If you don’t want to get to know your neighbors—don’t move into Connelly Court. Unfortunately, Michael and Amelia Ross were not forewarned when they found and moved into their dream home in that very neighborhood. “You guys are swingers, right?” someone asks deep into Crowe’s dishy suburban nightmare, a story of a cul-de-sac social circle powered by Pimm’s teas, lavish parties, and pillars of the community up for experimental entanglements. Nobody likes a nosy neighbor, and the Rosses soon learn that the Murphys, the last family to live in the couple’s current dream home, found their lives ruined by their participation in Connelly Court’s, uh, neighborly activities.

As the residents, led by queen bee Janice Cooper and her plastic surgeon husband, Allen, observe the newcomers and then attempt to indoctrinate them into their party scene, the story pulses with hidden agendas, fake friendships, steamy relationships, and—inevitably—lies and betrayals that will shake the community. Crowe has written a host of romance novels, and here she deftly incorporates page-turning suspense, social satire, and a sense of lives spinning out of control and towards tragedy. Sharp characterization and slicing dialogue grip from the start, as does Crowe’s keen eye for jealousies and deliciously mixed feelings. Of a recent orgy, one muses “It had been shocking. And amazing. And horrifying. And perfect.” Allen, meanwhile, thinks this of Janice: “She was a full-frontal alpha female. His alpha female.”

The couples take “enjoying the finer things” to the next level. As jealousies and scandals heat up, Crowe never loses sight of the cast’s humanity, with a story that touches on infertility, autism, addiction, and more with some sensitivity. Still, the fun comes when lines get crossed and new friends turn to frenemies. The tension, stoked by a round-robin of perspectives and prose that bites, will keep readers on their toes—and begging Michael and Amelia to leave Connelly Court.

Takeaway: Tense, delicious novel of suburban swingers spinning out of control.

Comparable Titles: Sarah Dunn’s The Arrangement, Abbi Waxman’s Other People’s Houses.

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

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Blending comedy and moral weight, this sun-kissed picaresque from Kurian (author of The Sunlight Lies Beyond) charts the journey of John Balkus into the Ibiz of the late 1980, where John, the rare American to visit the bohemian island, embarks on a quest to find his long lost friend Gunther. Along the way, John also bumps into eccentric characters who become friends, foes, and possibly guides toward something greater—he’s “entrapped in rigid Western thought” and “patterns that have ruined your life,” a tiny German swami tells him, and among hippies and seekers, gurus and frauds, he encounters a Beverly Hills widow, a homeless sculptor, an international DJ and, most crucially, an American named Angela, escaping “the doldrums of widowhood” with parties, dinners, seances, and more.

A New York hedge funder for the last 15 years, John discovered that “hell occupies one of the upper floors.” He knows that finding Gunther—whom he had abandoned mid-way in his youth in order to pursue his career—and likewise rediscovering his own past promise means comprehending this elusive, surprising island. Still, he makes an uneasy fit among the compounds, vineyards, harvest celebrations, kayak voyages, and nude beaches packed with baking bodies. He hopes to reconcile with Gunther, whom he had abandoned years before to pursue a career, but even though Gunther is fondly known throughout the island it’s been a while since anyone’s actually seen him. Meanwhile, the many spirited colloquies push John to face questions about the state of his soul.

Each meeting and situation, described with sumptuous prose and brisk, searching dialogue, also reveals something about Ibiza that either unsettles or awes John. Kurian conjures wonders, like the beautiful beach of Cala Salada and the mysterious mountain Es Vedrá, the novel edging at times toward a travelogue, albeit with an interest in romance, transcendence, and mysteries of the heart. The love story is sweet, but it's the male friendships—both between John and Gunther, and then John and Andre—that prove the richest.

Takeaway: Sumptuous novel of Ibiza, friendship, and recovering one’s soul.

Comparable Titles: Matt Haig’s The Life Impossible, Gayl Jones’s The Birdcatcher.

