Warning that the baby boom is turning towards a baby bust, investment analyst Ismail sounds the alarm on diminishing birth rates and their projected impact in the coming decades, with an emphasis on the economic effects, especially shortages of “essential workers” in many nations. Ismail offers data-driven extrapolations of trends that could lead to “incredible challenges, unlike anything we have experienced in modern history,” andquick fictionalized tastes of the life of a woman named Eva at some indeterminate time in our future. Eva’s world “seems quieter and less ambitious” than it used to, especially after her retirement at age 75 and her city’s infrastructure crumbling around her. Her robo-cleaner Annie seems cool, though.

Most of Age of Decay, however, is penned as straight-ahead forecast of how, starting around 2020, the era of continual growth gave way to a new age of “continuous contraction and decline.” With case studies of nations like Japan and Italy, Ismail shows the work behind his dire warnings of declining living standards, a shrinking tax base, continual shortages, and even a decline in institutional memory at businesses. Ismail’ persuasively demonstrates that it is likely that many nations will hit a “tipping point where they have too few essential workers to keep their societies functioning optimally.” Also convincing: his insistence that tech won’t solve all problems: “How do you automate nursing care for the aged,” he asks, “which requires compassion and interpersonal engagement?” Less persuasive is the argument that young workers’ tendency to change jobs suggests a lack of ambition in workers themselves.

Setting Age of Decay apart from some works about declining birth rates is Ismail’s embrace of immigration as a source of both workers and consumers, especially from Africa, whose “growing prominence and influence … on the future world stage cannot be overstated.” He warns that “populist political sentiment against immigration” in the U.S. could cause the nation “to lose its current advantage in worker-aged population.”

Takeaway: Alarming forecast of the impact of declining birth rates on economies and societies.

Comparable Titles: Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson’s Empty Planet, Dustin Whitney’s Demographic Deception.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Age of Decay

Blending coming-of-age fantasy, impressive subterranean worldbuilding, a sense of the mythic, and the occasional dash of Chaucerian stories-within-stories, Finch’s surprising debut is set in a world recognizable as ours—but below it, in its strangest shadows. Lucas Delvin has never been a normal teen, even though he went to a regular Aboveworld school and believed he had normal friends. But in truth he has been training for the day that he would take over the “family business”—serving as a Seeker with the Darktouched. Just after his high school graduation, he finds his life shattering into pieces when Lightborne Reclaimers find his home and take his father. Lucas isguided underground into the Abzu Complex, an otherworldly city, where he must continue his training while discovering the past of the Darktouched (they once rode great serpents) and their terrifying battle with the Lightborne.

Along the way, Lucas—known as Arden, down below—finds himself facing Ancient beings, searching for an exile, and facing tense dangers and mysteries. Finch’s approach to fantasy emphasizes light and dark, underground and otherworldly explorations, and a surprising mix of science, technology, myth, multi-cultural practices, and folklore, with stories of the ancient conflict, covenants, and creatures, often shared in mythic monologues or archaic texts. Readers will appreciate the engaging tour of this strange new world as Lucas uncovers the stories of how he came to be a Darktouched, the origins of the Darktouched society itself, and where he belongs within it.

Despite the novelty of the setting, Finch creates a relatable life for Lucas, a Child of Shadow, in this world of Darknames and Abovenames, ferrybots and weird KALM gear for traveling in the dark, a long-ago “Reshaping,” and persuasively cool games and sports. As Lucas finds himself getting closer to the answers that not even the oldest living Darktouched know, he discovers that his purpose is bigger than any could imagine–but readers eager to know what will have to wait for book two.

Takeaway: Inventive YA fantasy of ancient conflicts and underground culture.

Comparable Titles: Roderick Gordon’s Tunnels, T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Light's Shadow

Mechanical Engineer Kalogiannidis’s debuts with a thorough, practical guide to mastering the inductive reasoning tests that are increasingly sprung on candidates for jobs at “top–tier employers/multinational companies” as part of a pre-assessment process. Kalogiannidis makes the case that, rather than being annoyed or intimidated by this new-ish step, job-seekers should see the tests as an opportunity, both to “obtain additional credentials—without any extra cost” by demonstrating one’s excellence and also to “practice and hone” the skills that such tests probe. The bulk of this volume is thirteen sample tests, with several hundred questions, presenting one test “task” on each page.

