may 2026 reads
Another month gone by, another reading to write. A funny fact (I guess?) about these reading logs is that I actually copy and paste the format from the previous month every single time. I don't think this actually saves me any time, but emotionally, it feels like it does... Except for that time I accidentally overwrote a whole entire post by mistake because I updated the old one instead of typing in the new one. Anyway, this time I went back to April 2026 and had a visceral reaction of disgust upon seeing the first book listed. I really, really didn't like it and I guess the distaste has stayed with me—kind of a weird feeling to be honest.
My reading for May remained rather low volume. This seems to be a theme of 2026, but perhaps now that I'm back commuting to work, I'll actually read more. This may seem counterintuitive, but I get a far bit of reading done during my commutes and I also like to read on my lunch breaks instead of just doomscrolling. You'd think I could at least avoid the doomscrolling at home, but alas. I did read quite a bit of manga this month though (like, a lot of manga), so that's a change that's happened at least! Now onto the books!
Novels, Collections, & Nonfiction
The Many by Sylvain Neuvel
I already wrote a whole entire review about this book since I got my hands on it courtesy of NetGalley. It was deep, yet simple, and I really liked how it approached the human condition even if there were moments of oversimplification. Sometimes things need to be simple. Check out my full review if you want to know more.
The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (tr. Frances Riddle)
This story is told through multiple perspectives across multiple different timelines and that kind of thing is just delicious to me. Not an easy read though. It's about fascism, generalized bigotry, violence against women... A hard read, but a really worthwhile one. I love works from Spanish!
The Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
I can't say much about this because it's the fourth book in the series, but it was awesome. The best one yet. So much pining, so much wonder. Zero complaints. Really looking forward to the last book, but I'm also not sure what I'm going to do with myself when I'm done.
Manga & Other Comics
The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono Vol. 6 (tr. Amanda Haley)
The usual humorous yakuza spin on being a stay-at-home husband. I read this right at the start of the month, so can't remember what kind of shenanigans took place, but this series is all about shenanigans, so it was the usual satisfying read.
長くも短き恋の話 by 市川けい (Kei Ichikawa)
This is the first book I've read by the author that isn't Blue Sky Complex in a really long time. I think it's also the first one shot to come out in quite awhile too? Anyway, by the author's own admission it was a pretty experimental style, so quite different than her usual stuff. There were splashes of colour throughout and the chapters were also very short and kind of disconnected—but in a good way. It's available in English as A Long & Short Love Story.
かくも小さき世界にて Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by 高屋奈月 (Natsuki Takaya)
Natsuki Takaya wrote my first Japanese love, Fruits Basket, but I actually haven't read any of her work in a long time. I like some of the other series she's done, but wasn't really interested in the rehashing of Fruits Basket, so I was ecstatic to see this one come out. The story progression was a little hard to follow and I think a lot is left unanswered, but mad respect for the theme of finding yourself and living for you. Only two volumes and available in English as In Such a Small World.
See You Later, Mermaid by Dento Hayane (tr. Anonymous)
Disclaimer that I worked on the original digital release of this one as a proofreader, so I've read it before and am quite fond of it. I finally decided to read the physical copy I picked up. There's some back and forth in the timeline and some unreliable narrator stuff that makes this one quite cool. It's a heartwarming little BL manga. Warning for sexual content if you aren't into that though.
City Lights Birthday by Chika Hongo (tr. F.S. & Rhiannon Liou)
The disclaimer also applies for this one. First read it as a proofreader of the digital edition years ago and finally read my physical copy. This one is an interesting take on omegaverse where things don't necessarily work out like expected. I don't love omegaverse as a plot device, but I do like this story and what the author does with it. Definitely avoid if you don't want read through several sex scenes though. There are quite a few of them.
The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono Vol. 7 (tr. Amanda Haley)
Much like the above volume that I mentioned, but I read this one at the end of the month. There's some camping and some typhoon stuff, which feels fitting because as I write this, a typhoon is currently making it's way through Okinawa and might even hit Tokyo in a few days. We'll see.
And that's it! After writing everything out, I'm kind of impressed by how much manga I read. I go through phases like this where I can't really focus on prose that well, but manga and video games are great. Now that I've moved away from freelancing again, we'll see if my focus hones back into reading books again. It would be nice to be honest. I like video games, but there's really nothing like a good book.
I'll see you next month! Happy reading!