The May 2026 Book of the Month picks have arrived, and I’ll be honest, this isn’t my strongest BOTM month. Nothing totally knocked me over at first glance, but there are still a few books I’m curious about and a couple I’m excited to pick up. Sometimes those lower-hype months end up delivering surprises, so let’s take a look at this month’s picks.
Keep reading to see this month’s picks and what I decided to put in my blue box this month!
Reminder that if none of these are speaking to you this month be sure to check out some of my Most Anticipated New Releases lists. If you’re looking for add-ons to put into your boxes, be sure to check out my BOTM add-on recommendations, which I update every couple of months.
MAY MOST ANTICIPATED
SPRING 2026 MOST ANTICIPATED
BOTM ADD-ON GUIDE
May 2026 Picks
May 2026 Add-ons
May Collections
My Box
I only picked one books for this May. I love a good Carley Fortune book, and her books are always a perfect lakeside read for me. We’re heading to the lake in a week for the summer and obviously I need Our Perfect Storm to take with me.
I already have copies of what I was most excited so: Homebound, The Shippers, Red Belly Crossing, The Burning Side, and Seek the Traitor’s Son. I loved The Burning Side! While it’s the only one I’ve read so far for May, I definitely thought it was a great story. Katherine Center is always a good pick, and I’ve been saving this ARC for when I need a good palette cleanser, or I find myself in a reading rut. I always know her books can pull me in and leave me feeling lighter
The Burning Side Review
Of our remaining picks, I’m interested in Good Joy, Bad Joy, but think I’ll wait for more reviews to flow in. I also want to read Dissection of a Murder, but I think it’ll be a library borrow. It is a debut though so if you need to grab debut for your challenge it’s probably a good pick. Canon and The Last Contract of Isako also both sound really good. Neither was on my radar so again, I’ll wait til I see a few more reviews come in to decide if I NEED them or not.