Prochoda is engagingly frank throughout, often exhibiting a welcome light touch, as when he notes that he originally wanted to write his memoir Eat, Pray, Love style but discovered that when he tried this the narrative was “as interesting to read as a service manual for a 1979 Toyota Corolla.” In the aim of helping others to understand the power of growth and vulnerability, he also is open about other shortcomings, including regrets about parenting, an affair during his first marriage, and an unrealistic desire for the mythical “perfect woman.”
The author isn’t shy about laying himself bare and sharing what he has learned from his wise wife, a Harley-riding, emotionally badass blonde he met online. Prochoda writes that his wife also grew up in a dysfunctional household but used her training as a psychiatrist to set healthy boundaries in every part of her life, including her relationship with Prochoda. Under her tutelage, Prochoda learns to do the same thing. This inviting but unflinching narrative will appeal to those seeking emotional growth, especially those who struggle to show it to those who they care about.
Takeaway: Incisive look at a man’s bold emotional growth, with a road map for others.
Comparable Titles: Owen Marcus’s Grow Up, David Kundtz’s Nothing's Wrong.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Intrigue and unexpected twists keep this novel moving at a fast clip. The narrator is kidnapped by Vanguard members, only to discover the group’s leader is none other than his friend, Ralph Finns, “the wealthiest of them all, so much so that he made the rest look practically insolvent.” Turns out The Vanguard isn’t political after all: it’s composed of people committed to righting the wrongs for victims unable to speak for themselves. Tree captures the nuances of classic literature in a sweeping, harrowing story, with larger-than-life characters who are unpredictable and unreliable at times, ensconced in a tale riddled with secrets and jaw-dropping revelations of the wolves—often in coveted, high-powered positions—who prey on the innocent.
With a mission to "undermine the status quo," Tree’s constantly moving narrative reveals the truth in stark snippets, exposing the wicked while central characters take justice by any means necessary. The villains are dark and haunting—protected by money, status, and elitist “boys’ club” traditions—and the horrific abuse and heavy subject matter may be triggering for some readers. Thought-provoking and biting, at times disturbing and challenging, this is a story of heroism and payback that will stay with readers long after its stunning and satisfying conclusion.
Takeaway: An unpredictable tale of vengeance and vigilante justice.
Comparable Titles: John Grisham's A Time To Kill, Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
Readers eager for a sugar-rush of dark super-powered action and shadowy secret societies will find lots here that’s fresh and vivid. But editing and presentation issues, plus the novel’s relentless momentum and protracted length, make Sid’s adventures challenging to keep up with, even as the many twists, confrontations, power-set evolutions, and bursts of crisp dialogue (“He thinks he’s uncontrollable, but that makes him one of the most easily guidable people I’ve ever met”) prove individually exciting. But too often the rushed, unpolished prose reads as if texted: “Oh yea he brought Peacock with him he’s holding that knife made out of his skin and hair in his right hand did I mention that has that been mentioned?”
Characters and developments are introduced so quickly, with so little explanation, that they lack impact and often clarity. The fantasy of Sid, at 14, running a super-powered assassination squad is so fun that readers will want to relish the characters and imaginative setups before it all goes pear-shaped. That’s true, too, of later stages of Sid’s journey, involving demons, other dimensions, a Red Lightning civil war, and more. (It probably doesn’t apply to the surprisingly graphic sex scene.) When the narrative voice connects, though, Blacksmith blends a playful spirit and storytelling that surges.
Takeaway: Inventive but unpolished epic of superpowered killers at war.
Comparable Titles: Alexander Darwin’s Combat Codes, Drew Hayes.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: C
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: C
Marketing copy: B
In alternating chapters Mamah provides vivid details of both parents' upbringing and childhood struggles in the face of war and hardship in each country. The pair allows their love to guide them through relocations, career changes, political regime changes, and even prejudice from within their own family, specifically Judit's father, who eventually grows to love Matthew as his own son. Mamah's narrative is an engaging tale that immerses readers in the rich cultural history of Mamah's parents and a love that spans 25 years and five children, including two sets of twins, plus much societal change Mamah emphasizes the perseverance of that love in the face of “the political turmoil of the latter part of the twentieth century,” celebrating their strength, commitment, and connection in a world too often unmoored.
