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Bursting with revelations, striking detail, and in-depth examinations of how a city evolves over decades, this guide to notable buildings of central Portland, Oregon, persuasively presents the history-rich mile-wide radius around Pioneer Courthouse Square as an “architectural microcosm” boasting a bounty of “beautiful” representations of “almost all American styles of the last 170 years.” Graf’s photos and compact, informative, and at times amusingly opinionated writeups (“It has become quite fashionable (and conformist) to decree the Portland Building ugly,” he notes) bear out that assertion, offering a brisk, well-organized tour, complete with map, of the city’s center and its architecture, which he argues is expressive of Portland’s “individualistic pride and of its aspiration to conform.”

Graf laces such insights and occasional provocations throughout, but the book is powered by love for Portland, for architecture, and a deep interest in the uses of buildings and public space over time. Each tightly written entry in his building parade notes (in the words of the first, dedicated to the Pioneer Courthouse and “the ghost of the Portland Hotel) the “lessons of blunder and triumph” of urban development, introducing each subject’s intended original usage, its actual usage, and whatever it has been renovated into today. Thorough but never belaboring a point, Graf notes the original architects, those responsible for retrofits and major renovations, and public perceptions of movie palaces, commercial buildings, hotels, a former carriage house, and more.

The result is a walking tour, a spirited local history, and a quick crash course in American architecture, urban renewal, and the changing textures of city life. Spotlights and gallery sections with ample inset photographs of architectural detail celebrate terra cotta features, cast-iron buildings, with renaissance/baroque Italianate front, and more. A puzzling disclaimer urging readers not to cite information collected here as factual without first independently verifying undercuts the book’s authority, but locals will cheer or jeer Graf’s opinions on the city’s most interesting, architecturally speaking, street corner and choices of just-outside-the-city-center building to highlight.

Takeaway: Lively, illuminating tour of the architecture of Portland, Oregon.

Comparable Titles: Bart King’s An Architectural Guidebook to Portland, David Banis’s Portlandness: A Cultural Atlas.

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

Click here for more about Building Portland

Begina’s debut offers a lifeline to the financially hopeless. Tackling the importance of financial education from the lively and personable opening lines, she recounts a formative financially traumatic experience, at the hands of her hardworking but irresponsible parents. This sharply told tale of “sudden financial independence” functions as something like a superhero’s origin, as Begina, who went on to earn a certificate in financial therapy, had to come to understand the importance of an attitude change. Under the “Poverty of prosperity” banner, she persuasively argues that America’s love affair with wealth puts many otherwise good, sensible people on the road to financial ruin. These disasters occur because of a lack of basic financial education, an aversion towards long-range planning, and an inability to resist temptation, i.e., buying a boat with their children’s college fund.

Noting that most of us are taught to go out and build wealth but that very few are taught how to manage it, Begina demonstrates how poor decisions frequently have ramifications that go far beyond the financial, causing many to become anxious, insecure, and distrustful. To that end, Begina outlines “six transformational concepts” to help readers “be as good with money as they are in the rest of their lives.” Begina’s guide has a lot going for it. The style is honest and refreshing, and Begina demonstrates throughout the ability to communicate seemingly complex concepts with inviting clarity.

Begina demonstrates key financial topics through storytelling and basic psychology—like self-sabotage, which, the author notes, arises from an “imbalance” between two “universal human needs: belonging and autonomy.” Be Good with Money is a starting point rather than a roadmap to money management, i.e., tax or retirement planning, insurance, budgeting. The rousing attitude adjustment introduced in those first pages is likely to inspire new starts among readers, and the book that follows introduces the basics with wit, clarity, and a welcome sense of fun.

Takeaway: Inviting guide to changing one’s attitude about money and financial well-being.

Comparable Titles: Jake Cousineau’s How to Adult, Jean Chatzky’s How to Money.

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

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Davenport’s latest collection of short stories and novellas contemplates perennially interesting themes of unrequited love—both parental and romantic—self-doubt, and the intensity of life. In “Screengrab,” readers are transported to the tormented home of teenaged Lauren, who longs for an absent father and grasps at dangerous straws to find him, while the invasive, modernistic world in “Deathcast” considers being healthy a duty of state, where implanted wellness chips and genetically engineered, powdered food serve as the markers of the future. Davenport (author of Dear Lucifer) plumbs harrowing situations that brim with the gristle and decay of dark intentions, made more chilling by their similarity to contemporary times.