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

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Intimate, surprising, and rich in human complexity, Brown’s biographical study of his grandfather, Emilio Goggio, examines an immigrant life of learning, teaching, and pride in Italian culture and heritage in Goggio’s adopted countries, the U.S. and Canada. Emilio was brought over to Boston from the Piedmont region of Italy at age 14, in 1899, to join his father, a hatmaker and seller on Hanover Street. He quickly made his mark as a student at Harvard, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Toronto, earning multiple degrees and specializing in Italian language, literature, and culture, with special interest in its formative influence in the U.S. A flurry of professorships and cross-country moves followed, with Goggio at one point decamping from the University of Washington after learning that his older brother, Charles, was up for a professorship there. “There wasn’t room for two Goggios in one University,” Brown notes.

As that anecdote suggests, Goggio’s story is at times tricky, and Brown, while writing with great love, admirably faces the complications. His thoughtful examination of them becomes gripping once Goggio, at the University of Toronto in the 1920s, begins not just lionizing Italian culture but the nation itself, under Mussolini. Brown’s thorough, revealing parsing of his grandfather’s extant writings and lectures illuminates Goggio, his era, and the truth that, in the early years of Italian Fascism, support was often mainstream. Goggio was well off the “train” by 1940 and continued, in his work, to strive to foster “a spirit of mutual respect and understanding between the native and foreign elements in the United States.” (He once pitched a film on this theme to D.W. Griffith.)

Brown draws on interviews he conducted as a student with Goggio in 1968, plus letters, Goggio’s writings, and much well-deployed research. The result is an insightful, compelling portrait, with revealing explorations of late 19th century Italian education, Boston urban planning, American hatmaking, Italian life in Toronto, and the quite-human reasons one might leave a professorship before a brother hits campus.

Takeaway: Loving, complex portrait of a 20th century Italian academic in North America.

Comparable Titles: Jerre Mangione’s La Storia, Franca Iacovetta’s Such Hardworking People.

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

Click here for more about Marginal Man: Life of Emilio Goggio

This unconventional and clever title from Gilbert seeds inspirational lessons from her “MyNine Ways” path into a fictional story in which the protagonist, Naomi, a corporate change manager in England, is reeling from the death of her partner. Naomi asks “How could things have gone so wrong?” before happening upon the author’s book, finding within it guidance to help set her life on track.Using Gilbert’s Nine Ways—Leading, Partnering, Creating, Building, Transforming, Nurturing, Seeking, Managing, and Giving—Naomi begins a process of transformation, guided by Gilbert’s advice, exercises, tools, and mantras, like “BEST,” which stands for Be Empty, Still and Thoughtful.

Gilbert’s method focuses on small changes, finding what works, adapting when it doesn’t, celebrating contentment as success, and staying connected. The fiction offers a personal, relatable way to outline this, showing the work it takes to change as Wholly Naomi charts Naomi’s progression through the Ways, including breathing and visualization exercises, journaling, and more. Naomi’s attempts, some more successful than others, to achieve facets of each Way find her striving to balance mind, body, and spirit and reach contentment in the moment. Drawing upon the symbolic shapes of numbers one through nine and encounters with individuals who embody the lessons of each Way, Naomi is led from her dependence upon alcohol toward new habits and ways of thinking.

The storytelling is brisk and inviting, and readers who find more traditional self-help books impersonal may enjoy this take on the power of habits to make lasting life changes, especially as Gilbert acknowledges in the narrative the reality of setbacks. Woven throughout Naomi’s story is the parallel tale of an anthropomorphized ginger kitten who gets separated from his family and, after a brief encounter outside a liquor store, feels somehow connected to Naomi. The kitten is a metaphor for tenets of the Ways but also representative of a symbol Gilbert introduces early: a circle. The story reflects this in the shared fate of both characters.

Takeaway: Inspiring guide to making positive change in life, written in narrative.

