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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Positively Not Old: Mindset and Longevity Habits for Aging Well
Dr. James Beckwith
www.drjbeckwith.com
Runout Press
9798996666829, $21.99, HC, 214pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Positively-Not-Old-Mindset-Longevity/dp/B0HF66R1TJ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/positively-not-old-james-beckwith/1150930576
Synopsis: The greatest obstacle to aging well isn't your age -- it's the story you've been telling yourself about being your age.
People quietly convince themselves they're slowing down, running out of time, or no longer capable of becoming something more. The mantra becomes "I'm getting old", as though decline is simply part of the deal. Those beliefs shape the choices they make, the opportunities they pursue, and ultimately the life they create.
But growing older doesn't have to mean growing old.
With the publication of "Positively Not Old: Mindset and Longevity Habits for Aging Well", Dr. James Beckwith challenges one of the most common myths about aging: That our best years are behind us.
Drawing on more than 35 years of caring for patients, he has seen how the stories people tell themselves about aging often become their reality.
Through a series of engaging essays that are rooted in personal stories and everyday experiences, Dr. Beckwith introduces the upward spiral -- a simple yet powerful philosophy built on one belief:
Small, intentional actions create lasting momentum. Instead of asking you to reinvent your life overnight, he shows how one better decision can lead to another, helping you improve your health, strengthen your relationships, rediscover purpose, and regain confidence in what's still possible.
With "Positively Not Old" readers will learn to:
Replace the downward spiral of limiting beliefs with an upward spiral of growth and possibility.
Build momentum through small, intentional actions instead of waiting for the "perfect time."
Turn setbacks and failure into fuel for becoming stronger, wiser, and more resilient.
Develop habits that help you continue growing physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Embrace the belief that if you keep getting better, you can't get worse.
Filled with practical wisdom, encouraging stories, and simple actions you can apply immediately, "Positively Not Old" will inspire you to stop measuring life by what you've lost and start focusing on everything you can still become.
While everyone gets older, not everyone gets old. The years ahead don't have to be about slowing down. They can become your greatest season of growth!
Critique: Timely and timeless, "Positively Not Old: Mindset and Longevity Habits for Aging Well" by Dr. James Beckwith is essential reading for anyone with concerns about aging, longevity, and making the most out of life as their years advance. "Positively Not Old" is for readers who understand that the only thing worse than getting old is to not get any older. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Positively Not Old" is an ideal DIY instructional guide and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, Senior Citizen Center, and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Positively Not Old" from Runout Press is also readily available in paperback (9798996666805, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. James Beckwith (www.drjbeckwith.com) is a doctor of optometry, medical practice owner, Wild Health Precision Medicine Fellow, speaker, and author. Practicing since 1988, he has spent decades helping patients protect their vision and think more proactively about health and aging.
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
The Career You Crave
Irina Posan
Amplify Publishing
https://amplifypublishinggroup.com
9798900265674, $28.00, HC, 256pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Career-You-Crave-Create-Fulfillment/dp/B0HHGD4SCD
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-career-you-crave-irina-posan/1151226058
Synopsis: You built a successful career. So why is it that you still feel unfulfilled? If you feel trapped between the success you've achieved and the fulfillment you're missing, you are now experiencing an identity lag -- the uncomfortable gap that forms when you outgrow the version of success you once worked diligently to build.
Here's the truth: A successful career should never come at the cost of a deeply fulfilling life. You don't have to settle for work that depletes you and you don't have to start from scratch to fix it.
With the publication of "The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life" professional career coach Irina Posan shows you how to:
Get clear on what you truly want from your career and life
Reconnect with the person you've become-and the future you want to create
Define success around what matters most to you now
Create work that gives you more energy, purpose, and possibility
Make meaningful change without starting over
Create a career you love-and a life you love living.
Critique: Impressively informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life" is critically important and useful reading for anyone having to deal with professional burnout, career disappointments, and unfulfilled personal employment aspirations. A 'real world' practical DIY instructional guide to creating a satisfying career that is far more than 'just a job', "The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library Jobs/Careers collection and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Career You Crave: Create Fulfillment in Your Work and Life" from Amplify Publishing is also available in paperback (9798900262680, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Irina Posan (https://www.irinaposan.com) is a career coach and the founder of Career Cravings, where she's helped thousands of people transform their careers and lives, including her own. She's the author of the upcoming book, The Career You Crave and the host of The Career Cravings Podcast. After fifteen years in HR, Irina saw firsthand how careers are built, how opportunities are created, and why some people move ahead while others get overlooked. Now she helps professionals build careers that feel meaningful, aligned, and connected to the life they actually want to live.
The Psychology Shelf
Stop That Chewing!