As the Rivers Merge is an emotional and inspiring story of cultures colliding and love transcending borders and human divisions. Fans of historical narratives and culturally diverse love stories will find much that’s moving in this story of family, religion, political strife, and resilience.
Takeaway: Sweeping memoir of Nigeria, Hungary, and resilient cross-cultural love.
Comparable Titles: E. Dolores Johnson's Say I'm Dead, Mark Whitaker's My Long Trip Home.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
When Karen dies, she awakens in a peaceful place “of rest and nurture” called Paradise. Under the guidance of distant relatives, and guardian angel AJ, Karen undertakes a spiritual journey as entertaining as it is profound (Paradise runs on a “buddy system,” to help newcomers “learn the ropes”), while AJ secretly watches over her family, attempting to steer them toward God’s encompassing light—and away from the shadowy, demonic figures luring them down a path of destruction. The result is a moving story of family, faith, redemption, and love, as Vince explores death—and its rippling impact on the Hill family—through biblical text, references to well-known biblical figures, and famous people from history (including Claude Monet and John Denver).
Beyond a transformative story of the ways love and faith shape life and death, this emotional narrative delves into the turmoil that chronic illness can cause within a family—and the negative vices people can succumb to when bitterness, anger, and heartbreak fester. Vince juxtaposes those grueling human emotions—and the dark feelings attached to death—against the spiritual beliefs of God’s unfailing love, making this an immersive read for Christian audiences of grief and deliverance, both in the living world and in the spiritual afterlife.
Takeaway: Christian study of one family’s journey through grief after the death of a loved one.
Comparable Titles: Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven, William P. Young's The Shack.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
This fast-paced story, illuminating the still-evolving dynamics of the legal marijuana trade during the late Obama years, will captivate readers up for crime, a brisk and canny chatter, and the occasional jolt of action. DeFoe’s tale doesn’t shrink from the gruesome—a human head in a crabbing pot, a devious woman literally fileting a nemesis for food for sea creatures—but employs such details for more than shock; instead, Herbvana demonstrates the lengths to which corrupt individuals will go to protect their interests. The perspectives of supporting characters, such as internet fame-seeking teenager Leaf, solid cops Sarah and John, and Internal Affairs officer Eleanor, are finely drawn, each distinctive and adding depth to the narrative.
Readers will sympathize most with slightly dopey Barry, whose ambition is to share his passion, marijuana, with others to make them happy, while all around him are plotting for their own personal gain. Crooked cop Earl is so odious that readers won’t waste a lot of time feeling sorry for him, reflecting the author’s skill in spinning a world that seems eminently possible. The storytelling is agreeably loose, fitting the milieu, but never slack.
Takeaway: Briskly told thriller of the Washington State weed biz circa 2012.
Comparable Titles: Nick Petrie’s Light it Up, T. Coraghessan Boyle’s Budding Prospects.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
This time around, the action starts in media res, but plural, as the first chapters whisk readers through a host of years, locations, first-person perspectives, and unpredictable revelations as Vincent and his trillion-dollar company Quantum World face his old adversary Philip Naradin, the kidnapping of Vincent’s daughter (and future Quantum World CEO) Nozomi, and the combined forces of the G7, who want what Vincent and Philip control: intreton, the electromagnetically unstable element that powers Philip and Vincent’s wildly profitable innovations.
