In unembellished prose, Koltuska-Haskin shines a light on the common hurdles accompanying a neuropsychology diagnosis. She avoids recondite jargon and patiently breaks down terms and procedures for the uninitiated. Readers will appreciate the enlightening case studies from Koltuska-Haskin’s experience as a neuropsychologist and the emphasis on how patients, their caregivers, and their medical teams can benefit from an all-encompassing neurological investigation. In the second half, her take on nutrition is ably bolstered by easy-to-prepare recipes, and she offers tips on gardening, mindfulness, and other ways to maintain a sound supply of "emotional vitamins." For readers who have trouble meditating, she suggests a helpful roadmap to achieving a calmer state of mind and alleviating emotional and physical pains.
While the prose can become repetitive at times, it only drives the points across more clearly, and Koltuska-Haskin sustains a confident and calm voice throughout while enthusiastically guiding her audience toward realizing their cerebral potential. Offering a readable interpretation of a complicated topic, this informative guide gives an engaging, digestible account of the human brain’s workings and ways to improve mental and physical health.
Takeaway: This easy-to-follow, informative guide will help readers understand the discipline of neuropsychology and how to improve brain functioning.
Great for fans of: Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M. Karle’s Rewire Your Anxious Brain, V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee’s Phantoms in the Brain, Thomas Armstrong’s The Power of Neurodiversity.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B-
Zoutewelle-Morris devoted much of her life working as an art health practitioner. A Generous Spirit finds her exploring how, over the course of their lives, artists often move away from the work that they love only to return to it later with a different focus— emerging “into a new landscape with a broader, more service-oriented purpose.” She addresses society’s focus on “industrial production and consumption” and also her own desire to find more social context for her creations, which is showcased throughout the collection. Zoutewelle-Morris’s radiant paintings and her watercolor calligraphy illustrate the essays, with many of these vivid pieces featuring botanical, animal, and architectural elements. They stir a vibrant sense of motion and energy.
A Generous Spirit celebrates growth as a person and artist while taking an honest look at the journey of a woman who always believed that art serves a transformative function in society but that achieving that takes a lot of effort. Zoutewelle-Morris thrived at the place where artistic creation and healing come together, a place where making someone smile stands as the most rewarding of goals. A treat for artists and art lovers, this remarkable book will appeal to readers who cherish the importance of making a difference and taking care of others.
Takeaway: This notable mixture of essays and paintings offers a heartfelt glimpse into an artist’s belief in art’s healing power
Great for fans of: Bernie S. Siegel’s The Art of Healing, Anne Truitt’s Daybook: The Journal of an Artist
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Boyle’s characterization of Sofia as a talented, caring young woman magnifies the tragedy of her death. The use of flashbacks within the novel, beginning with Ellie’s presence in 2014 San Francisco and traveling back to the circumstances surrounding the catalyzing event in 1999, expertly captures the devastating impact on Sofia’s family and those who loved her. The author capably moves between the two time periods, which are clearly delineated in the narrative.
Despite occasionally awkward prose (“He’s worse than criminal, for he only masqueraded as law enforcement, Nicole cogitated” about a shady cop), the portrayal of emotional turmoil experienced by a mother facing her daughter's untimely death is spot-on, highlighting Ellie’s quest to find justice for her daughter while noting the impact it has on her own physical and mental health. The suspense surrounding Ellie’s plans to shoot Sofia’s killers if justice is not forthcoming via legal means propels the novel swiftly forward toward the climactic conclusion. This tragic book brings to painful life the ripple effects of a death.
Takeaway: In this tragic novel, a mother pursues justice for her daughter, killed by GHB poisoning.