Narrated in an intimate, fiercely visual style, Davenport’s stories leave readers with an almost cinematic feeling, transporting them to the brink of brokenness alongside characters who damage, chafe, and, ultimately, surprise, with their capacity for treading water in the midst of horrifying situations. The stream of consciousness narration in “Stations of the Soul” unites all of its disparate characters into a single thread, utilizing London streets and cafes—where “the faces come and go… flowing up to the glass divide and receding like an endless tide”—as connective tissue in a string of brief, heightened interactions, a close-up shot of the pandemonium of a megalopolis and the chaos that makes up life itself.

“Cut Out and Keep” is the cheerful offering of the bunch, recounting a tale of unrequited love in hushed, lyrical tones, where Jack longs for the object of his affections from afar, “watch[ing] her, enraptured, like a man seeing beauty for the first time.” To cope with his rejection, he fashions a cardboard cutout of his heart’s desire, frequently talking to it, and inadvertently opens a window into his emotions that produces an unexpected impact. This is an evocative collection, alive with portraits of people caught in the strands of life’s bewildering web.

Takeaway: An immersive collection that illuminates life’s most intense moments.

Comparable Titles: Ramona Ausubel’s Awayland, Jenny Zhang’s Sour Heart.

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

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Ernst conjures an invitingly macabre milieu in this middle grade debut, the first in his Graveyard Elementary series. Ten-year-old Franklin Stein, son of the infamous FrankenStein, is a monster with a problem. Unlike his illustrious father, Franklin is far from frightening; in fact, he lost this year’s “most fearsome friend” contest to the snake haired Medula Pitts, much to his chagrin, a failure that carries some weight: his dad won the award when he was young. Franklin’s problem is his height—he’s too short to be scary. Couple that insecurity with a pestering little witch sister named Lily and a werewolf best friend, and, before he knows it, Franklin’s caught in the crosshairs of a dare that has disastrous consequences.

Middle grade readers will fall in love with Ernst’s cheeky humor and colorful characters. Lily—who keeps a six-foot-long spider named Ziggy as a pet—also has a zombie named Abby for a best friend, who, despite her reputation as an airhead, shows some serious smarts when it counts the most, and a gargoyle with a penchant for turning into stone at the smallest scare steals several the scenes. Throughout all the fun, Franklin learns to count on his friends to get out of a jam—and discovers some wishes may not be worth the effort. He insists on opening an eerie, pyramid shaped box that houses a powerful relic, in hopes that it will help him finally win that most scary contest, but inadvertently risks his sister’s life in the process.

Ernst keeps the fright factor age appropriate and the adventure unrelenting as Franklin and his cohort of misfits fight to survive, pitting them against some known enemies (like Voodoo and Chopper, who gravitate towards trouble and find it in spades) and some unexpected ones along the way. The teamwork is spot-on, and the chills, rather than scaring, will make even the most poker-faced reader chuckle.

Takeaway: Lighthearted chills and cheeky fun unite in this comical series starter.

Comparable Titles: Allan Woodrow’s Class Dismissed, David Walliams’s Gangsta Granny.

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

Click here for more about Graveyard Elementary

In scandal-plagued 1990s Washington D.C., a city of sex and secrets, private eye Bronze Goldberg tracks down cheating spouses and delivers proof of infidelity to their humiliated partners. But when Roger Haake hires Bronze to follow his gorgeous wife, Carolyn, there’s more to the job than meets the eye, and Haake harbors some dark secrets of his own. Soon, Carolyn’s side fling—Congressman Billy Kopes—is found dead, and Haake is murdered shortly after. As Bronze tries to connect the dots, and make sense of just how he factors into the assassin’s plans, he realizes he may be the next target.

