Rife with references to Erwin Rommel’s North African campaign, the SAS, Commandos Strike at Dawn, and Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy, this book seems geared toward older readers looking for a blend of current events with WWII history and childhood nostalgia. Yet many of these references are jarring and out-of-place, especially given that the protagonists are in their 30s. At times, readers will feel as if they have entered the story too late: though this is the only book in the series so far, references to a previous case and prior relationships give a sense of missing information, and supporting characters (such as Harry, Miranda’s “part-time lover”) lack detail and clear motives.
This novel shines in its depiction of life in the mountains of North Carolina. Readers familiar with the area around Asheville will love the realistic descriptions of the city and its environs, including cameos by local institutions ranging from the Biltmore Estate to Black Mountain’s Blue Ridge Biscuit Company. Miranda is a spunky, no-nonsense protagonist who audiences will root for as she takes decisive action to make sure Skip’s job—and her small town—remain safe.
Takeaway: This mystery combines modern political intrigue and Blue Ridge Mountain life with WWII nostalgia.
Great for fans of: Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy series, Maddie Day’s Country Store Mysteries series.
Production grades
Cover: C+
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B
Duffy has the day-to-day stuff of working retail down pat, but Phillip is so indecisive that he wavers in his decisions almost as quickly as he makes them: Melissa or LeAnn, San Diego or New York City? The only thing he sticks with is his job, but with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, even that may no longer be an option. A pagelong flirtation with religion goes nowhere, and the characters’ political discussions occasionally feel forced and unwieldy.
The story’s topicality is a boon. In the throes of a pandemic that already has killed many Americans, readers would think Phillip’s world might have grown desperately dark. Instead, he eats junk food and binge-watches television like so many people have. Duffy’s lead lacks agency, so his story is reminiscent at times of someone who begins journaling without much to say. But readers with similar experiences will find him relatable.
Takeaway: Readers looking for a novel about navigating a midlife crisis or being underemployed during Covid-19 will find familiarity in its lead character.
Great for fans of: Caitlin Kelly’s Malled, Matthew Quick.
Production grades
Cover: C+
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C+
Interactions with his sons are the emotional cornerstones of the book, but he also comments on the American healthcare system and underscores how recovery begins by taking charge of one’s life. Readers will appreciate the affecting accounts of other patients that support his informed insights on medical care and fitness, as well as the clear and straightforward prose.
Joseph skillfully balances the bleakness of the subject with candidness and levity. His analogy about fear being an “obnoxious roommate who doesn’t clean up after himself” is one of the many standout observations of the narration. Liberally infused with candor and vulnerability, Joseph’s thorough introspection of his years in cancer treatment is a rewarding examination of love, duty, legacy, and mortality.
Takeaway:This gripping cancer memoir is a unique exploration of identity, community, and the American healthcare system through the story of an ordinary man’s life-altering illness.
Great for fans of: Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, Joules Evans’s Shaken Not Stirred... A Chemo Cocktail, Julie Yip-Williams’s The Unwinding of the Miracle.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Donnelly has set her story in a classic medieval Europe-flavored fantasy world, complete with armies on horses, ancient prophecies, and an extensive dramatis personae. Although the author makes some moves to differentiate her work from other stories in the genre—for instance, by substituting common English terms with Kinderrian ones—some readers may find the net result is more distracting than illustrative.
But Mirana is a sympathetic heroine, her struggle to find her place in the world will be relatable to young readers, and her romance with Teague captures the tensions and thrills of teenage love. Polished prose, strong characterization, and the author’s keen eye for atmospheric detail keep this coming-of-age story engrossing.
Takeaway: Young adult readers will be swept up in a gripping fantasy adventure with a main character they can root for.
Great for fans of: Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: –
Editing: A
Marketing copy: C

While Armstrong’s life is fascinating, it is her mother, Barbara, who captivates. A single mother, Barbara has a brief stint with depression before she pivots and establishes herself as a firm scion of survival: she becomes an international spy—until she marries a doctor, allowing her to resume her career as a lawyer and affording her daughter a wealthier lifestyle. Like her mother, Armstrong is pioneering and full of grit, becoming an award-winning architect at a time when the field was largely a boys’ club. She teeters emotionally between her mercurial parents, and it plays out in her personal life as she searches for parental figures and embarks on three ill-fated marriages.
