In this assured and compelling novel, Thorndike (The Last of His Mind) gives voice to a passionate woman who stubbornly follows her heart. After twenty-two years of marriage, anesthesiologist Ginny Thorndike leaves her husband for a much younger man, only to be abandoned. Her devotion to her sons, Rob and Jamie, quells thoughts of suicide, and Jamie’s mysterious disappearance draws out her fierce determination: she will find him. Despite debilitating alcoholism and addictions, Ginny pursues adventure: Peace Corps work in Chile, visits to Jamie amid Key West’s gay culture, assisting a birth in Rob’s hippy commune, and more. Memories of family, lovers, and possible sexual abuse intertwine with her everyday life, providing a rousing portrait of a brave, imperfect woman.

Although the novel spans the 1960s with flashbacks to previous decades, Thorndike’s present-tense storytelling imbues the material with immediacy, while its sense of history, such as Ginny’s brief affair with legendary sculptor Isamu Noguchi, entices readers to see the world freshly. Thorndike alternates between the perspectives of Ginny and Rob, revealing the love Ginny yearns to show her children and the loyalty they give in return. Rob’s unusual life path immerses readers in a full range of emotions, from sensual thrill to abject loneliness. Striking language and poetic and historical detail bring vivid life to the emotional journey.

Given the convincing plot and fully fleshed out protagonist, it is no surprise that a real woman inspired the novel: Thorndike’s own mother, which accounts for the shared last name. But this is no memoir—Ginny’s free-spirited choices and dark struggles measure up to fiction’s great protagonists. Her self-awareness and wit garner affection and sympathy as readers hope she finds relief from the memories that haunt her. Fans of women’s fiction and family drama will savor Ginny’s search for happiness, and readers will miss Ginny and her children long after finishing this moving stunner.

Takeaway: A stunning drama that delves into one woman’s bid for romantic satisfaction, even at the price of desolation.

Great for fans of: Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder.

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

Click here for more about The World Against Her Skin

Wry, self-deprecating humor is the highlight of this delightful collection of drawn-from-life short fictions, the third from Canadian Zevy (The Bubbe Meise and Other Stories). With prose and a warm, incisive comic spirit reminiscent of the likes of Arthur Bradford or Ruskin Bond, Zevy’s vivid vignettes find inspiration in people the author meets during the course of his days, everyday activities like going for a walk or meeting friends for a meal, or discussing rejection slips at Starbucks. But behind these quotidian happenings and their hilarious descriptions, these stories also gently illuminate human foibles and follies.

“The Pitch” is not just about a day in the life of a marketing and PR person, but also a satire that inks organized religion to brilliantly thought out marketing campaigns. “Silver Tweezers” and “Jaffa Oranges” offer beautiful depictions of the father-son bond through shared activity, while “Ten Houses” and “My Imaginary Girlfriend” adeptly paint loss and loneliness. Among the several stories about friendship, especially male friendships, “Shwartzman’s” and “The Reminder” stand out for sheer hilarity and ‘Stocking the Pond’ for never once slipping into mawkishness. “The Rumor” and “Shprintza” effectively bring out horrors of the early twentieth century–life in a dictatorship and the Holocaust–by just alluding to them. “Theory of Relativity” and “Theo and Me” sketch the ups and downs of being a writer, the struggle to get traditionally published, and the joy and exhilaration of being accepted and appreciated, all in a lighter vein.

The language is casual and engaging, with the inviting feeling of being in the company of close friends, after a good meal, relishing a well-told anecdote. This highly enjoyable collection will not only capture readers’ hearts with its humor, it will also leave them feeling more charitable and magnanimous towards this world, which Zevy makes seem a touch brighter.

Takeaway: These comic vignettes, drawn from life, create the feeling of being regaled with a friend’s best anecdotes.

Great for fans of: P. G. Wodehouse, David Sedaris.

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

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Inspired by his paternal grandfather's story of migration to the United States, Michalik's debut novel follows the not-so-smooth journey of a hopeful and determined young Slovak peasant, starting in 1910. Like countless others before and after, Jan Brozek dreams of securing a better life for himself, his fiancé Maria, and their future family. With hopes of emigrating to America, Jan carefully prepares for his daunting endeavor, which is complicated by the Habsburg empire’s refusal to let go of men who are fit for military service. But an eye inflammation and a chance encounter with the lovely daughter of a baron disrupt the pair's meticulous plans. Those unpredictable twists of fate force Jan to find a new path to the United States and question what his heart truly desires.

