ShortBookandScribes May 2026 Reads, Book Post and Stats
Welcome to another monthly reading round up, this time for May 2026 and hallelujah, zippedy-do-dah, woo-hoo, I managed not my usual 7, not 8, not even 9 but 10!!! It might be a long time before I manage 10 in a month again so I’m going to rejoice as much as I can now. I’ve read some crackers too – here they are:
A busy train platform, a train due in five minutes, the usual mixture of people stand waiting. But when the train comes, one of five people on the platform will die. A great read and a great premise.
Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller
This is a mesmerising and dark read with a horror element. It’s about 16 year old Ursula who moves into an abandoned bungalow and then some weird and disturbing things start to happen. Claire Fuller’s writing is brilliant.
This is an illustrated novel about two couples who move into one house together, embracing a kind of communal living until it all goes wrong. I loved the mixture of text and illustrations and I enjoyed the overall experience very much.
Rose & Renzo by Carolyn O’Brien
An interesting story set during the rise of fascism in 1936. Principled and forward-thinking Rose meets an Italian painter, Renzo, in what is essentially a burgeoning love story.
The final book in the Kat and Lock series (sob) but what an amazing finale to a brilliant series. A dead MP, a cyberattack on the National Grid and the enduring question of whether AI is a good thing or a bad one made this pretty much the perfect crime thriller.
Taking in Scotland and Iceland in the late 1700s, this is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction inspired by the attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison and it is the strong women, Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd, who take centre stage.
An Unlikely Visitor by Joanna Cannon
I adored this gorgeous story about Margaret Ford, dealing with the recent loss of her husband and the disappearance forty years earlier of their daughter, Jeanie. A beautiful, comforting and poignant exploration of loss, grief, love, family and connections.
I was keen to try another of Lizzy Stewart’s books after enjoying The Wreck. Alison tells the story of a young woman who leaves her marriage and Dorset for the bohemian art world in London. Once again, the illustrations are gorgeous.
The Burning Roses by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Burning Roses is book 29 of the Morland Dynasty series and it was a hard read at times, following Bertie and Ned to the front in WWI amidst the horror of warfare. At home Jessie is determined to do her bit and takes up nursing. The focus is on the younger generation but it’s always good to return to Morland Place, to Teddy and Henrietta. As always, a brilliant, historical read.
The Measure of Days by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
There’s a lot of sadness in book 30 of the Morland Dynasty series. It’s set in 1916, right in the middle of WWI and as expected there are losses for the family. The author transported me to the battles in France, whilst in England I enjoyed following Jessie’s nursing experiences in London. As with all the other books in the series, this had me enthralled from beginning to end.
It’s a WHOPPER!
Book post received this month with thanks to the named publishers:
Beyond the Edge of Light by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton (sent by Bantam Books)
The Night Bus by Tessa Bickers (sent by Quercus)
The Wartime Librarian’s Secret by Molly Green (sent by Avon)
The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh (sent by Pan Macmillan)
Celebrations at the Toffee Factory by Glenda Young (sent by Headline)
Crescendo by Jane Healey (sent by Harvill)
And this one sneaked in at the last minute:
The Agatha Christie Cure by Cathy Rentzenbrink (sent by Canongate)
I also bought:
Wonderful by Louise Beech
Entitled by Andrew Lownie
Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd (with sprayed edges)
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow – this is an absolute brick, well, bigger than a brick, but I searched out a secondhand copy of the hardback edition as I love that cover and whilst I could have tolerated the paperback cover, the TV series tie-in is hideous (shudder).
The Last Daughter of Highdown Hall by Cathy Hayward
Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry
Courage for the Cabinet Girl by Molly Green
The Pattern in the Carpet by Margaret Drabble
Alison by Lizzy Stewart
Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray (with sprayed edges)
Finally, my Storygraph stats for April:
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