What to Read in May 2026
- Sarah Emmer
- May 6
- 2 min read
It's Get Caught Reading Month!
If you are looking for books to coincide with May’s themes, such as Mental Health Month, search no further. Well, until you decide if these work for you or not.
This listicle includes several recommendations for a handful of themes, but is not an exhaustive list!
Mental Health Month
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A classic novel following a young woman, Esther Greenwood, as she has a mental breakdown. This story is often considered essential reading and is a perfect dark, haunting pick for May.
Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind by Andy Dunn
A powerful memoir detailing Andy Dunn’s rise as an entrepreneur and his struggle with bipolar disorder.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
An award-winning graphic memoir of George Takei’s childhood experience locked up in an American internment camp during World War II. The graphic novel format is family-friendly while portraying what the Takei family endured.
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
A beautiful fantasy world written by a Chinese author who immigrated to Canada as a child. Her debut novel, published in January 2026, weaves together threads from Chinese and Western stories.
The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung
An emotional historical novel about a Chinese American journalist whose plane is shot down behind enemy lines in the Korean War. Just released May 5, 2026.
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
A horror novel blending Japanese mythology with a time-bending portal and a murder Lee Turner cannot remember committing. Just released in April 2026.
Jewish American Heritage Month
Once We Were Slaves: The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family by Laura Arnold Leibman
A true account of two Jewish biracial siblings, Sarah and Isaac, their beginnings as slaves in the American south, to receiving an inheritance that enabled them to purchase their freedom, to living in New York and finding friendship, community, and romance.
Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer
Meet Faye Kaplan, a young woman convinced she’s happy to be alone…until she isn’t. She might have accidentally made the perfect man out of clay. This story combines contemporary romance with Jewish mythology.
National Strawberry Month
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore
A single dad starts a pancake business. A young woman needs a job and becomes a nanny to the small town’s newest pancake chef. What could possibly go wrong?
The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac, Anna Vojtech (Illustrator)
A retelling of the Cheroke legend of how the strawberry came to exist. A sweet picture book perfect for young readers.
Comments