Each task, representative of the challenges on actual tests, present a row or rows of shapes and patterns, with the final entry in the sequence left for the reader to determine based on what patterns and rules can be discerned. A row of possible answers is below, and Kalogiannidis offers clarifying explanations of why one answer is correct. The sample tests are varied and challenging, ramping up in difficulty, introducing a host of different types of patterns and rules—they’re also satisfying to work through, especially once one has become familiar with various types of form and sequence and confident in when to make an intuitive leap. Kalogiannidis’s claim, in an introduction, that “Anyone with no severe mental impairment” can excel at these tests may be impolitic, but readers will have ample opportunity to push themselves and improve. (The tests are polished, professional, and illuminating, though that introduction could use a copyedit.)

Supplementing these sample questions are Kalogiannidis’s clear-eyed tips for preparing for tests and avoiding common pitfalls, which offer both general and highly specific guidance, as well as a library of the patterns and rules that tend to appear in such tests. This is a sharply honed tool that will benefit anyone facing an inductive reasoning test.

Takeaway: Practical, clarifying guide to inductive reasoning tests, packed with sample questions.

Comparable Titles: How2Become’s Inductive Reasoning Tests.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B

Click here for more about Mastering Inductive Reasoning Tests

Petunia is a superstar—she keeps her room neatly organized, studies hard for school, and never colors outside the lines. Even when she’s practicing her guitar, she’s careful to play every note perfectly; in fact, Petunia is so conscientious, it earns her the nickname “perfectionist” one day at school, when she overhears two classmates whispering that she’d never want to get messy enough to paint with them. At first, Petunia is proud of that name, but soon the realization sets in that being perfect may be more than even she can handle.

Bader (author of Stella’s Brave Voice) transforms a very real—and often hard to discuss—issue for younger readers into a problem that can be faced and handled in this polished book. Just about anyone can relate to Petunia: she’s desperate to do well and outperform herself in every way possible, but sometimes even the most careful attention to detail doesn’t pan out in the end. When she gets distracted during a music lesson and plays the wrong note, she’s devastated—but her wise teacher quickly turns that mistake into an opportunity, praising Petunia for “create[ing] a brand-new sound” and reminding her that “when we try too hard to be perfect, it’s like our strings are pulled too tight. But if we loosen our strings, Petunia, we can make beautiful music!” That beautiful imagery will resonate with readers of any age.

Ellie Beykzadeh skillfully captures Petunia’s nuanced facial expressions throughout the story, portraying her inner emotions with expressive eyes and subtle hints of movement, and the book’s textured backgrounds give it a warm, tender feeling—the ideal vehicle to teach kids that “nobody expects you to be PERFECT.” By the story’s end, Petunia is savoring the freedom that comes with being “perfectly imperfect” and learning the important lesson of self-love, flaws and all. This is a delight.

Takeaway: Delightful story on why it’s okay to be imperfect.

Comparable Titles: Anna Kang’s It Is (Not) Perfect, Brenda Li’s The Girl Who Makes a Million Mistakes.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Petunia the Perfectionist

Observing that “most of their money problems are just like ours,” wealth adviser Gorman probes the financial highs and lows of American presidents in this absorbing debut. From Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s passion for start-up ideas to John F. Kennedy’s penny-pinching, readers will find Gorman’s presidential revelations fascinating, delving into the most intimate of financial woes for powerful public figures in this “intersection where personal finance [meets] history.” She also examines socio-economic trends that have helped—and hindered—economic mobility, including the cost of a college education, healthcare, housing, and more.

Gorman asserts there are valuable lessons to be learned from studying the finances of these larger-than-life men who “started out as ordinary” and modeled some of the best, as well as some of the most questionable, monetary decisions. Many, like Thomas Jefferson, the Roosevelts, and John F. Kennedy, were born into wealth; others rose from poverty. Gorman relays their journeys in detail, sharing Barack Obama’s last student loan payment just eight years before he ran for president alongside Thomas Jefferson’s careless spending and lavish parties that culminated in shocking debt in his later years.

