musings of monica

May 2026 Diverse Reads:          

•”We Could Be Anyone” by Anna-Marie McLemore, May 26, Feiwel & Friends, YA, Historical/1920’s/Gothic/Magical Realism/Mythology/Folklore/Coming of Age/Family Life/Siblings/Queer Life/Queer Romance/Feminist/Con Artists/Old Money Glamour/New York/LGBTQ

•”No God but Us” by Bobuq Sayed, May 26, Harper, Literary/Family Life/Immigrant Family/Immigrant Community/Queer Life/Politics/Social Themes/Identity/Belonging/Self Discovery/Love/Sexuality/Exile/Faith/Cultural Heritage/Afghan/Muslim/World Literature/Tehran/Istanbul/suburbs of Northern Virginia & Washington DC/LGBTQ

•”Ghalen: A Romance in Black” by Walter Mosley, May 26, Amistad, Contemporary, Coming of Age/Portrait of Family/Family Life/Boyhood/Manhood/Intergenerational/Multigenerational/Saga/Unconventional Love Story/Cultural Heritage/African American & Black/World Literature/Diverse Perspectives

•”Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You” by Julián Delgado Lopera, May 26, Liveright Publishing Corporation, Literary/Historical/1990’s/Coming of Age/Family Life/Travesti Lore/Civil War/Social Themes/Identity/Belonging/Gender/Self Discovery/Love/Sexuality/Grief/Depression/Cultural Heritage/Hispanic & Latino/World Literature/Bogotá/LGBTQ

•”Now Then” by Morgan Radford, May 05, Amistad, Literary/Historical/1950’s &1990’s/Coming of Age/Family Life/Mother & Daughter Relationship/Multigenerational/Saga/Cuban Revolution/Politics/Women/Women's Studies/Cultural Heritage/Hispanic & Latino/World Literature/USA/Bogotá

•”Behind Five Willows” by June Hur, May 26, Feiwel & Friends, YA/Historical/late 18th Century/Romance/Book Banning/Government Censorship/Politics/World Literature/South Korea ——> “The world of the novel brings the spirit of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to a uniquely Korean historical context.”

•”The Young Will Remember” by Eve J. Chung, May 05, Berkley, Literary/Historical/1950’s/Politics/Korean War/Global Conflicts/Media Coverage/“Forgotten War”/Women of Wars/Families/Familial Duties/Politics/Cultural Heritage/Asian American/World Literature/USA/South Korea

•”An Expanse of Blue” by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams, May 19, Heartdrum, YA/Novel-In-Verse/Coming of Age/Romance/Family Life/Sibling/Sisterhood/Social Themes/Identity/Belonging/Devotion/Faith/Self Discovery/Hawaiian Diaspora/Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•”Shards of Silence” by Brian Lee Young, May 05, Heartdrum, YA/Coming of Age/Family Life/Boyhood/Generational Trauma/Social Themes/Race/Identity/Belonging/Social Status/Self Discovery/Native Boarding Schools/Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•”One Leg on Earth” by 'Pemi Aguda, May 05, W. W. Norton & Company, Literary/Horrir/Speculative/Coming of Age/Daughterhood/Motherhood/Womanhood/Pregnancy/Politics/Social Themes/City Progress/Social Progress/Urban Development/Colonialism/Community/Nigerian History & Culture/World Literature/Nigeria 

•”Babylon, South Dakota” by Tom Lin, May 26, Little Brown and Company, Literary/Historical/1970’s/American West Saga/Science Fiction/Speculative/Multigenerational/Saga/Social Themes/Farming/Homestead/Midwestern Ecology/US Government/Time/Space/Nature/Cultural Heritage/Asian American/Multiple Timelines & Shifting Perspectives

•”On Witness and Respair: Essays” by Jesmyn Ward l, May 29, Scibner, Nonfiction/Essays/Essay Collection ——> creative nonfiction and essays spanning two decades, blends personal & political — documents Ward’s Mississippi upbringing, her literary influences, and her struggles with devastating personal loss and systemic racism. Cultural Heritage/African American & Black/Black South

•”At Sea” by Y. M. Abdel-Magied, May 05, Pegasus Books, Literary/Thriller/Eco-Thriller/Suspense/Women/Social Themes/Science/Faith/Humanity/Ecology/Mother Nature/Drilling/Offshore Oil Rig/Big Oil/Ambition/Greed/Ethics/Capitalism/Power/Prejudice/Gender/Workplace/World Literature/Sudan/Scotland/Australia 

•”Coyoteland” by Vanessa Hua, May 12, Flatiron Books, Contemporary/Family Life/Family Drama/Suburban Drama/Dark Suburbia/Society & Current Affairs/Cultural & Social/Social Themes/Race/Class/Belonging/Familial Duties/Success/Power/Community/Real Estate/Economic & Environmental Instabilities/Cultural Heritage/Asian American

•”Distant Water: Poems” by Beth Piatote, May 12, Milkweed Editions, Poetry ——> poetry collection exploring the way Nez Perce language embodies the inseparable connection of land, sound, and spirit. Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•”Double Happiness” by Heather Eng, May 19, Tiny Reparations Books, Contemporary/Romance/Romantic Comedy/Social Themes/Love/Ambition/Class/Tech World/Cultural Heritage/Asian American

•”Honey” by Imani Thompson, May 05, Random House, Literary/Thriller/Dark Humor/Satire/Women/Women Fiction/Women's Studies/Feminist/Social Themes/Race/Gender/Sexist/Violence/Comeuppance/Campus Life

•”The Afterlife of a Threadbare Jester” by 

Khanh Ha, May 12, Red Hen Press, Literary/Historical/Vietnam War/Postwar Vietnam/Intelligence Officer/Reeducation Camp/Political/World Literature/USA/Vietnam

•”Abundance” by Hafeez Lakhani, May 05, Counterpoint, Contemporary/Family Life/Immigrant Family/Immigrant Community/Family Life/Coming of Age/Intergenerational/Multigenerational/Saga/Social Themes/Race/Class/Belonging/Faith/Familial Duties/American Dream/Cultural Assimilation/Franchise Management/Cultural Heritage/Muslim/Indian American/World Literature/Rawalpindi/Miami