The Woman in the Third Floor Front by Richard Scharine is a collection of prose pieces beginning with a series of short stories and followed by musings about his European ancestors. The author traces his life from a midwestern boyhood, through his career as a...

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be,” and in Olivia Dives In by Melissa-Sue John and Olivia Lauren John, the title character must decide who she wants to be. Olivia Lauren is...

What Does Jesus See in You? by Coleen Aquino and Conrad Aquino isn’t a typical 20-day devotional. It’s more of a guided journey into how we view ourselves versus how Jesus actually sees us. The book is built on the idea that most of us...

A Wooden Heart in Plotlands by Dawn Knox is a historical novel that follows the intertwined lives of Miriam and Rebekah, two Jewish sisters, as they navigate the challenges of survival during World War II. The story begins in Nazi Germany, where the sisters face...

There’s a Robot in Our Class is a delightful children’s picture book written by Moataz Abo Mokh with illustrations by Yasser Elgazzar. Siblings Amir and Naya cannot wait to get back to school after a long break. They have got their uniforms ready, backpacks packed,...

The House in the Middle of the Street by Jennifer Sklias-Gahan is a modern fairy tale with a dark pulse, centered on a mysterious inherited home and the secrets it harbors. The story begins with Rebecca and her husband moving into the house, a beautiful...

In A Breathtaking Life Lived in Daydreams, Sergio Silveira tells the story of Laura, a Victorian wife and mother who spends much of her inner life in detailed daydreams where she is bold, admired, and free. Outside of her imagination, Laura lives a very quiet...

In Dorothy Dreyer’s A Sabre in the Hemlock, Princess Celeste of Delasurvia travels to Hedera expecting to honor a political betrothal, only to find the court changed by the reported death of Prince Torbin. King Silas moves swiftly to legitimize Dante Copperhammer, his illegitimate son,...

Aaliyah and Amelia in the Garden of Whispering Wings by Christel Finley-Harrell begins with two sisters playing in their backyard. The girls find Zoe, a friendly butterfly, who tells them about a hidden garden where the butterflies have faded colors. Zoe tells them that only...

We Learned to Live in the Castle: Stories by Theresa Griffin Kennedy is an incredibly raw, unflinching look at a side of Portland that most people never see. Kennedy doesn’t hold back as she traces her life from a childhood spent in the foster care...

The Pebble in the Pond: A Story of Stuarts Landing by Suzanne S. Groves left me searching for the right words to capture its uniqueness and deep sense of rightness, especially in a world that often feels devoid of compassion, empathy, or love. Miriam has...

A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander is the second book in the Novel Detectives series. The Novel Detectives are convening yet again for another case after the body of an assistant athletics coach is found at the local high school. The mystery becomes...

Kathryn Lane’s Terror in Desert Skies begins with what should have been a joyful family outing at the famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Nikki Garcia and her husband, Eduardo, accept an invitation from Nikki’s brother Andy and sister-in-law Cindy to experience the spectacle. Although Stan...

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...

I Woke Up in Someone’s Dream by Nikola Nikov is an authentic and thoughtful journey into the unknown field of Consciousness. Starting from the main question, “What is Consciousness?” and from the stunning moments of creation, Nikov gradually leads us into the most fascinating aspects...

You can have a good team and the perfect action plan, but leading in the right direction is what enables you to achieve your goals. Both at work and in life, it’s not just about learning strategies, but about putting ideas into practice and showing...

It is the summer of 1905. Owen Townsend, a young Ivy League-educated doctor related to a prominent family in New York City, is at a park with his fiancée, Maude, when he has a psychotic episode, wreaks havoc, and blacks out. Having recently been discharged...

In Anthony Lange’s Birds in a Land of No Trees, astrophysics researcher Quentin Narmast expects nothing more than an awkward evening when an eccentric stranger named Conrad Lyzachootri arrives at his Boston apartment, claiming to represent an interstellar council. Hours later, Quentin awakens inside the...

In her memoir Made In Vietnam: My Epic American Journey, Elaine Damschen describes growing up in a household with strict control and uneven affection, where she learned to monitor her behavior and limit her emotional expression for stability. As she enters adulthood, she leaves home...

Gio in the Land of Syriax: Quest for the Eternal Flame by Ellen Buckley opens in a peaceful village nestled between forests and mountains, where Gio spends his days making shoes and helping his community. That changes fast when darkness rolls in and starts affecting...