"May"

 

 

When searching for the reason why May is called May, you get tossed about the Parthenon of gods. In Ancient Greece Maia, whose name means "great" or "mother", was one of the Pleiades, a nymph, daughter of Atlas, mother of Hermes, and caregiver of Arkas,(this was after his mother Callisto was turned into a bear, by either Hera or Artemis as punishment for her affair with Zeus or by Zeus as an attempt to hide her from Hera... because when Greek gods are involved it's complicated).  In Ancient Rome Maia Majesta, was a goddess of fertility and spring, and has a mythos that gets wrapped up in Greece's Maia, but also other Roman deities such as Gaia, Fauna, Ops, Juno, Carna, etc..  In Latin the term "maiores" means elders and at some point, the poet Ovid suggested what we call May and June refers to elders and young men. However it was derived, when it came to naming the fifth month of the year the decision was:

https://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-roman.html 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia

 https://www.almanac.com/content/month-may-holidays-fun-facts-folklore

 The May Queen Murders by Jude, Sarah

"

Welcome to Rowan’s Glen—a place full of old fashioned superstition and secrets. Twenty-five years back, a teenage girl was murdered after being crowned queen at the Glen’s May Day celebration, and outsiders have regarded the isolated farming community with suspicion ever since.

But that was before Ivy Templeton was even born. She’s lived in Rowan’s Glen for all of her sixteen years, and feels safe there with the company of her free-spirited cousin Heather, and their friend, Rook, son of the sheriff.

Until . . . animals start showing up dead, clearly from unnatural means. Dark omens seem to appear everywhere Ivy goes. And Heather, who used to tell Ivy everything, is sneaking off after dark with a mysterious lover.

Ivy worries her cousin could be in danger—especially after Heather is elected queen of the May Day celebration. When Heather goes missing, Ivy must come to terms with the fact that she never knew her beloved cousin—or Rowan’s Glen—as well as she thought she did."  --https://sarahjude.com/books/the-may-queen-murders/

 

 Mother May I : a novel by Jackson, Joshilyn

  Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat's single mother warned her that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother's fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Marrying into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree has all a woman could ever dream: a loving lawyer husband, two talented young teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world--until the day Bree awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window, an old gray-haired woman all dressed in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears.  --Provided by Publisher.

 

 

 This May End Badly by Markum, Samantha

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents' divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don't mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield's boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three's cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three's skin, she'll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what's more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you--and how to atone when you do. --Provided by Publisher.

 

 

The Story of Chicago May by O'Faolain, Nuala

An excursion into the American underworld at the dawn of the twentieth century, the life of an unrespectable Irish woman, and the hidden inner life of any woman who has tried to choose the unconventional path. The legend says that May was compellingly attractive. At 19, she stole her family's savings and ran away to America, where she worked as a grifter, a confidence trickster, a prostitute, a showgirl--and was hailed in tabloids as "Queen of the Underworld." Then she fell in love with a big-league criminal and followed him to Paris where they robbed the American Express. May survived prison, returned to America, and was reborn again and again--falling in love, lapsing back into the criminal life, flirting with legitimacy, writing her memoirs. O'Faolain brings a sympathetic scrutiny to this extraordinary life, reaching across the decades for points of connection. May was born in post-famine Ireland and died in the world of telephones, sportscars, and movies, just before the stock-market crash. Is there a woman's experience they can share? An Irishwoman's experience? An outsider's?--From publisher description.

 

 

May Day Murder by Hesse, Jennifer David

Spring is in the air, but for Edindale, Illinois, attorney Keli Milanni, murder is the only thing blooming. Keli's looking forward to Beltane, the time-honored Wiccan holiday that celebrates life with feasting, ceremonial dancing, and ancient Celtic rituals. But since recently leaving her law firm and opening her own practice, Keli has more on her plate than simple abundance. Still, she always has time for a friend. Erik, a Druid from a neighboring town, has had a run of bad luck he blames on a curse cast by his ex-girlfriend Denise, a practicing witch whose expertise in the dark arts can't save her from her own deadly end. When Keli finds herself a person of interest in the investigation, she begins to wonder if she herself might be cursed. With a little help from her friends, including her devoted boyfriend Wes, Keli aims to find out who poisoned Denise. What she uncovers is a witch's brew of spells, hexes, and black magic that raises questions about her own Wiccan worldview. As the community gathers for the May Day festivities, it's up to Keli to stop a killer from springing ahead to another murder. --Provided by Publisher

 

 May the Best Man win by Ellor, ZR

 "Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won't let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and outdated school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise--and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend, Lukas for the title of Homecoming King? Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother's funeral and the loss long-term girlfriend--who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kick starts a plot to sabotage Jeremy's campaign. When both boys take their rivalry too far, they jeopardize the entire dance. To save Homecoming, they'll have to face the hurt they're both hiding--and the lingering butterflies they can't deny"--Provided by publisher.

 

Cape May by Cheek, Chip

"It's 1957, and Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon. It's September, though, and the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. There's Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara's lover; and Alma, Max's aloof and mysterious half sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn. The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences."--Page 4 of cover.

Long May She Reign by Thomas, Rhiannon

Freya was never meant to be queen. Twenty-third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of the court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

She may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don't respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, she knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom--and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can't trust anyone. Not her advisers. Not the king's dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her but also wanted more power for himself. As Freya's enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown. --Provided by Publisher.

 

Bryant & May Off the Rails by Fowler, Christopher

 "Arthur Bryant, John May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit are on the trail of an enigma: a young man called Mr Fox. But his identity is false, his links to society are invisible and his home yields no clues. All they know is that somehow he escaped from a locked room and murdered one of their best and brightest. Now the detectives are being lured down into the darkest recesses of the London Underground where their quarry, expertly disguised, has struck again. Their search takes them into the vast labyrinth of tunnels, a subterranean world full of legends and ghost stations, which tie the city together. Edging closer to what lies hidden beneath the city - and to the madness that is driving a man to murder - Bryant and May are about to uncover a mystery as bizarre as anything they have ever encountered ..."--Provided by publisher.

You May Now Kill the Bride by Stine, R. L.

Two Fear family weddings, decades apart. Each bride will find that the ancient curse that haunts the Fears lives on. It feeds off the evil that courses through their blood. It takes its toll in unexpected ways, and allows dark history to repeat itself. In 1923, Ruth-Ann is planning to marry Peter-- until Rebecca stepped in. And the two sisters plunged off the cliff on the day of the wedding. In the present, Marissa disappears on the day of her wedding to Doug. As her sister Harmony searches for her, will saving her mean finding a way to stop a disaster almost one-hundred-years old?  --Provided by Publisher.