This compelling and incisive poetic journey from Petrie, author of Listen to the Trees and co-author of Typewriter Rodeo, explores “midlife” as a physical, emotional, philosophical, and artistic state that exists between the poles of hope and regret. The speaker in these poems oscillates in perspective between those poles throughout the collection, but no easy resolution is ever reached; instead, the tension caused by this binary creates a broadened spiritual and existential awareness that itself results in a kind of knowing peace. In “Rain,” the speaker writes, “the rain is coming down // Let it wash or drown you— // Your choice.”

Many of the poems in Petrie’s collection relay the experience of a downtrodden, heartbroken, lonely person. “And Then It’s Done,” for example, begins as a letter to the speaker’s children offering advice, but the poet builds to this jolting declaration: “I never had kids.” Yet for all the unsettled feelings that Petrie’s collection explores, there is an equal and opposing presence of hope. “Pour-Over Coffee” uses the pour-over process as a metaphor for aging. “This is a liquid art” the speaker advises, “do not rush,” and once the “sweet symbiosis” is reached, “they call it the bloom— this waking moment, right now — when the favor reaches // its peak.”

In Cracked & Broken, time is both a destructive and creative force; it breaks what it fortifies and fortifies what it breaks. Drawing inspiration from many poets, including Mary Oliver, Alan Watts, plus Frost and Wordsworth, Petrie uses poetry to develop an illuminating and consistently surprising exploration of aging that diverges from stereotypes, urging readers toward the discovery that middle age is where one’s identity can flourish in a way it never could in youth. For Petrie, the difference between the body creaking with weakness and “creaking with freedom” has everything to do with what he chooses to hear.

Takeaway: Bittersweet and illuminating poems exploring middle age.

Comparable Titles: Donald Hall’s “Affirmation”, Margaret Atwood’s “Dearly”.

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

Click here for more about Cracked & Broken: poems of midlife

Paisley combines a playful concept of the afterlife with a hint of Buddhism in this otherworldly contemporary fantasy, where humans and supernatural beings—vampires, werewolves, witches, gargoyles, pixies, and more—are reincarnated after death until their souls are finally deemed worthy of passage to Heaven by the Higher Authority. Maybell Mayhew, an Angel Investigative Bureau trainee, confronts Trixie D'Vita about the possible involvement of her mother, Death, in the Mystical Realms' suspiciously rigged game show that offers a one-way ticket to Heaven, Hell, or a different lifetime for newly departed souls. Soon, Trixie finds herself faced with a perilous choice: to save her best friend, she must not just visit the game show, To the Wheel, but quite literally go through Hell.

The heart of the tale lies in the complex mother-daughter relationship between Trixie and Death, which proves amusingly relatable amid the fantastical settings. Trixie's unhealed abandonment issues from Death's aloofness and seeming nonchalance bring a human touch to all the crossings of realms, although the exploration of Death's persona here feels somewhat limited, perhaps to be explored more deeply in future stories. "Like, would it kill my mom to make it to my frickin’ birthday dinner?” Trixie asks, her words echoing the struggle for connection. Better late than never, Death bestows upon Trixie a mysterious miniature scythe—as a birthday gift!—and warns her to carry it with her at all times.

What follows is an action-packed comic trip through hellscapes where Trixie must survive on the other side of the vortex, one that tests the power of friendship to will courage in the face of adversity. Although the story could benefit from a more robust exploration of family and friendship dynamics, Paisley prioritizes world-building and adventure written in lively prose and imaginative storytelling, always with elements of surprise and humanity that readers of inventive urban fantasy metaphysics will find alluring.

Takeaway: Death's daughter goes through Hell to save a friend in this amusing debut.

Comparable Titles: Seanan Mcguire’s October Daye series, M. H. Boroson's The Girl with Ghost Eyes.

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

Click here for more about Always Carry Your Scythe

Paine (The Abduction) spins a first-rate thriller that serves as an incisive metaphor for the dangers of artificial intelligence. In present-day Baltimore, graduate student Emma Petranova has spent years researching and toiling on a project about the psychology behind digital mass persuasion that seems to be a shoo-in for a prestigious prize—but when the project does win, her controlling professor, Dr. D’Angelo Santan, claims all the credit. A day after a shouting match in the parking garage, the professor goes missing. In January 1998, rich psychopath Trey Wilkes is hanging around the University of Baltimore, hoping to recruit a computer geek that will allow him to devise a technology to send dangerous subliminal messages via mass persuasion on the then-nascent internet. After failing to devise a solution on his own, decades later, Trey learns about D’Angelo’s research and decides he will stop at nothing to get his hands on it—no matter who he has to hurt or kill to accomplish that.

