Elinor’s relationship with God forms as much of a basis throughout the story as her visions, and she speaks reverently of the time they spend together. God appears to her as a “kind of heat shimmer that is roughly the size of a man,” and, though she acknowledges he appears in a way that she can recognize and understand, she also explores his intangible nature—“What I see is not who or what God is. It is a small piece of divinity that is knowable.” As God takes Elinor back through her life, and sometimes painful memories, she eventually agrees to share his message that "Humans on Earth are killing themselves and most life on the planet.”
Scharff probes grander themes than Elinor’s visions, including the idea of free will, the cost to follow a predestined path, and the consequences that come with ignoring glaring problems like climate change and human violence. Elinor’s path is emotional and draws alarming similarities to the current trajectory of the world, highlighting the ways that humans affect the Earth through greed, technological advances, and the quest for power—but God’s love is carefully portrayed as gentle and wise throughout. This compassionate wake-up-call strikes a chord.
Takeaway: An entreaty to take care of Earth—and each other.
Comparable Titles: WM. Paul Young's The Shack, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
The idea of an abundant life may seem vague at first, but Hamm strips the concept down to nine areas of abundance—self-worth, wealth, health, time, energy, love, joy, creativity, and career—and applies her four-step method to each area. She includes positive affirmations, or “cancellations” (things to stop doing or thinking), in the Say It sections, whereas the See It portion of each chapter encourages readers to build a “vision board” to visualize the abundance they’re seeking (hint: when working on having more time with family, post a picture of your next vacation spot on the vision board). Daily journaling is a must-do when it comes to reinforcing goals, according to Hamm, and she offers numerous journaling prompts for each area of abundance in the guide’s Write It sections. To fully implement new ways of thinking, readers will find practical “Do It” assignments closing out each chapter.
Hamm has meticulously built this guide to be interactive, and she emphasizes the work required to put her advice into practice while reminding readers that wealth is not the only (or most important) area of abundance—"[you] can cultivate abundance in every area of your life if you are willing to do the work to make it happen" she writes. Anyone wishing to accomplish life goals through pragmatic, easy-to-follow advice will find this invaluable.
Takeaway: A four-step framework to achieving abundance in life.
Comparable Titles: James Clear’s Atomic Habits, Katy Milkman’s How to Change.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Self-labeled a child of the 1980s, Finney posits that “feminine soft power in the form of hard, muscled flesh” is a “larger than life primordial archetype” that illustrates humans’ tendency to associate the power of life with females—and he identifies five archetypes of this “Boobs of Steel trope” that were solidified in ‘80s literature and film: Amazon, Tomboy, Bad Girl, Valkyrie, and Jungle Goddess. Finney posits that, whether women are wielding weapons or not, they forever bear the power of life—the very characteristic that has always given Amazon women such a spellbinding mystique.
Finney dedicates space to exploring female superheroes in cultures other than mainstream America, too—notably the history of anime and manga—and spotlights Japan’s much-publicized artist, Go Nagai. Those interested in the history of comics will find his detailed review of past superheroes intriguing, including various photos that feature central female characters through the years. His appreciation for the Amazon archetype is evident throughout, christening it “the independent woman who is unafraid to compete and succeed within male spaces.” Ultimately, Finney concludes that the concept of full-bodied females as a symbol of inherent power is crucial: they’re not meant to represent “ordinary” women, they’re supposed to call forth transcendent warriors. This will spark discussion.
Takeaway: An examination of powerful female archetypes and their changes over time.
Comparable Titles: Mike Madrid's The Supergirls, Shea Fontana's DC: Women of Action.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
As Hennie sees it, the terms “communism” and “cancer” are redundant when paired together. “There is no such thing as red red,” the porcine capitalist insists, and the lengthy, meandering picaresque that leads to the discovery of ForLord’s forge continually emphasizes that point in comic, outraged terms. In this world, tumors themselves call for an end to anti-malignancy bigotry in all state and local agencies,” plus “free college tuition ... for cells of underrepresented pigmentation,” and Hennie early on encounters Stalin, Mao, and a generic bureaucrat cooking up a stew and singing a jaunty (and legitimately funny) song: “Flash fry the legs before the canning. / We’ll cook it right with central planning.”
Those communists’s “branding,” Hennie observes, is effective among the population because it “uncouples the truth from the brain’s database,” and then a soothing creature called the SandHand assures believers of their moral superiority. “I’m better than anyone who sounds smart or has talent or is wealthy,” it whispers to sleeping fellow travelers, “because I am morally superior to them.” A mad poetry powers Hyde’s prose, which bounces with allusive and alliterative energy, but the novel’s length, density, and frequent narrative aimlessness will challenge all but the most dedicated anti-commie fiction enthusiast.
Takeaway: Satiric, alliterative, allegorical epic pitting a savvy pig against collectivism.
