Books Received in May 2026

Many thanks as always to the publishers that allowed me to read advance copies of their books. These books were all sourced via Netgalley.

Treasures of the Vikings by Tom Horne - If you're interested in Vikings and want a nice overview, this is your book. There are numerous photographs of archaeological finds and the book covers the full range of Viking activities. Out now.

Treasures of the Vikings explores the material culture of the Viking Age, and the raiders and traders who plundered and purchased across Europe and Central Asia.

From battles in Estonia in the mid 8th-century and the apocalyptic Viking attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne on the remote northeast coast of Anglo-Saxon England in 793, until the demise of Scandinavian control of Shetland in 1472, Viking groups played a central role in history, as pirates, traders and mercenaries, leaving a trail of destruction, settlements and treasure from Newfoundland to the shores of the Black Sea.

In between, Vikings traded along the great rivers of Russia and Ukraine, conquered in Britain and France, settled in Iceland and Greenland, and enriched Scandinavia with loot.

Marvel at a Frankish Ulfberht high-carbon steel sword, prized by Viking warriors for its strength and lightness, and see the remarkable walrus ivory and whale tooth Lewis Chess Pieces, found on the eponymous Scottish isle in the 19th century.

Packed with photographs of fascinating objects and sites, Treasures of the Vikings is ideal for any enthusiast for all things Viking.

Healthy Living High-Protein Cookbook by Toby Amidor - This is a great cookbook if you're trying to get more protein into your diet. There's a nice mix of recipes using meat and vegetarian options. I've tried several of the recipes and they've been delicious. Out June 16. 

Support Your Strength. Balance Your Metabolism.

Feel stronger and support your health—one delicious meal at a time. The Healthy Living High-Protein Cookbook helps you meet your health goals with easy, satisfying meals powered by protein. Whether you’re strength training, navigating metabolic shifts, or preserving muscle as you age, this book delivers practical, science-backed solutions tailored to your needs.

These delicious, balanced recipes diversify your protein sources to naturally strengthen muscles and improve body composition—creating a foundation for long-term vitality without sacrificing flavor or time in the kitchen.

Invest in Your Strength—At Every Age 

4 Ready-to-Use Meal Plans: Take the guesswork out of your week with plans tailored to different life stages and activity levels.
Total Body Support: Higher-protein recipes designed to support lasting energy, lean muscle, and healthy weight management.
85+ Recipes from Breakfast to Dessert: Enjoy protein-packed bowls, easy dinners, snacks, and even guilt-free desserts.
Hassle-Free Cooking: One-pot and sheet-pan meals that deliver maximum nutrition with minimal cleanup.
Expert Meal Planning Tips: Learn professional strategies for grocery shopping and prep so you never have to wonder what’s for dinner.

From Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND—award-winning dietitian with over 20 years of experience. Toby proves that food for strength and metabolic health can also be food you truly enjoy.

Monumental by Simon Warrack - I'm currently reading this. I thought it was going to be more about the art of carving and the work of a stonemason but it's a standard biography. Having said that, Mr. Warrack has led a fascinating life, and he peppers his narrative with interesting asides inspired by his Renaissance history degree. Out Sept 8

Discover ancient stone wonders and the secrets of architectural preservation through the eyes and hands of one of the world’s greatest stonemasons.

Around the world and across time, the buildings of the gods and royalty have mostly been made of stone. For more than forty years, the eminent stonemason and conservator Simon Warrack has worked on many of the greatest of them. In Monumental, Warrack takes readers on a charming journey to some of the most extraordinary places where he has plied his trade, including the dazzling churches and palaces of Venice and the celebrated fountains of Rome, the vast temple of Angkor Wat in modern-day Cambodia, the glorious arches and cloisters of Canterbury Cathedral in England, and the ancient, elaborately carved Obelisk of Axum in modern-day Ethiopia.

Everywhere he goes, Warrack finds a communality through stone—a shared desire to conserve and maintain heritage that has spanned continents, cultures, religions, and millennia. He captures the joys and the challenges of working with various kinds of stone—marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, travertine. He describes stonecutters’ tools and techniques as they’ve been passed down through centuries, and the sheer wonder of working so intimately on monuments to human ingenuity and divine belief. And he approaches his work with the passionate belief that conservators must be guided by the spirit with which people built, carved, and cared for their monuments. Without this, form and beauty may endure, but their spirit is lost.

Monumental is a thrilling account of historic conservation at the level of chisel and stone, and a powerful argument for safeguarding our shared history.

