The men’s friendship illustrates opposing viewpoints of early settlers’ adjustment to Jamestown. While Matthew hardens to the reality that the settlement is not a promised land brimming with gold, Richard struggles to learn survival skills, falls in love with an Englishwoman, and insists on his mission to “begin the world over again, the way it should be” by spreading “the light of Christianity.” Both men's morals are tested as they face the harsh reality for the unprepared English settlers, striving to find food in a punishing winter. Meier doesn’t sugarcoat the settlers’ attacks against the Native Americans or the retaliations: the brutality of Jamestown life, and the battles between the Native Americans and the English, are deftly laid out with clarity and power, inviting readers to experience them alongside Matthew.
History and fiction blend perfectly in this vivid account of early settlement in an unforgiving new land where morals are tested and sins are committed. Those who grew up learning the stories of Jamestown in history classes will recognize many characters, such as Captain Ratcliffe, Powhatan Chief Opechancanough, Captain Davis, and Sir Percy. Meier provides a detailed map so readers can easily follow along with the characters’ movements.
Takeaway: This well-researched novel of early Jamestown will grab readers seeking a fresh look at history.
Great for fans of: Connie Lapallo, Tony Williams’s The Jamestown Experiment.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
This diary of his struggle is inspiring in its clear examination of his trials as well as in sharing a spirit of hope. The material can get dense: Cesarini draws on his oncology expertise to explain his medical complications and thoroughly break down the logic of various treatment options, differentiating between CT scans and X-rays, and explaining, in footnotes, how to make sense of terms like “statistically significant.” The journal-style narration (“Sunday, September 8: I feel about the same today as I did yesterday”) conveys the grinding quality of a protracted health crisis but at times may prove monotonous for readers expecting the scenecraft of more polished memoirs. Cesarini’s candid photos throughout invite readers to feel a personal connection–as does his moving closing narration of an imagined vacation with his husband, a memorialization of a trip that Covid-19 made impossible.
Cesarini hoped, in writingSurvival Symphony, to offer hope to lung cancer patients, demonstrating people can live with the disease. In this, he succeeds. He illuminates the urgency of love and community and the importance of being empowered to make effective decisions. Cancer, in his words, “Is not how I’m going to die.”
Takeaway: This detailed memoir of facing cancer offers crucial insights and encouragement to keep fighting.
Great for fans of: Joy Clausen Soto’s Joy, John Kuby’s No Quit In Me.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

When recounting the wild events of his first nights in residency, for example, when he still held to the naive belief that “of all the days I will practice medicine, the most insane will be the first,” he fondly recalls the “number-one most used expression” among medical students—“I’ll go get the doctor.” Readers will laugh along at the confusion caused by Waymack’s misinterpretation of an X-ray: A patient’s abdomen appeared riddled with buckshot, and when Waymack, justifiably concerned, asked her when she had been shot, he learned the truth: She had simply enjoyed a dinner of freshly shot squirrel the night before.
This merry memoir delves into more solemn topics as well, covering Waymack’s stint in the U.S. Army and president-ordered mission to the Soviet Union, complete with photographs of the author’s adventures. But, in true Waymack style, he describes being followed by KGB agents and training “Soviet proctologists” to be burn surgeons with an arrestingly light touch. One standout story: Waymack’s habit of posing complex medical questions (““Comrade, what would be a normal white blood cell count for a burn patient in this hospital?”) to the Soviet doctor he suspected was actually a KGB agent. Equal parts incredible and hysterical, this medical mayhem will delight fans of real-life comedy.
Takeaway: A sidesplitting medical memoir, alive with smart comedy and commentary.
Great for fans of: Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, Doron Amosi’s Tell Me Where it Hurts.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The authors answer that question in a story that, despite some strained rhymes, successfully marries the exhilaration of Halloween scares with a clever math trick. At times the authors’ verbosity slows the clever story. The protagonist responds to the terrors around him—“jars of bulging lizard eyes, and cans of buzzard meat”—with anger rather than terror, exercising a hallucinatory agency in his escapist imaginations, a welcome development reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. His confident decision to rely on his wits in the face of danger is exciting (“Quick trickery is my thing!”), though the choice to leave him nameless may limit readers’ ability to connect with him emotionally.
Kody Kratzer's atmospheric illustrations heighten the seasonal and supernatural elements, with rich colors, exciting details (the witches’ jack-o’-lantern smiles!), and occasional bumptious action bringing life to the pages. The art boasts a gratifying intensity, though attentive readers may note inconsistencies in the unnamed hero’s physical depiction—he appears childish in initial spreads while resembling a young adult in the final pages. Nevertheless, those eager for spine-tingling anecdotes, fun riddles, and the general merriment of Halloween will find delight in this wittily imaginative adventure.
Takeaway: An eerie and intellectually interactive Halloween adventure that will please curious readers.