Dr. Thomas W. Phelan
Parent Magic
9798995697824, $19.95, PB, 186pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Stop-That-Chewing-Thomas-Phelan/dp/B0HB7DLZLF
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stop-that-chewing-thomas-w-phelan/1150866865
Synopsis: Misophonia (or selective sound sensitivity syndrome) is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds or their associated stimuli, or cues. These cues, known as "triggers", are experienced as unpleasant or distressing and tend to evoke strong negative emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses not seen in most other people. Misophonia and the behaviors that people with misophonia often use to cope with it (such as avoidance of "triggering" situations or using hearing protection) can adversely affect the ability to achieve life goals, communicate effectively, and enjoy social situations. At present, misophonia is not listed as a diagnosable condition in the DSM-5-TR, ICD-11, or any similar manual, making it difficult for most people with the condition to receive official clinical diagnoses of misophonia or medical services. In 2022, an international panel of misophonia experts published a consensus definition of misophonia, and since then, clinicians and researchers studying the condition have widely adopted that definition. (Wikipedia)
"Stop That Chewing!" by Dr. Thomas W. Phelan is a groundbreaking, practical guide for anyone whose life is disrupted by everyday sounds. When chewing, tapping, breathing, or clicking sparks instant anger, disgust, or panic, you are not "too sensitive" -- you are experiencing misophonia.
Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and decades of clinical insight, "Stop That Chewing!" explains why ordinary noises can feel unbearable and, more importantly, what you can do about it.
Blending compassion with clear strategy, "Stop That Chewing!" moves beyond theory into real-world solutions for adults, kids, couples, and families. You will learn how to understand triggers, calm the nervous system, and rebuild confidence in a noisy world-without blaming yourself or others.
Inside this family friendly guide, you will discover:
Why the second reaction often hurts more than the sound itself
The role of disgust, competition, and brain wiring in misophonia
Misophonia's possible role in eating disorders
Practical ABCD tools for triggers, thoughts, and emotions
The powerful 5-Second Plan for real-time relief
Family-friendly strategies to turn survival into thriving
Relief starts with understanding -- and a new way forward!
Critique: Exceptionally well informed and impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Stop That Chewing!" by Dr. Thomas W. Phelan is vitally necessary and essential reading for anyone having to deal with the condition of Misophonia with themselves and/or a family member -- especially parents concerned with their child. An especially and unreservedly recommended pick for family and community library Health/Medicine and Child Psychology collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Stop That Chewing!" from Parent Magic is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Thomas W. Phelan is a registered PhD clinical psychologist who has been in private practice with children and families for over 45 years. He is the author of "1-2-3 Magic" -- one of the most widely read parenting books in the world. Dr. Phelan is also an internationally renowned expert and lecturer on child discipline and ADHD, and has produced and directed five full-length parenting films. Recently diagnosed with and currently being treated for moderate to severe misophonia, he can share both clinical and personal insight into the condition.
The Cookbook Shelf
Forkfuls of Flavor
Ellyn Caruso
Thyme & Zest Press
https://www.forkfulsofflavor.com
9798996415304, $54.99, HC, 204pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Forkfuls-Flavor-Mediterranean-inspired-Dishes-Thrivership/dp/B0HHXZJWGR
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forkfuls-of-flavor-ellyn-m-caruso/1151480214
Synopsis: A life-altering breast cancer diagnosis changes everything. When author Ellyn Caruso faced her own diagnosis, she turned fear into a life-affirming mission: to take back control of her health.
Now with the publication of "Forkfuls of Flavor: Mediterranean-inspired Dishes for Breast Cancer Thrivership" she shares her personal, step-by-step roadmap to vibrant health through the healing power of the world-renowned Mediterranean diet.
With over 4.3 million breast cancer survivors in the US alone, this disease touches almost all of us. "Forkfuls of Flavor" is more than just another cookbook -- it is your practical, inspirational guide to thriving after completing treatment. With it, you can transform your kitchen into a sanctuary of healing, health and vibrant flavor.
Critique: With the inclusion of a Foreword by Sarah Anzevino DNP, ANP-BC (Oncology Breast Cancer Nurse Practitioner), "Forkfuls of Flavor: Mediterranean-inspired Dishes for Breast Cancer Thrivership" is a magnificently illustrated compendium of more than 90 mouth-watering, easy-to-prepare recipes that will provide palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying nourishment for your body -- so necessary for recovery and good health maintenance. This large format hardcover edition of "Forkfuls of Flavor: Mediterranean-inspired Dishes for Breast Cancer Thrivership" from Thyme & Zest Press is a truly extraordinary, kitchen-cook friendly, and unreservedly recommended pick for personal and community library Health & Healing themed cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Ellyn Caruso is an award-winning public relations professional, entrepreneur, author and culinary-curious breast cancer thriver. Founder and principal of CarusoPR, she brings 40 years of communications experience to developing strategic programs and crafting content that brings stories to life. Caruso served on the Rush MD Anderson Cancer Center Patient and Advisory Council and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
50 Things at 50
Chuck Waters
www.ChuckWatersAuthor.com
Independently Published
9798190795035, $12.99, PB, 157pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/50-Things-Everything-Learned-Style/dp/B0HDD8ZCSY
Synopsis: "At fifty, everything I thought would hold me together had already fallen apart."