Readers fascinated by the day-to-day life of the past will be drawn in by the thoroughly detailed depiction of travel from Europe to the Americas–Michalik’s research reveals the logistics and practical considerations of every leg of the journey–as well as the larger historical aspects that Michalik includes, particularly the political and social aspects of daily life for rural Slovak villagers. The choice to emphasize historical detail, such as the lecture a character delivers about the holds and refrigeration of a cargo vessel, comes at the expense of narrative momentum, with Michalik’s love story lacking some intensity, and several promising plotlines fading into the background without making a larger impact.

Jan's travel, which is not instigated by tragic circumstances, naturally stirs a sense of adventure and optimism. But Michalik doesn't neglect to highlight the uncertainties and difficulties facing immigrants in that time period—including the hardship of leaving loved ones behind, knowing you may never meet again, with only slow and unreliable mail as a form of communication. This heartfelt story showcases the perseverance and steadfastness required when taking a leap of faith to start a new life.

Takeaway: This inspiring, detail-rich immigration story will speak to history lovers fascinated by the early 20th century American experience.

Great for fans of: Mary Antin's The Promised Land, Adriana Trigiani's The Shoemaker's Wife.

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

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Walking her dog while reeling from the death of her adult son, Bob, Kelleher stumbled upon a wetland preserve. There, among the grasses, flowers, and solitude of what she would come to call her “healing place,” Kelleher felt her way toward processing her losses—of her son, her beloved terrier, her friend, and even a marriage. Kelleher opens up about her raw emotions and the experiences that led her to these contemplative walks on the wetland path, as well as the solace, healing, and renewed perspective she found there. She treats the prairie and her canine companion as gifts from God, seeing her journey as something of a pilgrimage in which she found the strength and peace to face traumatic loss.

Kelleher’s story is told with disarming frankness, aimed at Christian readers for whom the sentiments about seeking peace over grief in prayer and scripture, or in the conviction that God has a greater plan, will resonate. Kelleher describes herself throughout as a steadfast believer who dedicated herself to the Bible and prayer in order to maintain a relationship with–and to understand–God. The Arlington Wetlands of Illinois, which she calls a “‘Holy Land’ of weeds,” offered opportunity to deepen that connection, and she describes it with passion. Readers looking for answers from outside the faith, however, should seek elsewhere.

Kelleher’s genuine character and questions of faith will connect with believers. Her tone is earnest, thoughtful, and appreciative, and she writes with slow candor, suggesting the drift of mind of her walk, often meandering into deeper thought and capturing memories of a life well-lived. While grieving loss, she is simultaneously facing the reality of her own mortality, considering her fears and feeling gratitude surrounding her age. Beyond the Visible Edge makes clear on each page that she loves God, nature, family, dogs, and the life she has devoted to being a Christian.

Takeaway: On a wetland walking path, a grieving mother feels her way toward healing in this Christian memoir.

Great for fans of: Steve & Sharol Hayner’s Joy in the Journey, Gary Roe’s Shattered.

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

Click here for more about Beyond the Visible Edge

Haunted by the question of “why would parents kill their own children,” Evans reports on years of study of what he calls “Romeo and Juliet-style” romantic tragedy–and the human tendency to kill one’s own in the name of honor. Drawing on myth, literature, and all too tragic real life incidents, Love and Honour? focuses on the areas of Northern India and Nepal in recent decades, especially cases between Hindu and Muslim lovers and their families, recounting shocking instances of romantic relationships and their attendant violence that have only increased since the ratification of India’s democratic constitution in 1950. This brief but wide-ranging book introduces and defines the romance tragedy phenomenon and, through pained presentation of specific cases, endeavors to illuminate a path toward progress–and to aid in the reconciliation process for Hindus and Muslims.

Evans’s terms “love” and “honor” stem from the romantic relationships between caste or religious sects, where the term “honor” (or questioning one's honor) comes from societal and traditional expectations surrounding marriage and family. Evans questions what it means to honor, and what can be changed when relationships inspire violence and “[echo] themes found in legendary stories.” He sees telling these stories–and spreading the word that nonviolence is an acceptable alternative–as a step toward ending the phenomenon.