Krainin crafts the perfectly flawed hero in Bronze: haunted by his past and burdened by the predicaments of his present, this classic P.I. repeatedly entangles himself in attractions to dangerous women, namely his dalliance with his romance writer landlady, Iris, who keeps close tabs on Bronze herself, and the controversial bombshell Carolyn, newly widowed and with plenty of secrets of her own. Krainin pushes this gritty debut thriller to the max, pumping the stylized, hyper-masculine Bronze and showstopping femme fatales for all they’re worth—with villainous, well-to-do politicians with dark agendas in the mix, too.

Amid all the classic noir fun, Krainin’s hard-boiled hijinks don’t preclude complexity of character. Bronze is a contrast of macho-laced vulnerability, observing Carolyn’s “glamour of falseness” while he revels in his past Olympic judo skills, and his fascination with Carolyn borders on the obsessive, as “the sight of her engulf[s] him in an unbidden longing that pour[s] into the cracks of his heart.” Readers at times won’t know what to think of the lead, but the action satisfies, bolstered by last-minute escapes and shadowy assassins, with Bronze desperately trying to dodge the next bullet while floundering in his own flashbacks—and Iris muses that “it would be criminal not to squeeze at least part of a novel out of Bronze’s adventures.”

Takeaway: Hard-boiled PI dodges bullets—and his past—in this gritty D.C. thriller.

Comparable Titles: Paul Cain’s Fast One, Robert Dugoni’s A Killing on the Hill.

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

Click here for more about Blood and Mascara

Novelist Adams (Don’t Be Afraid of Heaven) debuts in the spiritual self-help realm by drawing on lessons he has carried into retirement, many drawn from the aftermath of a life-changing episode: at age 34 he confirmed memories of ritual abuse in infancy. Celebrating aging as a “privilege,” Adams lays out steps toward facing retirement with purpose, drawing teaching moments from his experiences to help new retirees implement a blueprint for fulfillment in their twilight years, while also reflecting on trauma, its impact on his development, and what he’s learned facing it. By combining personal recollections, anecdotes, advisories, a dose of Boomer and Generation X pop cultural references, and journaling exercises, Adams gives readers a chance to examine, appreciate, and share their own life lessons and harness the insights they’ve acquired along the way.

In clear and inviting prose, Adams makes the case that life’s obstacles are actually lessons in disguise—lessons that are specific to each individual and that, even when difficult, give life purpose as we learn them. For Adams, lessons reveal urgent truths: those who are overly selfish may “discover that those around them will stop giving,” while someone who is greedy may face “an unhealthy emptiness, always wanting more and yet feeling more and more empty” until embracing an attitude of gratitude. Adams's guidance also draws from age-old wisdom and truisms such as refusing to place one’s value on outside validation; doing one’s best and letting go of impossible expectations; recognizing gossip as unhealthy; acknowledging that the past repeats if one doesn’t learn from it; and recognizing that anyone who enters one’s life “is the gravy, not the main ingredient.”

Readers facing retirement and who have endured abuse or addiction will welcome Adams’s personal stories of enlightenment, recovery, and empowerment intended to transform uncertain futures into opportunities to see themselves as more than their accomplishments.

Takeaway: Hard-won, uplifting advice and lessons for retirement from a survivor of abuse.

Comparable Titles: Charles Garfield’s Our Wisdom Years, Louise Nayer’s Poised for Retirement.

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

Click here for more about Live & Learn

Set against the turbulent political backdrop of 12th-century England, McColgan’s debut blends fantasy and history as it charts the surprising journey of William Steele, a trusted aide to King Henry II. William is assigned a critical mission to the mysterious and magically concealed land of Cabalia—“the Magic Island,” long hidden by a mist enchanted by “curious arts”—to secure a powerful artifact that could prove crucial in thwarting King Stephen’s claim to the throne. Through intricate world-building, McColgan brings the mystical land and all its beasts and secrets to life while anchoring the story in WIlliam’s own ambitions and the greater struggle for the English crown.

What seems like a strange but straightforward mission takes a sharp turn into chaos when a man spontaneously combusts, in broad daylight, with William the prime suspect behind what’s called a case of manslaughter, and soon hunted by the frustrated inquisitor, Telnis Raiko. William forges alliances with the mischievous Zala Zikennig, a mercenary mage with prowess in fire magic and Brinwin Zikennig, an alchemist linked with the fugitive group Azkalah, whom Telnis has been pursuing for a decade. As McColgan evokes rich politics and culture, The Secrets of Shadowcrest offers much classic adventure-fantasy storytelling, as the trio relies on their skills and the technology developed by the Essari people. Guided by William's keen memory, Brinwin's meticulous maps, and Zala's mystical abilities, they face formidable challenges, including the forces of House Shadowcrest and the mysterious Shadowed One.