Gorman’s true rags-to-riches president—and one that she names as incredibly successful with his personal finances—was Abraham Lincoln. Unable to afford a college education, he was an enigma in many ways: a voracious reader, with a dislike of alcohol and gambling, who transformed himself into one of the most respected American presidents of all time—all while carefully growing his personal wealth. Examples like those form the basis of Gorman’s financial pointers sprinkled throughout, from her assertion that Jimmy Carter’s consistency with his money makes him an inspiration to the flawed financial decision-making that placed several presidents at risk. She closes with a briefing on the five presidents “to emulate in your personal finances”—and a warning that the American dream may not be as achievable as we think.

Takeaway: Fascinating briefing on the financial habits of America’s Commanders in Chief.

Comparable Titles: Cyrus A. Ansary’s George Washington Dealmaker-in-Chief, Charles Renwick’s All the Presidents’ Taxes.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about All the Presidents' Money

To truly thrive, asserts Pokorny in this intriguing debut, humans must return to their evolutionary roots. In a nod to our earliest days as a species, he frequently uses the symbol of a mammoth as a metaphor for our hardwired need to function as a group, outlining his path to “build[ing] teams that are unstoppable” based on three interconnected foundations: People, Strategy, and Implementation. Good, person-centered leadership is vital, he notes, urging leaders to cultivate their own health habits, but so is an actionable strategy, one that can be executed calmly and in an organized fashion. To succeed in business, he writes, “you must face the good, bad, and the ugly—and evolve.”

It is in his experience-driven, boots-on-the-ground lessons where Pokorny most excels. When it comes to company culture, he notes it’s “a key factor in defining a company’s destiny,” but also acknowledges the difficulties in nailing down such a broad term in the everyday workplace. The answer, he asserts, is paying more attention to human behavior because businesses revolve around it. To emphasize the driving forces behind that human behavior, Pokorny dives deep into Charles Darwin’s theories, maintaining that our “early evolutionary instincts” still apply today, in examples such as the recent international cooperation efforts to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pokorny’s path begins with the individual, but quickly builds to that individual’s role within a team setting, concluding with a blueprint for maintaining stability, identifying and rooting out problems, and, above all, always functioning from a position of “humility and gratefulness.” Businesses succeed, Pokorny declares, when they’re built on the idea that each individual contributes meaningfully to the larger group to realize their full potential. Common-sense advice like that makes this an ideal handbook for leaders and entry level professionals alike.

Takeaway: Common sense business guide based on evolutionary principles.

Comparable Titles: Damon Stafford’s Believe in Better, Herbert N. Casson’s How to Apply the Principles of Evolution to a Business.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Mammoth in the Room

The triumph of good over evil is a classic theme for children’s stories, but the hero often achieves glory through battle. In Kizlauskas’ gripping reimagining of a classic Lithuanian fairytale, a young girl named Mildute saves her family and her kingdom by remaining silent and steadfast. When Mildute’s mother dies, her father unknowingly remarries an evil witch who turns Mildute’s twelve brothers into ravens. Mourning the loss of her siblings, Mildute sets off on a journey to find them, encountering unexpected help from an eagle with an injured wing. Together they climb the mountain where her brothers lived, an arduous trek that takes them twelve years.

At the top of the mountain, the happy family reunion is cut short when one of Mildute’s brothers announces that she has arrived too soon—“The curse was meant to last twelve years, then we would be set free. But if we’re found before that time, we’re doomed eternally!” To spare them this fate, Mildute must take a vow of silence, a condition she readily accepts. Despite this, she manages to lead a productive life, at least until her cruel stepmother tries again to undermine her happiness. Mildute’s resolute response demonstrates the power of unconditional love and staying true to her word, which will show children that fighting is not the only way to be strong.

The richly colored, detailed illustrations will fully immerse readers in this story’s wildly imaginative world. Along her way, Mildute encounters wonderful beings such as white-robed women who ride on the wind and anthropomorphic clouds that help her search for her missing brothers. Everything in this fairytale land seems almost tangible yet glitters with the promise of mystery and magic. No matter how difficult her circumstances, Mildute’s face remains soft and serene, driving home the story’s message about the power of her sacrifice and silent stoicism.