Stemming from his research that led to a PhD, this compact, approachable volume reads a bit like a thesis, though Evans, who is not a resident of the region, rather than just document a phenomenon, urges action, arguing what needs to be done to stem honor killings and suggesting that there’s a clear path of “stepping stones” leading to “progress.” (His research is qualitative rather than quantitative.) Those interested in peace, justice, and reconciliation issues will find this book of interest, and those with a particular interest in religious studies, myth and world literature, and law will also find much of Evans’ research compelling.

Takeaway: A compact, approachable treatise on the phenomenon of honor killings and forbidden love in Northern India and Nepal.

Great for fans of: Minoo Alinia’s Honor and Violence against Women in Iraqi Kurdistan, Ayşe Önal’s Honor Killing.

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

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An intricate psychological thriller, this debut and series kickoff introduces Oscar de la Nuit, forensic psychiatrist and the director of Whitner Psychiatric Hospital, as he treats–and gently questions– journalist Jessica Green, a woman suspected of kidnapping a four-year-old girl who went missing while playing hide-and-seek with her daughter. Jessica, already labeled a “baby killer” and found guilty by the court of public opinion, has been placed in preventive detention at Whitner Hospital until investigators can conclusively link her to Mia’s disappearance. Still reeling from his divorce and the death of his son Riley, Oscar sets off to discover the truth about Jessica’s involvement in the disappearance of Mia Edwards.

From the opening pages, Webb’s story teems with intrigue, mystery, and enticing uncertainty. Readers are thrust into Oscar’s anxiety-stricken world as he awaits Jessica’s arrival. Time-alternating chapters between Jessica’s then and Oscar’s build suspense and provide critical background information, while revealing character and teasing out the pleasingly layered and perplexing truth, especially once Oscar gains a bit of her trust and realizes that Jessica’s silence and unwillingness to cooperate in the investigation might not be a sign of guilt, but her way of protecting someone close to her.

A reluctance to reveal their true selves thematically connects the two characters, and Webb’s short, crisply written chapters, most building to moments of decision or excitement as past catches up to present, reveal their experience in counterpoint while inviting readers to unravel their secrets. “We’re all a little afraid of what we are,” someone tells Jessica. Webb also takes full advantage of the opportunities for engaging subplots offered by the world of Whitner Hospital and its environs, such as Oscar’s budding relationship with colleague Hale, while trouble with the backstabbing, envious Charles Aston increases the stakes with workplace drama that is sure to keep readers engrossed in the story.

Takeaway: Fans of mind-bending psychological thrillers will appreciate this tangled tale.

Great for fans of: Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient, Lisa Socttoline’s Every Fifteen Minutes.

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

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In Lee’s novella-length fable, set in a fantastical California village known as Sandstone-by-the-Sea, ailing young Brian becomes depressed when he’s confined to a sickbed in a boring white room. Eager to brighten his days, his family seeks out the town's only non-abstract painter, the reclusive Mervyn, to paint the scenery and landscapes the boy adores, and Mervyn’s paintings prove so “real as real” that, soon, the entire town is enraptured at “how much fresher Mervyn’s world was compared to the original.” As Brian recovers, he shows no interest in leaving his room. Instead, his father, Moab, builds him a little house inside the bedroom and turns the magical space into a tourist attraction, growing ever wealthier as people flock to gape at Mervyn’s handiwork.

Beyond the playful fanciful elements, Lee (Second Chances) imbues the tale with an engaging satiric flavor, with the whimsy and magic giving way to comic consideration of economic and infrastructure concerns in a village where the Wizards’ Council and a Witches’ Coven attend meetings with the local Chamber of Commerce. When local businesses begin to suffer, they come after Mervyn, who is attracting unwanted attention since he can, if in the mood, literally paint things into being. Before long, Brian vanishes, Mervyn is chased by a mob, and other complications mount, all gathering into a literal and figurative storm–and a tidy ending that restores order and leaves Brian with a little extra sense of wonder.

Meilo So’s art is arresting, with splashes of color over thick black linework, if a bit busy; their boldly expressionistic quality nicely echoes a comic vow made by the village’s non-magical artists in the story: ““Paint something like it is? Never!” Often small selections from an illustration appear in the text itself, offering a chance to contemplate the rich theme of what it means to live with art that’s “even better than real.”

Takeaway: A comic fable in which a painter stuns a magical village with works too good to be true.

