Saleh skillfully mines that fruitful “who can you trust?” hook from beginning to end, dazzling readers with twists, turns, and an ending they won’t see coming. Along the way, she creates a heroine worth rooting for and a host of supporting characters in various shades of gray, a nod to the fact that few people are completely perfect or completely evil (especially Andrew and Sam, the hired assassin.) By depicting these shades, and crafting full characters rather than stock types, Saleh makes readers truly care what happens to her cast.
Saleh also proves adept at keeping the red herrings coming, which keep the story engaging and surprising until the last page. A few editing clunkers distract, as do the uninspired scene-setting photographs that open each chapter, but the author’s deft plotting, perfect pacing, and shrewd sense of people will help readers overlook those issues. Readers who love thrillers will devour Saleh’s irresistible, multi-layered tale and hope for more—which the author seems to tease in her afterword.
Takeaway: Saleh’s initial foray into thrillers will delight readers who enjoy suspenseful, twisty stories.
Great for fans of: Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Gillian Flynn.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: C+
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Clifton delivers a fast-paced comedy in a chipper, sometimes sarcastic tone about engaging characters, complete with a grounded ending that has nothing to do with the billion-dollar lottery ticket. Even when the stakes are high, Clifton never neglects the story’s wit or warmth, though it’s disappointing that the climax finds the “emasculated” Henry’s masculinity restored at the expense of Rose, who becomes (uncharacteristically) a damsel in distress. Still, though Henry and Rose have their flaws, they remain mostly likeable, especially Rose, who takes time on her own to seize a new independence and figure out what she really wants.
The plot gets wilder as it goes, with Clifton pulling off a feat of plate-spinning: He includes blackmail, diamonds, foreign prisons, motorcycle gangs, unlikely alliances, and an undercover sting operation, all without losing sight of the human story at the novel’s heart. A lively beach or commute read, this quick, cheerful parody of aging, capitalism, and marriage offers a little bit of everything––comedy, suspense, romance––and even some insights into the meaning of life.
Takeaway: The sunny comic adventure of a middle-aged couple who wins the lottery in the thick of their midlife crises.
Great for fans of: Tim Dorsey’s The Pope of Palm Beach, Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, Carl Hiaasen’s Lucky You.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Broken into two parts, the book covers life experiences that Tang experienced that led up to her trek as well as the adventure itself. The closeness she has with her family, and the impact of her dad’s words are clear; he reminded her on their first climb that going up is only half the journey, and that taking care when going back down is just as important. Tang also describes how she overcame her resistance to do some things she wasn’t comfortable with, as well as what she learned from the experience.
The second part picks up speed, telling the detailed story of the trip to Everest Base Camp. Tang takes readers along for every triumph and every near defeat: “I remembered repeating these sentences in my brain, over and over again, ‘We can do this. One step at a time.’” Details of the places her group stops along, the people they meet, the gorgeous views they experience, and the freezing cold and high altitude of the mountain are palpable. Although the first half is a bit slow, and readers will want more details on some of her earlier experiences, Tang’s tale is inviting.
Takeaway: Adventure-minded readers looking for inspiration to follow their dreams will find inspiration in Tang’s journey to Everest Base Camp.
Great for fans of: Janet Patkowa’s The Impossible Long Run: My Journey to Becoming Ultra, David Clark’s Broken Open: Mountains, Demons, Treadmills And a Search for Nirvana.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Boccaletti considers himself a “science novelist,” and K-666 is certainly more attentive to the proteins and molecular structure of its titular virus than it is to the hearts and minds of its characters. The mode here is that of speculative, invented reportage, with briefings and accounts of strategic plotting taking the place of conventional scenecraft. Boccaletti is fascinated by global systems, by planning and logistics. Expect pages of slide-show presentations rather than two-fisted heroics or scheming stereotypes.
That means the novel reads more like a report of a thought experiment than a suspense novel. Still, the implications of a Chinese conspiracy, one suggestive of real-world conspiracy theorizing, will alienate many potential readers. Boccaletti’s villains, like the American and Russian leaders who counter them, are presented as actors in a game, their actions reported in the detached style of an official report. “Dr. Li and General Lou were duly informed,” he simply notes, after a brief summary of the kidnapping, questioning, and killing of some researchers, events most thrillers would milk for pages. Rather than linger on individuals, Boccaletti focuses on the big picture: How might this war game and far-fetched conspiracy actually play out?
Takeaway: This speculative novel imagines, from the perspective of science and systems, an engineered pandemic.