Takeaway: A young girl saves her family by remaining silent and steadfast in this Lithuanian fairy tale.

Comparable Titles: Dawn Casey’s Winter Tales, Gennady Spirin’s The Tale of the Firebird.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Twelve Ravens

The most important work of early childhood is play, as kids learn best when they are also enjoying themselves. In Huff’s fun-filled, rhyming picture book, very young learners will gain an introduction to numbers and counting while also having a good time. The story follows ten chickens as they play in their backyard, getting up to a variety of shenanigans such as running from bees, playing baseball, dancing, and even going on a date. One of the most humorous scenes shows two chickens using binoculars to search for Farmer Kevin, who is standing right behind them. At the end of the day, the chickens happily return to their pen.

This book’s appeal stems from the fact that Huff knows her audience. A retired early childhood educator, she has devoted her career to helping children and adults find the joy in learning through storytelling, music, and puppets. Kids will enjoy the onomatopoeia and rhyming, songlike cadence of the prose—particularly the chickens’ nonsensical refrain of “bakk baba bakk baba bakk bakk bakk”— which will help keep them engaged and wanting to return for another read. This is the type of story that can be elevated by the participation of an enthusiastic adult reader, especially one who is willing to get up and dance.

In keeping with the book’s lighthearted nature, Wendy Fedan’s expressive illustrations show the chickens wearing jewelry, playing instruments, and grinning enthusiastically with brightly colored plumes of feathers on their heads. In one scene, two chickens prank another by dangling a spider on a string, which kids will find amusing. The humorous pictures provide easily recognizable scenes that follow the rhymes, allowing even the smallest readers to enjoy a good laugh or two. Ultimately, this delightful story will create a fun bonding experience for adults and kids, who might even find themselves counting and singing along.

Takeaway: Fun-filled introduction to numbers, counting, and chicken chatter.

Comparable Titles: Cate Berry’s Chicken Break, Jo Ellen Bogart’s Count Your Chickens.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B

Click here for more about CHICKEN FUN!

In his hair-raising latest, Thorne (author of Hell Spring) ushers readers on an eye-opening journey into family, identity, and trauma. Nine-year-old Tab Beard hasn’t had the smoothest life; his parents, Tim and Sandra, are fighting, his older brother Jeremy teases him incessantly, and teachers reprimand him for drawing in class. Now, after a mysterious lump appears on Tab’s temple following his run-in with a strange creature in the woods near his home, an eyeless ghost named Roy starts visiting him, claiming he wants to protect Tab—but after Tab foresees his father’s death in a drawing, he isn’t sure what to believe.

Thorne hooks readers with a storm-ravaged opening depicting a family stitched with tension and hardly lets off the gas from there, keeping the pace swift and exciting while actualizing the Beard family’s struggles and Tab’s supernatural habitation in ways that feel relatable and tangible. Though the plot is taxed beyond its natural limits in favor of thematic pursuits—and the third act veers towards the comedic in ways that, for some, will scupper the story’s early promise—the book nevertheless anchors its increasingly outrageous proceedings with an endearingly human focus.

In a twist on the typical possession narrative, Thorne offers a uniquely bizarre vector via Tab’s eponymous third eye, the peculiar bump on his head that’s fueled by his anger and capable of making his most sinister thoughts spring to life. Though some readers will feel its plausibility overly stretched for narrative convenience, it remains a consistently intriguing element, especially when evolving from plot device to a prism through which the novel explores themes of regret, morality, and self-discovery. There’s a lot happening under the hood here—Tab’s burgeoning gender identity, the messy reality of families, living with a chronic illness or traumatic event—but horror fans seeking more than simple spills and chills will be satisfied.

Takeaway: Colorful possession narrative spin with a relatable human heart beating at its center.

Comparable Titles: Ayse Hafiza’s The Ghost in the Window, Nick Oliveri’s Monsters in My Mind.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Tab's Terrible Third Eye

This inviting, illuminating guide to gut health, the debut from physician Bishara, blends hard-won insight into the role that the gut and its ecosystem of “over a trillion organisms” plays in our overall health, plus clear-eyed advice for the impact of gut bacteria and neurotransmitters on weight loss, stress management, healthy skin, and more. Bishara brings a personal touch to the material by digging, with touching frankness, into her own history with diet, weight loss, and careful intermittent fasting. She also introduces new research and possible upcoming breakthroughs on the topic, including her own discovery of the relationship between the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacteria, common in children but less so in adults, and COVID.