"50 Things at 50: The Year Everything Fell Away and I Learned to Fall With Style" is the story of how, inside eighteen months, Chuck Waters lost the three things his adult life had been built on: the drinking he had used to get through thirty years of being the provider, a relationship that had run on and off for nearly seven years, and the business he had built from nothing.
Then he turned fifty.
What he did next was not a plan. It was a list. Fifty things at fifty, most of which scared him. Skydiving. A first marathon. A bungee jump three hundred feet above a canyon in Cabo. Ten miles into the Okefenokee in February, camped that far from the nearest other human being, on one of the coldest nights of the year. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, he met the woman he would marry.
"50 Things at 50" is the honest record of that year and the years after it from a man learning to watch his own thinking instead of believing it, to forgive what could be forgiven, to find out what he was actually for, and to stop fighting currents that were never going to yield to more effort.
"50 Things at 50" is not a bucket-list memorial victory lap. Waters is a massage therapist, not a guru, and he says so up-front and clearly. He is candid about a drinking habit he has not fully resolved, about a father he has forgiven but never reconciled with, and about children who are not in his life. Those threads do not close by the last page, and he refuses to pretend otherwise.
"50 Things at 50" is proof positive that a life can fall apart without being over, and is written by someone still in the middle of it!
Critique: Original, unique, exceptionally well written and a compelling read from start to finish, "50 Things at 50: The Year Everything Fell Away and I Learned to Fall With Style" is a very special kind of middle-age crisis memoir that is realistic, recognizable, and (although intensely personal), will have a universal resonance with men of a similar age. "50 Things at 50" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement and Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "50 Things at 50" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Chuck Waters (www.ChuckWatersAuthor.com)is an author, licensed massage therapist, and lifelong student of intentional living. His writing explores what happens when ordinary life becomes the greatest teacher. Rather than offering easy answers, he invites readers to become careful observers of their own experiences and discover the wisdom that already exists within their lives.
Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me
John Pemberton
Maple Publishers
9798259370869, $23.00, HC, 75pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dusty-Springfield-Beyond-Grave-Me/dp/B0H23YZ4H3
Synopsis: Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 - 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield. She was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop, and dramatic ballads, with French chanson, country, and jazz also in her repertoire. During her 1960s peak, she ranked among the most successful British performers on both sides of the Atlantic. Her image (marked by a peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive hairstyle, heavy makeup with thick black eyeliner and eye shadow, evening gowns, and stylised, gestural performances) made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties. (Wikipedia)
"Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me" by John Pemberton is a deeply personal biography of one woman's extraordinary spiritual journey, and shaped by Pemberton's fascination, discovery, and his continuing emotional connection with the legendary Dusty Springfield.
In this heartfelt biography, Pemberton shares experiences that opened a new understanding of love, loss, memory, and life beyond death. What began as a private journey grew into a story larger than herself, and was specifically intended for Dusty's fans, for believers in the unseen, and for anyone who has ever wondered whether death is truly the end.
Moving, unusual, and deeply reflective, "Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me" offers comfort to lonely souls and hope to those who believe that some bonds may continue beyond the grave.
Critique: An absolute 'must' for the legions of Dusty Springfield fans, "Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me" by John Pemberton will prove to be of special appeal to readers with an interest in mysticism, religious philosophy, and 20th Century singer/performer biographies. Informative, deftly written, and a fascinating read from start to finish, "Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university 20th Century British Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Dusty Springfield Beyond the Grave and Me" from Maple Publishers is also available in paperback (9798259370609, $17.57) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.73).
Editorial Note: As an independent author, John Pemberton draws inspiration from personal and spiritual experiences. He is particularly interested in stories that encourage people to question assumptions and explore possibilities outside conventional wisdom. His writing aims to stimulate curiosity and provide readers with perspectives that may challenge the way they think about unexplained events.
Zina: The Woman Who Changed Worlds
Mary Finnigan
Jorvik Press
https://jorvikpress.com
9781733100793, $19.95, PB, 210pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Zina-Woman-Who-Changed-Worlds/dp/1733100792
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zina-mary-finnigan/1151226108
Synopsis: "Zina: The Woman Who Changed Worlds" is Mary Finnigan's new biography of Zina Rachevsky and follows the extraordinary life journey of this strong-willed woman born almost a hundred years ago and who transformed herself from a Hollywood starlet and supposed Russian princess into one of the world's first western-born Tibetan Buddhist nuns.
Zina Rachevsky's wild and eccentric life began in Paris in 1930, her mother heiress to an American banking fortune, her father a Russian Tsarist emigre, an ex-army captain with royal connections who narrowly escaped the Bolshevik revolution. She was raised amid the glitter of the artistic and aristocratic elite in 1950s high-society Paris, New York, Hollywood and the Cote d'Azur.
