Chelsey's May 2026 Reads | 12 Books

Can someone please write some good fiction in 2026 if possible

If you have been a reader since the beginning of the year, you know that I set a soft goal of reading 200 books this year. That requires me to read about 17 books a month, a goal I’ve met almost every month this year. This month was the month that just about did me in. I started off strong, but as the month continued I was hit with the convergence of so many life things that my reading took a huge hit. I feel like I was able to get back on track as the month ended, but I still fell far short of my goal.

I spent some time feeling bad about this and tried to tell myself it didn’t matter. There are no book policemen who are going to come and put me in jail for not meeting my goal. Eventually, though, I realized that my sadness wasn’t really about my goal and was instead about the fact that I just hadn’t had much time to read, and I love to read. My brain and soul felt the lack of books I wish I could have read.

It was also just a meh kind of reading month. There were a few books that stood out, but in the fiction category especially I felt like nothing was good.

Unlike other months, it was not easy to pick my books of the month. These three were the best books I read this month, but I doubt any of them will make it onto my top books of 2026 lists at the end of the year, unless the rest of the year is just terrible.

Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi

I follow Fortesa Latifi here on Substack and find her articles fascinating. I was already intrigued by the lives of influencers and their kids, and her book pulls back the curtain even more on the thinking and behavior of these parents. There were some truly horrifying things in this book, like parents who became popular when their first child was a baby deciding to have another baby when the first child gets too old and isn’t bringing in as many views. Not to mention the bribes parents give their kids to be on screen. I thought this book was fascinating!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to read this book. What a ride! I had heard about it for years but had never felt compelled to read it. I got a deal for a Kindle eBook and finally read it this month. I now understand what all of the fuss was about. The way the author let us into the narrator’s mind and let us feel everything she was feeling as the book progresses was fantastic. As you will see, I had a very lame month in fiction as I tried to read newer books. Reading Rebecca made me think I need to focus on reading older fiction and take a break from the modern stuff.

Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care by Helen Thorne and Dr. Steve Midgley

I think anyone who is part of a church, especially church leadership, should read this book. While not a page-turner, it provides so much practical help for how to address various mental health issues that are present not just in our larger communities but also in our churches. It assumes rightly that every church has people within its walls who are struggling, and it gives so many wise ideas for how to help them.

After Church Hurt: Healing in the Care of the Good Shepherd by Timothy St. John

My husband bought this for his library and I immediately borrowed it so I could read it. We have experienced church hurt in a variety of scenarios, and so I felt like I was a good test case for how this book would land. The Lord has brought much healing into my life and so I didn’t feel I needed the advice this book offered, but I did order a copy for some friends who are fresh out of a church hurt experience, and they found it helpful. I also appreciated that this book looked at both sides of church hurt—a congregant/member being harmed by those in leadership as well as a pastor being harmed by members or other leaders of the church. We have experienced both, and both are necessary to talk about.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

We finally finished it! I started reading this book aloud to my younger two kids, ages 8 and 5 at the time, in February. It took us three months to finish. It was totally worth it, even on the nights when I was really tired and didn’t feel like reading. I think this is an incredible read-aloud and although we sometimes ran into words or scenarios that were unfamiliar to our youngest, it was a great opportunity to learn new vocabulary. We read anywhere from 1-3 chapters a night (3-10 pages). Andrew Peterson is also on Substack.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Young Doctor by Adam Kay

My book friend Nichole recommended this book to me, and it was a great palate cleanser between some long books. The author is British and the end of the book included a long essay on the British healthcare system, which was not relatable to me at all. However, he has some hilarious and horrifying stories of things he experienced when he was a new doctor. Be aware there is a good bit of cursing and some very graphic descriptions of human anatomy.

Traumatized Church: What Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthian Church Teaches Us About Helping Those Who are Hurting by Scot McKnight and Adrienne Gibson

I was intrigued by this book, which just came out. I follow Scot McKnight on Substack and am always interested in reading books about church hurt or trauma. This book contains a certain among of speculation about Paul’s life, but I think many pastors especially would find this book encouraging.