A clear, engaging writer, Bishara keeps the focus throughout on what, for readers, is likely the bottom line: a practical, up-to-date survey of what everyday people should know about the biome in their GI tract. Every surprising gut fact (“the actual surface area of the gut, if completely unfolded” is “as big as a standard-size tennis court”!) is presented in the service of illustrating how the microbes that live there, both beneficial and not, affect health, moods, and more. In short, to-the-point chapters that end with bulleted takeaways, she both examines the problems that a lack of bacterial diversity can lead to or exacerbate: leaky gut syndrome; IBS; skin conditions; cancer development; even the cortisol production that convinces the body it must store fat.

Bishara’s guidance is presented with equal clarity and power. She calls for “a varied diet with an abundance of plant-based, fiber-rich foods that support the growth of beneficial gut strains.” Later, she walks readers through targeted diets and approaches to eating, like controlled fasting, that promotes weight loss, gut health, and other concerns. “Be patient and consistent,” she advises, and a list of Do’s and Don’ts (“Don’t jump off the bandwagon just because you have 1 or 2 bad days”) is smart and encouraging.

Takeaway: Illuminating guide to gut health, packed with practical advice and insights.

Comparable Titles: Kate Scarlata and Megan Riehl’s Mind Your Gut, Ada J. Peters’s My Gut.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Gut Revolution

Laakso’s philosophical debut reflects on the complexity of being a living, breathing being with complex emotions, struggling to find happiness in a world that can be dark and uncertain. “Realising our mortality commonly symbolises a desire to live our life to the fullest,” he writes, “and remembering it often symbolizes regret over not having done so. We never will. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” Through personal anecdotes of his own struggles—divorce, falling in love, profound grief—and select Buddhist teachings, Laakso inspires readers to connect with the world around them in a deeply intimate way that is often missing from contemporary life.

Years-long studies of Dharma and philosophy clearly shape Laakso’s writing, which takes the form of a gently meandering study on suffering, meaning, and passion. He firmly believes in the communal work humankind must do to achieve happiness, and draws from his home country, Finland, to sift the ideas behind social democracy, reminding readers that “what we collectively believe in has never been unanimous”—but the end goal must be peace, “without the need for violent displays of power.”

Laakso's musings and reflective thoughts will prompt readers to turn within and examine their own fears—of the unknown, the past, and “of ourselves”—while intentionally finding and expressing love. Though asides into his own developed equations for “individual sustainable happiness” distract from the book’s broader themes, his writing is passionate, touching on topics that range from justice to social responsibility, and he urges readers to seek wisdom, lavishly bestow forgiveness, and nurture compassion. The future will be unpredictable, he asserts, but hope, not fear, is the antidote—“together [we] must do all we can to alleviate and dispel [fear] with courage to create hope” he advises. These tranquil introspections on our shared experiences are a soothing reminder of “how rare and fortunate it is to have been born human.”

Takeaway: Philosophical contemplations on the keys to finding happiness.

Comparable Titles: Charles P. Nemeth's Finding Happiness in a Complex World, Shawn Achor's The Happiness Advantage.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Familiar Reflections

This heartfelt debut memoir touches on Martin’s tumultuous career in the field of obstetrics and his never-ending fight to prove midwifery an equally sustainable and safe practice in delivering babies during the 1970s and ‘80s. From the first pages, Martin details the exceptional care that midwives offer—often in contrast to the medical system’s more cold and detached policies—while building his history as a practicing physician, always cognizant of his influence on the birthing process. A true champion for midwifery, Martin experiences the highs and lows of fighting for a cause that hospital administrators often vilify: “Maybe someday things will change,” he writes, “all I know is we can’t stop fighting.”

Martin includes both tender and humorous moments that transform this memoir into a warm, intimate encounter, such as when he announces over the intercom in his new practice, “I’m about to take out someone’s IUD, and I have no clamps… how am I supposed to get this thing out, with my teeth?” Even among the barrage of devastating hospital politics that derail his work, Martin is careful to highlight the human side of his career, tackling the most delicate—but weighty—of topics, like his ever-present astonishment at “the miracle of life,” or the many cases of abuse and domestic violence he encountered throughout his years as an OB-GYN.