Readers new to the Time Corrector books should start at the beginning, as this volume draws on a Marvel Universe’s worth of complex, reality-crossing backstory. (Explanatory footnotes help.) Even seasoned readers will likely find the first hundred or so pages a challenge to track, as Datta vaults, in brisk and immersive passages, across years and POVs, with Vincent eventually teaming up with Philip—who is, through timeline shenanigans, also kind of Vincent’s father—to prevent the world’s powers from seizing intreton. Datta loves hinting at Vincent’s plans without tipping readers off too much, and the novel becomes clearer as it goes, building to spectacular set pieces, like Vincent demonstrating a Time Corrector’s powers in the Oval Office, or a quick jaunt through 20th century conflicts as the G7’s fighter jets threaten Philip’s island. For all its doubled selves, corporate intrigue, time-crossed suspense, and reality-in-the-balance epicness, the stakes are human and personal, with a touching ethos of sacrifice powering the climax. Lovers of time-travel complexities will relish Datta’s truly mind-blowing twists.
Takeaway: The most ambitious entry yet in this brain-twisting time-travel series.
Comparable Titles: Jon Evans’s Exadelic, Max Barry’s The 22 Murders of Madison May.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Many of Emery’s poems are prayer-like, referencing scripture and employing hymnal structure, yet some present metaphors that stretch beyond tradition, including “Spring,” in which the speaker sniffs newly bloomed “hyacinth and crocus” and reflects on her faith: “… I wonder, // will He breathe in breath of me, // and smile to sense sweet savors of His Son? // And might my prayers ascend // as incense, pleasing in His lungs?” Rather than hoping God merely hears her prayers, the speaker allows for a sensory expansion of God that implies a relationship beyond verbal exchange, grounded in breath.
The uniting force of this collection is joy for the fulfillment and peace the speaker receives from her faith in God’s love, making it accessible for a wide range of readers. Emery builds the collection on a foundation of celebration, though a handful of poems express views that may polarize some readers, including “Prostitution,” where Emery writes “Whenever—whether out of greed or need— // self seeks self to sell, // self turns self toward facing hell.” Above all, Emery seeks to share her “life-long journey into joy with my loving Father”: “His burning coals transform our minds, // with warming love He realigns.”
Takeaway: Devotional poems celebrating the Christian faith.
Comparable Titles: K.J. Ramsey’s The Book of Common Courage, Morgan Harper Nichols’s All Along You Were Blooming.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
As Virtue faces the challenges of motherhood and an unsettling move to Sweden prompted by her Daavid's new job opportunity, Stockfelt skillfully shifts between Virtue's intimate first-person perspective and Daavid's viewpoint, revealing the complexity of their relationship with empathy and insight. Each perspective depicts touching hesitancy and some limitations of perspective when Daavid and Virtue navigate their marriage and one another’s feelings. When a medical consultation unveils a tumor pressing on Virtue’s pituitary gland, leading to imbalanced hormonal levels, the novel delves into Virtue's struggles with depression, self-harm, and the resulting impact on her relationship with Daavid.
In prose touched with grace and wisdom, Stockfelt explores themes of marriage, sexuality, and the intersections of unhealth, providing a multifaceted perspective on complex aspects of life and a potent critique of gendered ways of thinking and reacting. The shifting dynamics between Daavid and Virtue are a both revealing and emotionally jolting. Epigenesis or Serendipity? emerges as a beautiful and thought-provoking exploration of a woman’s journey, seamlessly blending reflection with an incisive examination of societal norms and expectations.
Takeaway: Intimate, incisive love story of a “womanist” Dominican academic.
Comparable Titles: Nicole Dennis-Benn’s Patsy, Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
A parallel storyline finds Lily and Frank Astin reeling from the mysterious disappearance of their son, Jeremy, a young autistic child with dyslexia, causing his parents to fear the worst. As Kaden's true dark intentions are revealed, his life becomes increasingly intertwined with Clay and Jeremy. Coffey's depiction of extraterrestrial body snatchers, the Ocran, is inventive, twisted, and creepy as told through the eyes of the highly unusual Kaden, who possesses a sinister entity lurking just beneath his surface.