History Book Review: Treasures of the Vikings by Tom Horne

The book has 7 chapters in addition to the introduction: Playing games: growing up a viking; Production and consumption; House and home; Clothing and adornment; Weapons and war; Trading and raiding; Faith and death. There's an index, a bibliography and picture credits at the end.

The book is heavily illustrated with each chapter having numerous pictures of relevant archaeological finds. It emphasizes the ubiquity of viking culture despite its geographic expansion. I loved the inclusion of so many items from daily life.

The chapters are fairly short, covering a decent amount of information in a superficial way. It's a nice introduction to the life of Vikings, but if you've researched the topic before you won't learn much new.

While the book has information about the objects depicted, and credits for the included photographs, I often wanted to know where the objects were currently housed and that's hard to figure out. Some of the photos are credited to institutions where they're presumably held, but others have Alamy or individual photographer credits, which is less helpful. I may be in the minority for wanting this information though.

It's a great primer on Viking life.

Book Review: Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Pros: entertaining new characters, snarky commentary, excellent world-building

Cons: muted action

Murderbot and Three break onto a gigantic planetary torus so Murderbot can rescue several humans important to Mensah. But their escape is complicated by the unforseen need to rescue more humans and navigate the surprisingly complex torus.

This is a much quieter adventure for Murderbot. While there are some fights, due to the nature of the mission and the presence of kids, it needs to keep the killing and mayhem to a minimum. Instead, there are a lot of quick decisions, directed hacking, and clever manoeuvres. The new humans are interesting and their interactions with Murderbot entertaining. The book has a number of unexpected twists.

The world-building is fantastic as each zone in the torus is run by a different group and so has its own transportation, feed, security, etc. None of which Murderbot knows in advance. It’s ability to plan on the fly has greatly improved.

A new feature in this book is Murderbot’s attempts to deal with its trauma by running occasional (and sometimes frequent) ‘emotion checks’. These provide some nice comedic asides as well as showing Murderbot’s growth as it realizes things about itself and the humans.

It’s an enjoyable read.

Book Review: Chai and Charmcraft by Lynn Strong

Pros: interesting world building with a mix of Egyptian deities and catfolk, conversations feel realistic, highly descriptive

Cons: very long chapters, slow pacing, some confusion about the world and untranslated terms

After a lifetime of following the rules and causing no trouble, the God-Emperor's brother and prophet, His Imperial Highness Nur-ul-Shuruq Faraj al-Nadhir, sneaks away from the palace in which he lives to visit the proprietor of a bathhouse from his prophetic visions, in the Catsprowl for a night of unbridled passion. When his lover is forced to resummon his cat familiar, Faraj ends up accidentally summoning his own spirit-summoned familiar, a pregnant cat. But the palace doesn't allow cats, especially not ones tied to the soul that can be used to harm or spy on members of the royal family.

The book's stakes are fairly low, trying to change things so cats - or at least Faraj's familiar - are allowed in the palace, and hiding the identity of Faraj's low class lover, so he can't be used against the prince. As the book progresses, there is a decent amount of talk about political maneuvering, especially around the various priests congregating in the city. There was one fairly tense dinner scene, but for the most part the book maintains a low key, cozy feel to it.

The world building is such that the place feels lived in. There's a real ambiance to it based loosely on medieval Egypt. I absolutely loved the catfolk and the complex mix of gods and goddesses worshipped. The author sprinkles in a lot of untranslated terms that are mostly understandable from context. Though it did take me most of the book to realize that kulhad were cups holding chai, rather than denoting a drink. Some things about the world weren't really clear to me. I was confused by whether the priests of Upaja and Bastet worshipped in the same temple or had their own distinct practices. I also questioned a few aspects, like the priests of Upaja were said to carry no coin and collected alms so they could cook and provide food to the poor. These priests are also said to be rotund and when the High Priest serves Faraj he has access to high end snack foods. While the citizenry apparently joke about their weight, no one accuses them of eating the offerings themselves thereby taking food from starving supplicants. When orders devoted to poverty start having overweight clerics, that's usually a sign of corruption and lax devotion.

There is a vocabulary and condensed character guide at the end of the book, though a lot of terms, like kulhad and haveli aren't included. Though the guide is mentioned in the table of contents, I didn't realize it was there until I finished the book. The guide does go over a bunch of terms and the identities of the priests, so it's a good reference. There are also recipes and some other end notes.

The prologue contains an off page gay sex scene. There are mild flirtations and some foreplay, but there's nothing detailed beyond kissing. Later in the book there's some more flirtation and innuendo, but it's otherwise a tame book.

