May is jam-packed with excellent new book releases jostling for a place on your TBR. These six have an advantage: they all check off 2026 Read Harder Challenge tasks. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to head to the bookstore, here it is! We have a nonbinary epic, a modern gothic novel, a gay romantasy, a graphic history book, a novella set in space, and a Korean horror novel to choose from.
Task #4: Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns
 Canon by Paige Lewis (May 19)Do you love riotously original novels that make you feel like nothing will ever be the same after you read tehm? Then get ready to have your brains melted by this incredible debut. It’s about Yara, who receives a message from God, telling them they need to slay one of the Earth’s Bad Guys. Not one to question a missive from above for too long, Yara strikes a deal and sets off on their assignment. Meanwhile, a downcast prophet with a hidden power is hoping to get in good with the man upstairs and carries out her own plan. So prepare yourself: Canon is a mind-bending adventure about life, death, and fate that will ruin your life, in the best way. —Liberty Hardy |
Task #6: Read a gothic novel published in the last ten years
 She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang (May 5)Michelle Tang’s debut gothic horror novel is set in Manila. Carlos Tam hosts a reality TV show where he exposes paranormal hoaxes. He’s made a living off of proving that ghosts aren’t real, but when he moves to his ancestral home in the Philippines, he and his wife, Avery, find chilling mysteries around every corner. Then Carlos is in a terrible car accident that leaves him silent, helpless, and completely dependent on his wife to care for him. It’s in this state that Carlos hears the house speaking to him in a voice only he can hear. —Emily Martin |
All Access members, read on for four more new books out in May that complete 2026 Read Harder Challenge tasks.
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Are any of these on your May TBR? Let’s chat in the comments!