At 16 she was already a celebrity, chosen at a lavish Hollywood party as the most beautiful woman of the season and Princess Palm Beach. By 21 she had been pregnant, had an abortion, attempted suicide, had innumerable lovers, a lesbian relationship, worked as a model, and married a French aristocrat. Her outrageous exploits provided prime material for the gossip columns as she continued her globe-trotting life while bearing two children.
Her spiritual awakening began with her discovery of Theosophy, a late 19th-century esoteric tradition enjoying a revival amid the cultural upheavals of the 1960s. Tiring of her life as a bohemian socialite always on the edge of disaster, she suddenly left Europe for the last time and headed for Nepal to launch her quest for enlightenment. She proceeded to direct her formidable energy into serious contemplative practice.
Though almost penniless, she raised enough credit to cofound, with two Buddhist holymen, a centre where westerners could study and practice and young Sherpa monks could receive spiritual teachings. She had finally created a setting where she could pledge herself to breaking through the barriers of an ego-driven life to seek the ultimate emancipation promised by Buddhist teachings. Zina was a trailblazer who changed lives to become one of the first small group of westerners ordained as Tibetan Buddhist celibate monastics.
Zina died from an intestinal infection in her beloved monastery at the age of 43.
Critique: An extraordinary life lived in extraordinary times, "Zina: The Woman Who Changed Worlds" by biographer Mary Finnigan is an inherently fascinating read from start to finish and one that will be of very high appeal to readers with an interest in the biographies and memoirs of exceptional women of the 20th Century in general, and experienced by female converts to Tibetan Buddhism in particular. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.95), this paperback edition of "Zina: The Woman Who Changed Worlds" from Jorvik Press is an exceptionally informative and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university 20th Century Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: Mary Finnigan was born in Manchester, England just before the start of World War II. In the early sixties she moved to London as a fashion writer for the Daily Mirror and went on to work as a feature writer on the Daily Sketch and Daily Express and as a freelance for the Sunday Times and the Guardian. The legendary musician David Bowie lived with her for a year when he was a penniless folk singer scouting for work in the London clubs. He introduced her to Tibetan Buddhism. Her time with Bowie inspired her to write her first book, Psychedelic Suburbia. After a five-year break from the five-day week, Mary returned to her journalistic career, working as a reporter, editor and producer at Visnews, Independent Radio News and LBC and as a freelance for Thames News, TV-AM and the BBC. She retired from the high-stress world of broadcast journalism in the late eighties.
My Monstrous Family Cookbook: A Memoir
JI Daniels
https://jidaniels.com
Unsolicited Press
https://www.unsolicitedpress.com
9781969421112, $22.95, PB, 284pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/My-Monstrous-Family-Cookbook-Daniels/dp/1969421118
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-monstrous-family-cookbook-ji-daniels/1150851173
Synopsis: With the publication of "My Monstrous Family Cookbook: A Memoir", JI Daniels serves up a searing, darkly funny hybrid memoir told through the language of food.
At its heart is a long-avoided truth: a deeply traumatic moment from childhood involving the Daniels' biological father, an event both unremembered and unspeakable. But rather than dwell in the shadows of that memory, Daniels invites his readers into a kitchen where stories and survival are folded into batter and simmered into stews.
Structured as a cookbook for those who hate cooking blogs, this unique memoir uses the format of recipes, each one acting as an essay, a standalone dish that contributes to the larger feast of a life lived and interrogated. Fried chicken becomes a declaration of love. Croquembouche turns into a performance of social grace. Shrubs and cocktails carry the weight of mortality, masculinity, and inherited trauma. Together, these recipes and reflections explore how food becomes a stand-in for what can't be said, a method of storytelling when language fails.
Blending humor, heartbreak, and biting insight, "My Monstrous Family Cookbook" examines southern culinary history and its entanglements with race, appropriation, family, and identity. Each proffered recipe is both offering and withholding, an invitation to taste, remember, and confront the messy contradictions of family and self. Not just another memoir, "My Monstrous Family Cookbook' offers up a meal you won't forget -- savory, complex, and brimming with emotional heat.
Critique: Original, exceptional, deftly crafted, and a fascinating read from start to finish, "My Monstrous Family Cookbook" is an extraordinary life story told in a unique style that is part cookbook, part social commentary, and part autobiography. Showcasing JI Daniels impressive gift for the kind of narrative driven storytelling that makes for a fully engaging and memorable read throughout, "My Monstrous Family Cookbook" is especially and unreservedly recommended as a prime pick for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: JI Daniels (https://jidaniels.com) is an Assistant Professor of English at Clayton State University in Atlanta, Georgia, the author of the novel, Mount Fugue, the collection of short stories, If You Can, and other stories and essays published in DIAGRAM, Notre Dame Review, Juked, and elsewhere.
