Daughter of Xiu by Aviilokín K'shi is a work of speculative narrative poetry written in dramatic metered verse and in the format of a verse novella. K'shi harnesses the power of a spiritual awakening many lifetimes in the making, tackling conventional, systemic sexism and the...

Flash Fiction Stories With Magical Realism by Theodore Jerome Cohen is an intriguing collection of thirty flash fiction stories involving magical realism, tarot card readings, and the paranormal. As eloquently stated by American actress Sherilyn Fenn, magic may not be realistic; nevertheless, we are all...

Floating in the Neversink by Andrea Simon is an extraordinary novel. In the summer of 1955, nine-year-old Amanda Gerber has to say goodbye to her best friend, Francine. She travels from Brooklyn to deep within the Catskill Mountains, where Grandma Sarah lives. Although she is...

Nermina’s Chance by Dina Greenberg is the harrowing and sometimes heart-breaking story of Nermina Beganovic as she struggles to recover from losing everything she has. A victim of war crimes during the Balkan War and forced to flee her country, Nermina settles in Portland, Oregon....

Eleven Sundry Flowers by Frank Mundo is both a picture book and an inspirational book of love poems. Though relatively short, an enormous amount of artwork and thoughts about life, love, and how the writer truly enjoys his existence fill the pages. The artwork and...

I picked Love: A Story by Bill Smoot because in the description it is likened to the works of Milan Kundera. If anyone has ever read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, then they will adore this story. Michael, a prep school teacher, met his wife,...

Lies in Bone by Natalie Symons opens with an unusual event, the experience of a toxic fog that covers the town of Slippery Elm, Pennsylvania on Halloween in 1963. Eleven-year-old Chuck Coolidge’s brother, Danny, goes missing after the fog that leaves most of the town...

A Canoer of Shorelines is a work of fiction in the supernatural drama genre. It is suitable for all ages and was penned by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak. The story follows Julie and Rachel, whose lives revolve around Meadowbrook Acres, a place where they have found...

Exploratory Tales: A Novel by Laura Clementz is the story of two people as they fight a battle within to find the answers they desperately need. All her life, Mikita was groomed to take over after her father and become a spiritual leader for her...

As much as I consider myself an avid reader, there are still books that can surprise me with something new. Backstories by Simon van der Velde is one of those books. A collection of short stories set in the Sixties and Seventies between the United...