Paine offers smart jolts and surprises while making this dark dystopian scenario plausible. As Emma and others (including Trey’s former colleague Malcolm Schmidt) fight to find and save D’Angelo, Trey convinces Emma that he’s one of the good guys and seduces her for good measure. Meanwhile, the body count of Trey’s former hires for his unsuccessful project rapidly mounts, with several dispatched in spectacularly gruesome fashion—and it seems that evil will take over good. As Emma and Malcolm solicit help from others, innocents (including a young child) may end up as collateral damage.

The author does a masterful job of continually ratcheting up the tension and expertly weaving in red herrings. Action is crisp, though some of the torture details may be too much for squeamish readers. Polished and professional, this well-plotted and expertly wrought suspenseful tale will tick all the right boxes for readers who enjoy heart-stopping and scarily plausible stories.

Takeaway: Twisty, scarily plausible thriller that grips from page one.

Comparable Titles: Blake Crouch’s Recursion, Jon Evans’s Exadelic.

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

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Samuel Narh and Freda Narh (authors of A Kite for Melia) team up once again in this warm, dreamy tribute to the bond between a mother and her son. Milko, a young boy living in Bolivia, misses his mother terribly; she’s on a year-long trip to Ethiopia, absent from his daily life since the first hint of the rainy season. Now the sun beats down orange flames on the dry land, and Milko, along with his sister Abena, can’t seem to make the days go by fast enough as they wonder “When is Mama coming back?”

The authors render a careful portrait of sorrow and longing in this purposeful tale, and Milko’s ache at his mother’s absence is palpable. He dreams of her gentle embrace, “as tender as a petal,” as he, his father, and Abena traipse through their empty days without her, somehow managing to accomplish quotidian tasks like haggling at the market and getting breakfast on the table without her steady hand. Nothing’s quite the same without Mama: the porridge boils over, the cat and dog are always after each other, and Milko misses the salteñas Mama always buys him at the market. Abena struggles with sadness in her own way, crying in a “shrill voice” that startles Milko and stumps his father, prompting Milko to wonder if her tears are “a longing for the gleam in Mama’s eyes.”

Milko sheds tears of his own, in private, as he falls asleep at night, holding a mirror “to watch those secret tears roll down his cheeks.” Of course, Mama returns just in the nick of time, and the reunion is delicately depicted by Knatko’s graceful watercolor illustrations, when Mama’s laugh “as deep as the forest slips into [Milko’s] room.” Young readers and adults alike will treasure this testament to family love.

Takeaway: Touching, dreamy portrait of a son’s bond with his mother.

Comparable Titles: Suzanne Collins’s Year of the Jungle, Patrice Karst’s The Invisible String.

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

Click here for more about Milko

In this inspiring and informative guide that presents menopause as not “a closure but as an invigorating commencement,” Low (author of In Full Bloom: Look Fabulous During and After Pregnancy) debunks long-held myths that have painted this transition as "a time of decline and despair.” With rousing insights into how to claim menopause as an opportunity “to shed the burdens of youth and embrace a newfound sense of self,” Low delves into the history of menopause, the ways in which this transition affects women from all walks of life, and offers inviting practical advice about how this chapter of life can affect a woman's hormones, weight, and mental state.

"For far too long, society has painted a bleak picture of this natural life transition," Low writes. Low explains that menopause is not the end of youth and vitality but "a comma in the sentence of life". Through client anecdotes, clinic research, and scientific evidence, Get Your Sexy Back offers solutions and proactive measures to take in the most common symptoms of menopause. Sharing trends that have proven most successful such as low-carb diets and the effects of ketosis, ways through exercise to stay in a caloric deficit, and beneficial supplements, this resource guide provides insights to ease the transition into this "phase of introspection, growth, and mental unrest.”

Focusing more on how to align mind, body, and soul than sexiness, Get Your Sexy Back is a comprehensive guide that provides readers with the knowledge, wisdom, and tools to flourish during this crucial season in a woman's life. With chapters on how to combat weight gain, mood swings, or even insecurity through connecting with support groups and being in community, Low highlights the new beginnings and reasons to celebrate "the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future" that comes with the transformative journey of menopause.

