This Week: May 17th

News and Updates

Happy unofficial start of Summer! While the season doesn’t officially begin for a few more weeks, Memorial Day weekend has always felt like the true kickoff. Growing up, it marked the moment we’d been waiting for—pools opening, ice cream shops staying open later, and the final countdown to the end of the school year (or nearly so, depending on where you are!).

This year, we’re spending the long weekend taking things slow after a very full final week of school. Our plans include plenty of reading, a few games of chess, family movie nights, and simply enjoying a stretch of time without the usual Monday-morning rush.

I hope you’re able to find some time to rest, recharge, and savor the long weekend as well!

This Week

Paranormal is one of those expansive umbrella themes that invites creativity, living at the edge where the familiar begins to feel slightly unsteady. Its roots stretch through folklore, Gothic fiction, and classic supernatural tales, yet what continues to draw readers in is the atmosphere it creates—tinged with dread, longing, and fascination, and driven by the irresistible question: what if the impossible were real?

What makes paranormal stories so compelling is the way they weave mood with emotional depth. A haunting can echo grief, a monster can embody desire or fear, and a ghost story can offer both escapism and a surprising kind of emotional truth.

Monthly Reading Challenge: Fantasy

Weekly Reading Challenge: Paranormal

Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House is a perfect fit for the Paranormal prompt, delivering exactly the kind of eerie, unmistakably supernatural experience readers expect. There’s a haunted family home, unsettling dolls and puppets, unexplained events, and a persistent sense that something otherworldly is at work. Rather than merely hinting at the paranormal, the novel fully embraces it.

What makes it an especially strong choice for a reading challenge, though, is the depth beneath the scares. At its core, the story explores grief, family conflict, old wounds, and the emotional weight people carry with them when they return home. That balance makes it a rich discussion pick—offering plenty to unpack in both its chilling surface elements and its deeper emotional themes.

If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these reads recommended by our StoryGraph community:

The Dead Romantics, Ashley Poston
The Hacienda, Isabel Canas
A House With Good Bones, T. Kingfisher
Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo

New This week

We don’t have any preview books hitting shelves this week, but I’ve had my eye on this one for quite some time!

Promoted as being inspired by Bluebeard, this new release leans firmly into paranormal fantasy—making it a perfect fit for readers who’ve been enjoying this month’s prompts.

In the story, a girl desperate to rescue her missing sister ventures into a forbidden forest, where she comes face to face with Death himself. He invites her into his enchanted mansion and offers to help her unlock her own hidden power—but at what cost? Is it ever truly safe to make a deal with Death?

This one sounds like a standout pick for readers who loved The Fox and the Devil or She Made Herself a Monster!

In Case You Missed It

Last Week’s Prompt

Some classic novels can feel long and tedious to young readers, even when they feature sword fights and princess rescues. William Goldman clearly felt that way as a boy, and that playful idea shapes The Princess Bride. The result is an entertaining book-within-a-book full of romance, mystery, and, of course, a rescue plan so outrageous it seems impossible to succeed—until it just might.

William Goldman’s The Princess Bride is best known to many readers as the source material for the beloved film adaptation, which delivered some of the most memorable lines in movie history. Before Rob Reiner brought Goldman’s story to the screen, however, it was a novel packed with the same sharp humor, quotable dialogue, and playful storytelling that would later make the movie a classic.

I give The Princess Bride 4.1 out of 5 stars. I have never been especially fond of the movie, and at times I found the novel’s plot difficult to follow. That unpredictability, however, is part of the book’s appeal: it is scattered, strange, and intentionally wild. I chose the audiobook edition and listened to a version on Audible narrated by Rob Reiner, which made the experience especially enjoyable. Readers who appreciate imaginative, offbeat stories such as Howl’s Moving Castle or A Wrinkle in Time may find this one worth the journey.

Last Week’s Articles

There’s something unforgettable about a great literary sorcerer. From Merlin and Gandalf to Dumbledore, Prospero, and Howl, these magical figures have shaped the stories readers return to again and again.

Last week’s article rounds up 5 iconic wizards in literature and the books or series where you can read more about them. If you love fantasy, myth, and unforgettable characters, take a look – you may find a new wizard you’ve never heard of before.

Read the full article here, then tell me: which sorcerer would top your list?

Last Week’s Preview

If you like your Arthurian retellings dark, dramatic, and centered on the women usually pushed to the sidelines, The Sisters and the Sword has a lot to offer. [Sam Davey]() leans into Morgan and Morgause as forces in their own right, and that shift gives this Camelot story a sharper, more unsettling edge. I especially appreciated the novel’s willingness to explore how trauma, power, and prophecy shape its characters—even when those choices make them difficult to love.

That said, this was ultimately a 3-star read for me. I admired the premise and the feminist framing, but the pacing felt uneven, and some timeline shifts pulled me out of the story. Even so, readers who enjoy morally messy characters, mythic drama, and darker fantasy retellings will likely find plenty here to discuss.

Content note: this book includes incest, sexual violence, and other brutal material, so I’d recommend it for mature readers.

You can read the full review here.

Reading Challenge Prompts

I always say that fantasy isn’t a genre I read very often… and then I look at the list of fantasy sub-genres and realize I absolutely do. Think Practical Magic, The Hobbit, and so many others—they all belong here. Magical realism, in particular, hooked me a few years ago through Heather Webber’s writing, and I can’t wait to share some longtime favorites with you. I’m also excited to step a little outside my comfort zone this month and explore a sub-genre I don’t read often at all: paranormal fiction.

May is Get Caught Reading Month, and with several of our favorite authors celebrating birthdays in the weeks ahead, it felt like the perfect time to lean into imaginative, transportive reads. I can’t wait to see which fantasy books you choose to pick up this month!

This Week: May 17th

News and Updates