.png)
Books in May - Book Recommendations
- The Little Bookshop
- May 1
- 7 min read
Hello Book Dragons, a new month means, of course, new books! In the last few weeks lots of great titles have been published so why stop? We’ll continue showing you great books getting published in May. There are three I’m very interested in… can you guess which ones?
Let’s take a look!
Contemporary/Fantasy/Thriller/Sci-fi adults
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (7 May)
Because I just love these characters! (don’t read if you didn’t finish #4 yet ;))
Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan? It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who’s in trouble, kidnap and death are hot on their heels once more. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code, and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into action once more, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola (7 May)
Because we need romance stories this Spring & Summer
Twenty-eight-year-old Kiki Banjo hosts the popular podcast The HeartBeat, solving romantic conundrums and dishing out life advice. While she plays the love guru for her listeners, behind the scenes she’s been hanging on by a thread. When a major broadcast deal falls through and her latest relationship implodes, Kiki is left wondering if she ever had the answers. Then Kiki finds herself face-to-face with her biggest mistake: her ex-boyfriend, Malakai—the smooth-talking, absurdly handsome, annoyingly perceptive man who stole her heart and then shattered it. While Kiki’s approaching rock bottom, Malakai’s been on the rise as a filmmaker, and now she has no choice but to play nice if she wants to save her career. Forced to work together for the summer, both are hell-bent on ignoring the smoldering chemistry between them. But when their undeniable attraction sizzles back to life, Kiki and Malakai will have to face their fears and decide what they’re willing to risk for another chance.
The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu (7 May)
Because this sounds fascinating Most humans cower in the face of Death. Not Nella May Carter. She sees him. She doesn’t hide. Instead, she bargains. Born enslaved in eighteenth-century Georgia, Nella still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. She asks that Death, doubtful and curious, allow her to live long enough to prove it. He’s giving Nella all the time in the world. Challenged, Nella embarks on an epic journey across the globe and centuries. Each new incarnation records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore—the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets—Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind. As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning?
Lone Women by Victor LaValle (14 May)
Because we need more horror books and this one is highly recommended by one of our book dragons
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear. The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.
YA Book Recommendations Like A Brother by Nathanael Lessore (7 May)
Because friendship is important They're totally different. Except in all the ways that matter. Owais lives a chill life. He's well-liked, funny and everything's a breeze - until his estranged cousin shows up. Loud, unpredictable and one bad decision away from serious trouble, Abass crashes into Owais' laidback world like a hurricane: picking fights, ruining parties, disappearing without explanation and clogging toilets in places he absolutely shouldn't. But as the boys get to know each other and their bond deepens, Owais starts to see there's more to Abass than the chaos - and more to himself than just being the popular guy who coasts through life. Because sometimes, the person who turns your world upside down is also the person who helps you figure out where you're really meant to be…
Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb (7 May)
Because ancient gods and modern magic (and rooted in Ghanaian mythology) Ever since an unexplained orb of blazing light left her father in a coma, seventeen-year-old Akoma Addo's secret job investigating supernatural crimes in San Francisco's AfricaTown has served as a distraction from her grief. But when a dead body is discovered in a pool of molten gold and ash, Akoma is drawn into a hidden world of Ghanaian gods and mages led by the trickster, storytelling god himself, Anansi. Soon, Anansi reels Akoma in with a proposition -- one that promises to revive her father and snare the serial killer she's been hunting -- as long as she agrees to lie to everyone she loves and awaken her ancestral magic... becoming the very type of supernatural being she's dedicated herself to fighting. All of which complicates things with Xander, the new boy in town who's seriously gorgeous and vying for her attention. Lying has never come easily to Akoma. But in a world of assassins and double agents, she'll learn to spin her own stories -- and discover whether she can trust a god famous for his duplicity.
Thorn Season by Kiera Azar (7 May)
Because this sounds like a great new fantasy trilogy
In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre–a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted. Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she’s escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father. Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal—and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth—and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own. With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner—and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation—Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It’s Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she’ll need to become the most vicious of thorns…
Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson (7 May)
Because we love thrillers! When Blair Baker, pop-star and global sensation, rises high above the stage for the opening number of her triumphant hometown gig, the crowd erupts in applause. Then come the screams . . .The shocking revelation that music's brightest star has been murdered rocks the world. But for her younger sister, Stevie, the tragedy is more than a headline – it's personal. What begins as a search for answers quickly turns into a dangerous journey through the toxic underbelly of fame. And as Stevie peels back the layers of who her sister really was, she begins to uncover dark secrets closer to home.
Children’s Books
The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons (7 May)
Because it’s a great first read to get into the dystopian world
Be quiet. Be polite. Or be silenced. Alfie and Margot Hawthorne have grown up under the Ministry of Manners, where politeness isn't a choice - it's the law. And one wrong word can change your life. He knows how to stay out of trouble, but she has never been one for quiet obedience. When the Ministry takes Margot, everything changes. Inside the Manners Retreat, she fights to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced - those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. And if they succeed, rebellion won't just be punished. It'll be impossible.
Crow: Thief of Magic by Fiona Dixon (7 May)
Because stealing from the city’s wealthy ruling class… (and the cover, of course)
Twelve-year-old Crow is a thief. Scraping a living on the winding streets of Starsgard, Crow works for the leader of the criminal underworld, stealing from the city’s wealthy ruling class. But when a routine job takes Crow to the home of a mysterious sorcerer, his whole life is turned upside down – and after a planned heist goes wrong, leaving Crow alone and with nowhere to turn, he finds himself a new position as the sorcerer’s apprentice. Before long, Crow is introduced to the ancient art of dream magic – catching dream essence and using it to create dreams for the rich citizens from whom he once stole. But when Crow learns of an ancient strain of nightmare magic that threatens to unleash devastation on Starsgard, he must make a terrible choice… and decide who he can really trust.
Free to be me! by Smriti Halls (7 May)
Because this is an important message for children
Elbert the Elephant is full of life and ready to try anything! The only problem is that nothing ever seems to go quite as it should – from ballet dancing to swimming lessons to story time at the library… will Elbert ever find a place where he fits?
Magpie and the Sparkling Words by Lucy Rowland (21 May)
Because I love Lucy Rowland’s books!
From her nest, Magpie listens to the wonderful words of her fellow woodland animals. Words with a sparkle, a shimmer, a shine, entwined in her nest in the tree. She gathered them up and giggled, "They're mine - these sparkling words just for me!"But eventually, the other animals stay quiet so their words aren't being whisked away. Only then does Magpie realise that the silent wood doesn't glitter in the same way as before. After a storm destroys Magpie's nest, and sends her stash of sparkling words zooming back out into the forest, she finally learns that it is unity, kindness and sharing language that makes the words sparkle.
We hope you enjoyed our little list and that it gave you some book inspiration!
Looking to pre-order one of these books? Just follow the path! 👇
This blog post is written by The Little Bookshop, your bookshop for English books in Rennes.
