Samantha McManus’s Earth’s Midwife is one of the most eye-opening nonfiction books I have read this year. This reflective memoir chronicles her journey from a childhood spent in isolation in Alaska to becoming a spiritual doula and healer. The narrative traces her early awakening to...

The Conscious Virus by Miki Mitayn centers on Nerida Green, an Aboriginal doctor working in remote Indigenous communities in Australia, alongside her wife Mari, an artist and spiritual channeler. The novel covers their lives dealing with harsh social and health realities—such as mining pollution, historical...

What happens when the story you’re reading starts falling apart—literally? Don’t Shake This Book by Rob Clare is a clever picture book that turns storytelling upside down when someone starts shaking it. The story begins with Arthur, a typical boy who’s excited about being in...

With her infant son and lord husband both dead, Empress Anastasia becomes regent of the Rasnaian Imperium, and begins an inquiry into the forces responsible in Michael C. Reid's A Nest of All Kinds. She governs the empire while caring for her late husband’s twin...

The HEALing Revolution Diet by Dr. Randall S. Hansen is an enlightening and useful self-development and health book. As a teacher and mother who is enthusiastic about education, health, and critical thinking, I found this book original, as Hansen challenges us to reconsider how we...

Who knew a closet full of shoes could hold so many journeys? If the Shoe Fits by Angie El-Zarad is an endearing picture book that invites young readers to explore different adventures, one pair of shoes at a time. At first, each pair seems quite...

Step Away from the Pizza by Richard Holeton is a fascinating collection that spans nearly four decades of experimental storytelling. The book is thematically organized into sections like "Future," "Father," "Found," and "Frolic," each offering a unique lens through which Holeton explores human experiences, societal...

The Unabridged Life of Missy Kinkaid by Kirsten Pursell explores love, loss, and self-discovery. The novel follows Missy Kinkaid, a fiery and complex woman dealing with midlife challenges, including divorce, heartbreak, and the lingering shadows of her troubled relationship with her mother. The story is...

The Unwritten Rule is the first book in The Racing Line series by Anne Nikolaiken. The story follows Formula 1 driver Sydney McKinnly as he fights to secure a third world championship. After a rough season filled with mistakes and pressure, his team demands he...

There are times in life when nothing seems to work, and people find themselves in a spiral of despair. So, how do we navigate the tumultuous moments in our lives and make sure mental health disorders such as trauma or PTSD don't overwhelm us? With...

Bucket Lists and Walking Sticks by Emma Scattergood is the first of a series of travelogues that document the author and her husband Darryl’s adventures in travelling around the world by a variety of means. An inveterate blogger from Australia, the author has compiled a...

Eafin Lokdore and the Magician’s Lost Medallion by R.G. Edwards is a modern-day fantasy tale that reads like a classic from the 1800s. The story takes place in a faraway kingdom where magic still exists and good can still triumph over evil with a little...

He’s Alive! by Živojin Petrović is a biography of Joko Mestrovitch, later known as James, from his childhood in Đuraševići to his passage through Ellis Island and his work among immigrant communities in Fresno and Pittsburgh. His enlistment in the Pennsylvania National Guard takes him...

Where the Crows Watch is the first book in the Black Harvest Trilogy by L.C. Williams. The Harris family has been the resident tenant farmers of Malumdon Farm since 1852. Henry Harris grew up on the farm with his siblings, learning from his mother how...

A Noble Truth by Robert Mix is about Noble Gareth, who was only six years old when he drew a picture of a disaster that would happen before Christmas that year. Years later, Noble assisted the police on a case in Washington, DC, but he...

The Elephant in the Ivy by Alexander Greengaard is set in a private university, where Alison Ashe is recruited into Chaturanga, a secret competition run by faculty in which academic departments act as rival teams in a controlled spy game. Students serve as operatives, steal...

Fifteen-year-old Livia Pierce, alias Agent V or Lara Anderson, had spent most of her life working as a spy for an agency called the Age of Spies, which had taken her in at the age of five. She had been on many assignments, all on...

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...

The Battle Angels by A.S. Thomas is a fantasy drama about powerful warriors who battle against monsters born from human negativity. Emelie is haunted by the past and keeps her identity as a Battle Angel a secret from her husband and children. However, one day,...

It's Snowing in Sapporo Again Today is a Christmas romance by I.W. Berns. It's been ten long years since Jun Takahashi lost his mother in an unfortunate car accident. Growing up in the snow-covered city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido in Japan, Jun...