May Reads [2026]
favourites, recommendations & dislikes
How the tables turn. May saw only recommendations and one dislike. No favourites. Alas, enjoy the recommendations and my rant about David Mitchell…
Recommendations
The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard
Korsgaard tries to see all species of Danish butterfly in one year and in the process learns about the passion of amateur lepidopterists, herself, and how the environmental and ecological crisis we are in is destroying butterfly populations. A really interesting read with beautiful illustrations of all the butterflies/moths Korsgaard sees.
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
While published in 1995, so much of what Bryson says about Britain is still so true (painfully so, at times). Bryson is funny and has a finger on the pulse of British humour and habits. Many might read this and wonder why on earth Bryson returned when he complains so often about British transport and so on, but the concluding chapter proves his love for this place. And, I’ll be honest, even I felt a little national pride by the end (don’t worry, I won’t be hoisting the St George flag from a lamppost).
The Rose by Ariana Reines
It’s always special when Penguin lets me read and review something on Netgalley for them, and The Rose was a poetry collection I was keen to read. I’d never heard of Reines prior to this, and while at first I wasn’t too sure about the collection, by the end I really enjoyed her style. Reines is very much a contemporary feminist poet focusing on the body, sex, and femininity and how these converge in womanhood beneath the patriarchy.
The Book of Mysteries by Rebecca Tamás
Tamás’ The Book of Mysteries follows the Pagan Wheel of the Year and its rituals. It’s an interesting look at all of the rituals and celebrations many people in Britain still hold close, as well as a clear exploration of how far Capitalism has driven us away from practices which kept our ancestors grounded and aligned. Did how she wrote about the Eleusinian Mysteries annoy me no end as a Classicist? Yes, yes it did. Particularly as Tamás unfortunately quotes a lot of secondary information rather than primary sources throughout this book… But, if you are interested in this topic, it’s still a good read.
Dislikes
Unruly by David Mitchell
Look, I’ll just leave my Goodreads review below. But as another reviewer pointed out, Unruly reads like a stand-up routine that was written for a 20 minute stint that just keeps on going, much to everyone’s chagrin.
“We get it, David, Cnut is almost a rude word. But I'd really, really love to focus on the history rather than seeing how many derivative jokes you can shoehorn into five sentences.
In all seriousness, there's humour and then there's the need to make everything funny. Mitchell's writing style became very boring, very quickly.”
Share your favourites with me in the comments! Or even those that thoroughly disappointed you.
Image by Peggychoucair from Pixabay