Earthquake on the Ice
Estelle Dammerleigh
Bookminster Press
https://bookminsterpress.org
9798989431762, $24.99, HC, 202pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Earthquake-Ice-Legendary-Figure-Skater/dp/B0HGQ4W916
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earthquake-on-the-ice-estelle-dammerleigh/1150827280
Synopsis: Long before he became a two-time Olympic champion and record-breaking figure skater whose performances seemed to defy gravity, Yuzuru Hanyu was a young boy who loved the feeling of flying across the ice.
Then everything changed.
When the devastating 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake struck his hometown of Sendai, 16-year-old Yuzuru was practicing at the rink. Trapped in a collapsing building and surrounded by destruction, he faced a trauma that would shape the rest of his life and career.
In the first English biography of Yuzuru Hanyu, "Earthquake on the Ice: The Story of Legendary Figure Skater Yuzuru Hanyu" by Estelle Dammerleigh goes beyond the medals, records, and standing ovations to reveal the athlete, artist, and humanitarian behind one of the most remarkable careers in sports history.
Through triumphs, injuries, setbacks, and historic victories, Yuzuru never lost sight of the joy that first drew him to the ice. While others focused on scores and rankings, he remained committed to creating performances layered with emotion, precision, and creativity that moved audiences around the world.
Inside this extraordinary biography of competitive figure skating, readers will discover:
How Yuzuru became one of the greatest competitors of the modern era while remaining devoted to artistry, humility, and service to others.
Why connecting with audiences and bringing hope to disaster survivors became central to his skating.
What made his relationship with fans unlike that of any other skater in the sport.
The inspiration and meaning behind some of his most beloved programs, including SEIMEI, White Legend, and Notte Stellata.
Why sports journalists from 137 countries ranked Yuzuru Hanyu among the greatest athletes of the last century.
Complete with photographs, historical context, and detailed skating insights, "Earthquake on the Ice" is both an inspiring biography and an essential guide to understanding Yuzuru Hanyu's lasting influence on the sport. More than a record of an extraordinary career, it offers fans, coaches, skaters, and Olympic sports enthusiasts a deeper look at the artistry, strategy, resilience, and humanity that made Yuzuru a legend.
Whether you're a lifelong skating fan or discovering Yuzuru for the first time, you'll never watch figure skating the same way again.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with a section of B/W photos, "Earthquake on the Ice: The Story of Legendary Figure Skater Yuzuru Hanyu" is the extraordinary life story of an extraordinary athlete and figure skater. Informative, compelling, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Earthquake on the Ice" is an unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary Sports Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Earthquake on the Ice" from Bookminster Press is also available in paperback (9798989431748, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Estelle Dammerleigh is an English educator, writer, and longtime Tokyo resident who has been teaching English in Japan since 1987. After falling in love with Yuzuru Hanyu's soulful performances, she spent years studying his life, career, and figure skating. She shares updates for fans on Instagram at @earthquake_on_the_ice and X at @Estelle_Eotl
Never the Plan
Fleur Bryant
Coalsteam Publishing
9781066638826, $22.99, HC, 256pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Never-Plan-Motherhood-Misdiagnosis-Unexpected/dp/1066638829
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-the-plan-fleur-bryant/1150422639
Synopsis: For much of her life, Fleur Bryant believed strength meant pushing harder. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, she learnt early how to hide her struggles, constantly striving to prove herself through achievement, independence, and determination. From international sailing competitions to career success, she built a life around overcoming limitations and appearing capable enough that nobody would notice what she was fighting so hard to conceal.
Then motherhood changed everything, leading Fleur on a journey that would challenge, shape, and ultimately redefine her understanding of what was possible.
When her son Toby also began struggling to walk, while simultaneously losing the ability to read and write, Fleur found herself thrown into a world of uncertainty, medical appointments, and unanswered questions that would eventually lead to the devastating diagnosis of Adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare and terminal neurological genetic disease.
At the same time, Fleur was also confronting the reality that her own condition had been misunderstood for years and that her mobility was deteriorating too.
But through Toby (her stubbornly determined and fun-loving eight-year-old son, living with a terminal illness) Fleur began to question everything she thought she knew about strength, resilience, and what it truly means to live a meaningful life.
With warmth, candour, and remarkable self-awareness, "Never the Plan: A Memoir of Motherhood, Misdiagnosis, and Unexpected Lessons" explores the pressure of trying to hold everything together when life is falling apart and the challenge of rebuilding your identity when the future you imagined disappears. It is about discovering that even in the most difficult circumstances, life can still hold purpose, connection, possibility, and even fun -- often in ways we never expected.
This is, ultimately, a story about family, resilience, and the choices we make when life doesn't go to plan.
Critique: Exceptional, emotionally moving, and a compelling read from start to finish, "Never the Plan: A Memoir of Motherhood, Misdiagnosis, and Unexpected Lessons" by Fleur Bryant is a deeply honest, deftly crafted, and thought-provoking memoir about what happens when life takes an unexpected, unforseen, and tragic turn. While an unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library disability themed Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Never the Plan" is also available in paperback (9781066638802, $18.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle,$9.99).