Comparable Titles: James Clear’s Atomic Habits, Katy Milkman’s How to Change.

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

Click here for more about Wholly Naomi

Nalven’s debut, thirty years in the crafting, offers a compelling exploration of a homicide detective’s life and work, as Rafael Mikozy—a man of complex heritage surprised when anyone pronounces his name correctly—investigates a series of deaths connected to a mysterious poison or toxin, alongside a young professor, Lisa Liu-Smythe, in a diverse and vividly drawn Los Angeles. Poisonade’s streets abound with Chinese tacos, multi-lingual street signs that are “a kaleidoscope of history,” mysterious businesses whose sources of profit are stubbornly unclear, and nostalgic cafes whose old-Hollywood celebrity iconography suggests “the new paganism” and the impulse to “bend your knees and pray to LA.” As he struggles to find time to read a seemingly crucial manuscript provided by Deputy Inspector Tomlinson, Mikozy and medical examiner Leslie Cianfrancuso (LC) face military interest in the case, and Nalven explores Mikozy's introspective moments, delving into his past and his contemplations on race, society, and the challenges of police work.

The plot turns on Mikozy—”that crazy street philosopher who knows way too much to be a cop”—uncovering the existence of an AI known as Distributed Integrated Terminal (DIT) and facing layered questions about the influence of Artificial Intelligence on law enforcement. As the case becomes a matter of national security, Nalven immerses readers into Mikozy's world, expertly balancing the complexities of forensic work with personal and professional challenges, plus surprises like the work of Jack London playing a key role. The author maintains narrative authenticity by engaging Mikozy in a myriad of tasks alongside the main investigation, attentive to Los Angeles streets, people, and the city’s history and restless, ever-shifting present.

That literary richness means that readers eager for procedural thrills may find the pace (and occasional page-long paragraphs) frustrating. But Nalven’s literary mystery smartly weaves together elements of romance, culture, and striking insights into technology, police work, and the city in which Mikozy was raised, with ample interest and empathy for a sweeping supporting cast.

Takeaway: Vivid literary L.A. mystery plunging into a changing city’s heart.

Comparable Titles: David L. Ulin’s Thirteen Question Method, Naomi Hirahara’s Summer of the Big Bachi.

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

Click here for more about Poisonade

Dreiling plunges readers into the heartland fentanyl epidemic in the gripping second installment of the Debbie Bradley Mysteries, as St. Louis is shaken by Caleb Webb's death by overdose after a 60-day rehab. Signs point to the presence of fentanyl in the drug, and Caleb’s childhood friend Macie Holloway—a chemist major with a history of heroin use—stands as the prime suspect, as she was present at the scene. Enter Debbie, a journalist-podcaster known as the Crime Beat Girl, daring to investigate the lethal drug's source and uncovering Dardos Venenosos, a sprawling paramilitary drug cartel that has infiltrated the Midwest—and more dangerous, Debra knows, “than black ice” or the deadly frog that gives the novel its title.

While Debbie remains the centrifugal force and a bold and engaging lead, the lives of a host of characters are given emphasis and empathy in perspective chapters, resulting in a novel more rich than in many protagonist-focused procedurals: young adults Macie, Connor, and Caleb and their world of narcotics and self-destructive secrets; lawyers and detectives; cartel worker José Rodrigo, missing a finger and desperate to save his family. Dreiling dismantles simple views of drug crimes and addiction, revealing human frailty and brokenness. "The truly courageous man was the one who clung to kindness in the face of savagery," Dreiling writes of how José retains his morality despite his association with cartel operations in Mexico and Missouri.

This taut, chilling novel captures, with sharp edges and spirit of humanity, the inner workings of cops, reporters, lawyers, and detectives in the fight against trafficking, while remaining attentive to the everyday reality of drugs destroying lives and family relationships. “Rich. Poor. It doesn’t matter,” one character notes. “Addiction doesn’t care about income levels.” Dreiling has crafted a potent blend of suspense, drama, strong local color, and emotional exploration of grief and blame, not flinching or sensationalizing her subject while still offering hope for a slice of justice.