In his quest for the artifact, William discovers a profound truth, built with conviction via McColgans emotive storytelling: amidst serving others, he must also remember to serve himself. McColgan deftly employs the characters' travels to delve into their backstories and to unveil the mystical land of Cabalia. Throughout, McColgan employs the narrative form itself to deliver unexpected twists that take readers by surprise.This series starter distinguishes itself with its exploration of themes ranging from politics and espionage to elements of historical fiction and romance.

Takeaway: Stellar fantasy debut, blending English history with magic.

Comparable Titles: James Wilde’s Time of the Wolf, Christopher Buehlman’s Between Two Fires.

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

Click here for more about The Secrets of Shadowcrest

This brisk, bold coda to Moskovitz’s Brink of Life trilogy presents an intuitive examination of what it means to be human from the point of view of Photina, an AI student and mentee of Corinne Takana, an advocate for AI rights. In Washington, D.C., at the end of the century, in a world of domed cities and anti-aging treatments, AI beings are called SPUDs—Sentient Processing Units and Devices. Photina recognizes that Corinne has just died but is incapable of mourning her. At the funeral, she attempts to push Corinne’s daughter, Natasha, into the open grave, and afterwards Photina identifies a fault in her database from a few lines of new code, mysteriously downloaded into her. Soon Photina is on the run, on a quest to prove she is not dangerous that will find her teamed up with the unhoused AI Drew, experiencing visions in which she’s living someone else’s life, and pursued by the violent Tribe of 23, a conspiracy-spewing carbon supremacist hate group of humans determined to wipe out all AI.

While the plotting is inventive, Photina’s present-tense narration moves quickly, relentlessly so, with events passing so fast—and characters arriving at conclusions in such a flash—that at times key scenes lack impact, despite the strength of the ideas behind them. Still, the story has killer twists, especially those involving an upgraded Photina doppelganger named Gemini. Through betrayal and an unlikely alliance, Photina chases Gemini through Washington and New York to clear her name, all while employing a cool suite of powers and feeling overwhelmed by the temptation of human emotion.

Moskovitz explains how he used ChatGPT to help develop the story’s “decision points,” a shrewd device for a rumination on the progress of AI development. Through Photina’s observations of human feelings and interactions, Moskovitz comments on human foibles and triumphs, hubris and the capacity to love and sacrifice, which—along with insights into tech and psychology—will keep readers’ interest piqued.

Takeaway: An AI “SPUD” faces conspiracy and human emotions in this fast-moving adventure.

Comparable Titles: Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous, Martha Wells’s Network Effect.

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

Click here for more about The Pinocchio Chip

Jeffries’s thrilling third in his Ages of Malice series (after A Measure of Rhyme) finds Cain—the first murderer known to mankind, doomed to immortal life for his sins—emerging as the Antichrist and unleashing a coup for world domination. As his personal biographer, Emery Merrick watches from the wings, covertly seeking Cain’s weaknesses in order to end his potential reign of terror. Emery’s allies are unusual: Rhyme Carter, Cain’s wife, fights for her life (and freedom) a world away on American soil, as she flees the FBI and her husband’s henchmen, and Pappy, a Franciscan priest, sees Emery as a key player in the apocalypse, warning him that “end times have found us.”

This dark and horrifying narrative of biblical mythos puts well-known characters to good use, pulling from Bible text to evoke apocalyptic terror, as when Pappy observes that “Cain’s power grows. Soon he’ll be unstoppable. When that happens, woe to us all.” Jeffries successfully renders a harrowing thriller, embellishing Christian beliefs and incorporating enchanted weaponry and immortality to lend the plot a fantastical element—and transform the villainous Cain into an unstoppable monster. Yet, those who fight against Cain make their own heroic attempts, infusing the story with unsettling tension while racing against time, surviving fierce tactical strikes and catastrophic battles as Cain makes a nightmarish grasp for world dominion.

