Michigan City Public Library: Must-Read Books: May 2026

Adult Fiction

The Moonshine Women
by Michelle Collins Anderson

The Strong family farm, hunt, and make moonshine in the Ozark Mountains during Prohibition, but when tragedy strikes, the three Strong sisters move to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Because the youngest has a talent for moonshine, they keep the family business going despite all odds in this richly detailed novel. Try this next: Jess Montgomery's Kinship novels, starting with The Widows; Jeannette Walls' Hang the Moon.

Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke

With millions of social media followers, Natalie Heller Mills carefully curates her trad wife life featuring a charming Utah ranch, a cowboy/political scion husband, and five children (with one on the way!). What her followers don't know is that she has nannies and plenty of other help. Then one morning she wakes up and it's somehow 1805. Anne Hathaway has snagged film rights for this buzzy, twisty debut novel that's great for book clubs. Try this next: Anna-Marie McLemore's The Influencers; Alli Hoff Kosik's Too Blessed to Stress.

All Booked Up
by Melody Carlson

Having lost her husband to cancer a year earlier, 61-year-old Riva Owen deals with grief and tries to pay her mortgage. She doesn't want to leave the old Victorian that's been in her family for generations, so after praying, she takes in four women boarders. This leads to new friends and experiences, as well as drama and romantic rivalries in this fun and moving Christian novel about single older women. Try this next: Lauraine Snelling's The Florence Legacy.

This Story Might Save Your Life
by Tiffany Crum

Benny Abbott and Joy Moore, beloved hosts of a hit survival podcast, are used to sharing others’ near-death stories -- but when Joy and her husband vanish, their own lives become the mystery. With police suspecting Benny and only Joy’s unfinished memoir as a clue, he must unravel hidden secrets, unspoken love, and dangerous truths before it’s too late.

The Shock of the Light
by Lori Inglis Hall

World War II separates tight-knit twins Theo and Tessa when he joins the Royal Air Force and French-speaking Tessa trains as an operative for the Special Operations Executive. Afterwards, wounded Theo hides his homosexuality as it's illegal, mourns war casualties, and wonders about his still-missing sister. Decades later, PhD candidate Edie researches women in the SOE, leading her and Theo to team up and investigate what happened to Tessa. Try this next: Lucy Caldwell's These Days.

A Good Person
by Kirsten King

After casting a drunken hex on her ex, Lillian is horrified when he turns up dead -- and not only does she learn he had another romantic partner, but Lillian becomes a prime suspect. Determined to prove she’s the “real” grieving girlfriend, she spirals into obsession, denial, and chaos in this darkly funny, twisty debut about narcissism, loneliness, and self-delusion.

The Survivor
by Andrew Reid

After being fired on his first day, Ben Cross boards a New York City subway and becomes the target of a killer who taunts him with secrets from Ben's past. As bodies fall, disgraced detective Kelly Hendricks races to stop the threat in this tense, fast-paced thriller packed with twists and claustrophobic suspense.

The Gilded Heiress
by Joanna Shupe

In Gilded Age Boston, cash-strapped con artist Leo Hardy meets street performer Josie Smith, who bears a striking resemblance to a New York socialite whose daughter was kidnapped as a child. Leo concocts a scheme to pass Josie off as the daughter so he can collect a sizeable reward, but the pair's growing chemistry makes the deception difficult. For fans of: Anastasia-inspired romances like Kate Bateman's The Princess and the Rogue.

Adult Nonfiction

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
by Ibram X. Kendi

National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi's (Stamped from the Beginning) thought-provoking latest details the origins and evolution of the great replacement theory -- the far-right conspiracy that claims white European people are deliberately being replaced by non-white immigrants -- examining how leading politicians in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, and more openly propagate these views. Further reading: The Great White Hoax: Two Centuries of Selling Racism in America by Philip Kadish.

Youth Fiction

Loops
by Jashar Awan

Two starred reviews From Caldecott Honor- and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator Jashar Awan comes a hilarious and confidence-boosting (Publishers Weekly, starred review) picture book about the perseverance and positive self-talk needed to learn to tie your shoelaces This big kid is wearing his first pair of big-kid shoes, the kind with laces Even though they're a little on the roomy side--shoes to grow into, of course--he knows he can take care of them. Except they keep falling off Not to worry, he'll just tie them up again, because he knows how to tie those loops But wait a second, where did that darn shoe go? Nothing is ever truly easy when you're just starting something new; but, just like with any stage in childhood, whether it's making your first steps, or going down the really big slide, with persistence, doing anything scary or overwhelming quickly becomes a piece of cake And before you know it, you're a BIG KID

The Escape Game
by Marissa Meyer

Despite the fact that a contestant died on the fourth season of reality show The Escape Game, ruthless producers have greenlit a fifth season. Sierra joins the cast to solve high-stakes escape rooms...and find out who murdered her sister. Fans of puzzle-filled mysteries will devour this exhilarating thriller.

Piper at the Gates of Dusk
by Patrick Ness

The New World is threatened by an epidemic of nightmares and giant flaming gods. Many people blame the planet’s indigenous humanoids, but teen brothers Ben and Max seek the truth. This thought-provoking dystopian novel takes place twenty years after the events of author Patrick Ness’ popular Chaos Walking trilogy.

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic: Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm
by Philip C. Stead

After her friend Perseverance the turtle is imprisoned, goatkeeper Bernadette sets out on a rescue mission, aided by a memory-impaired magician and a Boat That Does Not Grant Wishes. This illustrated fantasy -- in which the chapters are out of order and the author can't control the characters -- is witty, whimsical, and hilariously weird. Read-alikes: Matt Phelan's Knights vs. Dinosaurs; Kate DiCamillo's The Beatryce Prophecy.

Contact your librarian for more great books!