Books We Loved, May 2026

Not sure what the weather is like in your part of the world, but here at Five Directions Press we have been rocketing back and forth between early spring and midsummer in terms of temperatures. But whether you read outside in a shady glen or inside with a mug of cocoa or hot tea nearby, there’s always space and time for a good story. Here are three books we loved this month: one historical fantasy based on Greek mythology, one alternative view of the American Revolution from one of its most interesting participants, and one modern character study pitting two teens against nature and society, especially their own families.

Lauren J. A. Bear, Aphrodite in Pieces 

(Ace Books, 2026)

Aphrodite in Pieces gathers diverse myths featuring the goddess and unites them to create a comprehensive portrait. Beginning with her innocent days on the island of Cyprus, progressing to her disappointing welcome in the pantheon of Olympus, and culminating in her shattering experiences of the Trojan War, Aphrodite is depicted in all her aspects—calculating and vengeful, kind and forgiving, passionate and abandoned.

A woman does not live her life independent of society. As it is above, so it is below. Sometimes Aphrodite is praised for her beauty, and other times, her pulchritude condemns her to be judged as a whore. As Aphrodite grows in wisdom, she finds compassion for women such as Helen of Troy who suffer a similar fate.

The stories of Aphrodite remain pertinent today. In them, Lauren J. A. Bear finds reflections and connections between art, love, and beauty. You can find out more about these from my New Books Network interview with the author.—GM

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams (William Morrow, 2026)

So close to the semi-quincentennial, it’s great to see a novel focused on the life of Abigail Adams, a woman appreciated even in her own time—especially by her husband of more than half a century, John Adams, the second president of the United States—but not for her determination that her new country should also extend liberty to its female citizens.

Of course, Abigail Adams has received considerable attention since for her views on the need for adult women to control their own futures, but in the process much of the complexity of her life, her character, her surroundings, and her family has dropped out of the discussion. In A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie dive into the story of Abigail’s and John’s long and loving marriage, their political service and economic problems, their time at home and abroad, and their six children—four of whom survived to adulthood but not all of whom thrived once they got there.

It’s all wonderfully rich and complex, both emotionally and in terms of the history revealed here—enhanced by the feminine perspective. The American Revolution as it happened was not the neat story told in school but messy, sprawling, contentious, risky, and eventful, and the formation of the resulting republic reflected all those competing trends. Unless you’re a historian specializing in this place and time, I can guarantee you will learn things you never knew, and in entertaining ways. And here, too, you can find out more from my New Books Network interview with Laura Kamoie.—CPL

Gabriel Tallent, Crux  (Riverhead Books, 2026)

A crux is that one place on a rock face where a climber must either pull it all together, mentally and physically, or give it up. It is the spot where the real risk lies, and how it is approached and whether or not it is overcome means everything to climbers like high school seniors Dan and Tamma, who live on the outskirts of Joshua Tree, in the California desert. Dan lives with his parents in a small house his dad built and Tamma with her mother; her mother’s drug-dealing, beer-drinking, sofa-occupying boyfriend; and her younger brother in a trailer.

Dan is a golden boy—good looking, strong, smart, well-liked by everyone, particularly the adults in his life—all of whom encourage him to focus on his academic potential. Tamma is a big-eared, crooked-jawed, often unclean, always foul-mouthed, pint-sized agitator disliked by practically everyone. But Tamma is also brilliant, funny, passionate, and fearless, and Dan knows he is fortunate to be her best friend as well as her climbing partner. When Tamma and Dan are together, especially when they are climbing, they shine; their friendship shines; their conversations are luminous, electric. When they are together, they—along with the reader—can easily envision the two of them living hand-to-mouth while they wander through the country from one climbing site to another.

But while Tamma, who in spite of all the abuse she has suffered can reach levels of exuberance that are downright thrilling, Dan is often depressed, in part because his mom—who authored her first two novels to rave reviews at a very early age and then pretty much took to her bed for the next twenty years—is not there for him. When she does make an appearance, it is to remind him that Tamma is scum, in her opinion, and that she will be very disappointed if Dan gives up the chance to go to college so as to go out on the road with his friend. Interestingly, Dan’s mother and Tamma’s mother were themselves the best of friends as kids and young women—until a seemingly trivial disagreement drove them far apart.

There is a lot of climbing parlance in this book, but even a reader who doesn’t know a belay from a sendage will likely find the climb scenes riveting. And the true crux in the story concerns the emotional risks these two young people must undertake daily and the ones they may or may not be willing to take in the future. Crux is a beautiful, exciting, engrossing novel about two unforgettable characters. What a great movie it would make!—JS