Takeaway: An informative guide for woman transitioning into menopause.

Comparable Titles: Maisie Hill’s Perimenopause Power, Jen Gunter’s The Menopause Manifesto.

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

Click here for more about Get Your Sexy Back: Biohacking Your Menopause Journey

Johnson’s debut paints a colorful kingdom with three special princesses, each of whom has their own unique talent. The eldest sister, Rose, is a fierce swordswoman, while middle princess Jasmine possesses magic skills so astonishing, “she can send entire armies flying!” But youngest sister Lily is disgruntled with her special talent: her singing puts people to sleep, a skill she bemoans as “useless” compared to her older sisters. While Lily spends her evenings singing her sisters, who are exhausted from their daily heroics, to sleep, the kingdom is at risk, as Lily’s friend Jamie warns her “Trolls are planning to attack your castle.”

Lily passes on the bad news to her parents, but the king and queen pay her no heed. The kingdom has nothing to fear, thanks to Lily’s “powerful sisters” and the menacing royal army, or so everyone thinks—but when the trolls come to call, Lily, and her family, are sorely disappointed. The royal army fails to stop the marching trolls, and Princess Rose isn’t quite strong enough to take them on; Jasmine fails as well, when she discovers the trolls are immune to her magic. That leaves Lily, whose talent, readers will likely guess, is the last defense—and the kingdom’s surprising secret weapon. Luckily, the trolls aren’t immune to Lily’s siren song, and they’re all soon sleeping peacefully, giving the royal army a chance to load them into carts and escort them out of the kingdom.

Quilario’s anime-like illustrations give this feel-good princess story a bit of an edge, and younger readers will appreciate fun details like the trolls’ surly expressions or the royal soldiers’ earmuffs that block Lily’s song while they dispose of the trolls. The storyline is light, but Johnson’s message about Lily’s transformation is important: “Knowing she had a unique way of bringing peace and tranquility to everyone, she never shied away from her talent again.”

Takeaway: A young princess discovers the power of believing in herself.

Comparable Titles: Aaron Blabey’s Thelma the Unicorn, Dan Bar-el’s Not Your Typical Dragon.

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

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"Motherhood,” Hunziker writes, “Tougher than any marathon." In this lyrically penned collection of poetry, essays, and short fictions, Hunziker highlights the joys and challenges of motherhood and marriage, plus the grief of miscarriage, and "scratching the surface" of the truth about life, faith and love. Featuring different forms of poetry such as haikus, tankas, haibuns, and villanelles, Half Moon Waking is a candid exploration into the battle of being "caught between thriving and crashing" when it comes to the exhaustive yet rewarding "calling" of being a parent.

Shining with insight and playful language, pieces such as "Calling Mommy" ("three-dimensional sound wrapping/ around a sweet spot/ the word naively singing a miniature siren sword") dig deep into life’s richest experiences. Hunziker also offers vivid detail in pieces exploring the challenges of breastfeeding and considering the calming tranquility of nature ("Trees teach. Trees produce. Trees help build things. Yet maybe even more profoundly, they are simply here.”), the lines fluid and alive with feeling while honoring the poetic forms. "The canvas of life provides so many unique motivations for our work," Hunziker writes about finding a passion or calling and "not 'only' trying to arrange our bliss.” This inspirational collection also focuses on faith, love, and cultivating a relationship with God, children, and ourselves.

Half Moon Waking explores life lessons with vulnerability and empathy as Hunziker, writing with approachable eloquence, ruminates on experiences both treasured and painful, including some, like the exhaustion of the first weeks of motherhood, that are too complex—”too ripe and absurd,/ too stark real”—to fully capture in language. The result is a surprising collection, straightforward and personal despite its host of formal approaches, digging deeply into what the author has learned as she has grown, often in the face of self-doubt, into maturity and the wisdom that “the most beautiful treasures in life are those that involve pain, time, and great effort.”