Takeaway: High-stakes Midwestern drug-crime thriller, with humane emphasis.

Comparable Titles: Tricia Fields’s The Territory, Amy Pease’s Northwoods.

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

Click here for more about The Poison Dart: A Debbie Bradley Mystery

Munck’s inspiring memoir reveals his tumultuous childhood, military service in the U.S. Marines, and later work in ministry—starting in youth ministry and later planting a church. In turns vulgar and moving, Munck shares how his difficult relationship with his father, who was an addict, shaped his childhood, and how his competitive drive was fed in both high school football and the marines. Munck came to a true faith in Jesus through the intervention of his then girlfriend, now wife, Kymbry, and others and then grew in his faith and leadership, eventually moving from a part-time pastoral role to a full-time one. The Guide shares stories from Munck’s life, including some jolting ones of enduring abuse, and lessons that he derives from it for the reader from his life and scripture.

Munck shares his story with sincerity, though unprepared readers may be surprised by his frankness, from early experimentation with masturbation, adolescent drug use, and teenage sexual exploits. His transparency is deeply affecting when he addresses his military service in the Gulf War, the difficult things he saw, and the impact of consequential PTSD. The photos that Munck periodically includes offer clarifying context, and the “Guiding Thought” lessons he offers at the end of each chapter manage to connect stories of, say, drunken “surfing” in the back of a pickup on L.A.’s 405 highway, with biblical precepts and thoughts about living with purpose.

Munck led a difficult childhood and young adulthood and through great determination made it through poverty, a parent struggling with addiction, and personal anger issues. This memoir is a powerful collection of stories of how he did that with the help of his community and God, and his attempt to share a guide for readers (and his children) to not make the same mistakes that he did. Now he is a pastor, father who clearly loves and respects his children, and a leader within his community. Readers looking for a moving story of perseverance and growth from a marine-turned-pastor will appreciate this memoir.

Takeaway: A former Marine’s revealing journey to faith.

Comparable Titles: Owen R. Chandler’s A Bridge in Babylon, and Joey Svendsen’s Fundamentalist.

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

Click here for more about The Guide

Set in a Texas where “the bland, khaki shades of drought punished the landscape,” Jimerson’s second cowboy-inflected detective thriller finds Ranger-turned-independent-sleuth E.J. Kane facing off with a terrifying former adversary seeking an exit from prison: white supremacist gang leader and murderer, G..H. Burton, who is attempting to gin up evidence of his innocence—and punish those who convicted him. Kane must work with his ex wife, the hard nosed lawyer Rebecca Johnson, and law enforcement officials skeptical of their disgraced former colleague, to prove that Burton is guilty not only of the crimes with which he was charged but others ongoing right into the present. Burton seems to have inside help, possibly including a DA and a powerful politico.

Jimerson's protagonist is a multi-faceted, decorated hero with a complicated past and his own personal and professional demons as he works to outsmart a cunning enemy. Dealing with the trauma of his son's death and his daughter's drug addiction, Kane is movingly divided between his professional obligations and the impossible hope of righting the wrongs in his personal life. Jimerson seamlessly incorporates gritty violence, bursts of action, and an unsettling feeling of not being sure who to trust with compelling glimpses of Kane’s home life and personal relationships. “Grown men building their lives on the simplistic moral codes of Don Quixote-style heroes,” Kane muses, at one point, contemplating the popularity of a Walker, Texas Hero. Jimerson, in contrast, digs deeper into the hard choices and human costs of heroism without slowing the pace or skimping on explosive twists.

The prose is crisp, sometimes biting, with sharp dialogue, strong local color, and a vivid feel for scrub, mud, trucks, and cottonmouths. But it’s Kane’s wit, intellect, and no-nonsense attitude that make him a cowboy detective readers will root for until the satisfying ending, that, for all the bullets and corruption, pulses with a hopeful spirit.

