Blog Post

The Best Books We Read in May

Alex PoseyJun 6 2024

It’s hard to believe June is here. The long-awaited season of the beach read is finally upon us! I, for one, started early this year: my favorite read of May is one that’s bound to be spotted on beach towels across the country.As always, I asked the team to share their favorite read of the last month. Make sure to let us know in the comments what your favorite May reads were, as well!

5 great books we recommended this month

Alex Posey

Emily Henry is at the top of her game. I’ve read several of her books at this point, and I’m so impressed by her ability to come up with believable, unique characters who nevertheless manage to satisfy all the classic contemporary romance tropes. “Funny Story” may well be her best book yet: it combines fake dating with forced proximity, and features a slow-burn romance with a male lead who is scruffily charming and perfectly imperfect. I tend to find the denouement of most romance novels too saccharine for my tastes, and that’s true here, as well; but that’s the name of the game with romance, and can’t be held against “Funny Story.” At any rate, Emily Henry deserves all of the hype she’s receiving for this one.

Desiree Worrall-Belanger

Gosh, this is hard because I found three new favorite books this month, but the first one I would recommend would be “A Crane Among Wolves” by June Hur! If you’ve read any of my K-Drama posts on Fable, you’ll know that I am a HUGE fan. So when I heard that there was a book that reads just like a historical K-Drama, and that it’s based on real historical events, I was absolutely SOLD. I got to read an ARC a few weeks back and absolutely fell in love with Iseul and Daehyun, both as individual characters, but as a team as well. It’s intense, but sweet; heartbreaking, but heartwarming at the same time. If you like the intensity mixed with the occasional comical flirting of historical K-Dramas, you are going to LOVE this book! Do check the trigger warnings beforehand, as this book very much portrays the atrocities that took place in the Joseon Dynasty.

Jason Boog

I read not one, but two books by Álvaro Enrigue in May. I finished “You Dreamed of Empires” in a breathless reading session and immediately started reading “Sudden Death,” the best book I read this month. This is an essential novel about the horrors of colonialism, but also the story of a contemporary author struggling beneath the heavy weight of history. Even though “Sudden Death” is my favorite, both books work so well together, drawing unexpected connections between historical figures.

Cameron Capello

In my eternal search for the most depressing books, I recently picked up “The Virgin Suicides” by Jeffrey Eugenides, and it did not disappoint. Set in a sleepy suburban neighborhood in the 1970s, the story revolves around the enigmatic Lisbon sisters: five ethereal beauties whose lives are shrouded in mystery and tragedy. Told from the perspective of a group of neighborhood boys who are forever fascinated and haunted by the sisters, the novel captures the essence of teenage obsession and memory. Without giving too much away, let’s just say the book’s title is a pretty strong hint at the somber path the story takes. But trust me, it’s not just a tale of despair. It’s also an exploration of youth, longing, and the bittersweet nature of growing up.

Hayley Dennings

I’ve been raving about “Blood Over Bright Haven” by M. L. Wang to everyone! It’s dark academia and fantasy at its finest. The book follows the first woman admitted to a prestigious order of mages who begins to unravel a secret conspiracy that threatens every truth upholding their world. It is a sharp and clever critique of privilege, race, power, and oppression. The way that the magic system and worldbuilding in this book are set up is unlike anything I’ve read before. My jaw dropped probably every other page and the twists only got more and more intense. I love the way Wang portrayed the process of decolonizing the mind and how various systems of oppression are all interconnected in ways that we cannot always see from the surface. This book highlights how necessary it is to actually do the work to make change and I cannot recommend it enough.

Funny Story

By Emily Henry

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common. But it’s all just for show because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

A Crane Among Wolves

By June Hur

In the midst of Joseon dynasty’s turmoil, a sheltered girl and a prince must unite to save their loved ones and challenge a tyrannical king. Pulse-pounding historical fiction.

Sudden Death

By Álvaro Enrigue

Travel through time from 16th century Europe to Mexico in this mind-bending novel featuring historical figures in a tennis match with Anne Boleyn’s hair as the ball. Rich in history, this engrossing story blends assassinations, love, wars, and schemes.

The Virgin Suicides

By Jeffrey Eugenides

In a suburban Detroit neighborhood, the enigmatic Lisbon sisters captivate the boys who obsessively watch them. As the girls tragically commit suicide, a haunting tale of adolescent love, mystery, and death unfolds.

Blood Over Bright Haven

By M. L. Wang

An orphaned mage student at elite magic school faces hostility and uncovers secrets with an unexpected ally, risking all for forbidden truths and ultimate power.

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Editorial at Fable.