The duality of human souls and the cold intelligence from the beings occupying their bodies creates a burning tension as Coffey reveals which characters have been taken over and who will disappear next. As the humans close to those who have been inhabited begin to notice something’s off with their loved ones, Coffey's world building and storytelling shine—juxtaposing the emotional responses from human characters against the cold, calculating action of the nonhuman entities. The irony of young Kaden being a sinister villain lends a horror element to the story, and Coffey delivers heart-pounding terror when unveiling Kaden’s plans for the human race. Readers will be transfixed until the climactic conclusion.
Takeaway: Out-of-this-world science fiction rich with pulse-pounding terror.
Comparable Titles: Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Stephenie Meyer's The Host.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Dipitous Beach’s residents cope with the aftershocks of the town’s Sickness on their own terms: Lorelei, an amateur oceanographer, finds solace in taking her purple surfboard, Amethyst, out among the hidden underwater caverns of the ocean; New York city transplant Isaac finds himself alone in a new world; Tad, Lorelei’s quiet brother, grows up too quickly as he confronts their mother’s illness; Lorelei’s boyfriend, Casey, chafes against his parents’ overprotectiveness; Condi, granddaughter of a wise yoga teacher, grapples with the growing terror of isolation; and Irish expat Kait longs to leave the America she’s feeling increasingly trapped in. The tale brims with atmosphere, though the many varied viewpoints make for choppy storytelling at times.
The cast is relatable for middle grade readers, and, despite the mishmash of traits and personalities, the story’s framework—built on oceanography, marine biodiversity, and even magic—is intriguing. Abernathy’s use of color as a recurring motif for Tad and Isaac is fully fleshed out and resonates, and the pair’s blossoming friendship is a bright spot in the narrative. The storytelling evokes tranquility and mystery alongside coming-of-age transformations that probe the limits of love and adventure, making this a delightful testament to the forces of friendship and bravery.
Takeaway: An imaginative coming-of-age tale rich with magic, adventure, and friendship.
Comparable Titles: Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass’s The Lost Library, Tahereh Mafi’s Furthermore.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Shared through intimate snapshots of childhood memories—and framed against an undercurrent of foreboding that runs throughout—Schneider’s recollections pack a powerful punch. He unflinchingly recounts his abuse, sharing the hatred he instantly felt for the man he once loved unconditionally—and chronicles how that hatred remained, unabated, for years. Despite those earth-shattering insights, Schneider never lets the calamity overshadow the rest of his memoir. Using his poet’s touch, he relays thwarted childhood runaway schemes, science class experiments that go awry, hipster cousins ruining the spirit of Christmas, and the lasting effects of shattered young love (“For years I would fall hard whenever I fell in love. And even harder when love departed” he writes).
Schneider’s short essays roll a striking portrait of a distinct time and place into a highly readable story of his early life, delivering a patchwork of potent experiences that feel fully formed and deeply expressive. Classic music and pop culture of the ‘60s and ‘70s invade the memories, from Schneider’s description of Joni Mitchell as a “guide, articulating the minor keys of my emotional state” to his dabbling in drugs on “the beach not far from Nixon’s San Clemente estate.” This is an exquisite rendering of innocence, unraveling, and identity.
Takeaway: Exquisite coming-of-age amid trauma, family secrets, and 1960s awakenings.
Comparable Titles: Rick Hill’s We're All from Somewhere Else, Lawrence Culver’s The Frontier of Leisure.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Marie’s focus throughout is on urging readers to release the worldly things that interrupt what she presents as our innate, intuitive abilities to receive messages from the universe. “The more you know about the psychic energy you leverage, the more meaningful your life will be,” she argues. Chapters that include meditation exercises or the experiences of real cases in which Sheila Marie participated will prove enjoyable and compelling to seekers, and her direct voice and stream-of-consciousness style is intimate and personable, that of an impassioned instructor.