Takeaway: Fast-paced, character-rich thriller of Texas justice.

Comparable Titles: Jon Land’s Strong to the Bone, Craig Johnson’s Longmire series.

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

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There’s a clear-cut villain in Kaufman’s coming-of-age fantasy, a figure so loathsome to reluctant warrior Zhen that even when she doubts her abilities, her resolve proves unflagging in their eleventh-hour battle—as does her belief in the future. Despite the generic title, The Gold Mystery Adventure takes a distinctive approach to dystopian fiction by focusing on the last-ditch efforts to avoid environmental calamity on Odyssey, a planet with surprising connections to Earth. The bucolic forest community of Brix was transformed into a forced labor camp when Razor arrived three years ago, and her brutal regime is maintained by mechanical enforcers called drokes.

Her massive factories spew toxic sludge into the waterways, threatening the underwater city of Genus, where Zhen’s father, Kosni, is chief engineer. The black plumes of runoff distress Zhen, but she’s driven to action by the disappearance of her mother Cyna and uncle (the inventive Professor Mars) during their investigation of Razor’s origins. Zhen has no superpowers, but she’s athletic, observant, determined, and resourceful, and the way she comes to appreciate her value will resonate with young readers who are at the same point of self-discovery. She also learns about Cyna’s history with brothers Kosni and Mars, seeing how youthful decisions affect adult lives.

Kaufman creates an impressive series of action set pieces to test Zhen’s mettle, but some stylistic choices, like formal language and an abundance of modifiers, at times slow down the narrative momentum. But the inspired elements, like an amused narrative voice (“Another planet, another riot”), surprises like dolphin rides, and the scheming of the gloriously Machiavellian tech messiah Razor, demonstrate a fertile creativity and a real love of the genre. Especially engaging is Kaufman’s sense of hope and friendship. With so much young adult fantasy geared to post-apocalyptic survival, the quest to reverse a catastrophic course in The Gold Mystery Adventure offers a welcome dose of hope.

Takeaway: A young heroine fights for a healthy planet in this inventive eco-adventure.

Comparable Titles: Paul Dixon’s Starfall, Marisa Noelle’s The Unadjusteds.

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

Click here for more about The Gold Mystery Adventure

Skinning a knee can be a scary and painful experience, but Gandhi’s enlightening picture book for young children reveals the protective science behind this ubiquitous right of passage. Mayu and his older sister Nimi are racing their bikes down the street, and Mayu loses his balance and tumbles to the ground. As Nimi rushes to his side, tears fill his eyes as he observes his bloodied knee. Nimi comforts him and reminds him what their mother always says: “The pain is just the start of the healing process. There’s an army of protectors under our skin. I bet they’ve already started keeping you safe!”

From there the story zooms in on the microscopic events happening beneath Mayu’s skin. The leader is Captain T, the helper cell, who explains the injury and initiates different immune responses designed to protect Mayu from infection. Like tiny, blob-like warriors, different cells such as neutrophils, platelets, and macrophages work together to seal off the wound and fight harmful bacteria, clearly demonstrating the body’s multifaceted response to different threats. Notably, the kids in this story are not wearing bicycle helmets, a missed opportunity to help normalize basic safety gear kids can use to protect themselves.

Tamika Bramwell’s colorful illustrations depict the immune heroes as grinning, wide-eyed, alien-like creatures with a variety of wacky characteristics like green, squiggly hair and long, spiky legs that mimic their true-to-life appearance. The single-minded cells talk to each other and work together to keep out the bacteria, which have between one and three eyes and tiny teeth and multiply rapidly. As Mayu’s body fights the intruders, his face relaxes, and soon he is again ready to play. Showing cells and bacteria in this way will keep kids engaged while also introducing them to the fascinating science of the human immune system.

