Dead Run by Michael Kent follows Montreal police lieutenant Robert Beaudry as he looks into the murder of Pavela Diankha. She was a strong, athletic woman found dead on a hiking trail on Mount Royal. At first, it seemed like a straightforward case, but things...

Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes by David J. Mason is a historical novella that traces one young man’s path from enslavement in Southampton County, Virginia, to the uncertain promise of freedom during the Civil War’s final years. Parson Sykes begins as a skilled laborer on Jacob...

From the Shallow End to the Deep End: Ninety-Five Sonnets by AJ Streator is a collection that explores the complexities of human experiences, relationships, and emotions. The book is divided into three sections: The Shallow End, Middle of the Pool, and The Deep End, each...

Mommy Goes to the Hospital by Natalie Burns was inspired by the author’s personal experience. She had to leave her young children for an overnight hospital stay where she underwent an operation. The anticipation of such an event can be a frightening situation for children....

When Lieutenant Colonel William W. Harris, a World War II veteran, is assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment in Puerto Rico in 1949 as commander, he sees it as a demotion and the end of his promising military career. Composed almost entirely of Puerto Rican...

Michael LeBlanc's What If Anger Is the Answer? A Harvard Marine's Guide to Shaping Aggression is an intense look at how we view aggression. He basically argues that instead of just suppressing anger, we should be using it as a tool for a stronger...

The Boy in the Balloon: The Tiger and the Pocket Watch by Katie York Eroe centers on Jesse, a nine-year-old boy living with his inventor parents in a flying hot-air balloon house. Jesse’s life is already unusual, shaped by constant travel and curiosity-driven learning, but...

Iysh by Greg Price begins with Leo Butlion, a medical student in 1940s Koblenz, when the German state turns its full attention to Jewish families. After a narrow escape from deportation, he survives by passing as a non-combatant inside the German military, using medical training...

In Forgotten Secrets of the Tuscarora Eye by D. L. Bush, Hannah's school assignment collides with questions about her family history, following her from Pinewood Elementary to her late great-aunt Buggy’s house in North Carolina. While staying there with Chan and Aimee, Hannah uncovers a...

Chats with a Charlatan by Chris Wilkensen follows Kevin Davis, a therapist in Chicago whose life, both at work and at home, is falling apart. Kevin uses unorthodox methods in his sessions, sometimes giving his patients alcohol and marijuana in an attempt to break down...

For musicians interested in performing on cruises, Notes that Float: The Ultimate Musician’s Guide To Getting Paid To Play On Cruise Ships by Nancy Soulé is a complete guide to preparing for the experience. As a musician, I view this book as an extremely practical...

The Everling and the Acid King is the first book in The Everling Series by J. Christie. As a baby, Chezzy was teleported by Winnifred Baker through dimension after dimension. Baker was desperately searching for a safe place for him. Chezzy was raised in a...

CeCe the CEO Starts a Lemonade Stand by Nathan and Heather Pease is an engaging children's picture book that follows CeCe, a determined young girl with a lovely business idea. CeCe loves all kinds of lemonade, especially lemony-lemon lemonade. One day, she decides to share her...

The Aspirants by J. Loretta takes a look at a near-future where politics and reality TV have merged with the concept of assisted dying. The story starts right in the middle of a livestream called “That’s EnterAttainment!”, where terminally ill people—dubbed "Aspirants"—turn their final moments...

Yellow Boot Gets Stuck in the Mud by J. Loretta follows a bright yellow boot that comes off Right Foot during a rainy run along a muddy path. Right Boot is left behind while a little girl, pulled along by her dog, keeps running home...

Biblical Evolution: Reconciling Science and the Bible by Bill Thormodson is a fascinating book that seeks to reconcile the Bible and science from the standpoint of a lay enthusiast. The author discusses the origins of the universe and Earth, comparing passages from Genesis with scientific...

The Kinetix and the Glowing Orb of Gorthon by Austin Basis, Dave Maulbeck, and Josh Taub is an entertaining and original graphic novel. Four middle school students never dreamed that they would one day become superheroes who would end up saving the school. And ultimately,...

In Linda Maria Frank and JoAnn Vergona Krapp’s The Monster Bones of St. Frederick Island, Douglas Crawford travels to coastal Maine with his parents, his sister Janet, and his friend Wesley for a summer vacation that changes course after Douglas learns about a large skeleton...

Bastard Soldier: Earnest Medic by Michael Plotkowski follows Joe, a regular young man who joins the U.S. Army after a minor run-in with the law leaves him with few good options. What begins as an attempt to dodge trouble turns into long years of training,...

The Purple Pill: How to Balance Success in a Divided World presents Kiani Mills’s account of realizing that her life was shaped by learned patterns absorbed long before she could evaluate them. She describes how early conditioning guided her toward functioning efficiently in social and...