Great for fans of: Adam Kucharski’s The Rules of Contagion, A.G. Riddle’s Pandemic.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-

Drawing on her experience as a teacher, healer, and spiritual mentor, as well as occasional excursions into autobiography, Goode plays the role of upbeat coach, frankly acknowledging the challenges of achieving a spiritual awakening in a world where millions sleep beside their cell phones while also offering tools to “fast-track” that shedding of cloaks and individuals readers’ journeys down their own “healing and awakening path”s. She urges readers to examine the “taught beliefs” they may have learned, arguing that “Many of the people that carry [hateful beliefs] have never been exposed to anything outside of their cultural bubble.” She makes clear, though, that she wants readers to discover their own authentic beliefs rather than to become inculcated with hers.
That refusal to preach sets Goode’s book apart from the pack, as does the warmth and clarity of her guidance. Whether breaking down the “anatomy” of emotion (“Guilt is a control mechanism”) or the “dark night” of a difficult spiritual awakening, Goode emphasizes forgiveness, gratitude, boundary setting, and above all else that revealing and healing the self is a challenging, ongoing process. Rather than tell readers what to think and believe, Goode strives to unveil what’s already in us.
Takeaway: A warm, incisive guide to the spiritual awakening that comes revealing and healing the self.
Great for fans of: Martha Beck’s The Way of Integrity, Don Jose Ruiz’s The Medicine Bag.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Sommer’s rhyming can edge toward the gimmicky, with some forced pairings that don’t actually rhyme (“checkup/close-up,” “family/actually”). While rhyme is often employed in picture books to help smooth out reading, inviting readers to feel it’s easy to falter and stumble on those awkward pairings, possibly diminishing reader engagement. The choice to have the story focused on the cat’s emotions after a loss, rather than the human narrator’s, is interesting and unique, perhaps operating on the assumption that the feelings of animals will register more with young readers.
Focusing the story on the cat, however, still allows opportunity to look at the entire family’s grieving process (everyone slowly turns blue, too). This emphasizes that loss and healing both are often shared, a topic worth discussing. Ultimately a heartfelt tribute to the furry friends we lose along the way, My Cat Is Blue offers children an opportunity to identify what sadness can look like in pets, adults, and themselves and how we always move forward with happier days in mind.
Takeaway: Readers young and old will be moved by the rhyming prose and evocative digital illustrations as a cat and family grieves.
Great for fans of: Todd Barr’s The Goodbye Book, Judith Viorst and Erik Blegvad’s The Tenth Good Thing About Barney.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Mikalsen skewers politicians and the administrators of the “Drug Control Complex” alike, pointing out connections between world leaders and drug smuggling operations. In firm defense of drug dealers and users, he censures society’s criminalization of substances that “have been a central part of human experience and tradition for millennia” and delves into the signs of governmental shifts toward tyranny, all largely influenced by the power and wealth generated from the war on drugs. Mikalsen alleges that drug laws were initially methods of social control, portraying “prohibitionists” as individuals who rely on “fear, ignorance, and propaganda” to ensure compliance with their demands—and to protect Big Pharma’s profit margins.
Fans of complex, far-reaching conspiracy theories will be mesmerized by Mikalsen’s look at secretive organizations such as Yale’s Skull and Bones society (he contends Bonesmen “[hide] in the shade while continuing the age-old plot to control populations”), and his insistence on an “unholy alliance” between the Vatican, the CIA, and the Mafia. But such sweeping accusations diminish his argument that economic and political forces collude to keep the drug war active. He briefly addresses the usefulness of certain substances for tapping into mystical experiences and developing a new consciousness, but devotes few pages to the potential benefits of drug use, a point many readers who potentially agree with his conclusions will likely want to see further addressed.
Takeaway: A sweeping argument for drug legalization paired with a jeremiad against government propaganda.
Great for fans of: Colleen Cowles’s War On Us; Paula Mallea’s The War on Drugs: A Failed Experiment.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: C
Rather than a didactic guide to reincarnation and to achieving harmony with the soul and creation, Becoming Soul leads by example, depicting Asina’s journey from child to grandmother, parallel to her soul’s journey, on this go-round through life, from “silence” to “hope” to “loss” and at last to Heaven. Aiding Asina is the literal Goddess, a “being of light” with the “essence of roses” who tells Asina, as she’s being born, “You’re not finished.” From there, El Alma tracks Asina’s ordinary but extraordinary life, a child who feeds the chickens and goes to school and mass wrapped “in the comfort of her Goddess.” Asina eventually chooses marriage and motherhood over the convent, a choice she doubts until Mary herself manifests and reveals her approval.
Such moments typify the brief narrative. Asina, as human as any of us, faces uncertainty and loss, but she’s urged through the seventh steps by a dazzling assortment of messages and revelations—and her own firm belief. Within the story, Asina inspires generations to believe in and persevere in their own paths through the seven steps, and to love, accept, and be resilient and courageous. El Alma has crafted the book to do the same, joining the human and the sacred in a warm, inviting text, ideal for Christian readers open to fresh spiritual ideas.
Takeaway: A welcoming account of a reincarnated soul’s sacred journey.