Takeaway: Enlightening picture book reveals the science behind the human immune system.

Comparable Titles: Steve Haines’s Pain Is Really Strange, Judith Wolf Mandell’s Sammy's Broken Leg (Oh, No!) and the Amazing Cast That Fixed It.

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

Click here for more about Immune Heroes

This clever exploration from Payne takes on one of the biggest questions facing philosophers: the question of if God exists and, if so, what God is like. Payne, a self-described “philosopher-hobbyist and researcher,” lays out philosophical arguments for and against God before making an impassioned case for panentheism, a theology which argues that all creation is, in a way, a part of God. After considering several various perspectives, predominantly that of the British philosopher and mathematician A.N. Whitehead, Payne turns to seeing how it relates to several religious traditions, from Buddhism to Christianity. He closes by making a 90 day wager with the reader, asking us to live for a month as if there were a God and then evaluate if doing so adds anything to life.

With wit, humanity, and inviting prose, So Who is God Anyway? explains complex philosophical concepts clearly and accurately, with a helpful glossary and extensive notes for further research. Payne insists he does not boast an extensive philosophical background, but he still demystifies these big concepts, showing his research but not overloading references on the reader. His humor will prove a matter of taste— “fundamentalists believe that we’re all headed to the lake of fire,” he notes, adding “You, me, Heinrich Himmler, Pol Pot, Osama Bin laden, and Joan who works down the street at the flower shop”—though it keeps the tone light, and the best wisecracks prove illuminating

Payne targets an audience of skeptics, but open-minded people of any religious tradition can find value in his musings. He doesn’t weigh the evidence to make God sound more appealing, but argues cogently that there is a preponderance of evidence that God exists, in spite of the “Big Ugly Six” arguments against God. Readers exploring the idea of God and wanting a survey of arguments for and against God through the ages, as well as a creative description of one perspective on God, will enjoy this clever guide.

Takeaway: Incisive, witty survey of philosophical arguments for God’s existence.

Comparable Titles: Philip Clayton and Arthur Peacocke’s In Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being, John W. Cooper’s Panentheism.

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

Click here for more about So Who is God, Anyway?

Boyd, a pseudonym for author Carrie Rubin (Fatal Rounds), crafts an artful dual perspective mystery that begins in 1853, when Catherine Miller, one of the first formally trained female doctors in the United States, graduates medical school in Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly after commencement, Catherine is murdered, simply because she was bold enough to study medicine as a woman. When her body is never discovered, her murderer goes free, leaving Constable Whitaker—in charge of solving her disappearance—stymied. Following her death, Catherine is reincarnated as an oak tree, cognizant of her murder but unable to communicate with the world around her. For 170 years, she stands as a passive observer to the world’s changes, all while desperate to solve the mystery of her own death.

A contemporary dual storyline follows homicide detective Lani Whitaker—who in many ways mirrors Catherine’s achievements, as she was one of the first female officers in Cleveland—while she combs through field notes left by her great-grandfather, Constable Whitaker, recounting Catherine’s unsolved disappearance. Boyd subtly connects the two women over time, hitting on the struggles they’ve both faced while fighting to be accepted in male-dominated professions against larger societal attitudes toward women, both in Catherine’s 19th century dealings and Lani’s contemporary crime solving efforts.

Boyd’s emotional language ably captures both relatable female leads, and the suspense builds as the women’s stories intertwine into a multiple mystery fallout, merging both historical and contemporary crimes alongside Catherine’s fears that her tree form is slowly dying, prompting her desperation for justice before it’s too late. Added to that mix is Mark Carver—present day owner of the land next to Catherine’s tree—and his growing cruelty, combined with dangerous secrets he’s determined to hide, with Lani hot on his trail. Amid the capers, Boyd touches on the humanity and understated power of the natural world, before delivering Catherine a respectful and satisfying ending.

Takeaway: Two barrier-breaking women fight for justice across generations.