Takeaway: Wise and engaging chapbook on parenthood, faith, and love

Comparable Titles: Rudy Francisco's I'll Fly Away, 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

Click here for more about Half Moon Waking

Blending memoir with a comprehensive yet approachable guide to future markets, agricultural Scott Irwin correlates his daredevil adventures as a young man growing up (and jumping ditches on motorcycles) on an Iowa farm with the less deadly but still precarious "gamble" of being a speculator, a term he describes as "the much-abused label" of futures traders. Sharing with readers the history and everyday experience of future trading, from the “pit”s of the past to today’s electronic trading, plus challenges and rewards that traders face, Back to the Futures is an in-depth look into farming, resources, and the monetary risks and rewards associated with agricultural contracts.

In clear and personable language, Irwin offers an illuminating introduction to the ins and outs of the business of supply and demand, hedging in agricultural economics, and controversies over future trading. Balancing the complex details of trading with the antics of his childhood is an unorthodox approach, but the choice creates an inviting narrative while revealing the workings of commodity markets. With the goal to "shed light on the market's mystery in a way that is understandable to the average person,” Irwin shares insight through his hard-won experience and the knowledge of other experts such as Terry Duffy, the owner of the largest commodity trading exchange in the world. Exploring the "global controversy" of speculation in future markets, ways to manage price risks, and what it means to "corner the market", Irwin delves into economics, consumership, and "systemic risk.”

With persuasive power, Back to the Futures defends "the vital role" of speculators, what he considers the dangers of over-regulation, and the importance of future trading in the global economic financial system. Irwin's chronicling of his childhood scraps (being hit by a Pepsi truck; running from rogue steers) and his personal experience in the business of future trading make for an informative and engaging resource.

Takeaway: Rousing introduction to and defense of future trading, with stunts.

Comparable Titles: Emily Lambert's The Futures, Thomas Smith's Futures Trading

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

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Urra’s lighthearted picture book introduces several major holidays as a young girl shows off her festive socks. When kids enter school they begin to care more about what they wear, and the main character here is no exception. The story opens with her carefully selecting her outfit and admiring her reflection in the mirror to “make sure she likes what she chose.” Her favorite part of her ensemble is her socks, which she loves because they come in so many patterns—including her holiday socks, which she keeps “in their own special box.” As the seasons change, she enjoys the freedom of expression her standout socks give her.

The rest of the story allows the narrator to show off her sock collection and briefly discuss the meaning behind each occasion. Valentine’s Day, for instance, is about “showing the ones you love how much you care,” which is why her pink-and-red socks are adorned with tiny hearts. Her Fourth of July socks feature colorful fireworks that encourage her to celebrate her individuality, and her Christmas socks remind her of the joy of giving. The text rhymes, the meter feeling somewhat forced at times, and is laid out like prose rather than verse, making first-time outloud reads a little tricky. Still, young children will enjoy pointing out the ubiquitous symbols of each holiday and relating their own experiences.

Emilija Marija Navelskyte’s playful illustrations make the narrator’s socks the star of the show. They have a place of honor in a blue container adorned with a red ribbon, and excitement is evident on the narrator’s smiling, wide-eyed face as she models each pair. She poses proudly alongside familiar images that children will recognize, such as a rainbow and shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day and ghosts and pumpkins for Halloween. This spirited story will give kids the chance to consider their favorite aspects of these annual occasions while delighting in the narrator’s unique way of celebrating.

Takeaway: Lighthearted picture book introduces major holidays through a girl’s sock collection.

Comparable Titles: Elana K. Arnold’s What Riley Wore, Miranda Paul’s 365: How to Count a Year.

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

Click here for more about My Holiday Socks

In his imminently readable debut, Jamin asks, “What if the smallest, almost forgotten moments were the ones that shaped us most?” This project, which examines such moments from his own life in a series of incisive, illuminating essays, started when Jamin, a television writer (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, Just Shoot Me, amongst others) received a disheartening call from a studio: a poem he had included in a script wasn’t considered good enough. That the poem was written by Shakespeare was of no concern to the studio. Disillusioned, Jamin withdraws into a writer’s slump until, at the behest of his wife, he writes down a list of memories and begins writing about them.

Jamin shares 18 memories in 18 chapters, told in roughly chronological order: he recalls being a child who shied away from sports, his reluctance to take a father-mandated martial arts class, and the abject terror he felt at his first lesson, looking at a bloodthirsty opponent. Jamin is a skilled writer, and his account of reluctance turning to dread turning to flat-out terror is potent. “We’ve had enough judo for a while, don’t you think?” his father eventually says, and the reader’s heart rate will return to normal. From there, Jamin covers moving to Hollywood and living at the Melrose Place; “general” meetings with studio executives; the secret life of a “spooky” neighbor; and taking dance lessons after being called out by his sister at a wedding.