The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again by Mary Claire Haver

I hope I am at least a decade off from perimenopause, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. There is a lot of interesting science and presentation of evidence-based research in this book, as well as a comprehensive explanation of female hormones. I liked that the author, who is an OB/GYN, explained normal and abnormal symptoms and encouraged women to advocate for themselves. Ultimately, the author says that in order to best prepare for perimenopause, you should focus on four things: exercise, nutrition, sleep, and reducing stress. I don’t know any of my friends my age who aren’t trying to do these four things but who are mostly struggling because most of us are in a very busy season of life.

The Creaking on the Stairs: Finding Faith in God Through Childhood Abuse by Mez McConnell

My husband has been talking about Mez McConnell for years, but this is my first book I’ve read. This is a raw and honest memoir about the abuse the author suffered as a child and how meeting Jesus after being put in prison for a violent crime changed his life. It does not pretend to give any answers for suffering but it does offer hope to those who have suffered in this way.

This whole category depressed me this month. I had been looking forward to both of these fiction books because of reviews I had heard, and both of them let me down. The third book in this category was just fine.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

This was sold to me as an incredible fiction book that would purportedly change my life. I found it mediocre, agenda-pushing historical fiction. One of the main subplots involves a homosexual character, and while I think the author’s purpose was to show that life would have been exceedingly more difficult in the 1940s and the ensuing decades than it is now, I found the way it was presented as disingenuous. Furthermore, all the characters in the book, all of whom are white and Baby Boomers or their parents, are extremely open-minded about race, sex, and gender. That didn’t feel realistic at all for a small town in Ohio. Another plot point involves an extramarital affair, and that is a topic that I find very hard to read about due to a situation involving someone we knew many years ago. If I were you, I’d skip this one.

Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson

This one hooked me from the beginning, but about 2/3rds of the way through, I was so done with it. It also ended up as what felt like an agenda-pushing novel. I don’t want to read a novel that hits me over the head with what it is trying to say. It was far too much telling and not enough showing. The main plot in this book involves an abortion, which is illegal in Alabama, so it is already a tricky subject. Additionally, there is a subplot in the book that never gets resolved. I thought it was going to become a huge part of the end of the book and it was just… never mentioned.

Small Town Jesus: Taking the gospel mission seriously in seemingly unimportant places by Donnie Griggs

There was nothing too much wrong with this book, other than that it was self-published and would have benefited from more editing. While there was plenty of good theology and practical tips, I found sections of it self-congratulatory and other parts leaning too far toward pragmatism in church ministry than I am comfortable with.

How Strange a Season by Megan Mayhew Bergman

This is a book of short stories, and I thought it might help my fiction rut. However, the very first story had more sexual content than I was comfortable with, so I ditched it.

American Fantasy by Emma Straub

I’ve never read anything by Straub but have been curious, and her newest book had an interesting premise in that it took place on a cruise. I knew it fell mostly into the romance genre but was willing to try to branch out. And as usual, I branched out and fell out of the tree. Within the first chapter something happened that completely turned me off.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

I tried to read this one years ago and abandoned it, and I don’t know why I decided to try again. This is just not a genre that appeals to me. While I know this book is supposed to be funny and not overly cheesy, in my brain it falls into the “Hallmark movie” of books.

I don’t usually say much about the books in this category because I’ll eventually talk about them when I finish them!

• 52 Weeks in the Word: A Companion for Reading Through the Bible in a Year by Trillia Newbell—part of my (mostly) daily Bible reading

• 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart by Dale Ralph Davis—reading a chapter as my husband and I work through the book of 1 Samuel together

• How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren—a book I have been trying to finish for almost a year

• Kin by Tayari Jones—my current fiction read that I won’t be finishing before the end of the month

• North, or Be Eaten! by Andrew Peterson—book 2 of The Wingfeather Saga! I’m reading this aloud to my kids (ages 9 and 6) several nights a week. There are 60+ chapters and we only read 2-3 chapters a night, which means it might take us all summer to finish

• Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself--and to God--When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering by Chuck DeGroat—I just bought this for my Kindle and am starting it as my next “spiritual formation” book

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May was a disappointing reading month, but summer is coming. We have several trips planned during which I hope to do a good bit of reading. If you have any fiction books you’d recommend that aren’t going to make me throw the book/my phone against the wall, I’m all ears!