Editorial Note: Fleur Bryant is a speaker, writer, founder of the Make Way Foundation, and Robbins-Madanes trained coach whose work focuses on helping people navigate life when it does not go to plan while helping others find strength through loss, uncertainty, and major life changes.
Nobody Told Me That
Roger Magalhaes
www.rogermagalhaes.com
Orange Glow Press
9798995167723, $23.99, HC, 166pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Told-That-Storytelling-Influence/dp/B0H86W71K6
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nobody-told-me-that-roger-magalhaes/1150299414
Synopsis: Nobody tells you about the moments that change the trajectory of your life or business.
Not the big, obvious ones -- the quiet ones. Such as the conversation you almost didn't have. The deal that fell apart and redirected your career. The mistake you'd take back -- until you realized it was the best thing that ever happened to you. The moments that leave you wondering if you're falling behind when, in reality, you're being redirected.
"Nobody Told Me That: How Storytelling Creates Trust, Influence, and Impact at Work and in Life" by Roger Magalhaes is a business memoir built from a curated collection of raw, immigrant-rooted, real-life turning points earned across two decades of entrepreneurship. Through stories of immigration, reinvention, and hard-earned lessons, business owner Roger Magalhaes reveals how courage creates opportunity, how relationships shape success, and how the stories we share (and the way we tell them) create trust, connection, and impact.
Roger is a self-made entrepreneur who learned through experience. He started where most people don't -- at the bottom, with no contacts, no road map, and a language he was still learning. He built a business one client, one relationship, and one risk at a time.
What he discovered along the way surprised him: success isn't built through perfect plans. It's built through courage, persistence, meaningful relationships, and the willingness to keep moving forward when the path ahead isn't clear.
"Nobody Told Me That" covers:
The turning points every entrepreneur, business owner, and leader eventually faces and what they're really trying to teach you.
How honest storytelling builds trust faster than any pitch or credential.
Why your hardest seasons often become the turning points that shape your future.
Why courage is built through action -- not confidence.
What most people call "luck" -- and why it's almost never that.
For entrepreneurs, small business owners, leaders, coaches, or anyone rebuilding from scratch, these stories will remind you that you're not alone -- and that you don't have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward.
If things haven't gone the way you expected, you're in good company. That's exactly where this story begins!
Critique: Exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "Nobody Told Me That: How Storytelling Creates Trust, Influence, and Impact at Work and in Life" by Roger Magalhaes is a life story that is informative, motivating, and a compelling read from start to finish. Of immense relevance to readers with an interest in Hispanic/Emigrant biographies and successful self-employment based business memoirs, "Nobody Told Me That" is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library business themed Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Nobody Told Me" from Orange Glow Press is also available in paperback (9798995167709, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Roger Magalhaes (www.rogermagalhaes.com) is a Brazilian-born entrepreneur, storyteller, and the founder of Shades In Place Inc. He rose from unloading trucks at night to building a nationally respected business and becoming a leader in the window-coverings industry, including serving as past president of the Window Covering Association of America. In 2022, he received the Immigrant Entrepreneur Award for Outstanding Business Growth.
Love Letters to the Dirty South
Thao Ha
High Road Books
c/o University of New Mexico Press
www.unmpress.com
9780826370174, $27.95, HC, 264pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Letters-Dirty-South-Thao/dp/0826370179
Synopsis: In 1997, Thao Ha's first love took the rap for a drive-by shooting and was sentenced to sixty years in the infamous Beto Unit, the most violent maximum-security prison in Texas. His name was Vu, and like Thao, he was a Vietnamese refugee in Houston's Little Saigon neighborhood. Though steeped in Viet Pride, neither of them remembered the country they'd been evacuated from as infants. What they did know were the Vietnamese street gangs that ran wild in Houston. By her early twenties Thao had been arrested for theft, had transported a fugitive across county lines, and had been shot as a bystander in a pool-hall fracas turned violent.
After Vu's sentence and her near-death experience, Thao parted ways with both Vu and gang life. She got serious about school and majored in sociology under the mentorship of an inspiring professor. She earned a PhD and secured a tenured professorship at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, California.
The following decades of her professional success also included marriages, divorces, failed relationships, and family trauma. But like an inextinguishable flame in the distance, the memory of Vu always beckoned to her. As she worked with a program that helped formerly incarcerated people gain access to education, she wrestled with whether to reconnect with him. After finding a box of old letters from Vu during a move, she took the plunge and wrote to him. The letters progressed to phone calls and prison visits, and Thao recognized that she was still in love with him.
But three years after they reconnected, their rekindled love story was cut tragically short.