Though the storyline is easy to follow, readers will want to start with the first in the series; Jeffries’s characters—and their backstories—are deeply complex. The worldbuilding staggers, as Emery navigates the treachery behind Cain’s easy smiles, demons with “twisted lips [that] stretch around an overstuffed mouth,” and Rhyme’s dangerous, reckless love, all while his world shatters around him. The conclusion is as shocking as Jeffries’s sizzling treatment of the storied day of judgment. Fans of biblical retellings won’t want to miss this.

Takeaway: Scorching thriller of international terror and the Antichrist.

Comparable Titles: David McAfee's 33 A.D., Mark E. Fisher’s Days of the Apocalypse series.

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

Click here for more about Embers of Shadow

In this spirited self-help debut, Bookey uses his passion for ping pong to draw life tips from the sport. “There are many lessons to be learned in this uniquely universal game” he writes, sharing 18 “Pong Principles” to cultivate success personally and professionally. Each chapter takes a fundamental truth from the game—ranging from defining a coach’s role to prepping for a match—and correlates it with business skills, followed by an in-depth portrait of accomplished leaders from a mix of industries and reflective prompts to help readers apply the covered skills.

Bookey’s advice is every bit as sharp and precise as table tennis itself, and he includes a variety of helpful pointers, such as how to establish a solid starting position, why a one-size-fits-all approach to business can fall short of the mark, and the importance of keeping things simple: “sometimes… a surprisingly mundane and easy move will yield the best results” he counsels. Observing that “leadership is easy to learn but hard to master,” Bookey offers several enterprising examples, covering business tycoons and sports all-stars alike, including GoDaddy’s Aman Bhutani, American mountain climber Alison Levine, and world-famous poker player Annie Duke.

Decrying those “laundry list[s] of tactics” that often fall flat in the real world, Bookey vows instead to wow readers with his carefully constructed principles, offering a good measure of fun to make the guidance stick, as in his “quick hit” sections that detail entertaining snippets of sports and business-related history lessons to drive the points home. Though not required, a love of the game will come in handy here as Bookey builds on the basic concepts that make table tennis so popular. He includes resources for further study, closing with a rundown of “key table tennis rules,” and urges readers to recognize that, “whatever table you’re playing at,” success is just a point or two away.

Takeaway: Lively guide to leadership skills through the surprising perspective of ping pong.

Comparable Titles: Nancy Lieberman's Playbook for Success, Tom Young's The Making of a Leader.

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

Click here for more about Ping Pong Leadership

This rousing entry in Pillay’s Inspirational Careers for Kids series (which includes titles like When I’m a Surgeon and When I’m an Entrepreneur) sets its sights on the biggest job of all as readers are introduced to a young girl whose ambition is to become the President of the United States. As she envisions a future of signing bills at the Resolute Desk, taking the time to listen to constituents, and giving uplifting speeches at graduations, her resounding message is one of love, hope, and growth for the people and the nation as a whole, this likable aspirant goes against the grain of contemporary cynicism to present politics as a career for impassioned change-makers, dreaming of making "the world a better place.”

Pillay introduces young readers to such leadership as a calling with a story that nurtures idealism, a dedication to hard work, and the conviction that any dream is possible, such as a woman becoming President and achieving a positive global impact. Bold and vibrant illustrations by Remesh Ram bring this dreamer’s vision to life with characters and scenes that pop off the page, such as the narrator’s future self standing at the Lincoln Memorial, vowing always to be honest. Pillay highlights setting goals, dreaming big, and planning for the future, all while demonstrating the power of affirmative statements and visualizing achievement.

While the focus of this series is on dreaming big about individual career goals, the message throughout these pages is expansive, as here the narrator’s dream is to build community and be the change she wants to see in the world. Celebrating the diversity in America, this book powerfully links politics to people and the way America and its leaders affect the world. Young readers will be captivated by the images, smartly simple prose that has the cadences of a powerful speech, and the promise of a young girl in a position of power.

Takeaway: Empowering picture book of dreaming big, politics, and making positive change.

Comparable Titles: Parker Curry's Parker Looks Up, Catherine Stier's If I Were President.

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

Click here for more about When I'm the President