Great for fans of: R. Read She Too, Lois Duncan’s Who Killed My Daughter?.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
The Bootlegger's Mistress
Little’s painstaking research on the decades covered in this story, from the 1940s to the present, is evident, and the narrative is clear-eyed about the scourge of racism. After Carrie’s father has a confrontation with a group of threatening white men, her mother and siblings depart for safety in another state; “the plan was that Daddy and I were going to meet them…. That never happened.” Carrie is clear-eyed about power relations, too: “Though Daddy knew I was a learned young lady who commanded respect, he still believed that a male human was predisposed to do life’s heavy lifting.” The author pulls no punches in dealing with intense topics, from to Carrie’s rape by Butler to the casual cruelty of Southern whites during this period. It will be hard for readers to remain dry-eyed as they experience the injustice leveled at the book’s Black characters.
Little also has a deft hand with plotting (particularly when Tommy Joe’s actual murderer is unveiled) and a talent for creating memorable characters, especially Dicie’s adopted grandson Baby Boy and her colorful lawyer, Louis Bilal, who scorns Dicie’s anonymous accusers by quipping, “I hope the rattling of their cheap dentures won’t be a distraction in the courtroom.” This outstanding novel will have readers ensnared from the first page to the last.
Takeaway: This outstanding novel, examining American racism through the experiences of an exceptional woman, will ensnare readers.
Great for fans of: Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, Alex Haley’s Roots.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Darkness Drops Again
Manning’s gripping read is a refreshing spin on the courtroom drama, with a fast-paced plot told from Maeve’s point of view. Flashbacks to Maeve’s dark childhood, with a mother incapacitated by alcoholism and a father raging about it, add depth and motivation to her character. Manning’s legal background lends authenticity to the story as readers are thrust into Maeve’s world of billable hours, heavy caseloads, and the challenge of finding a work-life balance. Pop culture references and witty dialogue show the lighter side of Maeve’s personality—“I sing the line [from Drake’s song “God’s Plan”] about only loving my bed and my mamma to Seamus in the bath to make him laugh. I’m hard like that.”—and soften the story’s more intense subjects, such as opioid addition, alcoholism, self-harm, and suicide.
This suspenseful thriller is part courtroom drama and part cozy mystery, with a dash of women’s fiction and above-average prose. Manning carefully constructs a flawed, yet acutely relatable protagonist in Maeve, and as the drama unfolds in the courtroom, so does her character. Revelations about the murder trial and Shaw’s personal life are expertly written into chapters that end on cliffhangers, coaxing readers to keep turning the pages. This story, with its twisty plot and drama both in and out of the courtroom, will resonate with mystery fans.
Takeaway: This fast-paced legal thriller is perfect for cozy mystery lovers who adore flawed protagonists.
Great for fans of: Marian Keyes’s The Mystery of Mercy Close, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Secrets Of The 800+ Club: How To Raise Your Credit Score, Maintain Good Credit, and Live The Life Of Unicorns
Her clear-eyed guide demystifies the world of credit agencies, delineates which activities can affect a consumer’s score, and lays out well-defined and concise steps they can take to improve their credit ratings—from savvily timing payments to using only a small percentage of available credit. Dinkins is adamant, in her warm and approachable way, that readers should never pay hundreds of dollars to third-party companies to monitor and improve their credit scores.
The title, of course, refers to Dinkins’s own hard-won and much treasured credit score. She details how she achieved a rating above 800 and the advantages that elite ranking affords her. But her book’s appeal is not just for those aspiring to the top of the heap; it is also relevant to everyday earners. “Your three-digit credit score stands between you and a yes or no to many of life’s pleasures,” she notes, and she’s frank and persuasive about the urgency of improving one’s score, limiting debt, and creating wealth. Her action steps for achieving this are clear and practical. Readers seeking the financial freedom that comes with a high credit score will value the hard-work attitude and easy-to-follow suggestions in this authoritative guide.
Takeaway: This guide to credit score boosting is comprehensive, detailed, and empowering.