"Love Letters to the Dirty South" by Thao Ha is a candidly presented memoir about what it means to love, long for, and lose someone incarcerated. Offering a counter-narrative to the typical immigrant's story, Thao Ha deftly uses her sociology background to explore refugee trauma and prison injustice, demonstrating the impact of unconditional love when navigating the dehumanizing system of mass incarceration. In this stunning personal life story, she shares her story of reckless youth, love reclaimed and tragically lost, and the power of words to transcend boundaries with unflinching honesty, insight, and conviction.
Critique: Original, brutally honest, deftly presented, intensely personal, true life story, "Love Letters to the Dirty South" Thao Ha will hold a universal resonance for her readers. This is a unique memoir that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary Asian-American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Love Letters to the Dirty South" from High Road Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Thao Ha is a professor at MiraCosta College. She earned a doctorate in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and has published in the areas of race, immigration, and Vietnamese American experiences in the South. She was an advisor and associate producer of Seadrift, a 2019 documentary about racial violence and KKK intimidation in the 1970s against Vietnamese Americans in a small Texas fishing town. She serves as board president of the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, executive director of Collective Freedom, and board chair of the Doan Foundation for the Arts.
Reckoning: A Journey Through Tragedy, Triumph & Transcendence
Jim Minarik
https://www.jimminarik.com
Rethink Books
https://books.rethinkpress.com
9798903890446, $29.99, HC, 292pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-Journey-Through-Tragedy-Transcendence/dp/B0HLWBF1V6
Synopsis: His brother committed murder. Clinical depression descended twice. The church abandoned his family when they needed it most. -- But Jim Minarik built a half-billion-dollar company anyway.
Minarik rang the bell to open the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. He finished seven marathons. He had a wonderful wife and two great kids. He split his time between his home in California and circling the globe on the world's most exclusive residential yacht. From the outside, he had everything. -- Inside, he couldn't stop running and achieving.
But achievement couldn't undo his brother's crime. Success couldn't answer what mattered most: Who am I beneath the titles? Why am I here? What does this all mean?
Therapy wasn't enough. So Minarik turned to the unconventional: meditation, MDMA therapy, ketamine therapy, psilocybin, and shamanic ceremony. He encountered an ancient Spirit Man, backed an expedition into the Amazon, and finally confronted what he'd spent decades running from.
"Reckoning" is more than a CEO's story. Part true crime memoir, part business book, and part exploration of mental health and spiritual awakening, it is a raw, unflinching account of loss, identity, love, leadership, and reinvention. Intended reading for anyone who has achieved, endured, struggled with depression, or felt the quiet pull toward something more, "Reckoning" is an invitation to reconsider what truly matters -- and to keep growing beyond professional success.
Critique: An inherently riveting memoir that will hold immense appeal for readers with an interest in Popular/Medical Psychology and Psychopharmacology relevant memoirs of successful business professionals with unique backgrounds to overcome, "Reckoning" is an articulate, compelling, and inherently fascinating read and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Reckoning" from Rethink Books is also available in paperback (9798903890064, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Jim Minarik (https://www.jimminarik.com) is an entrepreneur, business leader, and former CEO who helped build a half-billion-dollar company. Throughout his career he rang the opening bell at the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, completed seven marathons, and traveled the world in business. In Reckoning, he shares the deeply personal story behind those accomplishments-including family tragedy, depression, spiritual exploration, and the lifelong search for meaning beyond success.
God Doesn't Relapse
Matt Grace
https://mattgrace.com
Lasega Books
https://www.lasegabooks.com
9781637635506, $28.00, HC, 256pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/God-Doesnt-Relapse-Almost-Killed/dp/1637635508
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/god-doesnt-relapse-matt-grace/1148939109
Synopsis: More than 48 million Americans are battling substance use disorder -- and more than half of those who find their way to recovery will relapse. The numbers are staggering, but statistics alone can't capture the devastation.
With the publication of "God Doesn't Relapse: Sex, Drugs, and the Life That Almost Killed Me" by Matt Grace does.
In his gripping and unflinchingly honest memoir, Grace takes his readers inside the chaos, compulsion, and collapse that defined his spiral into addiction. He lays bare the layered dependencies that stole his dignity, the recklessness that shattered the lives around him, and the spiritual reckoning that ultimately saved him. Grace never softens the truth. He never hides behind excuses. What he offers instead is raw reality -- and the profound transformation that followed.
You may flinch at the destructive, manipulative person he became, but you will just as fiercely root for the man he is now: more than twenty years sober, grounded in humility, and committed to serving others.
Grace's story is not just personal -- it's urgently relevant. As prescription drug abuse surges, as fentanyl turns every relapse into a potential death sentence, and as families across the country grapple with loss, disappearance, and exploitation, this memoir exposes the deep fractures in the lives of addicts and the often-inadequate approaches within the addiction treatment industry.
But "God Doesn't Relapse" is ultimately a deeply personal story about hope. If recovery begins with personal responsibility, lasting transformation is a shared, spiritual, and communal journey.