Armstrong excels at allowing the reader to empathize with an intimate portrayal of her search for connection, stability, and love. The added bonus of a photo gallery in the center of the book features her family and important figures in her life and showcases her work as an architect. This is a moving coming-of-age memoir that will enthrall readers as they travel through the dizzying turns of Armstrong’s life, from her early childhood to the death of her enigmatic mother.
Takeaway: A candid memoir of the dynamics between a compelling mother and her independent, tenacious daughter.
Great for fans of: Jeannette Walls, Ariel Leve.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

“Precious Blood,” a tangle of three overlapping monologues, opens with tender and funny evocations of life in the hilly marshland of Missouri, but crescendos to rape and murder. That nurse, Connie, starkly reenacts a brutal crime, haunted by it but also so grimly accepting of all that men are capable of that she never bothered reporting it. The blistering “Rattlesnake,” meanwhile, concerns a doctor who abandons his career for the rodeo life, a fantasy right out of the country music records he loves. In South’s America, though, the outlaw life’s not a song, but a horror show.
South’s plays obsess over cruel and ugly violence—violence unleavened by Hollywood’s reassuring distinction between good guys and bad guys. Connie compares the occasional surges of rape cases she sees in a Kansas City hospital to a “rush” at a restaurant, and the tough-talking narrator of “Rattlesnake” aspires to be a cowboy hero but winds up a killer down in the mulch with people he only knows as Bad Smell and Pissing Guy. In these plays, it’s cruelty and mourning in America.
Takeaway: These harrowing 1981 one-act dramas, once staged by Robert Altman, lay bare the dark side of American idealism.
Great for fans of: Eric Bogosian’s Drinking in America, Sam Shepard’s True West.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Van Gool’s vivid and polychromatic illustrations give depth to the storyline and illuminate Irma’s inner struggles, drawing readers’ attention to the minor eccentricities—from her showy socks and shoes to her distinctive bracelets—that make her stand out from her peers. Despite feeling forced in some sections, Donnelly’s rhyming prose lightens an otherwise heavy topic for kids who have been ostracized for their differences and adds an element of fun to some uncomfortable social situations. Irma’s attempts to conform to the expectations of her teacher, in spite of her very real physical struggle during assigned tasks, is painful to watch and will elicit compassion and empathy in readers.
Donnelly brings gentle attention to tangible challenges that many youth and adults face, both in the overt example of dairy intolerance and in the more hidden theme of being shunned and excluded for individuality and distinctiveness. The parallel theme of perseverance, even in the face of ridicule and seeming failure, sends a message of hope and optimism to a young audience. Irma’s eventual success, earned by channeling her unusual talents and creative thinking, will resonate with readers as a victory for underdogs and a method of celebrating uniqueness. Though simple in its presentation, this unconventional tale revels in what makes each of us exceptional.
Takeaway: This playful tale celebrates individuality and pays tribute to the power of perseverance.
Great for fans of: Maria Dismondy’s Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, Julia Finley Mosca’s The Girl Who Thought in Pictures.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A+
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C
The premise is promising, but readers may be frustrated by the loose ends that remain: neither the identity of the archer who shot Isabella nor their motive is revealed. In addition, Shaw relies heavily on stereotypical depictions of women: Isabella, nicknamed “China Doll” because she is “so fragile and easily broken,” remains largely passive throughout, and her character development is tied primarily to her lovers.
The narrative is at its strongest when avoiding these clichés and focusing on the consuming dynamics between its protagonists, such as the tense relationship between Isabella and her mother. Shaw’s portrayal of the Kingdom of Fleurham—as charming but faded, saturated with tension between the English and French residents, and filled with “bewitched and enchanted villagers”—is compelling, too. Readers who enjoy European-flavored fantasy with traditional gender roles will be ensnared by this fairy tale.
Takeaway: This royal story is best suited for readers who enjoy classic fairy tales with European settings and damsels in distress.