For some reason the first chapter is called a prologue. Prologues are generally set off from the text by time, distance, or character point of view. So it's really strange that the author put the events that kick off the plot in one. Apparently some younger readers are skipping prologues these days, feeling they're unnecessary, and will find themselves very confused if they do that with this book as chapter 1 picks up the morning after.

The early chapters are very long and while the conversations feel realistic, they often stall the story's momentum. The prologue and first chapter set-up the scene, but then it takes several chapters for Faraj to arrive back at his palace and anything new of interest to happen. Scene changes were nice, and the first few pages of each chapter were interesting, but quickly got bogged down in long-winded chatter. I found on the whole that the second half of the book was much more engaging as it brings in a lot of political intrigue. There may be too much intrigue if you're looking for a relaxing cozy, as it made me think about justice, laws, and fairness in society.

There are some sweet scenes of people preparing food together and seeing the kittens of the Catfolk ask Furaj for treats was fun. Faraj and his lover, Asharin, are both very kind and I was hoping to see more of them together in this book. My favourite character was the heretical Archivist Najra who steals every scene she's in.

Overall, while I thought the book had some good points, like interesting characters and detailed prose, the length of the book became a hindrance for me.

Book Review: Stay a Spell by Amy Coombe

Pros: caring protagonist, bookshop setting, saphic secondary romance, really tugs at the heartstrings at times

Cons: made me cry

Princess Tanadelle de Courcy is in Little Pepperidge to dedicate it's new market square when she runs out of books to read. Desperate for a distraction from her boring royal duties, she visits a bookshop. Her world is turned upside down when she's cursed by the owner to stay until she discovers her heart's desire. Now in charge of the shop, she relishes the first real freedom she's ever had, flirting with a handsome sailor and trying to drum up customers. But she dreads her parents' reaction, knowing they will stop at nothing to break the curse, even if it means sending the 7 princes of the realm to kiss her.

This is a sweet, cozy romance with a lot of heart. Tandy's such a warmhearted and loving princess, and she tries so hard to make everyone around her happy. It's hard not to follow everyone in the book's example by falling in love with her. Watching her learn how to flirt with the sailor is almost painfully cute. I loved seeing her become self-sufficient, learning simple magic to cook and clean, and watching her joy at being able to read any book she wanted late into the night.

The book is LGBT friendly, with a fun romance between two teen girls who end up helping Tandy with the shop.

There are some mildly humiliating things that happen to Tandy, which made me feel bad for her. The book tugs at the heartstrings at times and made my cry at more than one point.

This is a low stakes story with a low spice level that has one fade to black love scene and some cute flirting and banter. The story is heartfelt, sweet and lovely. It is suitable for YA and adult readers.

Books Received in March 2026

Many thanks to the publisher and author who sent me books/approved my review requests on Netgalley.

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe - This was my first cozy fantasy romance and I loved it. I really needed a low stakes feel good story and it fit the bill perfectly. It's a sweet romance with a lot of books and a lot of heart. I really enjoyed it.

 

Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar is disillusioned with life as a princess. She longs for real conversation, the chance to build a life of her own making, and uninterrupted reading time.

During a routine royal visit to the town of Little Pepperidge, Tandy’s dream comes true when she finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she unlocks her heart’s desire. Certain that someone will figure out how to break the curse eventually, and delighted by the prospect of an entire bookstore of her own, Tandy settles into life among the stacks. She finds it easy to exchange balls and endless state dinners for teetering piles of books and an irritatingly handsome pirate who seems bent on stealing her stock.

She even starts to believe she's stumbled into her very own happily ever after.

There's just one, minor problem: as Tandy's royal duties go unfulfilled, her frantic parents start sending princes to woo her, each one of them certain their kiss will break the curse. After all, what more could a princess want but a prince?

Bound to be Beautiful by Bari Zaki - I love the look of hand made books. I was hoping to pick up a few skills but the craft is rather intimidating. The book has nice step by step instructions and pictures, but I think I need something even more basic as a beginner's guide.

 

Discover the joy of hand-binding with this inspiring guide from expert bookbinder Bari Zaki.

Whether you're new to bookbinding or looking to refine your skills, you'll find more than 20 stunning projects here to spark your creativity – from classic soft and hardcover books to elegant albums, journals and folders.

Learn how to create eye-catching details such as window spines, recessed collage covers, and intricate exposed bindings using the Coptic stitch. Explore a variety of formats including envelope-page albums and drop-spine accordion books with hidden pockets – perfect for preserving memories.