Comparable Titles: Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, Jodi Picoult’s Leaving Time.

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

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Schulze’s moving debut, a coming-of-age story set at the end of the 1970s, offers a clear-eyed look at violent encounters, finding a self, and—blessedly—a lot of dogs. The narrative revolves around 13-year-old Spencer MacElliott, the main suspect in the death of his alcoholic, abusive father. Spence’s reputation as a troublemaker, both at school and outside, doesn’t really help his case. The only place he feels a sense of respite is Pal’s Place, an animal shelter where he volunteers—and when he adopts Blue, a battle-scarred pit bull who has escaped from a dog-fighter, things start seeming better. Until they suddenly get a lot worse.

The narrative unfolds from Spencer’s deceptively offhanded perspective, with readers given continuous insight into this 13-year-old’s observations and internal monologues. Schulze does a good job of personifying a teenager, and the sarcastic minimalism of the tone recalls Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. But there’s a lot more action here, much of it exciting and dramatic yet written with compelling realism. Readers will not find it hard to believe that it is a 13-year-old both handling and narrating these events. The other characters are also a piquant set, bringing light to a sometimes dark tale, their lives captured in crisp, compact prose: “Now Daryl works at the Chevy dealership in town,” Spence tells us, “and he talks about it the same way he talks about the army.”

At times, Schulze switches telling the story from Spence’s perspective to that of the dog, Blue. Though this is an interesting experiment, it often proves more jarring than enlightening, especially as Blue’s perspective is already implied in scenes with Spence. Schulze touchingly creates a sense of community among survivors of abuse, as, over the course of the story, many characters are revealed to have grown up in the shadow of alcoholic fathers. Still, Hitter and Blue is a heart-warming read, building to a satisfying ending and lesson.

Takeaway: Heartwarming coming-of-age story of escaping abuse and the love of a dog.

Comparable Titles: Kathe Koja’s Straydog, Robin Roe’s A List of Cages.

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

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Clarie shines a light on the history of the coastal towns of New Hampshire with seventeen short biographies of summer residents of note at Rye Beach, the Farragut Hotel (the subjects of Clarie’s earlier study Oceanside History at Rye Beach and the Farragut), Little Boar's Head, and more, with an emphasis on the late 19th and early 20th century. That's when the wealthy—including major business people, artists, performers, and political figures like presidential son and secretary of war Robert Todd Lincoln—frequented and built stunning resorts, mansions, arts institutions, and clubs along this stretch of the Atlantic.

This survey starts out strong with an extended history of the Studebaker family and the automobile business they ran for decades, with Clarie’s telling intertwining local and national history with a compelling account of a burgeoning family dynasty. Contemporary press accounts, clarifying historical context, and Clarie’s love for period detail—“Paper lampshades of all colors lit up one corner of the hall like huge blossoms” lit up one corner of the Farragut Casino in 1899—bring life to the milieu, and Clarie throughout documents the construction and utility of Rye Beach landmarks, like the Lincoln-affiliated (and now long gone) Gates Ajar home, in North Hampton, and Norman Williams’ nearby colonial mansion, dubbed “one of the finest specimens of that school [of] architecture that can be seen anywhere” in the New Hampshire Agricultural Report 1907-08.

Clarie brings a strong local focus to the material—there’s much here about the Abenaqui Golf Club, organized in 1897, and its tournaments—but also follows his subjects into the world. A chapter on E. Lansing Ray, a St. Louis newspaper man who invested in Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight and made a summer home out of the former Rye Beach Inn, boasts fascinating material about Ray’s trip England and France at the end of the first world war, and a surprising number of pages on Lindbergh’s flight. While at times discursive, Clarie’s brisk histories are rich with insight, surprises, and striking detail.

Takeaway: Historical survey of homes and lives of coastal New Hampshire’s “summer people.”

Comparable Titles: Lewis T. Karabatsos’s Rye and Rye Beach, Robert C. Gilmore’s Seacoast New Hampshire.