Great for fans of: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Production grades
Cover: C
Design and typography: C
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C
Using that frame and sensible, easy-to-understand prose, he examines empathy, intuition, greed, the placebo effect, and global destruction with an unwavering and realistic gaze, and offers practical strategies for readers to do the same. Comfortingly, he describes mental time travel to lance any festering wounds from one’s psyche, a path easy to undertake from one’s favorite living room chair. While he is for the most part optimistic, O’Connor is a realist about human error: he notes that memory shortcomings, incendiary language, and confirmation bias can effectively derail the truth, but offers methods to avert such pitfalls.
O’Connor tackles daunting subjects with a deft touch, making complicated concepts accessible for the average reader, and his suggestions and principles are sound, well-reasoned, and meticulously footnoted. Two concise, helpful appendices recap the author’s most important points, providing valuable cheat sheets for those pondering important decisions or trying to overcome faulty reasoning. Any reader concerned for the future of humankind will find wise nuggets of information to take and implement on the journey forward.
Takeaway: This passionate plea for a thoughtful and intentional future will touch everyone from dedicated environmentalists to college students.
Great for fans of: Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
The author takes several chapters at the start of the book to explain precisely what she means when she claims for herself the term “bad bitch”—and why she’s encouraging readers to aspire to it, too. Williams is talking about a proud woman of power, a “female who knows what she wants and knows how to get it,” who “is not afraid to be her authentic self at all times” and seizes “the opportunity to shine, teach other women to bask in their femininity, promote their brilliance, and become downright ‘sheroes.’”
Williams is a compelling writer and role model. The book’s strongest chapters concern the power and promise of seizing her brand of girl power. An early chapter lays out strategies for drafting a winning pitch, with clarifying and practical tips, but overall Williams is less focused on process than on modeling her vision of a sisterhood of bold movers and shakers. Readers specifically hunting for a step-by-step guide to pitching and brand-building may want to consult more books—but those hungry for advice from a woman unapologetically seizing her place in the world will find just what they need.
Takeaway: This appealing guide to brand-building dares women to be the right kind of bad.
Great for fans of: Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean’s The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The photos are gorgeous, as are the watches, but White’s emphasis is on practical, attainable Rolexes a collector might encounter in the wild, rather than the highest-end luxury items. The backbone of this edition remains his manual, first published in 2019: a helpful and inviting survey of what a potential collector would want to understand before purchasing a pre-owned or vintage Rolex. White takes readers “beneath the lugs,” exposing the period-correct guts of generations of Rolexes, including their winding screws, to a dozen types of hands, and the mechanisms at their ticking hearts (called “movements”). Those particulars are supplemented with a history of the brand and illuminating explanations of unique Rolex terms (“Oyster Perpetual Submariner” is just the start of it).
White’s a welcoming writer, eschewing the “jargon-soup” that he attributes to his hobby’s “insiders.” He addresses common misconceptions and encourages potential collectors to buy watches they’ll love and actually wear, rather than getting too hung up on acquiring a piece of the highest period correctness. White exhaustively catalogs all the information publicly available on more than 1,400 official manufacturing runs of Rolex watches. Even established collectors will find this a valuable resource.
Takeaway: This field manual gives an illuminating introduction into the world of Rolex collecting.
Great for fans of: Benjamin Clymer’s Watches: A Guide by Hodinkee, Gene Stone and Stephen Pulvirent’s The Watch, Thoroughly Revised.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The author brings to life what it meant to be an adolescent 50 years ago, in an era of sexual repression when teenagers had difficulty buying contraceptives. As for pregnancy, many schools would not readmit girls known to have given birth, so a great deal of duplicity was involved in the whole process, including limiting weight gain so the mother could leave in the clothes she wore early in the pregnancy.
The author’s inner strength is obvious to readers, as is her intelligence. MacDonald aptly describes the “lava-like knot of humiliation, shame and rage” that accompanied her pregnancy as her boyfriend and eventual first husband went on with his life while hers was on hold in Phoenix. Readers will, through the eloquent prose, come to understand the rage and trauma inherent in growing up during such a restrictive, gender-biased time period in the U.S.
Takeaway: Readers looking for adoption stories who want to understand what life was like before birth control will appreciate this tale of coming-of-age trauma.