Great for fans of: Etgar Keret, Mary Mackey.

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

Click here for more about The Tale Of Brian And The House Painter Mervyn

In this intimate, sometimes searing collection, Griffin threads the personal, political, and universal while digging into his own experiences as a gay man of Black and Native American ancestry. Emphasizing a theme of resilience—he writes “I was 14 when he kicked me out, /For honesty and open in coming out”—and striving to “bridge vast cultural disparity,” Griffin’s frank, sometimes blunt verses expose wounds, denounce prejudice, and find hope in the work of building community. “He reached out to the new world,/ One he helped create unable to find a place,” he writes in “A Boy,” a poem whose poignant central figure, cast out and eventually “drained” even of tears, proves “Unable to save himself, only others.”

The portrait that emerges over these clear, inviting poems is of a man dedicated to creating a better world than the one he had to endure. Griffin draws powerful connections between everyday life and the brutality of history in poems like “Cooking,” in which the “fine perfection” and “rich flavor” of food that draws on family legacy is the root of deeper truths: “From enslaved African to Choctaw ancestry, / Soul food has danced alongside genealogy,” he writes, noting that “Flames of hate boiled the roux of miscegenation.” “Cooking” concludes, though, in a celebration of ancestry, of the sense of handed-down recipes guiding him now, and of how act of preparing and sharing food links past and present.

The nourishment of connection also proves a recurring theme, often suggesting a balm for cruelty and prejudice. (The “wound” of the title is living, after all.) “Poetic Love” imagines “a garden that nourishes two as one,” just as “A Hug” contemplates a moment of “brief, beautiful, and fleeting” connection from a stranger. “So please just hold me as I am, a second longer,” Griffin writes, in a late poem that could serve as a capstone for this accessible, emotionally direct collection that should resonate with any reader of personal yet highly relatable free verse.

Takeaway: Accessible, emotionally direct poems centered on the urgent power of human connection.

Great for fans of: Rickey Laurentiis, Danez Smith.

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

Click here for more about The Living Wound

Martin’s debut historical fiction blends a coming-of-age story with Civil War drama. In 1856, fourteen-year-old Missouri-born Jabez Cooper learns two skills from his father: blacksmithing and a hatred for anti-slavery, pro-Union interlopers at the Kansas border. Once his father dies, Jabez joins the pro-Confederate Bushwhackers, a band of brutal men hellbent on destroying abolitionists, whether soldiers or just civilians. Over the course of nine years, Jabez witnesses massacres and now yearns to escape the violence, but the ruthless leader Bloody Bill Anderson kills anyone who dissents. After bonding with a thoughtful Union hostage soldier and aiding his escape, Jabez defects, only to live in hiding as Anderson tracks him down.

History buffs will appreciate Martin’s vivid accounts of notorious American antiheroes like John Brown, Jesse James, and William Quantrill. Poetic detail breathes life into the skirmishes: “Three men on horseback trailed bolts of calico behind them in a cascading stream of color as they raced through the main street.” As a character, Jabez’s role is to bear witness to violence, and save for his moral indecision he’s not especially compelling, especially as shifts in viewpoints over a half-dozen characters distance us from his plight. Nonetheless, these multiple perspectives and strong period dialogue paint a thorough picture of the secessionist struggle.

What this book does best is expose the depraved tactics of fighters on both the Union and Confederate sides: Bushwhackers dressed in Union uniforms earn a farmer’s trust before murdering him; men take part in revenge-driven ambushes; hostage-taking is rampant, and more. The Bushwhackers’ pro-Union counterparts, the antislavery Jayhawkers, may be on the right side of history but prove no more pure. Jabez’s story of being captive among sociopaths in a bloody war of attrition stirs sympathy for all involved, both victims and indoctrinated perpetrators. American history fiction fans will value Martin’s transporting look at an era of terror.

Takeaway: A vivid dramatization of the turbulent “Bleeding Kansas” period of American strife that will fascinate history buffs.

Great for fans of: Daniel Woodrell’s Ride with the Devil, Jim R. Woolard’s When the Missouri Ran Red.