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

Click here for more about FAMOUS SUMMER RESIDENTS AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE OCEAN: THEIR STORIES NEED TELLING

“You are on the path, the great journey within, to discover the truth of who you are” promises Kim Yu in this heartfelt debut of self-reflection and spiritual growth. She details her musings, from a young age, at the meaning of life, and shares the bonds of a childhood illness that, combined with a deeply touching spiritual experience in college, sparked her lifelong desire to understand “the truth of what is, of the bountiful love… the love that is, as we are.” That idea of love as the ultimate goal flows throughout Kim Yu’s writing, as she counsels readers on how to live in the present, pay respect to their emotions, and more.

Though more conceptual than experiential, Kim Yu’s thoughts whisper of the inherent goodness and benevolence that unite us with each other and the world around us, and she urges “unconditional acceptance” as the key to truly loving others, wisely observing “there is nothing that love does not touch.” Because change can be intimidating, she outlines three energies readers must master on their own path to awakening: a desire to understand life’s calling, an openness to learning new ways of being, and a willingness to put in the necessary work for change to occur.

There are practical pointers contained in the guide as well, including the importance of starting each day with meditation—a “breathing space to ground yourself”—and the need to find mentors who can serve as a sounding board along the way. Kim Yu also emphasizes the transformation that comes with journaling “to comprehend and navigate your mind,” and the power of music to “[capture] human emotion”—two simple practices that, when routinely implemented, can help foster a sense of peace. Perhaps most profound is Kim Yu’s advice that “you don’t need to try to be happy… It’s not about being happy always but reaching and releasing that inner joy.”

Takeaway: Gentle reflections on love as the catalyst for awakening.

Comparable Titles: Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, James Hollis’s A Life of Meaning.

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

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In this twisty, emotional third adventure in White’s Dragon Metal series, Jestin Kase and his group of friends face off with the Three Great Schools as they prepare for a Final Crusade that could devastate our world—"a big, all-out magical war.” Still reeling from loss and betrayals, Jestin is haunted by previous battles with his nemesis and former friend, Emma, and her mysterious hooded sidekick, Malachite. Soon, Jestin gets kidnapped while on a mission with his roommate, Jacob Colt, and that scene-stealer Growly McHissy-Face (Hiss, for short), the shapeshifting cat. Colt and Hiss team up with some familiar faces to rescue Jestin, who is being held by one of the Great Schools, Ishraqi, and the leader Dhiraar, who promises to expose Jestin to the truth and "the Light.” With few options, Jestin plays along with Dhiraar’s cult on a hunt for the First Relic, a magical super weapon.

White again brings heart, thrills, inventive magic, and a striking vision of how dragon metal power, demons, and other beasts would feel in the real world. For all the epic moments and bizarre beasts that truly earn the term “metal," White centers his cast’s hearts. As Jestin fights to protect the innocent, his friends, and himself, he holds to his values—“Kill demons and thralls? Sure. Kill humans? No”—even when he’s not sure who to trust—or must align with those he knows he can't. As a wielder of the Dragon Medal of the Sun, Jestin again is thrust into a role he doesn't have the confidence to believe he can truly handle, that of a hero.

This thriller will keep young readers turning the pages as Jestin and his quick-witted, fun-to-follow friends fight against ever-more-powerful forces, but with stakes as personal as they are epic: for every Beast of Tiamat, there’s a surprise into characters’ pasts, hearts, and trauma, which in this series is a manipulable source of Metal power. Though easy enough to follow as a standalone, Jestin Kase and the Secrets of Chaos Metal works best as a culmination, and readers are advised to start at the start.

Takeaway: Complex, engaging heroes face demons, cults, and truly metal magic.

Comparable Titles: Tochi Onyebuchi's War Girls, James Dashner's The Maze Runner.

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

Click here for more about Jestin Kase and the Secrets of Chaos Metal