Great for fans of: Ann Fessler’s The Girls Who Went Away, Anne Petrie’s Gone to an Aunt’s, Ann Patchett’s The Patron Saint of Liars.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: C+

Ungerland clearly explains her framework in sophisticated yet clear and accessible prose. Each chapter describes the experiences of patients who have been in this stage, explains relevant concepts and views on psychology and spirituality, includes exercises for readers to try to build resilience, and ends with a brief shorthand summary to remind readers of the contents at a glance. Bonus material presented at the end, including tips on cognitive restructuring and basic principles for change, could stand alone as opposed to being subsumed into other sections.
She has clearly read widely in psychology, philosophy, spirituality, literature, and poetry; the text synthesizes existing work in positive psychology and Buddhism, and it is studded with quotations from a wide range of sources, including Martha Graham, Alice Walker, Albert Einstein, and Rumi. The case studies illuminating each stage are a strength, as is the text’s capacity to inspire hope for surviving chaos and growing resilience. This empathic, instructive, well-written guide will find a home on the bookshelves of both clinicians and readers pursuing healing after trauma.
Takeaway: Mental health professionals and readers seeking well-defined, easy-to-implement principles for transformational growth after trauma will find this guide both insightful and practical.
Great for fans of: Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart, Susan Anderson’s The Journey from Abandonment to Healing.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: A-
This manual should not be mistaken for professional legal or medical advice, but Smith’s guidance is thoughtful and can be modified to fit varied circumstances. His approach is humble: when he is not an expert about a topic under discussion, Smith seeks advice from and gives credit to others, which is particularly helpful in his sections about autism, blindness, and working across cultures (for example, in Japan or the U.S). Readers will be able to imagine Smith as an older mentor joining them for coffee and conversation as they work through some knotty problem that has arisen at work.
Though the more granular advice is most useful for those who share his United Kingdom context, HR professionals anywhere can learn from Smith’s good sense. This wise and good-natured survey of common human resource concerns and challenges would make a meaningful and useful gift for someone starting out in the profession.
Takeaway: Human resources professionals, especially in the U.K., will find this wise, good-natured compendium a valuable guide.
Great for fans of: Jeffrey Liker’s The Toyota Way, Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell’s The Essential HR Handbook.
Production grades
Cover: C
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Some of the vocabulary and concepts (the equator, marine parks, climate change) will be new to many in the target age range. The book introduces numerous facts per page, and since each animal is illustrated in only one portrait, there are no visuals to illuminate numbers such as “my legs alone are six feet long” or “I can weigh 1750-2800 pounds” to help young kids understand their significance. These attributes make this book one for a child to read and discuss with an adult.
But if a small reader becomes impatient with the facts, the text easily allows for a break before returning, without diminishing the overall message. The recurring refrain "please leave me be while I still am" is a powerful call to action that young animal lovers can understand. This element, combined with the lively watercolor images, changes what could be a frightening set of facts into a positive message of interspecies responsibility.
Takeaway: Adults who want to introduce younger kids to conservation and instill a love of animals will be delighted by this lovely picture book.
Great for fans of: David Wax’s I Wish For You, Miranda Paul’s One Plastic Bag.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: B+
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
With a charming, conversational flair (“Bonus points to those of you who don a solid scientist costume while you work”), Connell breaks down recipes with easy-to-follow steps that even the most amateur home chef will be able to follow. Aside from uncommon mushrooms, the recipes do not require exotic or difficult ingredients. Somewhat confusingly, most recipes are described as yielding a dose of .5 to 1.75 grams, more than the author’s suggested daily microdose of between .1 and .3 grams.
Although some visuals are challenging to read, overall Connell’s presentation has a friendly, retro feel that suits his playful call for experimentation and pleasure. Illustrator Snowflake delivers graphics reminiscent of ’70s psychedelic culture alongside pages featuring quotes from Alice in Wonderland. Readers who want more information about foraging or cultivating mushrooms will need to look elsewhere, as will those who want a more detailed clinical approach to the use of psilocybin. But those curious about the basics of pairing food and magic fungi will find clear guidance shared in an entertaining way.
Takeaway: This accessible, trippy cookbook offers uncomplicated but appetizing recipes for beginners looking to incorporate magic mushrooms into food.
Great for fans of: Edible Dee’s The Happy Chef, Chef Ra’s Psychedelic Kitchen column.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: B
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
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