Great for fans of: Emma Yarlett’s Beast Feast, Jennifer O’Connell’s Ten Timid Ghosts.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
Rather than a clear “good guy” or “bad guy,” Armstrong creates characters who are tortured by perceptions of goodness and evil. “Evlontians know that with each act they commit, they empower either the darkness or the light,” he writes, a philosophy that inspires the fear that harboring any darkness inside oneself they must make one evil, as well as the conviction that if a choice benefits the greater good, no matter how evil it may seem, it must still be good. Readers will likely relate to Magnus the most, as his internal conflict and fears make his struggles often seem more difficult than Cassius’s, who literally fights the darkness inside him.
As Cassian armies clash with Evlontians, characters and readers alike will wonder about the nature of prophecy, since each intense battle’s outcome and each character’s choice appears to be already set for them. Armstrong suggests, though, interpretation is everything, and that choice and prophecy can be the same. The detailed, sometimes dense story line and insight into character and history will please fans of thoughtful fantasy.
Takeaway: Fantasy readers will find the swords, sorcery, and magical entities they’re looking for in this high-stakes war of good versus evil.
Great for fans of:Michael Swanwick’s The Iron Dragon's Daughter, Eve Forward’s Villains by Necessity.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: C
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Davis—who has translated classics as disparate as Don Quixote, Gilgamesh, and Le Morte d'Arthur—offers only sparse insight, in a brief introduction, into his sources, methods, or choices. One line, though, captures the spirit of this work: “If any explanations or clarifications are needed, they are embedded in the body of the text, so as not to interrupt the flow of the words.” That approach is exemplified by the moment when Dante and his guide, Virgil, enter a forest in Inferno, and Virgil bids Dante to break a twig off one of the moaning trees. Once the tree speaks, in a lament that Davis captures with some pained power, Virgil doesn’t just point out that Dante should have known from familiarity with Virgil’s work that there was a soul trapped inside—here, Virgil fully cites the source: “[I]f this man could only have believed what he had read described in my verses in the Aeneid.”
Readers seeking an accessible, inviting Divine Comedy will find Davis a welcome guide, despite some flat prose and the occasional tautology. (“Do not marvel if the Family of Heaven is still able to astonish you,” Virgil advises.) The lack of explanatory notes, especially concerning textual issues and the many figures from history and literature who populate Dante’s afterlife, limits this translation’s utility for students, but Davis still offers a clean, approachable rendering.
Takeaway: An inviting prose version of the classic journey from hell to heaven.
Great for fans of: Jason M. Baxter’s A Beginner's Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy, Eric Griffiths and Matthew Reynolds’s Dante in English.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
History lovers will be hooked by Brill’s foray into colonial Boston, especially his portrayal of key battles and memorable strategists who were instrumental in establishing American freedom. Though he takes plenty of creative license in re-imagining significant events, the engaging characters and wry style carry the story line. Brill pairs an amusing satiric style with period appropriate prose, and readers will chuckle at his characters’ catchphrases (“Flog the frog. I’d been had”) and Leeds’s playful narration, such as the barbed “‘Not to overstate the obvious,’ I said, overstating the obvious.” Brill’s sense of play at times flirts with anachronism, as when he concocts a perfectly reasonable justification for Leeds to exclaim “WTF?”
Sally continually risks life and limb in the name of freedom and exhibits plenty of her own gusto, upending mores as the story navigates bordellos and revolutionary politicking. While this power couple has strong appeal, their romance here proves anticlimactic. Still, fans of witty historic adventure will be left wishing for more of Leeds and his covert printing operations–activities that eventually transform him into a “spot-on American.” This bantering account of early colonial freedom fighters and their innovative maneuvers is equal parts rousing and amusing
Takeaway: A playful tale of colonial America, with wry humor and a rebel heart.
Great for fans of: Edward Carey’s Little, Theodore Sturgeon’s I, Libertine.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Rich with atmosphere and stunning detail, the novel offers an intricately imagined love story viewed from the dual perspectives of Billie and Nadine. Without shying away from the realities of the time period–and what women were forced to do if they wanted their chance at fame–Dunn fully immerses readers in the kaleidoscopic headiness of Broadway life during the Prohibition era, as the women both sing and embody the hit song “T'ain't Nobody's Business if I Do.” Fact and fiction are blended together with a seamless ease, inviting readers into the game of untangling which is which.
The novel has some stylistic quirks. The dual-viewpoint narrative’s quick transitions from one voice to another takes some getting used to and may at times throw some readers off, and intermittent bursts of poetry among the prose provide a refreshing (if odd) change of pace. But this story and romance boasts a solid foundation, compelling characters, and prose that brings the Jazz Age–and what queer existence would have been like in that era–to life
Takeaway: A beautifully penned love story that pays homage to the theater and the queer experience in the Prohibition era.
