Certain Books – May Round Up!
Being a compendium of books by vintage women.
May always feels a little untamed.
Light lingers. Plans loosen. We start saying yes to things again—to travel, to possibility, to books that keep us up late because just one more chapter feels essential.
Every month we curate a list of books that are as layered and surprising as the women reading them. May’s picks span a lifetime of experiences — friendship and ritual, love and loss, reinvention and second acts. No formulas, no easy answers. Just great writing about the things that matter most.
xo Jean
Sponsor Feature 👑
34 Years Difference, 20 Years Together
An Old Man’s Darling
by Deborah K. Shepherd
In 1968, 21-year-old Deborah fell in love with Bill: a 55-year-old married Episcopal priest. The last person she was supposed to want. What followed was twenty years of partnership, parenthood, and a marriage that defied all expectations.
This one is full of love’s messy unpredictability, in a story that refuses easy judgment.
“…unflinchingly honest….a thoughtful and multidimensional examination of love, power, and self that doesn’t shy away from asking difficult questions.” — Kirkus Reviews
“…gripping….a moving, emotional ride.” — Sari Botton, author of And You May Find Yourself and editor of Oldster Magazine
May Reads
Novel
Six women. A Tuesday ritual. And everything life throws at them between hands.
Tuesday’s Mah Jongg Is More Than a Game follows a tight-knit group navigating widowhood, caregiving, bad marriages, and starting over — held together by friendship, and the tiles they’ve been dealt.
Memoir
As her fiercely independent 96-year-old mother nears the end of life, Alexandra navigates the exhausting, tender realities of caregiving.
But when Bea begins receiving visits from long-dead loved ones, their final days together become unexpectedly joyful, moving, and transformative.
Self-Help
Writing the Journeys We Never Wanted to Make explores how journaling can help us navigate grief, change, and life’s hardest seasons.
Blending therapeutic insight, poetry, and practical prompts, it offers readers a thoughtful path toward resilience, reflection, and healing.
Non-Fiction
Everyday Ethical AI is a smart, accessible guide to living with AI without surrendering to it.
It cuts through the hype and fear to help families, entrepreneurs, and everyday users understand how AI works, protect their privacy, and use these powerful tools with confidence, clarity, and integrity.
Nominate a Book!
Are you an author, publicist, or reader?
Books published in the last two years are eligible for consideration, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and more.
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