Great for fans of: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox’s Perfect Credit: 7 Steps to a Great Credit Rating, Anthony Davenport’s Your Score: An Insider's Secrets to Understanding, Controlling, and Protecting Your Credit Score.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
Dennstedt’s knowledge of various religious philosophies enriches Gabriel’s character, creating a man whose extensive spiritual studies enable him to deeply appreciate all facets of his life. Gabriel’s meeting with Therese is richly complex; there’s a physical attraction between them, but Gabriel focuses on his desire to share with Therese how to live in the moment and comprehend nature's wonders. The scene in which Therese reveals she will be leaving the beach following her summer break from school exceptionally captures the human longing for connection.
Dennstedt’s depictions of the landscape outside Gabriel’s home are lyrical, and his description of the ocean ("he could hear not only the crash of its assault on the rocks, but also the rippling hiss of its retreat") adds texture to Gabriel’s love of the ocean’s rugged beauty and the world around him. And Dennstedt explores the depths of Gabriel’s personality, depicting him as an authentic character with a flawed past who is determined to leave his past mistakes behind him and ready to embrace a brighter future. This philosophical novella will touch readers’ hearts.
Takeaway: In this touching, philosophical novella, a solitary man embraces his spirituality when a chance meeting with a young woman changes his lonely existence.
Great for fans of: Andrew Zimmerman’s Journey: A Spiritual Novel, Andrew D. Himmel’s The Reluctant Healer.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The novel is fast-moving, jumping from one crisis to the next, but it’s most successful when it slows down, and focuses on building suspense around the identity of the onboard traitors. There are many competing plotlines: the identities of “Liz’s Fifty-Two”; her relationship with Seth, the ship’s captain; her lifelong search for her brother; and the insubordination of the rest of the Green Grow executive council. Because there is so much going on, not every story line gets the attention it needs. For example, the 52 refugee passengers become a side plot after the first half of the book.
But Hall has a knack for worldbuilding: the destruction on Earth is detailed; the purpose of Green Grow (to provide food for those in need) is well-defined; and the futuristic technology introduced, including a teleportation device and an implanted chip that illuminates a hidden tattoo, helps develop a rich atmosphere. There is more than enough material for a sequel, and a solid foundation upon which to build. Readers will be drawn in by this suspenseful sci-fi story and its moral quandaries.
Takeaway: This unsettling sci-fi novel is great for fans of mystery, suspense, and space travel.
Great for fans of: Iain M. Banks’s Consider Phlebas, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
This is an entertaining and creative book; with so many setting, style, and genre changes, it’s impossible to grow bored. However, it can be frustrating to read so many pieces without a definitive conclusion. While the disconnected stories offer something for everyone to love (mystery, fantasy, sci-fi), they can be uneven. Some tales, such as “Box of J.O.Y.” and “Keen and Keen Inc.,” are so immersive that the decision to cut them off after only one chapter shortchanges the reader. Others, like “Project Kage,” are less immediately gripping.
The three sections feel like three separate works—there isn’t a thread that ties them together. The first section, despite its abrupt nonendings, is the strongest. It allows readers to keep thinking about each story long after they’re done reading, filling in their own interpretations and endings to each chapter. The second section, although offering a more complete narrative and well-drawn characters, still feels unfinished. These stories are so narratively rich that readers will feel something is lost when they end midstream. This collection will draw in and intrigue a wide array of readers.
Takeaway: This collection of mystical, eerie, thought-provoking tales is perfect for imaginative readers.
Great for fans of: Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series, Daniel Handler’s Adverbs.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
Some elements here will be too reminiscent of Tolkien for a seasoned audience, such as John’s eye of Ra amulet and its similarity to the One Ring. But Gartner has a knack for action and creating compelling historical personalities; the portrait of the future Alemanni king, Crocus, makes a distant age more relatable for modern readers. The book’s energetic writing captures the growing pains of both protagonists—Sarah as she pulls away from her family in adolescence, and John as he comes to terms with his role as a younger brother—along with rich historical detail on the ancient Roman empire, including its conflicts with Germanic peoples.