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

Click here for more about Surrection

The third entry in Jones' thoughtful Evan Wycliff mystery series follows the itinerant preacher and part-time detective Wycliff as he stumbles into surprising fame and a full-time job as a preacher in a small Midwestern town, thanks to his reputation, won in Preacher Fakes a Miracle, as a faith healer–a rep Wycliff resists, to little avail. Wycliff has his hands full with his new wife, Loretta, and his old nemesis, Stuart Shackleton, a sinister banker who helps Wycliff in his hour of need but has ulterior motives. When Loretta slips into a coma after a car accident, Wycliff gets wrapped up in desperate machinations, though, for all the scheming and secrets, the mystery that most urgently powers Jones' ruminative novel proves to be the nature of human consciousness.

This time, Wycliff proves a somewhat passive protagonist. His scrupulous honesty makes him a perfect mark for Shackleton, who uses Wycliff to aid his congressional campaign, even getting the renowned preacher to baptize him for a secret viral video. Shackleton builds a superchurch for Wycliff, funds Loretta's recovery, and even expands the preacher’s reach into television, all for mysterious reasons. Wycliff, meanwhile, knows that “plagues come in sevens” and faces losing everything he cares about, as he struggles with the ethics of taking money from someone he knows is unworthy, especially when others are depending on that money.

Contemplative, character-rich, and written with insight and power, Preacher Raises the Dead edges toward literary fiction, meditating on belief, consciousness, and guilt, while attentive to the lived-in detail of small-town life. The story’s first half largely deals with the emotional fall-out of the previous book, meaning its nuances and emotional impact will most resonate with readers already familiar with the series, though Wycliff's moral rigor and unflagging humanity made for an unusual and engaging hero, especially as he rebuilds in the climax.

Takeaway: This cerebral, philosophical mystery focuses on hard choices made by complex characters.

Great for fans of: Julia Spencer-Fleming’s In the Bleak Midwinter, Brad Reynolds’s Cruel Sanctuary.

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

Click here for more about Preacher Raises the Dead (Evan Wycliff #3)

This surefooted fantasy epic from the tireless Hunt (author of The Dynamicist Trilogy) boasts a grabber of a hook. Evil has already (mostly) triumphed, with the wizard Nehring Ardgour and his hellspawn prevailing over much of the world. As the ancient nation of Engevelen—"now little more than a few small islands of humanity surrounded by a rough sea of demons and monsters”—faces its darkest hour, Farrah Harbinger, Engevelen’s greatest wizard, discovers that an even greater threat looms over them all: “The one true devil,” who aspires to nothing more than, as Farrah puts it, “[transforming]our world into the hell it arises from.” A weapon, a quest, and possible parlay with Nehring Ardgour might help turn the tide, but the world is low on heroes.

Enter Hunt’s lteam of scrappy survivors, not the best of the best, or even the best of what’s left. Instead, as the squire Aveline thinks, they’re “all that was left.” From the jump, the stakes feel desperately high in this standalone, set in the world of Hunt’s Dynamicist Trilogy, and the pacing is swift for a complex and vividly detailed epic fantasy. Last Worst Hope has the urgent energy of the final book in a trilogy, as uneasy allies must face their doubt and trauma, and learn to trust each other and themselves, all while Hell (literally) breaks loose.

Last Worst Hope reads well on its own, though it’s steeped in lore Hunt established in earlier books. This time, he proves adept at bringing readers up to speed on his world’s magic, factions, and history; his scenes of politicking and tactical deliberation prove as engaging as the faceoffs with demons. What makes this story stand out, though, is Hunt’s memorable character work, as desperate rookies like Val, a commander new to commanding, or Mick, a dog-loving old salt who just might have the makings of a knight, must dig deep and step up—and possibly wield a blade “made of promises and hope.”

Takeaway: A superior epic fantasy, driven by strong characterization and a sense of utter desperation.

Great for fans of: Brandon Sanderson, John Gwynne.

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

Click here for more about Last Worst Hope

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the switch for many businesses to remote work changed the nature of office culture, interactions, and in some cases the work itself. In this comprehensive guide, Kurkowski lays out a clear, practical framework on the transition to remote work for small and medium sized businesses, laying out in each chapter tips, studies, and best practices for what’s most effective when making the decision to allow employees to work from home. Kurkowski gives his target audience—business owners and managers—a detailed rundown of what to expect when making the move from in-office work, from up-to-date analysis of administration and systems options to recommendations of specific apps and technologies, to examining what it takes to keep employees engaged (“Educate your team on the wisdom of taking better breaks”), with step-by-step insights and persuasive data on what has worked for other companies.