Great for fans of: Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s Reincarnation: The Missing Link In Christianity, Pieter J. Elsen’s When Souls Awaken.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
With plainspoken precision, Yari delves into the human consciousness, our emotions, and the self-awareness that allows us to strive to understand what’s unknown in our "known" beliefs. Modifying one's thinking is a major theme throughout this book. Yari urges readers to step outside their beliefs, free of emotion or prior influence, and align with the base level functions of our minds, our bodies, and the universe. While he’s frank about the fact that any overhaul of years of ingrained thoughts and beliefs will be daunting, Yari writes with the persuasive and inviting—yet at times challenging—voice of a coach or guide.
This is an accessible, stirring, and thought-provoking (though occasionally familiar) consideration of the human condition that is brief enough to be read in one sitting, but heavy enough to reward time spent in contemplation.This book will resonate with any reader who is actively ready to explore their understanding of themselves with an open mind and take active responsibility for their path to happiness and wholeness within themselves.
Takeaway: A comprehensive self-help guide to reprogramming one’s assumptions and forging a path toward fulfillment.
Great for fans of: Napoleon Hill’s How to Own Your Own Mind, David J. Goleman’s Rewire Your Brain.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Despite the grim premise, the quirky characters lend a whimsical feel to the story, and Lahey is clever and inventive in imagining new technology while still dealing with relatable problems—the self-driving car won't let you leave without giving it a rating, and a hologram call still has trouble connecting. Some cultural aspects of this engaging story’s future may strike readers as discordant (three decades into the future, the movie Frozen still has cultural relevance, but people must explain the name "Einstein”), and the urgency of climate change see-saws: the planet’s lost clouds and the Antarctic ice shelf, but the main characters’ lives seem insulated from the consequences. The final revelation of who has been using the time portal, while not out of place thematically, is somewhat abrupt.
Lahey does, however, compellingly showcase 2050s technology, from homemade telekinesis machines to antigravity trucks. The plot builds slowly but deliberately, ratcheting up the interpersonal stakes before escalating sharply into a gunfight and an exciting high-tech chase that all culminates in a wilderness survival trek. Alternately funny and philosophical, this story paints a vivid, high-tech world while still packing an emotional punch.
Takeaway: This near-future story of a world ravaged by climate change will delight lovers of both romance and action sci-fi.
Great for fans of: Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
In practice, Rotaru’s spiritual psychoanalysis is related to meditation, an effort to “detect manifestations of negative energies in our lives and eliminate them through practical methods.” His teaching draws on established studies of chakras and negative energies, though Rotaru also presents much unique material, such as his conception of the “family law theory of the universe,” which posits that the relationships between God and matter, body and soul, and husband and wife reflect each other. “God commissioned me to deliver His spiritual message,” Rotaru declares, a claim that readers not on his wavelength may balk at. The same goes for his characterization of homosexuals and transgender individuals as “lost souls.”
A dense, lengthy mix of spiritual autobiography and prophetic screed, studded with bible quotes and summaries of conversations, this is not an inviting book. Readers curious about spiritual psychoanalysis first face over a hundred pages of family and personal history. Rather than lay out practical steps to aid in communicating with God, Rotaru considers a host of topics (tips for marriage; how the economic structure of a country shapes its citizenry; theories about souls) between passages about his life. This volume may appeal to believers open to spiritualism from outside traditional religion.
Takeaway: A provocative autobiography and spiritual journey that makes the case for a “spiritual psychoanalysis.”
Great for fans of: Sri Aurobindo, Neale Donald Walsch’s The Complete Conversations With God.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: C+
Schoales hopes to increase readers’ understanding of their own motivations and make them better able to make decisions and cooperate with others. Schoales includes some diagrams which relate these various motivations to each other – some of which are enlightening but others of which fail to shed light on his point. His thinking is fairly original, though he makes good use of the thinking of classic ethicists such as Rawls, Hobbes, and Mill among others. Considering the sweep of the book’s title, though, readers may wonder how his analysis relates to the work of more modern and contemporary ethicists.
While some may find fault with elements of his analysis, his dispassionate view of human behavior gives food for thought as we make the innumerable ethical decisions we each face every day. With thought toward motives, as Schoales argues, we can consider the actions of others more impartially and without bias in order to better understand them rather than simply bless our ethical instincts with “legitimacy and objectivity.” Through this brief introduction to ethics, the reader can learn a flexible yet powerful system of moral motivations to understand decision-making.
Takeaway: Students of ethics and human behavior will find this brief guide to ethical motives thought provoking.