Comparable Titles: R. Scott Cornwell’s #ScaryWhiteFemales, David Templeton’s Bread.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Yousef and Janelle capably illuminate the dissonance that can occur in cross-cultural romance. Janelle, quite unlike the women Yousef is used to, rides a motorcycle, craves adventure, and still lives with her cheating ex-boyfriend. Yousef is torn by his desire for Janelle and his longing for home —the food, the comfort, and the customs—all of which Sarah seems to embody, much to Janelle’s annoyance. The couple spend time getting to know each other, but their relationship is fraught with conflicts. Janelle’s hiding her background from Yousef, the two are at odds when it comes to intimacy, and Yousef is feeling the pull of his family at every turn.
Romance fans will appreciate the story’s ending, though the pathway to happily ever after for Yousef and Janelle is convincingly bumpy. The couple seems to be staring certain disaster in the face, and their respective families, rigid with stereotypical beliefs, aren’t helpful to their cause. Though their affection for each other eventually wins out, the lesson to be open-minded and willing to compromise is crucial. Readers may find that the couple’s ultimate positive outcome lacks some buildup, but the characters are relatable and their romance appealing.
Takeaway: Turbulent romance overcomes all odds in this uplifting cross-cultural story.
Comparable Titles: Elena Armas’s The Spanish Love Deception, Jane Igharo’s Ties That Tether.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-
This book’s greatest strength is Bibi’s user-friendly approach to tackling what at first glance seems to be an insurmountable problem. While she can’t stop growers from using harmful chemicals, she instead focuses on what she can do, and she enlists the aid of those close to her to get it done. Almost anyone can plant at least some type of bee-friendly flower, whether in the yard or a pot on the patio. This straightforward action will encourage kids to pursue their own solutions. Bibi also does not successfully sprout her seedlings on her first try. Her resilience and determination will encourage young readers not to give up on their own environmental pursuits.
Solomiia’s colorful illustrations show bright-eyed Bibi and her friends playing outdoors in an idyllic, grassy landscape lush with flowers and dotted with black-and-yellow striped bees. They are also shown smiling while digging in the dirt and treating their plant beds with stones, twigs, and compost, their excitement evident when their seedlings finally poke through the dirt after a nourishing rain. This encouraging story provides an accessible introduction to a growing problem—and shows kids simple ways they can help.
Takeaway: Rousing, informative picture book of a girl, a garden, and helping to save the bees.
Comparable Titles: Shabazz Larkin’s The Thing About Bees, Bethany Barton’s Give Bees a Chance.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Gasner’s writing is as inspiring as it is emotionally powerful, peppered with transparent anecdotes on how the disease impacted her motor skills, created fear about the future (medical information at the time of her diagnosis, in the 1990s, predicted a lifespan of just 25 years), and stymied her college plans. Threaded throughout is Gasner’s perseverance and refusal to sacrifice her aspirations. Even when she’s forced to table her dream college because its campus is too large for her to physically navigate, she holds onto hope that her future just needs a few minor adjustments—and she’s proven right in the end: Gasner is successful at a smaller college and later obtains a graduate degree from Western Illinois University.
Aside from detailing her debilitating symptoms and constant adapting, Gasner shares the fun times as well, covering her college parties, interesting new friends (including the singer Dave Matthews), and the typical young adult romance adventures. Though harrowing, her story is ultimately one of overcoming: "I’ve learned to accept my early ableist thoughts as a marker of youth and inexperience… While I have learned a lot, I know there is always more to absorb."
Takeaway: Rousing account of navigating life with Friedreich’s ataxia.
Comparable Titles: Eddie Ndopu’s Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw, Rebekah Taussig’s Sitting Pretty.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Hands-on, actionable tips are the highlight here. Benedict emphasizes knowing the audience and accurately reading the room to avoid the age-old mistake of over-doing it and losing out on a sale: "Remember: in sales, less is more," he advises. He asserts that the foundation to any lucrative sales plan must start with a well-developed pitch, and he teaches readers to not only carefully plan the intent behind that pitch, but also to practice it extensively in front of a mirror prior to trying it out on customers. Benedict also includes guidance on common sales problems—and how to handle them should they arise—like cancellations, finance challenges, and bouncing back from failure.
Perhaps most helpful are the examples Benedict adds at the end of the guide; though many are based on his prior sales work in the construction industry, the charts, diagrams, and talking points can be tailored to fit any career (including a “closing flow chart” that maps out sales pitch possibilities from start to finish). In many ways the equivalent of attending a hands-on sales workshop, this accessible toolkit is easy to implement and will enhance any seller's professional arsenal.
Takeaway: A practical guide packed with sensible sales techniques.
Comparable Titles: Lenny Gray’s Door-to-Door Millionaire, Jeb Blount’s People Buy You .
