Books

10 best books to read in May 2026
Book Talk

The 10 Best New Books Of May

From a a Scottish family drama to a dark academia romantasy.

By Sophie Fishman
Garrett and Hannah in Off Campus. Photo via Prime Video
Between The Lines

The “Hands-Off Rule” Change In 'Off Campus' Makes For A Better Show

The show makes a polarizing but meaningful departure from Elle Kennedy’s 2015 novel.

By Grace Wehniainen
LOVE ISLAND USA -- Episode 633 -- Pictured: (l-r) Kordell Beckham, Serena Page -- (Photo by: Kim Nun...
Bookshelf Bombshell

How Serena Page & PPG Made America Fall In Love With 'Love Island'

In an exclusive excerpt from Enter the Villa, journalist Anna Peele unpacks the winning love stories at the heart of Love Island USA Season 6.

By Anna Peele
Books

'One Nightstand' With Julia Louis-Dreyfus

When it was her turn to choose her book club’s next read, Julia Louis-Dreyfus chose a novel that left her “crying uncontrollably.”

By Charlotte Owen
Lila Raicek Talks 'The Plunge' & Owning Her Status As A "Racy" Writer
Bustle Exclusive

Lila Raicek Will Take "Racy" As A Compliment

The playwright opens up about her debut novel, The Plunge.

By Sophie Fishman

Book Club

Bustle Book Club

Madeline Cash Plays By The Rules

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

What Maggie O'Farrell Learned Bringing Hamnet To The Big Screen

The author reflects on learning the art of screenwriting — and why novels still have her heart.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Elder Millennial Adultery Just Hits Different

In Erin Somers’ The Ten Year Affair, a woman grapples with a lack of fulfillment.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Susan Orlean Won’t Rest On Her Laurels

The acclaimed journalist turns the lens on herself for the first time in Joyride.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Patricia Lockwood’s Fever Dream

The author’s new novel, Will There Ever Be Another You, is a dispatch from an unwell (but still brilliant) mind.

By Chloe Joe
Bustle Book Club

Amy Odell Understands The Assignment

How the two-time New York Times bestselling author and journalist got the goods on Gwyneth Paltrow.

By Christina Amoroso
Bustle Book Club

Rob Franklin Says Goodbye To All That

The debut author — and avowed Joan Didion fan — opens up about his writing process.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Molly Jong-Fast Wrote Her Memoir For You

The author hopes the public will find relief in reading How to Lose Your Mother.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Margaret Atwood Won’t Leave Gilead Just Yet

The author of The Handmaid’s Tale is already looking forward to the adaptation of its sequel, The Testaments — and to releasing her first memoir.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

The $2.99 Snack Dylan Mulvaney Relied On To Write Her Book

Paper Doll give fans a look behind the TikTok star’s hyperfeminine public persona.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

That Friend Just Wrote An Audiobook

Sabrina Brier’s audiobook is inspired by her TikTok character.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Y2K Trends Are Back, But What Happened To The Optimism?

Colette Shade’s new book explores the era’s cultural output — and the sociopolitical trends that informed it.

By Chloe Joe
Bustle Book Club

Miranda July’s Year Of Perimenopausal Thinking

The author’s novel has been lighting up group chats since its release this spring.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Patrick Radden Keefe’s Hollywood Homecoming

The Say Nothing author had abandoned his screenwriting dreams — until producers expressed interest in adapting his books.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Coco Mellors Embraces The Mess

Her latest novel captures the “sticky, messy, viscous-y love” shared by sisters.

By Samantha Leach
Bustle Book Club

Casey McQuiston Is A Method Writer — In A “Non-Douchebaggy Way”

The author of Red, White & Royal Blue and other beloved rom-coms returns with The Pairing.

By Samantha Leach
Fast Follow

Anxious Girls, Rise Up: Meet Brooke Averick

The podcaster opens up about writing her debut novel Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It.

By Sophie Fishman
The Idea Of Her

The Patron Saint of Horny Moms Everywhere

With The Idea of You, Robinne Lee turned on a generation of middle-aged women. In her new novel, Crash Into Me, she experiments with edgier territory still.

By Lauren Mechling
Book Talk

The 10 Best New Books Of May

From a a Scottish family drama to a dark academia romantasy.

By Sophie Fishman
Bookshelf Bombshell

How Serena Page & PPG Made America Fall In Love With 'Love Island'

In an exclusive excerpt from Enter the Villa, journalist Anna Peele unpacks the winning love stories at the heart of Love Island USA Season 6.

By Anna Peele
Between The Lines

The “Hands-Off Rule” Change In 'Off Campus' Makes For A Better Show

The show makes a polarizing but meaningful departure from Elle Kennedy’s 2015 novel.

By Grace Wehniainen
Entertainment

How Mindy Kaling Flipped The Script On Her Life

Two decades after joining The Office, the Hollywood multihyphenate is returning to the water cooler as the creator of Hulu’s new Not Suitable for Work. Everything else, however, is quite different.

By Ashley Spencer
Bustle Exclusive

Lila Raicek Will Take "Racy" As A Compliment

The playwright opens up about her debut novel, The Plunge.

By Sophie Fishman
Wellsy <3

Why 'Off Campus' Makes A Surprising Departure From The Books

Most of Hannah and Garrett’s story remains the same, but their third act changes one key detail.

By Grace Wehniainen
Books

'One Nightstand' With Lewis Pullman

The Remarkably Bright Creatures actor traces his love for reading to a tiny Venice bookstore and a book club born from a stolen novel.

By Charlotte Owen
Austenland

‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Is Like An Unofficial ‘Pride & Prejudice’ Sequel

Now a BritBox series, the 2020 novel is like a love letter to Jane Austen.

By Grace Wehniainen