The strength of Jamin’s book lies not only in his immersive conjuring of memories or his brisk, engaging storytelling and dialogue. It’s in how he deftly ties each anecdote into larger life events, revealing how “almost forgotten moments” can be substantial in their significance, even life changing. Paper Orchestra offers as many heart-tugging moments as laughs, but it will also leave readers rummaging through their own mental archives.

Takeaway: Incisive, sharply told memories from a Hollywood writer’s life.

Comparable Titles: Patty Lin’s End Credits: How I Broke Up WIth Hollywood, Susan Silver’s Hot Pants in Hollywood.

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

Click here for more about A Paper Orchestra

Bigaouette’s debut lives up to its title as a trio of New Yorkers find themselves tangled in a triangle of obsession, delusion, scheming, and stalking in the era of answering machines, personal ads, and cranking up the Discman on the subway. Brooklyn’s Tommy Landis, who toils in the mail room of a Manhattan brokerage firm, meets Crystal Farnsworth for a low-stakes getting-to-know-you coffee. Tommy’s instantly smitten, but Crystal doesn’t find him attractive or engaging. Still, she reluctantly agrees to a real date, and then, heeding her sister’s advice, cuts this second encounter short, telling Tommy she’s not interested. Tommy, though, is convinced they belong together, and when not bewailing his loneliness in his Bensonhurst apartment, he follows her around Manhattan, even pretending to be a clerk in a shoe store she patronizes, and eventually going so far as to hide in the back seat of the BMW of her next suitor.

Complicating matters: Tommy has a stalker, too, in the form of Maria, a co-worker from the brokerage firm’s messenger center. Maria proves as deluded about Tommy as Tommy is about Crystal, refusing to take insistent, repeated “no”s for an answer. Bigaouette’s novel is at its strongest when switching quickly between these three perspectives, Maria following Tommy following Crystal, a roundelay of twisted loves. While Tommy’s instability and anger is fleshed out via flashbacks and dream sequences, Bigaouette favors a detached, observational narrative style, leaving readers, like Crystal, uncertain of what Tommy’s capable of—and how far he’ll go, even after he’s hit with a protective order demanding he keep his distance.

The spine of Twisted Love is strong, with a dark and twisting neo-noir centered on mirror-image stalkers that builds to promising developments like Maria meeting with Crystal to discuss Tommy, but Bigaouette’s wordy, repetitious prose—and commitment to documenting Tommy’s every trip from recliner to refrigerator—protracts the story’s length, diminishing tension and narrative momentum. Still, there’s dark comedy in Tommy’s refusal to connect with his mirror-image stalker, Maria.

Takeaway: New York neo-noir love triangle of obsession, stalking, and murder.

Comparable Titles: Tom Savage’s Valentine, Michael Robotham’s Watching You.

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

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Thick with humor wry and pointed, this Guide to Surviving Modern Society from the pseudonymous Cheque serves as an amusing, accessible guide to the basic tenets and facets of a nihilist view of contemporary life, a world that Cheque—surveying everyday milieus like the subway, the workplace, the grocery store, and get-togethers with friends—portrays as obsessed with the vapid, self-glorifying, and deeply unsatisfying, a place where the “zombie apocalypse” has already come, powered by the “addictive quality of the digital neurotoxin affecting the masses.” Rather than simply denounce that world, though, Cheque studs this travelogue with playful pointers for surviving as a nihilist (“If you can’t seem to find the auto-amuse feature in your living, breathing self, probe your navel and try harder.”)

At the novel’s heart is philosopher and nihilistic ideal protagonist Rectum Leviticus (R.L.), a Brooklynite who reads fervently, maintains important relationships with the people and geckos around him, and considers the world with a humorous, detached, and largely (if not universally) nonjudgmental perspective, even in the face of “Pinterest-Instagram-Facebook drivel” and media “content” with “little or no nutritive value.” Cheque has created a sympathetic if highly unusual “everyman,” displaying for readers how amusing and freeing life can be when we don’t get “distracted by the trivial b.s.” A tonic of cultural criticism, this Guide often reads less like Nietzche than Douglas Adams, though more rooted in the day-to-day American mundane.

