Woman in the Park by Lucian Verus centers on Elena Barton and Joseph Holloway. She’s a twenty-five-year-old paralegal who dreams of a more creative life. He’s a divorced forty-something consultant whose life has been built on structure, order, and careful choices. They meet at a...

In Damion Hamilton's quasi-autobiographical work of fiction, Weirdo, Damion spends his days inside a book warehouse where the production speed dictates his worth, then goes into the city each night carrying books and notebooks as he tries to pass within spaces that were never built...

Another Invisible Ghetto by Rasmenia Massoud is a thought-provoking look into the lives of a group of people trying to find their identities through various means. Ian, poor and heartbroken, makes a life-ending decision that opens a space in Jacob’s apartment building. Jacob tries to...

Espresso Talks: The Woodbridge Italian Bakery by Ozzie Logozzo is an absolute masterpiece of observational storytelling. If you’ve ever sat in a local bakery, inhaled the scent of fresh flour and sugar, and just listened to the world go by, you’ll know exactly why this...

In Colleen Hoskins' Crossing in One Piece, after nearly a decade at HarborPoint, senior analyst Cary Valente is whom executives rely on for numbers. Her models shape forecasts, performance reviews, and strategy across the company. When a long-expected promotion stalls during a corporate reorganization, Cary...

How do you live when the ghosts of the past are so unforgiving? One can only hope to find relief in the numbness that grows from a disconnected reality. Austen is a musician travelling west to play his songs there. He lives in a world...

For the Love of a Child by Jenny Twist is a collection of five short stories that really get to the heart of what it means to be a mother. Instead of sticking to one vibe, the book jumps around—some stories feel very modern, while...

According to Law is the sixth book in Bill Lewers’ Gatekeepers of Democracy series. The story focuses on Darcy Gibbons, a young conservative Republican during the 2022 election cycle in Northern Virginia. She is finishing her studies at a local university, with an internship at...

Outcasts of Essex by Jane Hulse is a wonderful historical tale of war, romance, and patriotism, set in the eighteenth century during the Revolutionary War. Sarah Barrett is just fifteen and is often required by her midwife mother to assist in the births of local...

Not Quite Home is a moving slice-of-life drama by Temple Lentz. When Erica Ford hears Claire Anderson's speech at the Portland Promise annual fundraising luncheon, she thinks the rich donor is just having an off day. Erica is one of the outreach workers who helps...