Great for fans of: Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone, Renée Rosen’s Dollface.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Audiences will be swept away by Scarlet’s human life as Willow Brook, who learns that fifty years of tree-sprite living have ill-prepared her for love, jealousy, and heartbreak. Her relationship with Finn’s grieving parents will keep readers guessing as to Scarlet and Finn’s fate—expect tears along the way. Weiland-Crosby’s narrative features multiple perspectives, including its eponymous protagonist, Smis, and Scarlet’s tree host, Horace, offering a multifaceted view of characters and scenes. The lyrical style is touched with poetry, providing insight into the world between fairy and human.
At times, that divide seems arbitrary: The afterlife in Scarlet Oak is clearly non-religious, but Christianity and the Christmas holiday are major forces for good in the life of Scarlett and the Smis. The story grapples with mature subject matter—suicide, alcoholism, ableism—but readers should be aware that the depiction of Finn’s autism emphasizes negative effects on those around him. Despite some uncomfortable moments, this rich fusion of connection and resilience will remind readers of their own magic.
Takeaway: Part paean to nature, part family drama, this lyric fantasy examines grief and love in our world.
Great for fans of: Glendy Vanderah’s Where the Forest Meets the Stars, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Whatever the case, that spirit powers poems like “A Walk Through a Canyon" which finds Jean both ecstatic and contemplative: “in the long time to come, perhaps/ i will remember this is my footprint/ on the red sand, beneath these monoliths of stone/ frozen by time …” Landscape, weather, and time forever reflect each other in Jean’s imagination, a tendency common in dreamy Midwesterners (Jean hails from North Dakota) who have invested years in watching seasons unfold across those limitless heavens. In the playful “White” snow covers trees and ground “as if the sky had fallen down,” while “I Am” finds her engaging in the age-old pleasure of dreaming along with the clouds, which she strikingly likens to “giant leaves / floating across a pond of sky.”
Pleasing imagery appears throughout the collection (“The bush was buttoned up/ with red berries”), even in poems concerning more human topics, such as a grandmother’s mending basket or fleeting memories of youth. Still, the book’s bulk and abundance can overwhelm, with the strongest and most specific poems outnumbered by slighter ones, variations on established themes, whimsical doggerel, and lines whose power is diminished by familiar imagery or inconsistent archaic phrasing, like “’tis” or “thee.”
Takeaway: A lifetime’s worth of warmly observational poetry, focused on time, nature, and arresting imagery.
Great for fans of: Mary Ryan, Ted Kooser.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B+
Rynerson's arguments prove most persuasive when focused on specific examples of corruption, such as his spirited takedown of the lobbying industry, in which he connects various powerful lobbies to their influence on specific members of Congress. At times, he overreaches, not addressing issues like race and poverty when urging readers to buy electric cars and healthier groceries, or loosely linking the treatment decisions made by oncologists to corruption elsewhere in the medical industry, such as pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to sell opioids. While most of his arguments are easy to follow, they sometimes get swallowed in the avalanche of outrages and references, a tendency that also dulls the righteous power of his anger.
“Unfortunately, corporate control of our nation became complete in 2010,” he laments in a discussion of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited election spending from wealthy donors. Rynerson makes that case with such clear fury that, perhaps inevitably, the solutions he offers (idealistic fixes like the creation of a new, centrist political party, individual-focused changes like eating less sugar) come up short. Still, Rynerson's passion and outrage raise urgent, thought-provoking questions.
Takeaway: A no-holds-barred attack on unchecked corporate power in American.
Great for fans of: David Dayen’s Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power, Christopher Leonard’s kochland.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: C
Marketing copy: B
Featuring an angelic language, death personified, plus demigods and dragon, this coming-of-age story covers a lot of fantastical ground. Lovers of young adult romance steeped in fantastical journeys and coming-of-age themes will appreciate this story, if they’re comfortable with the issues of age, power, and consent that mostly go unaddressed in the budding romance between an underage teen and an apparently ageless being who can read her mind, has observed her since her girlhood, and is described in the narrative as a “man” while she’s referred to as a “girl.”
The descent into fantasy is slow and immersive, allowing time for the Maia and readers to acclimate to a convincing world, which helps develop stakes that give the story power. The worldbuilding is strong on both the fantastic and realistic sides, and a moving twist shifts the novel’s focus to familial love and sacrifice rather than romantic love.
Takeaway: Strong worldbuilding and an engaging teen protagonist ground this fantasy in real emotion.
Great for fans of: Archer Lakhani’s The Safekeeper, Neal Shusterman’s Everlost.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Bohlen points out that it’s actually quite common to love someone with a mental illness, as roughly half of the U.S. population will experience one over the course of their lives. Bohen makes it clear that he’s not a mental health expert, but he establishes credibility with his research and his professional experience with trauma and substance abuse as a teacher for young men at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. In a nutshell, Bohlen recommends that if “spouses of the mentally ill or addicted can be spiritually strengthened and learn practical things they can do independently, more marriages can be saved.”
