May Readings
Some book recommendations...
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Welcome, welcome, welcome,
To a month in review at The Ink-Stained Desk. May was the last month in Autumn for all of us in Australia, and my goodness, hasn’t the weather gotten suddenly chilly? Honestly, I’m so glad it’s finally Winter, it’s my favourite month. There’s just something about being safely inside while the weather gets wild outside. You’ll find me in front of the fireplace for the next three months, hibernating with my laptop and an embarrassingly tall stack of books.
Anyway, let’s get on with what you’re all here for, the book reviews and recommendations. It was a good month for speculative fiction, let me tell you!
If you’d like to follow my current reads, TBR, or see the books I’ve left off this list, you can find me on GoodReads here:
The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood. (2015)
Yep, I’m late to this one; it’s been on my to-read list forever, and for some reason I kept puttin git off. Then I walked into my library, and there it was staring at me from the shelf end. A truth about me is that if I ever see a book on my to-read list on the shelf end of the library, I have this weird fear that something bad might happen if I don’t borrow it. It’s like the universe is speaking to me. Anyway, I finally read this book (—which has seven awards under its belt) and had to sit for a moment when I finished it because it’s quite a ride. Part body horror, part feminist missive, part kidnapping narrative, this packs a punch. Don’t read it straight after breakfast, but if you’re looking for something honest and raw, this one is for you.
Eight women are kept in an abandoned… facility (-???)in the middle of outback Australia. All they know is that they have all had experiences with wealthy men that didn’t end well. With three guards, who seem just as stuck there as the women do, they endure days of hard labour out in the boiling sun. Then the food runs out, and they lose electricity, and things go a bit wild.
Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke. (2026)
I have read so much hate about this book in the last few weeks that I just wanted to see for myself, and I’m here to say I really enjoyed this book. Will it win any literary awards? Probably not. But made me feel something, and that’s what matters when it comes to stories.
The basic storyline is that Natalie is an influencer, stay-at-home mum and wife to a real-life cowboy. And she doesn’t use the term trad wife. Natalie makes this all seem simple for the camera. What she doesn’t show is the nannies, camera people and farm hands that actually do most of the work. Cut forward, Natalie wakes one morning to find that the electricity is not working, and the children don’t look right. And it’s 1855.
Look, I’m not going to spoil the ending of this; you’ll have to read it for yourself. I will say that the was Caro Claire Burke twisted this story is so smart and spoke so much more about our internet social media culture than the ending that everyone wanted would have.
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett. (2026)
Heather Fawcett is an automatic read for me at this point. I was enamoured with each of the Emily Wilde books and have now found a new cat-loving heroine to love in Agnes. This is a very low-stakes, cozy fantasy, but honestly, when I pick up Fawcett’s book, I’m here for the prose, not the action.
The basic premise here is that we are in an alternative 1920s Montreal where wizarding and magic are looked down upon, but not illegal. So when Agnes accidentally rents a shop from the biggest, baddest wizard, she has to decide if she will put aside her prejudices and stay, or make many, many cats homeless.
The cats all have beautifully fleshed-out personalities of their own, and the Havelock (—the ‘big bad’ magician) is delightfully quirky.
The Dorians, by Nick Cutter. (2026)
The Dorians is Nick Cutter’s (—he of The Troop and The Queen) most recent release. I was very lucky to receive an advanced copy, which I wrote an extended review of earlier this month. Find it here:
Just know, it’s excellent!
Such Pretty Things, by Lisa Heathfield. (2021)
If you enjoyed Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, you will enjoy the atmosphere in Such Pretty Things. It’s very slow burn, and the horror is subtle, but there is this overall ‘something is not right in this house with these people feel’ which is something I enjoy. The prose is suffocating, but poetic. Think haunted houses, weird dolls and abandoned children.
The Endling, by Keely Jobe. (2026)
This debut absolutely knocks you for a six—it’s impossible to believe it’s her first book. It is the eco-feminist horror I’ve always been waiting for.
Set in Australia, the story follows a commune of women who have turned their backs on men and the rest of humanity. When they all mysteriously fall pregnant, the narrative shifts to explore these radical pregnancies and the unsettling, otherworldly nature of the children they bear.
If you enjoyed Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland, this is a must-read. Please reach out once you've finished—there is so much to unpack here, and I am desperate to discuss it.
—just a weird note on this one. When you look this title up on Goodreads, it says it’s not yet published. This is incorrect; it was published in Feb 2026.
The House Across the Lake, by Riley Sager. (2022)
My question to myself is, why do I keep trying with Riley Sager? The answer is I’m drawn to the blurbs on the back of the books. They always sound so intriguing, but when I read it and well…, and I’m such a sucker, I picked up another one since and put it down after a few chapters. Let’s say I’ve learned my lesson now.
The House Across The Lake follows an alcoholic, widowed ex-actress, who is also a snoop (—because one trope isn’t enough). When the woman who lives in the house across the lake vanishes, our protagonist goes on a Rear Window-type detective jaunt.
Wildflower, by Becky Jenkinson. (2026)
Oh, how I love a cozy fantasy! Let me count the ways. The short, clumsy protagonist, the bad boy love interest, the best friend who has no idea, the antagonist who is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Add to that flower magic, a cozy cottage, a sprinkle of spice, and you have yourself a winner.
Wildflower will be released next week by Del Rey, and I can’t speak about this book without mentioning the beautifully sketched and labelled botanical illustrations that feature with each chapter heading.
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I hope you’ve found something here that piqued your interest,
Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you all next Friday.
C M Reid at The Ink-Stained Desk.
"Such Pretty Things" sounds intriguing.
We had to read "The Turn of the Screw" in 11th grade AP English.