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The Blue Iris
Stone’s writing is rich and evocative, digging right to the difficult emotions under the surface of the often antagonistic interactions between the characters. She deftly utilizes a multiple-narrator format, offering a deeply intimate look into each character’s trauma and how it shapes their interactions. Although the twists of plot on both sides of Tessa’s split life keep the story moving forward at a slow but steady pace, there’s illuminating power in the contrast between the Westlakes’ world of public political maneuvering and that of bored housewives taking on landscapers as playthings with the visceral messiness of managing plants. Stone offers real emotional depth for characters of both genders.
Line drawings of flowers with a short phrase about the meaning head each chapter, beautifully setting the tone. Sam is most effective as a missing presence in the life of the flower shop; snippets of his point of view, written in free verse, feel by contrast underdeveloped. Nevertheless, the novel’s emotional current, showing broken people whose lives become better when they care for and forgive one another, carries through powerfully.
Takeaway: Riveting story of becoming unstuck, exploring family and trauma with a touch of hope.
Comparable Titles: Jodi Picoult’s Wish You Were Here, Barbara Davis’s The Echo of Old Books.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Swain’s ideal version of diversity training would encourage participants to "respect the differences of others," "care about justice and fairness," and "accept personal responsibility for our results," among other things. But with barbed swipes at “radical” and “Marxist” progressives, antifa, and “useful patsy” George Floyd, The Adversity of Diversity tends toward the polemical rather than practical or persuasive. Its most promising arguments—“affirmative action stigmatizes the accomplishments of racial and ethnic minorities who are high achieving”—compete for attention with declarations that “BLM, wokeness, CRT, affirmative action” are “openly anti-white organizations and movements” and angry asides like a complaint about White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre using her “bully pulpit” to “promote her membership in the LGBTQ+ community.”
Readers sympathetic to such claims and grievances may find Swain’s vision of diversity training that “brings together employees around [a] mission without singling out or denigrating any group” compelling, but others will likely be put off by the vituperative language and the author’s tendency to assert rather than compellingly demonstrate that “the tribalism of multiculturalism” has “created a devil’s brew for racial conflict and hatred.”
Takeaway: Politically charged jeremiad against DEI, CEI, and affirmative action programs.
Comparable Titles: Candace Owens’s Blackout, Heather Mac Donald’s The Diversity Delusion.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Find Them
But Isabelle’s not the only ghost in town. As Ash conjures creepy scenes of flies and thunderstorms with an emotionally resonant edge, the couple must also contend with an unidentified malevolent spirit who is equally as determined to keep the truth from coming to light. And neither Ash nor that ghost are playing around, as the couple faces scares, shocks, and even injuries as Nora gets closer to the truth, an especially frightening situation once she discovers she’s pregnant. “I kept a few test kits on hand since Dex and I weren’t not trying,” Nora announces in narration, the line offhandedly suggesting the depth and precision of Ash’s character work. Readers will root for this compelling protagonist’s unrelenting quest to find out the truth about Isabelle’s death and safeguard her family’s future.
Ash notes in her afterword that she grew up in a haunted house, and it may have been those experiences (in addition to her demonstrable writing talent) that allowed her to develop such realistic and nuanced paranormal elements. Ash expertly pulls readers through a fast-paced plot riddled with tense scenes, portents of the beyond, and tantalizing red herrings that will keep readers turning the pages quickly. This arresting paranormal thriller shouldn’t be missed.
Takeaway: This first-rate paranormal pits a couple versus ghosts in a small town.
Comparable Titles: Shawn McGuire’s Family Secrets, Lisa Stone’s The Cottage.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
“But who am I, really?” she continues, with a chiding tone, suggesting there’s something ridiculous in “Writing sonnets of fantasies about fleeting men.” But the last lines offer witty justification: “The vacancy of these pages / need their fix, too.” That’s funny but also revealing. It’s through the creation of art— through poems that dissect life’s messiness and disappointment—that this narrator finds relief, power, pleasure, actualization, and stability. Rose explores pleasures, too, in Frayed Edges, like morning coffee, the revivifying powers of Lucky Strikes, and the “wild and benevolent women” she relishes counting as friends.
But much of this inviting, accessible collection has at its heart Rose’s relationship with writing itself, as poems search for uncompromised truths about the isolation of an artist’s life: “Most importantly, / never trust yourself. / And trust only yourself.” A preface suggests that creating this work has helped the author navigate this world, and the verses throughout seem to capture a mind in playful, urgent self-definitional work that becomes both subject and purpose. “I’m just a dangerously cognizant girl / poeticizing her complaints,” Rose writes, and despite the occasional lumpy stanza she demonstrates the cognizance—plus savvy and self-knowledge and talent for surprise—to make those complaints sing.
Takeaway: Inspired poems of a romantic spirit pitted against New York in the era of content.