Drawing on profiles of businesses, plus Kurkowski’s own experience and research, this business-owner's playbook emphasizes how to maintain productivity while employees work from home without face-to-face in-office interaction and guidance. While he offers a clear-eyed look at controversies like the distinction between monitoring employees and surveillance, Kurkowski focuses on the possibilities and opportunities the shift can represent, suggesting that many businesses fall into routine, and that this change means, in some instances, letting go of the need to micromanage as well as an opportunity to update and innovate practices and technology.

While Remote Work Technology is a great tool to aid businesses open to changes in structure and systems, it’s also rich with advice for employees making the work-from-home, especially on pressing topics like staying productive (“regular and scheduled work hours … [allow]for better segregation of the responsibilities of work and home”), eliminating distractions, and organizing their time while at home. With encouragement and clarity, this book helps business owners and employees navigate this new norm.

Takeaway: A comprehensive guide for business owners and employees faced with the transition to remote work.

Great for fans of: Peter Cappelli’s The Future of the Office, Darryl W. Lyons’s Small Business, Big Pressure.

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

Click here for more about Remote Work Technology

Woodman’s (Lifescapes) fourth book of poetry explores the ekphrastic, eloquently translating works of art to the page. Covering various media, from Mark Rothko paintings to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Woodman shares distinctive stories about each selected piece of art. In the poem “Vanquor,” she contemplates the out-of-body experience that can occur when getting lost in art: “Warhol slips into the Chairman’s left sleeve/ Bodies morph,/Merge as portrait, breathe in unison/ […] Three as one.” Meanwhile, “A Life Unravels with the Day” concocts a sober tale of an ill-fated cousin slowly being consumed by cancer—“her hair grows thin/she pulls the clumps,/as shedding begins.”

Woodman tends toward free verse, but each selection is as unique as the different works being explored. She approaches each with appreciation and compassion, such as her personification of Rothko’s Untitled, 1955, angry that it should remain nameless as that is no way to treat a friend— “ochre-brown, black mouth screaming.// The shout so loud, it blurs the lips,/ a forehead turns dark red in fury.” Woodman’s tone is often bittersweet or tinged with sadness while she illuminates the fleeting nature of some of her subjects, lamenting that not even seemingly sacred statues are immune to change in “Too Young To Understand”: “He’s condemned to storage/ Weakened in isolation/Bronze shoulders worn by touches/ Messages lost in his lungs.”

Woodman often weaves complex metaphors throughout the poems, though at times they edge into the complicated, making it a challenge to untangle them. Despite some meandering, she concocts vivid stories that invite readers into each piece and its history and impact, even bringing to life women inspired by ancient cave paintings. Though the imagery can be reductive—Chagall’s Paris through the Windows is boiled down to “swaths of vermilion, streaks of royal blue, icy white shafts”—this collection is full of memorable symbolism, thought-provoking insight, and deep engagement with the power of art.

Takeaway: A heartfelt exploration of great works of art that imparts a new layer to each storied work.

Great for fans of: Paisley Rekdal’s When It Is Over It Will Be Over, Sarah L. Thomson’s Imagine a Place.

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

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Waage’s tender, gorgeously illustrated picture debut for children celebrates our vital and powerful relationship with trees. Told through the eyes of young girls from around the world, the story starts with the nature-loving youngsters sitting under trees and gazing up at their branches–but then “The girls grew. The trees grew. Upward and outward.” They progress to climbing the trees, then to planting them, and finally to helping care for and heal forests around the world. Though they live far apart, the girls are united in their actions, a theme that Waage illuminates with a poetic refrain: “On their own, together. With the world, always.”

The highlight of this enchanting book is Ana-Maria Cosma’s dreamy watercolor illustrations. The colorful, soft-edged pictures show girls from a variety of countries and the trees they love: a lombi tree in the Republic of Congo, a banyan tree in India, an acacia tree in Australia, and a redwood in the United States. The smiling, culturally diverse characters are depicted lounging on branches, planting seedlings, and running and playing together, and the whimsical pictures seem to exist in the fuzzy space just between imagination and reality. Younger readers will be amused by the playful details–like the frolicsome squirrel making an appearance on several pages.