For all its outrage, including R.L.’s thoughts of coprophagia whenever he speaks to his boss, Cheque’s narrative celebrates connection with life and community and observing the world around you. It will please fellow travelers who favor philosophical inquiry, a grand sense of humor, a bit of companionship in living an offbeat life—and who are not put off by books that may send them to the dictionary from time to time. This thoughtful novel is indeed seriously silly, befitting the author’s matriculation from the esteemed Flaneur University.

Takeaway: Outraged, funny, inviting novel of facing American meaninglessness.

Comparable Titles: Kurt Vonnegut; Wendy Syfret’s The Sunny Nihilist.

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

Click here for more about The Nihilist's Pocket Survival Guide to Modern Society

Lauder’s page-turner debut immerses readers in a dystopian fantasy that unfolds an intricate futuristic world, Aurora Saura. The Quelling paints a vivid picture of a complex and original world divided among three distinct races, each vying for power in a struggle for supremacy: the Aurora Saurins, who inhabit Fareen and Sojour and worship a deity known as the Hands, and then two non-humanoid species capable of controlling the Aurora Saurins. The cask-grown Tarrohar, who dwell in the Parched Lands, are “all squishy tentacles and shiny translucence—like a pudding that’s sat too long in the heat,” able to exert control through “Mind Pain and mental manipulation,” while a more recent arrival, the disembodied Rhemans, disrupted the fragile equilibrium and introduced the Body Trust system, under which the Rhemans pay Aurora Saurins for the right to control their bodies. Unpredictability and tension reign—and Aurora Saurins like Kyjta, once “Stained,” find their bodies are "theirs for the taking.”

Lauder’s ability to blend action, intrigue, and emotional depth makes this a must-read for fans of the genre. Kyjta and Kranik, a Rheman, offer unique perspectives that drive an adventure that’s fast-paced and exciting even with its richness of worldbuilding. Kyjta grapples with uncertainty, betrayal, a longing for her lost mother, and the possibility of being snatched “hideous winged” ghoragalls. When a young woman she cares for is abducted, Kyjta uproots her life to return her friend home, navigating a world of lies and hidden dangers. Meanwhile, Kranik is a Rheman whose natural state is as a transparent sphere containing a raging storm within. The process of quelling, where a Rheman takes control of another’s body, adds complexity to the tale.

Lauder masterfully explores the tension, highlighting the challenges of discernment and the consequences of being “quelled.” The Quelling is a triumph with gripping, well-developed characters and a richly imagined world, though a glossary with definitions would make it all a bit more inviting.

Takeaway: Inventive, compelling SF dystopia of minds, bodies, and rebellion.

Comparable Titles: Alechia Dow’s The Sound of Stars, Lauren James’s The Quiet at the End of the World.

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

Click here for more about The Quelling

Frank, frisky, and proud, this provocative debut celebrates sexual freedom as it surveys the lives of four gay and bisexual men in Berlin amidst break-ups, deaths in the family, and pregnancy scares. Kay Hung —"gay, Asian, and Canadian"—is entering his 33rd year when he finds himself single and homeless after his long-term boyfriend discovers he's been cheating. In his search for a place to live, he meets Alex, who is bisexual and an aspiring musician looking for a new roommate. After moving in, Alex introduces Kay to Timothy, a self-proclaimed "power bottom," and Kay meets Thomas Urning at a medical conference, where the two bond over their identity and Thomas' love of the musical Chicago. The four become fast friends exploring the gay nightlife and wild parties Berlin has to offer.

De Luong takes readers on a moving journey through the loves and losses of these four friends as they each evolve on their paths of self-discovery. While Naked Love Berlin lives up to its title, never skimping on vividly rendered sex—the unbuckling of belts; the mechanics of lubrication; the diversity of organ sizes—it’s the thoughtfully evoked themes of sexual trauma and death that power its gritty yet engaging story of acceptance and friendship. Writing from each man’s POV, De Luong examines how this quartet builds a support system and a community in the face of life-upending events. Each is forced to face his inner demons, in the form of a dying loved one or blurring the lines of friendship with romantic encounters.