Martin’s Christian faith plays a foundational role in his work, and he notes the spiritual framework of not just his beliefs, but also his professional decisions, writing that he discovered “peace in the fact that God was in control… [that] being a servant to others was how I wanted to build my practice.” That compassionate perspective serves as his rudder in a challenging field, as he and his nurse-midwife colleagues go on to fight the battle for birth rights on a national level. This is a beautiful tribute to natural childbirth and patient-centered care.

Takeaway: Powerful tribute to natural childbirth and patient-centered care.

Comparable Titles: Ina May Gaskin’s Spiritual Midwifery, Peggy Vincent’s Baby Catcher.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about In Good Hands

The title of this thoughtful account of a life well lived comes from a resonant, relatable memory: young Sohn, his family first joker “in a generation or two in our family, since the Great Depression and World Wars didn't lend well to laughter,” being dispatched by his mother to “Go help your daddy” with his father’s endless succession of projects and chores around their St. Louis home. “His only interest in bonding involved glue or cement,” Sohn notes, and his efforts at aiding the taciturn veteran tended to result in discord (“You knucklehead!”). This primal scene hints at why young Sohn was freebooting and unambitious, skating through Mizzou “with unbridled enthusiasm for all sorts of tox.” A near-death experience at age 20 turned him around, and soon Sohn enlisted in the National Guard, working to become a geometry teacher and then eventually a doctor, all while backpacking, climbing, and pushing his limits as a triathlon athlete.

With insight and an eye for telling detail (playing in a bluegrass band; a performance as a singing telegram), Sohn recounts his adventures, career shifts, many homes, and establishment of his own family. His youth pulses with Boomer touchstones—parking on dates, “distrust of anyone over thirty,” 1970s hitchhiking, the father who declares, over shoulder-length hair, “Go get it cut or move out.” What startles, as Sohn, builds a life of purpose and consequence, is how his abbreviated period of wanderlust continues to haunt him, even as it has become a truism, in the U.S., that young men often take a few years to find a path.

Sohn shares hard-won insight into his times (hippies, he notes, were “people of all sorts with the same flaws shared by ‘straight’ society”) and choices, and later, the opioid crisis and challenges facing physicians, though the amiable telling lacks the narrative tension or momentum of top memoirs. Still, Sohn writes strong, incisive scenes, inspiring moments of self-discovery on mountain peaks and in life itself, and memorable portraits of patients, professors, friends, and more.

Takeaway: Thoughtful account of a shiftless Boomer kid finding himself and becoming a doctor.

Comparable Titles: Luissa Kiprono’s Push, The Breathe, Jim Merkel’s Growing Up in St. Louis.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Knucklehead

Ryan retells the Battle of Little Bighorn of 1876, also known as Custer's Last Stand, from the point of view of a real soldier in General George Custer's 7th Cavalry. Drawing on records, diaries, and eye witnesses, Ryan pieces together a remarkable work of lived-in history that traces Thomas Patrick Downing's life from his early years in Ireland to his eventual death in battle. Ryan naturally takes some liberties in imagining Downing’s life in the form of a first-person narrative, but he's careful not to get facts wrong while giving the reader a deeper understanding of what this young man experienced—and, in graceful prose, what he may have thought and felt.

Ryan opens Downing's story at its end, with the narrator’s death at the hands of a Lakota fighter. The story that follows is deeply humane and sympathetic for both the rank-and-file soldier and the variety of oppressed peoples encounters. Downing’s narrative covers his birth in the village of Adare in 1856, the reasons behind his family’s emigration, the grueling journey to their new home in Georgia, and how Downing was raised to hate slavery, in part because of the Irish’s treatment by the English. Ryan examines tension and poverty in Savannah during the Civil War era, including a lynching, and young Downing witnesses a speech in which Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens confirms a truth too often obscured: that slavery was the chief reason for secession.