Comparable Titles: Kate Baer, Hannah Sullivan.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Treasures of the Lochs
Polished, propulsive, and boasting intrigue at every turn, the story reads like a blockbuster cinematic adventure. Hassie and Carter are soon joined by Royce MacArthur, deputy of the Right for Scotland independence movement, who suspects the treasure, given by Spain to fund the Stuart clan’s supplantment of the British monarchy in Scotland, was moved in 1753 and given to John Paul Jones’ father. With Hassie’s knowledge of where she found the coins, Carter’s journal with cryptic clues to finding the elusive treasure, and Royce’s historical information, the trio must find the treasure before the deadly mercenaries chasing them do.
White propels the story through kidnappings, murder, cars being run off the road, the David’s Tower ruins of Edinburgh Castle, the golden relic of an Incan god, and a meeting with Nessie (a name that the creature hates, incidentally). The historical facts blend intuitively with iconic fantasy and amiable characters for a suspenseful adventure worthy of Harrison Ford or Nicolas Cage.
Takeaway: Action-packed treasure hunt with peril and warmth worthy of blockbusters.
Comparable Titles: Preston & Child, Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Lies.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
As the brothers embrace their journey, with Alan making a “sacrifice” of his wristwatch and eventually letting years pass, Martin digs deep into the tribe’s beliefs, practices, and history. Martin writes for an audience interested in wisdom and discovery rather than brisk plotting, but he offers strong scenic detail and a storyteller’s flair, even when devoting some fifty pages to the tribe’s origin story. (Martin makes clear that, while sharing some connection to the Ojibwe, Makwa’s tribe is an original invention.)
Among them, James encounters temptation in the beautiful Winona, who can see he yearns to kiss her but warns “I can’t betray my people.” She does, though, encourage him in a quest: to catch Maashkinoozag, the giant muskie fish his grandfather encountered. Martin finds tension and lessons for living throughout, though the novel’s protracted length, unhurried pace, and dreamlike atmosphere will appeal mostly to an audience of dedicated seekers. Garish digital illustrations generated with the aid of AI don’t add much, and their emphasis on lithe nude Native women will further limit the audience.
Takeaway: Searching, epic-length novel of a bereft Marine in a lost indigenous village.
Comparable Titles: Robert Owings’s Call of the Forbidden Way, Carlos Castaneda.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: B-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
From the initial discovery of a lump in her right breast, James recounts in arresting detail how the diagnosis affected her personally as well as those in "the secret society"—the close friends and family members she chose to share the news with and include in her recovery. James also explores the ways she coped, both after hearing the diagnosis and during chemotherapy treatments, methods that included meditation to stop her negative thoughts and visualization of loved ones for strength—“Out of my love for them, I’ll find the courage to go on” she writes.
James makes it clear her suffering has a purpose—to mentor others, drawing on her experience as “a constant reminder that hope, much like joy, is contagious, and hope, in itself, is powerful.” That desire to help is palpable throughout, as James offers readers practical tools, including a “Healing Light Meditation” she created to aid her body’s recovery, as both an audio link and embedded in the text. "Even if I wanted to remain in my old life, there was no way I could. I had changed. The cancer had changed me, and there was no going back" James declares, and that resolve persists through the 247 days from diagnosis to ringing the bell on her last treatment. This will resonate with anyone affected by cancer.
Takeaway: A powerful anthem of hope and perseverance in the fight against cancer.
Comparable Titles: Natalie Holland’s Scarred but Smarter, John Marshall and Liza Marshall’s Off Our Chests.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The Seeking Tree
Nature is skillfully rendered in this beautiful story. Dee and Kaya Oldaker’s illustrations evoke the serenity and stillness that come with spending time in the natural world, whether that’s the fox resting in a twilight forest or the muted tones of sunlight slanting through the treetops. Humans are pictured first as indigenous hunter gatherers, but Dee goes through the progression from settlers in covered wagons to towns connected by roads to, eventually, the kiss of death for the forest’s inhabitants: once machines are invented “to move and do things faster,” the forest is whittled down to one lone bald cypress tree, starkly isolated by high rise buildings, robots, and spaceships. As the story’s most recent humans finally settle down to spend time with the tree, they reflect on the world’s changes that led to the trees’ near extinction.
Nature lovers of all ages will appreciate the book’s call to action. Dee closes with a plea for readers to plant new trees to change Earth’s current trajectory, as well as interesting facts about the bald cypress tree featured in the book. Careful readers will notice that once the trees are gone, humans must wear helmets to breathe, driving home the responsibility each reader has to save some of “the oldest living organisms on planet Earth.”
Takeaway: Beautiful call to action for young readers to save Earth’s trees.
Comparable Titles: Peter Wohlleben’s Can You Hear the Trees Talking?, Duncan Beedie’s The Lumberjack’s Beard.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
