finished it, I wanted to get this sort of companion novella as it touches on more of the Indigenous wisdom of nature and the reciprocity of the world around us.
The Girl With a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean – This book hadn’t even been on my radar until recently when I heard about it and heard such stunning reviews that I wanted to check it out for myself. Plus look at that cover? Stunning. Gorgeous.

Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu – I’ll admit that I’ve been curious about this book because I know it was a TikTok/Booktube darling for a while. Not really FOMO, but more so curiousity with this one.
Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu – And since they had both books one and two in store, I figured I’d just grab both while they were there in case I was into it and wanted to just binge or continue on quickly.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura – Though this isn’t the cover I was expecting to find, my local store did have this one in stock! I was looking this up for a Top Ten Tuesday post about places on my bucket list I’d want to visit, and this one for Japan caught my eye, so I’m really excited to read it at some point this year.
The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker – I have the first book, When the Moon Hatched, and I haven’t read it yet, but I figured I’d just get the sequel in case, you know?
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri – I’ve been eyeing this book since it came out, so I finally grabbed a copy while Barnes and Noble was having a hardcover sale in stores. A tragic saffic fantasy romance between a lady knight and a witch? Sign me up!

Dire Bound and Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen – The FOMO hit me hard and I caved and got the two books out in this trilogy. I tried a single chapter of the first book before and just couldn’t push through because it felt like I was reading Fourth Wing 2.0 but with direwolves (though those aren’t introduced in chapter one), but I’m going to give it another go and see how I like it. Hopefully I do end up liking it, or maybe my wife will at least.
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden – I haven’t read her other series yet, but how can anyone resist such a beautiful cover? I certainly couldn’t!
Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity – I’ve heard a bunch of good things about this dark academia/gothic fantasy romance, so I decided to pick myself up a copy.
Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens – This was on my most anticipated list for the first half of the year and totally forgot when it was coming out, so I immediately grabbed it when I saw it in stores in May! (It came out late April lol)

Reader Rayna