The Roman setting is brimming with bustling life: lively depictions of Saturnalia celebrations, vicious gladiator combat, and even slavery in Roman society, give suitable, nuanced color to this historical time period. Still, Gartner never lets the harsh realities of ancient Rome bring down his story too much: he keeps it light for his middle-grade audience with callbacks to the present (John whispering the Spiderman theme as he traverses the wall of a Roman fortress is a delightful example). This spirited story will appeal to eager young historians.
Takeaway: Middle school readers who treasure ancient history with a side of adventure will welcome this fantasy story.
Great for fans of: Caroline Lawrence’s The Roman Mysteries series, Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Treehouse series.
Production grades
Cover: A+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: -
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
Klaassen blends Hatchet and The Lord of the Flies in this hair-raising, fast-paced adventure. Like those books, this novel reads like a book from another era: its anti-addiction moralizing is reminiscent of 1971’s Go Ask Alice. Narrative voice often reveals the gap in age between its author and protagonist, as when the teenage Bodie bemoans the fact that he’s stuck in the wilderness with “a bunch of young punks.” Some internal inconsistencies will trip readers up; after ongoing negative feelings toward the other characters, at the end he thinks they “didn’t seem so bad after all,” and despite Bodie’s seemingly high level of knowledge about wilderness survival, he’s afraid bats will suck his blood. And, though this is listed as a YA novel, some readers may be uncomfortable with the graphic depictions of death, murder, drug use, and hate speech.
While some newcomers to the natural disaster genre may be bewildered by the randomness and frequency of their occurrence, the novel’s emphasis on earthquakes and their fallout is sure to please disaster-movie aficionados and thriller fans alike. Part survival story, part cautionary tale, Klaassen’s short epic has plenty of twists and turns to satisfy young adult readers. Fans of coming-of-age survival novels will find much to enjoy here.
Takeaway: Earthquakes and perilous adventures abound in this high-stakes teen survival novel.
Great for fans of: Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, Larry Spinelli’s The Library Card.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B-
Summer's Lie
Jane is a complex character, warm, wry, and word-inclined. One of the first things she remembers is a line from a poem; the next is her interest in adjectives and semicolons, lovingly described. Palindromes and poems recur throughout the narrative, a testament to Jane’s—and the author’s—skillful command of language. Court marshals sensory details to bring the reader close to Jane’s experience; the first thing she notices outside the hospital is “smells of wet leaves and pavement mingling with car exhaust and the smoke of cigarettes.” Readers will enjoy getting to know Jane as she gets to know herself again.
Court has penned a narrative that cleverly incorporates science, age, medical anomalies, secret identities, and the maneuvers required to evade surveillance and capture. It’s quieter than the typical thriller, less focused on violent exploits than on the mystery of Jane’s identity, the suspense of her escape, and the texture of her anomalous experience. This well-told existential mystery, with its warm heart and an elegiac sensibility, will draw readers in.
Takeaway: Literary fiction fans will enjoy unraveling the mysteries of Jane’s amnesia, her identity, and her backwards aging.
Great for fans of: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson, Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant.
Production grades
Cover: D
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Baum’s tone is upbeat, but her advice is serious, and every character embodies a common tendency that can destroys interviewees’ chances of landing jobs. Drawing on her experience as an executive and vice president at Capital BlueCross, Baum offers clear warnings about how candidates behaving like the “Casual Conversationalist” or the “Verbose Verbalizer” can talk their way right out of the running. For every archetype, Baum offers a definition of the behavior in question, a rundown of the problems it causes, and a potential solution (“Speak professionally, clearly, and concisely, using correct grammar!”). Cartoon illustrations of each example from Cielo Giandomenico and Jennifer Giandomenico drive the point home in a fun and amusing way.
The overarching advice may seem obvious to readers flipping through Baum’s collection, such as “Don’t flirt” in a job interview the way that “The Gawker” might. But even if Baum’s advice feels familiar, there’s a sneaky power hidden in the guide: even confident job hunters who feel in full command of their self-presentation will experience a jolt of recognition at a couple of Baum’s examples. This compact book does not promise to transform everyone into perfect interviewees, but rather extends them an invitation to present their best image in professional interactions.