Readers already open to the idea of a joyful connection with a Divine Source will feel buoyed by Marie’s encouragement and stories of intuitive flashes, like the friend who can “download psychic energy” from people warning, prophetically, that a man’s work colleague is not to be trusted. The chapters including exercises and meditations to sample are refreshing, and the overwhelming positivity of Marie’s message will resonate with readers on her wavelength.
Takeaway:A medium’s upbeat guide to connecting to the Divine Source.
Comparable Titles: Lisa Hunt’s The Divine Connection, Ervin Laszlo’s Reconnecting to the Source.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
With the same inviting storytelling that distinguished 2022’s Heart of New York, Rem blends the light-hearted and the quietly profound, pulling the reader into his close-knit family while also celebrating the cultural richness of their destinations. The joy of introducing his family to Spanish places he visited as a young man, and the excitement of taking the Gaudi tour of the famed architect and designer in Barcelona, radiates from the pages as Rem creates lifelong memoirs with his wife and children—and conjures some of the magic for readers in evocative descriptions of tapas, the stillness of siesta time, the “medieval” feeling of Madrid, and the beauty and complex history of Alhambra and its gardens. Through it all, he imparts life lessons with his sons, with perhaps the most edifying being Rem’s zeal for family, travel, and culture, food, and art.
This moving story is rounded out by Lorie Miller Hansen’s charming illustrations, plus personalized summaries of each chapter from both author and illustrator. Readers who have read Rem's previous works will reconnect with his family and note the growth in his two sons from adolescence into adulthood, though no prior knowledge is required to enjoy the book.
Takeaway: Touching memoir from a family man creating lifelong memories on a Spanish vacation.
Comparable Titles: Jessi Hempel's The Family Outing, Pat Kogos's Feet in the Window.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Dane's offering is an imaginative and creepy story of ancient secrets and immortal life forms that watch from the sidelines and strike in strategic and deadly ways. Shelton is more than just a wealthy businessman with an impressive military career— he is a complex character with a secret double life as a vigilante seeking justice for the innocent and those who have been violated in the foulest way. Dane peels back the layers of this complicated hero with care, building suspense and setting up jolting revelations. Embroiled in a doomsday narrative that spans centuries are a wide range of characters from clergymen to the president, as Dane pits good against evil and humanity against a threat to the world itself.
“I am required to rely on seven souls to help me. Seven souls who believe in what I am doing and will lay down their life for the cause," Thomas explains of hismission. That captures the tone of this brisk, tense novel. Readers who enjoy bloody thrillers of demons, souls, lost religious tomes, and quick-witted, philosophical-minded characters will find much to enjoy.
Takeaway: Suspenseful doomsday thriller of demons and ancient secrets.
Comparable Titles: Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series, John Shirley’s Demons.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
The collection’s power is in its accessibility. Epigraphs from household names like Taylor Swift and Kristen Stewart, plus celebrated queer poet Ocean Vuong, gather readers into a space of familiarity, and illustrator Sarah Rose Glickman’s jagged, floral line drawings offer a gentle visual element to Bendheim’s poetry that draws readers deeper into the poet’s narrative and the shape of her yearning. No two coming-out stories are alike, but Bendheim’s inviting concrete and conversational style (“You Knew First” opens with “In eighth grade, / you ask me who the most beautiful girl in the world is.”) allows for a friend-confidant dynamic to develop between author and reader that increases in intimacy as the collection follows life into adulthood.
As this memoir in verse demonstrates, Bendheim had no guidebook to queerness and coming out; she had to figure it out, facing rejection, heartbreak, and longing, alone. Through her suffering, she was able to emerge, self-actualized, into the most authentic version of herself. In “Desire Lines,” the speaker defines desire lines as paths made by those “architectural rebels” who don’t follow paved walkways, who are unafraid to ruin the grass. By the end, Bendheim reveals that coming out is becoming “no longer afraid of a little dirt.”
Takeaway: Achingly poignant poems charting a coming-out journey.
Comparable Titles: Michelle Tea’s “Oh God," June Jordan’s “Poem for Haruko," Audre Lorde’s “Movement Song.”
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A