Waage, an environmental scientist, demonstrates her love for the natural world in spare, impactful prose. This quick, delightful read will pique the same curiosity in kids and adults, offering many opportunities to ask questions and do further research on different trees and the countries where they thrive. With its enduring message and exquisite illustrations, this story will help young readers understand the many ways trees protect us–and why we need to help protect them.

Takeaway: Waage’s tender, gorgeous picture book celebrates our vital relationship with trees through the eyes of young girls from around the world.

Great for fans of: Lola M. Schaefer’s Because of an Acorn, Peter Brown’s The Curious Garden.

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

Click here for more about The ForestGirls, with the World Always

Shannon’s debut, an apocalyptic YA thriller with elements of horror, science-fiction, and romance, follows 20-year-old Grace Baker as she faces the end of the world as they know it in a cabin in the woods. The story starts in Los Angeles, not far from the present day, as a series of summer blackouts that the authorities either can’t or won’t explain roll across the country. As people start to panic, Grace and her family make their way to their remote cabin outside of Lake Tahoe, where everything is pretty normal––except for no power––until the monsters come. Between zombie-like humans and invisible monsters, Grace has her work cut out for them, just trying to survive, much less save the world. Everything seems impossible until Nick Gates, a friend from “before,” shows up. Will they be able to solve this mystery together––before one of them is killed?

Shannon delivers a mystery-thriller that’s gory and scary but suitable for teens, focused at heart on two individuals experiencing––for all they know––the end of everything. Shannon presents the story in two timelines, allowing readers to track Grace’s character before and after the monsters appear. The main characters feel well-thought out and full, and the dialogue is often strong. However, the side characters, usually villains, lack depth and tend to end up dead quickly.

The choice to call the zombie-like humans “savages”––which Grace notes is not “politically correct” before concluding “there is no other way to describe them”––will prove unacceptable to some readers and demonstrates a missed opportunity to imagine something more fresh. Those creatures ultimately don’t prove crucial to the overall plot, which turns instead on secret military experiments, the conscience of Grace’s own father, and a hopeful revelation when past and present twine together. But what lingers are the scenes of wilderness and apocalypse survival, the relationship with Nick, and the terror of not knowing how bad it all will get.

Takeaway: A YA apocalypse with monsters, romance, military secrets, and the horror and adventure of surviving.

Great for fans of: P. A. Glaspy’s When the Power is Gone, Emma H. Frost’s Into the Dark.

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

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A globe-trotting memoir of tech innovation and philanthropic zeal, Strong Connections encourages the next generation of activist entrepreneurs to close the digital divide for marginalized women around the world. Wang’s absorbing debut also offers an exemplary model for midlife reinvention while functioning as a guide for pivoting with purpose. After a career in investment banking, Wang became an “accidental technologist,” with a mission to use digital tools to help women in extreme poverty establish financial independence. Her undertaking acknowledges systemic inequities (including in education and marital autonomy) while providing these women the fundamentals of self-determination, starting with helping them to establish their own bank accounts.

Strong Connections unfolds as Wang’s journey of discovery, from the “light-bulb moment” in a game preserve when a Maasai man pulled a cell phone from his traditional clothing, to becoming the global director of digital financial services for Opportunity International, a Christian ecumenical nonprofit. She details trips to Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania, as well as several rural states in India, during a period when mobile phone usage had reached even far off-the-grid rural communities. How could global connectivity be tapped to help women living with both economic hardship and gender discrimination? Wang’s brand of advocacy is clear-eyed and action-oriented, chipping away at entrenched, exclusionary systems with financial solutions that address both individual needs and the greater good.

Tech and business readers will gain insights into client-based principles of problem-solving, and readers looking for a meaningful career change will find inspiration in Wang’s challenging and rewarding shift to microfinance. Her descriptions of growing up in Meridian, Mississippi, as the child of Taiwanese immigrants could be the basis of an intriguing follow-up memoir, which could further illuminate Wang’s paradoxical sensibility, equal parts tough resolve and active kindness. Strong Connections adds the warmth of humanity to the cold calculations of technology, and champions the intrinsic value of women helping other women with equanimity, compassion and respect.

Takeaway: Both an inspiring personal journey and history of financial innovation and bolstering the autonomy of women around the world.

Great for fans of: Mary Ellen Iskenderian’s There’s Nothing Micro About a Billion Women, Alana Karen’s The Adventures of Women in Tech, and Malene Rix’s Negotiating with Yourself.

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

Click here for more about Strong Connections