Downing ultimately lies about his age to join the army and is subsequently assigned, among other missions, to rein in Kentucky’s Ku Klux Klan. But when land and gold led the federal government to war against Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other Native Americans who refused to leave ancestral lands, Downing faces serious doubt about the justice of the cause. This humanizes Downing, especially as readers will understand he will die in a conflict that was largely the fault of greed, poor intelligence, and stubborn leaders. An engrossing historical narrative.

Takeaway: Convincing, compelling narrative of real Irish at Little Big Horn.

Comparable Titles: Sebastian Barry's Days Without End, John Hough, Jr.’s Little Big Horn.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

Click here for more about The Ballad of Thomas Patrick Downing

Scottish history, romance, and mystery shroud the story of the Maclean clan in this sweeping novel of time travel, of a sort, and a family's redemption. After a blow to the head on a sailing trip, Brian Maclean finds himself waking up in the past in the body of his 17th century Highlands ancestor, Crísdean Maclean. Quitting his job after being wrongfully accused of inappropriate behavior with a student, Brian takes an extended vacation to Inverness to visit his sister, Fiona. At first, he believes his trips to the past to be vivid dreams, but Brian soon suspects he is actually reliving Crisdean's life. His ancestor's past love, Kenna, bears a striking resemblance to a snarky yet striking new woman in Brian's own era, Sophie—his brother-in-law's sister.

With war brewing in the past and a mysterious serial killer fixated on Sophie in the present, the Maclean clan faces dire threats—and Brian may be the key to changing everyone's future. This third entry in MacKinnon’s Echoes in Time series weaves a captivating mystery rich with romance and historical detail. Told from the perspectives of Brian and Crísdean and the two women, Sophie and Kenna, affected by their comings and goings, Seven is an intricate tale of second chances, love, and the devastating effects of violence. The what-if element has suspenseful power: as Crísdean maintains his loyalty to his clan chief and his family, he must put duty and honor before himself and his potential love, but Brian, having the advantage of being able to figure out what is to come for Crísdean, has the rare opportunity to choose a different course for his doomed ancestor.

While rich in Gaelic language and Scottish culture, the narrative is fast-paced, offering plot twists, urgent mysteries, and romance that transcends centuries. This genre-blending tale will intrigue readers who enjoy a little bit of everything in their books from history to romance and sweeping action-packed adventure in between.

Takeaway: Captivating time-crossed Highlands historical adventure, with romance.

Comparable Titles: Susanna Kearsley, Diana Gabaldon.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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“It’s not the name that makes the group, the group makes the name.” Insights like that power this Ziegler’s Midnight Train from Georgia, a loving tribute and vital cultural history that shares the story of William “Bae Bro” Guest, a key member of Gladys Knight and the Pips from the group’s inception, in the 1950s, as simply the Pips. The book is largely a transcription of interviews with Guest in the last years of his life, with on-point commentary from ZIegler about the group’s unique power—“a signature of class, style, great harmonic vocals, and polished performances.” Guest was the source of many hits and the Pips’ sharpest dance moves.

The feeling is warm and congenial as Guest shares stories of a young group teetering on the edge of stardom, trying to balance personal lives and professional ambitions, all with vivid memories of mid-century Atlanta and Motown-era Detroit, great performers like Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, and BB King (who gave the Pips prime performance slots at concerts because they weren’t “show spoilers”), shifting styles from gospel to disco, and show-business triumphs and setbacks.

The history, covering both the art and business of music, will fascinate fans. Once formed, Gladys Knight and the Pips knew they needed a record label to offer distributions and a route to get their songs on radio. Their first recording came under the auspices of testing audio equipment in the club owned by Clifford Hunter, where the band had a regular gig. To their surprise, Hunter pressed records without so much as telling the band. “No one was making money,” Guest laments, but that “started the fire that jump-started our career.” Duplicitous record labels are a recurring theme—the group would sue Motown for unpaid royalties—as Guest bears personal witness to personnel changes, health and legal troubles, dangerous road encounters, the thrill of the group’s 1970s successes, and above all the joy and challenges of creation and commerce with family. Love of music, God, and family shines throughout.

Takeaway: Fascinating life of a founding member of Gladys Knight & the Pips.

Comparable Titles: Gladys Knight’s Between Each Line of Pain and Glory, Alan Leeds’s There Was a Time.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-

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