The best books we read in May 2022!

From a transcendent time travel novel to the Prison Healer finale, here are the best books we read in May 2022!

Olivia Fricot — Senior Content Producer

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Why I loved it: I’ve waxed lyrical enough times on this blog about my love for Emily St. John Mandel, but as long as she keeps writing books this good, I’ll never stop. Sea of Tranquility is her latest — a stunning novel that’s a sequel of sorts to her previous one, The Glass Hotel, although I feel that it can definitely be read alone. It follows the stories of an exiled aristocrat in 1912, a touring author from a moon colony 200 years later, and a time-travelling detective (stay with me here!) who are all tied together by a strange anomalous event that reaches through time. As always, Mandel has lots to say about human connection, art, and survival, and she says it with transcendent prose. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Buy it here

Ben Hunter — Fiction Category Manager

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

Why I loved it: I woke up one Saturday morning incapacitated by apathy and depression and for much of the day I read this miraculous thing cover to cover. Brief, evocative, and drenched with the sweetness of life itself, Sunbathing is the perfect tonic of a novel. Following a grieving woman through weeks spent in an old villa in picturesque Abruzzo, Isobel Beech approaches male privilege, media addiction, regret and depression with a nuanced, conversational ease and effective humour. This book of finding life through grief and friendship is an extraordinary debut — just the thing I needed.

Buy it here

Ruth & Pen by Emilie Pine

Why I loved it: Set over a single day in Dublin, 2019, Ruth & Pen contrasts the real time experience of two women, unknown to one another, but connected by circumstance. Ruth wakes to an empty bed, her marriage, like much of her life, at a crisis point with no easy decisions laid out before her. Teenage Pen is on her way to an Extinction Rebellion occupation to be with Alice — to feel her hand in hers. Both women are pushed to their limits in this smartly constructed snapshot of the human condition.

Buy it here

Sarah McDuling — Kids & YA Category Manager

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni

Why I loved it: Lynette Noni’s Prison Healer trilogy comes to an epic end with the release of The Blood Traitor this week and can I just say, woooohoooo! What a spectacular ride it has been! I normally try to limit myself to one body-related adjective per review, but in all honesty I can’t be so limited here. My mind was exploded, my breath was taken, my heart was stopped, and my gut was wrenched. It was awesome. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as this dynamic fantasy series hurtles towards its triumphant conclusion. I loved getting to hang out with this charming crew of characters and was sorry to see their story end, but perhaps the best part of reaching the end of a series is that it gives you the perfect excuse to go back to the beginning and start again! (Full review here)

Buy it here

Hannah Armstrong — Assistant Fiction Category Manager

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Why I loved it: Everyone and their mother has read this series, so I’m late to the party but thrilled to be here. Our story centres on Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a precocious teen who decides to do her senior school project on a murder that happened in her small town five years previous. No one in the community doubts that Sal Singh murdered his girlfriend Andie Bell, hid her body and then committed suicide — but Pip isn’t convinced. She teams up with Sal’s brother Ravi to reinvestigate and get to the truth of what happened that night, only to uncover a web of lies and deceit that has far-reaching ramifications. This book hooked me from beginning to end with its fast-paced, propulsive plot, array of potential suspects and likeable, clever and charismatic protagonist. My fellow true crime lovers, gather round — this is the YA mystery of your dreams.

Buy it here

Eden Samuel – Assistant Kids & YA Category Manager

Whisper by Lynette Noni

Why I loved it: This is the answer to my Shatter Me book hangover!! I’ve been on a mission to devour Lynette Noni’s backlist ever since I read and fell in love with The Prison Healer and I think I enjoyed this book just as much? Or maybe even more?! It’s an addictive mash-up of YA fantasy, sci-fi and dystopia, set in a secret government facility for extraordinary people in Sydney, Australia. We follow our main character, known as “Subject Six-Eight-Four”/”Jane Doe”, who has been locked away and experimented on for over two years, refusing to utter a single word since she arrived. When she is assigned a new and unexpectedly kind evaluator, Ward, her resolve begins to crack while the truth about Lengard’s mysterious program comes to light. It’s impossible to stop reading this book — its fast-paced, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat action will take you from cover to cover in no time!

Buy it here

Cass Sharp — Assistant Non-Fiction Category Manager

The Book of Wondrous Possibilities by Deborah Abela

Why I loved it: Arlo is a quiet bookish boy, with only his pet mouse Herbert for company. All of that changes when a girl crashes into the bookshop he works in, saying he has to help her, there’s a murderer after her. Hiding Lisette is a decision that changes Arlo’s life — she’s impulsive, recklessly honest — and she knows something about his late mum. The grimoire she was working on is all about Arlo, but Arlo the hero, not the anxious real one. He couldn’t be a hero — could he? Abela has a special place in my heart after creating the grumpy pre-teen superspy Max Remy, and this is the perfect read for kids 8-12. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger that will have them reading all night. She describes it as a love letter to books, booksellers and bookshops, and it shows — you want to curl up with a book and banana cake every few chapters. Adults will enjoy the sneaky nods to Shakespeare and Benedict, the most obnoxious uni student ever written.

Buy it here

Karen Robinson – Territory Relationship Manager

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

Why I loved it: Colleen Hoover is one of the most popular authors on the planet at the moment, so I just had to pick up her latest release to find out what all the fuss was about. This story was beautiful — touching and morally complex, dealing with tragedy, forgiveness and redemption. It’s a skilled author that can make you see all sides of the situation and feel compassion for each person’s viewpoint in such a fraught set of circumstances. I get the impression that each of her books are quite different but if you’re looking for one of her books to try, I highly recommend Reminders of Him.

Buy it here

What was the best book you read in May 2022?

Tell us below in the comments!

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