This is, of course, easier said than done, so much of the book breaks down specific scenarios that apply to particular sets of circumstances, offering practical steps to navigate these difficulties. This includes understanding a spouse’s emotional triggers, enforcing boundaries, remaining focused on personal goals and dreams, and staying grounded in reality. While Bohlen emphasizes scripture, prayer, and, in a recurring section, the urgency of recognizing the “Spiritual Blessings” of “patiently persevering with your spouse or loved one in partnership with God,” he is adamant that dangerous or abusive marriages should end and that it’s urgent for many couples to seek professional help. “Praise God for inspiring professionals who research and then share what works with those of us who suffer,” he writes. For believers, this book serves as a helpful, faith-based guide for couples seeking to understand and overcome their respective challenges and remain together.
Takeaway: A warm, inviting faith-based self-help guide for married couples facing mental health challenges.
Great for fans of: Mathew S. Stanford’s Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness, Catherine P. Downing’s Sparks of Redemptive Grace.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B
Useful in a group setting or individually, Reyo’s emotionally intense practices develop not only familiar energy areas, such as the seven chakras, but also concepts like the twelve dimensional stages of consciousness. Reyo describes the seven fields of energy around the living body and the seven rays or divine flames that imbue all of creation, and she offers practical applications for readers who have achieved transformation or arrived at fresh perceptions, such as composing daily personal affirmations and achieving confidence, control, steadiness, integrity, and divine reflection.
Adding a personal touch, Reyo describes her own journey with energy work, the knowledge she gained from experts in the field, and how she went on to found the Inner Alchemy School of Consciousness in several Latin American countries. Readers on the right wavelength will relish this elegantly designed edition, complete with sophisticated illustrations that convincingly depict difficult to understand concepts. The book is well indexed and catalogued with a glossary and bibliography, making it a valuable reference for seekers of spiritual well-being.
Takeaway: A practical, polished compendium of spiritual exercises for self-improvement and ways to effect global change.
Great for fans of: Anodea Judith's Wheels of Life, Athena Perrakis's The Ultimate Guide to Chakras.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A+
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
After an uncomfortable start in which she questioned what on Earth she should actually do with all her new time (learn Arabic? Volunteer for the Red Cross? Take up pickleball?), Milliken began to relish retirement, learning to ask herself new questions: “What seems important now that wasn’t before?” “Who am I if I am no longer who I used to be?” One of the most liberating aspects of retiring, she writes, was the opportunity to learn by doing and not to fear the possibility of making mistakes. “Mistakes are mirrors where we get an opportunity to see ourselves more clearly than usual,” she points out, as encouragement to those facing similar fears and thoughts. Milliken also celebrates the freedom to let her thoughts meander, to allow the random and the trivial to float through her head as a means for sparking creativity.
Milliken’s expertise as a psychotherapist is evident both in the introspective way that she chronicles her journey and in her wise and measured words—words that will strike a chord with readers contemplating their own next acts. A helpful list of books for more on the topic will also guide readers as they prepare for the imposing life change that is retirement, though readers will likely feel that Milliken’s own account, centered on how “this freedom invites me to be, not do qualifies for such lists itself.
Takeaway: Anyone with mixed feelings on the precipice of retirement will gain insight and comfort from this wise account.
Great for fans of: Gene Cohen’s The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, William Sadler and James Krefft’s Changing Course: Navigating Life after Fifty.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Sjostrom (Patriot X) keeps the action on full boil, as Penance solves virtually every problem with violence. To quickly interrogate a suspect, Penance shoves his head through a window. Even a disagreement with the local district attorney quickly gets physical. And when he finds a young woman being preyed upon by her boyfriend in his car, his first reaction is to smash glass. Even a meeting with an FBI psychologist about his propensity for violence…turns violent. Occasionally, we glimpse a warmer side of Penance, as when he shares an empathetic moment with an overwhelmed single father, and his relationship with local police officer Bubba comes across as genuine. But the various character-driven subplots, including his love-hate relationship with the Whatcoms, get overwhelmed by the continual fracases.
Indeed, most of the characters are either dishing out violence or defending it, including a local judge. When the cartel attacks, most of the town is willing and able to join the defense, and this includes the pastor, who is well-versed in the use of his AR-15. Sjostrom definitely has a flair for staging the brisk fight scenes: "… he sprung up to fire on the last visible guard only to see him knocked backward, a bullet shattering his skull." Action aficionados will enjoy the fast-paced conflict all the way to the satisfying conclusion.
Takeaway:: Fans of red-meat action will revel in the continuous stream of fight scenes.
Great for fans of: Stephen Hunter, Nick Petrie.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: C+
Marketing copy: A-