This explicit novel is full of depth and larger-than-life characters readers won't soon forget, offering a sweeping story of found family, brotherhood, and sexual identity and discovery. As these four friends make a mess of their lives and work independently or together to pick up the pieces, DeLuong touchingly captures their resilience and camaraderie in the face of whatever life throws their way.

Takeaway: Touching and raw survey of friendship, love, and sexual exploration in Berlin.

Comparable Titles: Tomasz Jedrowski’s Swimming in the Dark, Zak Salih’s Let’s Get Back to the Party.

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

Click here for more about Naked Love Berlin

Raw, pulsing with life and danger, and building to a hard-to-shake climax, this epic novel of growing up in a world gone mad centers on Brendan Kinsella, “a lad filled with hopes and dreams and prayers and promises” in Derry in Northern Ireland, in the tumultuous 1960s, when “Catholics were killed for being Catholic and Catholic schools were attacked by Protestant fools, all because the Catholic minority in the state had the nerve to want the same rights as any Protestant.” Those killed include Brendan’s father. The city seethes and divides as he enters adolescence, confused and fascinated by sex, roiled with complex feelings about his abusive “da”’s death, and all-too-familiar with phrases like “papist scum.” Brendan’s life is shaped by hatreds, bombings, checkpoints, and fleeting moments of connection and beauty in the rubble.

The likelihood of violence haunts both Brendan’s youth and Sullivan’s clipped, brisk, hard-edge prose. A civil rights march facing a line of constables “kept flowing, like a flooded river smashing against a jam of logs and refuse”; Brendan, the famous “fix-it lad” of his circle, laments “the vicious politeness I was being handed by people I’d been doing work for since I could first hold a set of grips.” Dialogue, too, is sharp, slicing, and convincing. The novel is long, but Sullivan, a prolific author in a host of genres, wastes few words conjuring the milieu, the prevailing sense of desperation, and the ugly but undeniable thrill of striking back.

Tense marches and confrontations at checkpoints abound, including one beauty in which women harangue soldiers abusing Brendan and co. with the finest Irish profanity. Sullivan is just as committed to capturing Brendan’s development in moments of relief, working at an auto shop and enjoying the occasional escape, with friends or eventually a lover, into what he calls a “new and amazing world of peace and tolerance.” Those reprieves make the finale all the more wrenching.

Takeaway: Wrenching epic of coming-of-age in Derry during the Troubles.

Comparable Titles: David Keenan’s For the Good Times, Anna Burns’s Milkman.

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

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This life-affirming adventure from Badgley (author of The Foreigner's Confession) follows a Seattle chef, Mallory Jones, through Burma and other enchanting Southeast Asian locales, on a journey of self discovery and unexpected intrigue and danger. Flying to Burma in 1995 to open a new restaurant,a daunting task for a new arrival, Mallory is quickly immersed in the allure of Rangoon’s culture and people, though elements of the city are less welcoming: humidity so strong she could watch “mushrooms sprout on her leather shoes,” plus political instability and the “impression of grand architecture melting into decay.” But her path crossing with a British diplomat, Geoffrey, and a French gem dealer, Thierry, inadvertently entangles her in a plot to steal a priceless Burmese ruby.

Badgley paints a vivid milieu, with welcome attention to Mallory’s perspective as a chef (cooking, for her, is “part chemistry and part magic”) and the sociopolitical realities of Southeast Asia in 1990’s, where “eating certain kinds of food… is a political act.” The fast-paced saga unfolds like an unusually human thriller as Mallory faces one challenge and surprising choice after the next, keeping the pages turning as Mallory discovers what she’s capable of. The local characters are portrayed with empathy, and Badgley’s weaving of history and local traditions through lucid descriptions adds depth.

Mallory seems out of her element, of course—she muses that “there was no chapter in The Lonely Planet Guide” that covers the dark deeds she’s pushed to. But she’s full of surprises and has a way with a knife. Amid its crime narrative and a jaunt to Bangkok, The Worth of a Ruby digs into Mallory’s past, especially an impoverished upbringing marked by trauma and abuse. The ruby itself suggests sinister corruption within as the novel intricately explores the boundaries of morality. This engaging thriller will resonate with anyone interested in a fast-paced saga concerned with material as well as spiritual wealth.

Takeaway: A Seattle chef’s Burmese journey veers into surprising thriller territory.

Comparable Titles: Angela Savage’s The Half-Child, Praveen Herat’s Between this World and the Next.

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

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