Great for fans of: Russ Shafer-Landau’s A Concise Introduction to Ethics, Simon Blackburn’s Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: C
Illustrations: B-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-

His real path forward is to learn to love himself despite the viciousness of society. Readers will be put through the ringer as Jamie strives to find and be himself in an era where even discussions of homosexuality were often still taboo. Jamie’s anxiety is infectious as he faces rejection of his confessions of love, plus psychology articles on “the homosexual panic,” tales of a gay cousin who embarrassed his family only to commit suicide, and vicious campus gossip regarding his sexuality. Only by recognizing and examining suppressed childhood trauma does Jamie come to understand his persistent need for acceptance … and begin to provide that same love for himself without outside support.
With rare power and disarming frankness, Taylor hones in on Jamie’s pain and struggle for acceptance, challenging readers to experience vicariously the ordeals he endures in a time not too far removed from our own. A sobering examination of recent LGBTQ history, Jamie’s wrenching trials and tribulations—and some revelations that will leave readers reeling—offer much to learn from. ’While this is the second book in the series, The Redemption of the Damned stands alone, though new readers on its wavelength will likely seek out its predecessor. Taylor has penned an unstinting portrait of doubt, fear, and self-hatred—and of finding a way out.
Takeaway: A wrenching, potent novel of coming-of-age gay in Detroit in the Reagan era, and one young man’s discovery that he’s worthy of love.
Great for fans of: Tom Spanbauer’s In the City of Shy Hunters, Edmund White’s A Boy's Own Story.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Going beyond simply telling a story, St. John dives into the dangers of blind faith and how societies react when someone questions shared beliefs. Anastasia’s internal turmoil is palpable as she tries to find a balance between Yah’s love and his apparent intent that rabbits be eaten. Gathering information from the “Readers” and “Rememberers” in charge of interpreting books and history from the Dead Gods (humans), along with Yah’s writings, Anastasia makes her own interpretation, concluding that defense should be acceptable as long as none of the Blessed are killed. The other rabbits’ responses range from fear of heresy to the conviction that she’s their savior.
St. John also spotlights the treatment of those who are different. Once Anastasia is kicked out, her only goal is survival and to dig a safe burrow for herself, but when word about her actions gets out, other ostracized bunnies come searching for safety. Although building a new warren is not her intention, she never turns anyone away–including mice and squirrels– and draws out the strength in each to help defend the warren as a new family. Although readers will be left with questions at the end, the journey and lessons getting there will be worth it.
Takeaway: This post-apocalyptic rabbit tale of daring to question society is tougher and more creative than most animal fiction.
Great for fans of: Richard Adams’s Watership Down, David Petersen’s Mouse Guard.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: C

Halina’s the novel’s heart, but Records is admirably attentive to her milieu, persuasively summoning up a lost world of potato soap, healing teas, bootleg rotgut, and Old Country curses. The richly detailed narrative has been crafted to immerse readers rather than rush them through the adventures of Halina; expect to get to know Hegewisch’s grocer, barber, and newstand proprietor, as well as how its people think, talk, love, drink, pray, and fight.
“How did she get sucked into her sister’s problem?” Halina wonders, late in the book. “And Augie’s problem? And Joey’s? She didn’t even like Joey, the big, boastful blowhard.” In Tied With Twine, being from a place—of a place—brings with it responsibility. Halina yearns to escape Hegewisch, yet she treasures an amulet of Baba’s and can’t help but help everyone she cares for and even some she doesn’t. Compassion overwhelms her even when confronting a man who terrorized her as a child. This tender, sweeping novel has its share of Chicago gangsters and crime-scene brutality, but it’s no crime story—instead, it’s a moving story of protecting what matters most.
Takeaway: This riveting historical novel of Prohibition-era Chicago finds a Polish woman doing all she can for her neighborhood.
Great for fans of: Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls, Dominic A. Pacyga’s American Warsaw.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Oshins’s experience as a singer/songwriter shines through as Beck explores the “rush of independence and teenage freedom” in garage band rock and roll. The sets of lyrics peppered throughout the narrative mature with the characters as the narrative touches on heavy, period-appropriate topics such as the Vietnam War, abortion, drugs, and mental illness, but doesn’t allow them to overtake the story. Moments of welcome levity lighten Oshins’s exploration of themes like religion as a means of redemption and the fallout of a life based in lies.
Beck’s journey is compelling, but rather than show readers its natural development her relationship with Randall is presented as something of a settled given: “‘Then we’ll get married.’ He said it so assuredly, it sounded like the most natural thing in the world as if they’d both always known.” Oshins devotes welcome time to exploring Beck’s surrounding friends and family, a richly characterized group that includes her charming but reckless step-sister, Sonia-Barton, desperate to grow up too soon, and the villain-esque Miss Kitty, abrasive, outspoken, and trying to rebuild her life by going into the music business. Readers will enjoy spending time with characters that are flawed, real, and struggling with inner demons.
Takeaway: An emotional tale of a 1960s teen struggling to balance a traditional view of family values with the world of rock and roll.
Great for fans of: Iain Banks’s Espedair Street, Martin Millar’s Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-