Each project is infused with Bari's love of paper as she walks you through every step, sharing techniques for folding, glueing, and stitching, as well as her go-to tools and materials.

Even the more advanced case-bound and screw-post spine books feel achievable with Bari's clear, step-by-step approach – making this guide a must-have for bookbinders of all levels.

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim - This is a thought provoking piece of alternative SF. I didn't particularly like the protagonists, but I thought their story was compelling and found the book hard to put down. The cover copy is a little misleading in that borders don't force an instance to be created, but there is the possibility of one being created whenever you cross one. The book follows 2 people who instanced in different ways.

The border cuts you in two.

When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.

Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.

She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.

How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?

Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson - I only made it 48 pages in before I had to stop reading. I found the world-building simply did not make any sense. While I loved the premise, the execution annoyed me too much.

Cursed from birth to always tell the truth, magical florist Felicity “Fliss” Farrow chooses her words carefully to avoid trouble. But when she receives an anonymous request for a mysterious flower, her search leads her directly into trouble’s path: to Willoh Vane.

Fliss knows the outcast—yet teasingly handsome—sorcerer is rumored to have used dark magic to corrupt the northern forest five years ago. She’s witnessed the resulting feud with Prince Bastion, whom her best friend, Card, is soon to marry. Despite her divided loyalty, Fliss reluctantly accepts Will’s help with gathering rare flowers and finds herself increasingly drawn to him.

As the royal wedding approaches, Fliss fears the flowers she’s delivered are intended for a sinister purpose. But when her warnings are ignored, can she and Will save the kingdom from disaster, and ultimately discover what Fliss has sought for so long—the truth.

Chai and Charmcraft by Lynn Strong - I'm currently on chapter 2 of this book. It has a lot of flowery language and long passages. The protagonist seems very sweet.

What's a prince to do when the man of his dreams doesn’t want a crown and his cat is banned from the palace?

His Imperial Highness Faraj al-Nadhir has never thought himself a charming sort of prince. He’s shy, round, middle-aged, and always dutiful. But he has also secretly spent years dreaming of a man tending jasmine in a sun-lit window — prophetic visions that led him at last to one blissful night with someone who sees his heart, not his crown.

He did not expect to wake up with a cat walking on his face.

Cat-familiars are forbidden in the Imperial fortress. They might be spies. They might be soul-charmers. They might even sharpen their claws on thousand-year-old tapestries. But Faraj cannot regret that sweet little Sahar chose him — just as he cannot regret Asharan bir Chameli, the enchanting owner of the House of Jasmines. Asharan wants nothing to do with Faraj’s title and power, only his kindness. And Faraj hadn’t expected either the delights or the dilemmas of Asharan’s magical, soft-pawed little gift.

The rules have always been different for the God-Emperor's brother. Faraj never before realized how much.

Now he's breakfasting from community cauldrons in back alleys full of children and kittens. His foresight shows him a thousand paths toward disaster, but not the way through. His devoted chamberlain fears that Faraj has been bewitched by a purring agent of chaos, and Faraj can’t exactly say he’s wrong.

When the choice comes down to betraying his lover's name, his cat-familiar’s life, or his own use of forbidden magic, Faraj does the only thing he can: He gets himself put on trial for heresy, trying to change the laws of the Empire itself.

If his visions always lead him into trouble, he might as well make useful trouble.

Video Game Review: Strange Horticulture

Strange Horticulture is a video game developed by Bad Viking and published by Iceberg Interactive. It's an interactive story where you play a character who's recently inherited their uncle's plant shop. As you help patrons by giving them the flowers they ask for, you gain pages in your botany book that help with the identification. Letters and other interactions lead you to locations on a map where you can find new plants for the shop. Meanwhile, a horrible murder has taken place and people involved with it come to you for various forms of aid.

The game is a lot of fun. I love plants and herbals, so putting the book together and reading about the plants was great. The story has several points where you can choose between 2 plants to give someone, a decision that impacts future options and the ending of the game. There is some mention of the occult, and you have the ability to personally kill one person. I've gotten 3 of the 8 endings so far. The game also has some mapping puzzles to solve, which keeps things interesting. A few of the puzzles were challenging until I figured out their trick. The visuals are gorgeous, including the petable cat that sits and sleeps on the counter. It's a point and click game, so there's no time based stress involved. The controls are easy to figure out and it takes about 6-8 hours to play through the first time.

I highly recommend the game if you like plants, the occult, and simple puzzles.