Takeaway: This brisk and buoyant guide reminds readers what mistakes to avoid in a job interview.
Great for fans of: Amy Cuddy’s Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, James Storey’s The Art of the Interview.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Curnes’s gift for description is evident in his striking portrayal of the singular setting of Wickaninnish Island and its inhabitants—“an Eden so lush, tranquil, and pristine.” The story unfolds in the aftermath of British Columbia’s War in the Woods, a 1993 showdown between loggers and environmental activists. Tage internalizes that conflict, and the tension between his drive for a guilt-free life of simplicity and the lure of easy living thrums constantly throughout the narrative. Here’s a multifaceted protagonist who might be happier if he could embrace superficiality.
Curnes’s intriguing plot starts strong, but the novel’s sweep quickly expands beyond its central mystery, as it devotes pages to local history, ritualistic magic, skinny dipping amid bioluminescent plankton, and the highly detailed blow by blow of sexual liaisons, some of them touched with the occult. (Some of the steamy scenes involve nonconsensual acts with a minor “devil child” described as seducing Tage.) At times the sex overwhelms the promising story of industrial intrigue. Still, beyond his attention to matters of the senses, Curnes admirably crystallizes an unusual voyage of self-discovery and quest for meaning by his unlikely hero. Readers open to graphic sex and environmentalism will find much here that resonates.
Takeaway:This provocative epic boasts an intriguing plot, occult erotica, and serious consideration of environmental themes.
Great for fans of: Winston Graham’s Poldark series, Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists.Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Journey’s three-dimensional, well-developed characters carry this appealing story of building new bonds in the midst of loss and heartache. Lucien is immediately intrigued by everything he learns about Luna through her writing, and his understanding of their separate but parallel voyages lends realism and poignancy to this tale. Journey skillfully weaves their independent personal histories together, allowing the protagonists to alight in each other’s lives momentarily while forming meaningful relationships at the same time. Readers will feel equally hopeful and melancholy as Lucien and Luna traverse the beginning stages of a deepening relationship, only to have it disrupted when Luna receives a Peace Corps assignment and leaves to teach children in a rural village in Cambodia.
Luna’s desire to make a difference after leading a sheltered lifestyle is a motivating undercurrent to the tender story, although her parts of the story are plagued by an abundance of descriptive passages that sometimes impede the narrative. Journey frames this gentle novel with episodes of violence, but the way the two main characters face various vicissitudes are enough to keep readers turning the pages. This emotional story, with its clear prose and crisp dialogue, will appeal to those who enjoy romantic literature and are not afraid to engage with the ugliness of the real world.
Takeaway: This emotional novel of love and happenstance will touch readers’ hearts.
Great for fans of: Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: B
This is a deliberately paced novel whose narrative is driven more by character development than by plot. Some of the dialogue and interior thoughts feel unnatural, which can be distracting, and Kalayla may strike readers as over-the-top at some points (she has an affinity for saying “cow turds” whenever anything angers her). Despite some forced elements, this gentle narrative touchingly illuminates the value of found family, rooted in the belief that people can change for the better when they are supported by their community and loved ones.
Nicholas effectively creates a cast of compelling, fully realized characters with whom readers will enjoy connecting. The story rotates between three first-person perspectives: Lena’s, Kalayla’s, and Maureen’s. Lena’s history is more complicated than it appears—past domestic abuse, the loss of two of her children, and estrangement from her living children have caused her to pull away from the world. Kalayla and Maureen force her out of her shell, helping her confront the past, and Lena, in turn, helps them survive their present as Maureen’s complicated history with Kalayla’s father is revealed. Fans will find it a pleasure to watch these characters come together to help each other heal and grow.
Takeaway: This warm, character-driven story will spur readers to consider the value of family, both biological and found.
Great for fans of: Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
