May '26 Reading Recap
Spoiler-Free Reviews
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May was a pretty lackluster reading month. Probably the worst month in terms of reading for me so far this year. I think part of it was my own fault by getting a little too ambitious with my reading plans, which I completely did not follow through on. I only read 3 books this month and one was entirely through audio. It didn’t help that I started 2 rather chunky books at the beginning of the month that I’m still making my way through, but oh well.
I supplemented all that by doing other activities. I went on a lot of Museum dates with my wife. Celebrated my birthday with friends and subsequently hung out with them most weekends. I visited Boston for over a week visiting my brother. So yeah, while I didn’t read as much as I normally do, I more than made up for it by just enjoying other things.
So here are my thoughts on what I did read in May:
May Book Club Pick
I See You’ve Called In Dead by John Kenney
“Maybe we’re all obituary writers. And our job is to write the best story we can now.”
‘Fine’ and ‘Safe’ are the two words I’d use to describe May’s Book Club pick. Humorous but never overtly funny. Dramatic but never really allowed to get too serious (except in one section). I wish the book would push itself further by really challenging the nature of loss, the different affects of it depending on how a loved one dies. There was a lot of potential and I don’t think the author every fully realizes it. Instead, the story plays out like a mid 2000’s dramedy, which albeit would probably be a good one. But as a book I thought it lacked a certain punch needed to really take this book to the next level.
Our characters are boring archetypes, with our main character Bud getting everything handed to him. Almost every decision is made for him by the end, he attends random funerals to get a better sense of being an obituary writer, but in review, he doesn’t really take any lesson or wisdom from these events. His friends literally spell it out for him and once he gets through his trauma he’s able to see the light and while that was the best sequence in the book, it was very cliche. The entire book was a cliche and not in a good, fun way.
I will say, the book club was an interesting discussion, as the younger crowd did not enjoy this book as much as the more seasoned members. They offered more profound insights that definitely made me think more about ones relationship with death, but I’m still not sold on the book itself. But I will say, I think this is a very solid book for a guy to pick up if they haven’t read a book in a number of years.
Star Wars
The Living Force by John Jackson Miller / The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis
“Every being is your better… Remember that, and service becomes second nature.”
Most of y’all probably don’t know this about me, but I LOVE Star Wars. I’ve been a fan since I was 10 years old and, despite some questionable projects in the past few years, I’ve never fallen out of love with the franchise and I don’t think I ever will because I’m an adult who knows what he likes and doesn’t let a few bad stories affect how I overall feel about this universe. Since 2016 I’ve been a consistent reader of the books and comics, enjoying the different mediums and stories being told in this world that can rarely, if ever, be shown in a movie or show.
Now, all that said, the two Star Wars books I read were nothing to really write home about. The Living Force takes places a year before The Phantom Menace and follows all 12 Jedi Council on an adventure together. Every character has their own vigenetes and solo adventures that’s pretty enjoyable. But we’re still juggling too many characters and once the main plot kicks in with the antagonist in the 2nd half, it starts to lose it’s luster. There are great parts throughout the book, there are important lessons of wisdom that are being passed through, and if it was less action heavy, I honestly believe it would be up there as one of the better Star Wars books. However, on the whole, it’s completely fine. If you’re a fan of the Prequel Trilogy (like me) I would recommend it.
Now Princess and the Scoundrel… this is one I did not enjoy. I listened to this book with my wife, to and from Boston on a road trip and it was probably the best way for me to digest this story, because had I read this physically, I would’ve DNF’ed it. The prose is fine, but story is sorely lacking any drama, tension, and plot because that kicks in towards the very end of the book. The best thing is has going for it is that it 100% nails the characterization of Han and Leia. They are handled perfectly, but the story surrounding them is lifeless. The first act with their wedding was pretty sweet as my wife reminded me, but everything else falls flat. I wouldn’t recommend this to any Star Wars fan unless they’re a book completionist.
Hopefully June will be a better reading month!
Currently Reading:
Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fiedler
Howling Dark (The Sun Eater Book #2) by Christopher Ruocchio
To Smithereens by Rosalyn Drexler
What did YOU read in May? Have you read any of the books I read? Let’s talk about it!
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