Critique: Intensely personal but with a universal resonance, "God Doesn't Relapse: Sex, Drugs, and the Life That Almost Killed Me" is a timely, deftly crafted, candidly honest story of addiction and recovery that is a relevant and unreservedly recommended addition for personal, professional, community, and college/university library substance abuse themed contemporary memoir. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "God Doesn't Relapse" from Lasega Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Matt Grace (https://mattgrace.com) is an author, speaker, and transformational recovery expert who has devoted his life to helping people break free from addiction and reclaim their future. With more than twenty years of sobriety, a bachelor's degree in Addiction Studies with a focus on Integrative Healing, and over 10,000 hours mentoring individuals and families, he has become a trusted guide to both the highly privileged and the deeply overlooked. He is also the founder of Saving Grace, a practice designed to help families navigate the painful intersection of generational wealth and generational wounds.
The General Fiction Shelf
Clayton
Missy Stahr
Palmetto Publishing
https://www.palmettopublishing.com
9798318828744, $27.99, HC, 454pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Clayton-Missy-Stahr/dp/B0GJG5GR3Z
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clayton-missy-stahr/1148997729
Synopsis: "Clayton" by Missy Stahr is a deftly crafted novel that deals with the failed hopes and dreams of one man. It is a heartbreaking story of homelessness and how it happens to him. "Clayton" brings out the stark realities of addiction, PTSD, and living in our country as an illegal immigrant. While a work of fiction, Clayton was a real person -- and much of the story is true.
Critique: Missy Stahr is one of those authors who seem to have an inherent knack for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that makes for an inherently riveting read from start to finish. Original, exceptional, and deftly crafted, "Clayton" will prove to be of immense appeal to readers with an interest in homelessness themed biographical fiction -- one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Clayton" is also readily available in paperback (9798318820632, $22.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Missy Stahr is a native of Arkansas where she still resides. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, receiving a degree in theater arts and psychology. She later completed her master's degree in special education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She is a former teacher, having taught for several years in the public school system. Although she has written poetry and music, this is her first novel. She has since written a second novel, with an idea for a third! She has always been an avid reader and especially looks forward to her book club meetings once a month. She shares a home in rural northeast Arkansas with her husband, dogs, cat, horse, and many other wild birds and animals.
Winterset Hollow
Jonathan Edward Durham
www.jonathanedwarddurham.com
Union Square & Co.
c/o Hachette Book Group
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9781454965329, $19.99, PB, 400pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Winterset-Hollow-Jonathan-Edward-Durham/dp/1454965320
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winterset-hollow-jonathan-edward-durham/1140134278
Synopsis: When Eamon and his two closest friends, Caroline and Mark, journey to Addington Isle, they hope to explore the island that inspired their favorite book, Winterset Hollow -- a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival.
But when the trio break into the author's apparently abandoned estate, they discover that much of what the world believes to be fantasy is real, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. In fact, making it through the final chapter might just cost them everything!
Critique: This paperback edition of "Winterset Hollow" by Jonathan Edward Durham features the complete version of 'the book within the book' of Winterset Hollow, as written by fictional author Edward Addington. Original, compelling, and certain to appeal to readers with an interest in the deftly crafted anthropomorphic slasher/psychological horror fiction, "Winterset Hollow" is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Fantasy/Horror collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Winterset Hollow" from Union Square & Co. is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jonathan Edward Durham (www.jonathanedwarddurham.com) was born in Eastern Pennsylvania where he read voraciously through his youth and beyond. He studied literature at William and Mary while pursuing a degree in neuroscience, and now writes to bridge the wonder of his favorite childhood books with the pop sensibilities of the classic thrillers he grew up with.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Farther Shore
Seth Fleisher
Green City Books
https://greencitybooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonepublishing.com
9781963101249, $19.95, PB, 460pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Farther-Shore-Seth-Fleisher/dp/1963101243
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-farther-shore-seth-fleisher/1149823461
Synopsis: Southern Africa, turn of the twentieth century.
Marais is a brilliant naturalist and iconoclastic journalist whose evolving theories about memory, addiction, and the hive mind are decades ahead of their time. But when tragedy strikes, he disappears into a remote African forest -- leaving behind his newborn child and his conscience, and embarking on research that will haunt both their lives.
Thirty years later, his son Charles (now a professor of ancient Buddhist history at Harvard) discovers that the university's most powerful faculty are mining his father's research to bolster theories of racial hierarchy. Accompanied by a mysterious Jewish graduate student whose fate has become entangled with his own, Charles must journey to South Africa to confront his father, heal his fractured past, and stop a sinister plot taking root at the world's most prestigious institution.
Set across two interlocking timelines (from the British concentration camps of the Boer War to the rising shadow of the Third Reich), "The Father Shore" is a heart-wrenching, but exhilarating novel about memory, love, and identity, and about the vast distances we'll travel to find our way home. Author Seth Fleisher also explores questions that outlast a single life: what a son owes a parent who left him behind, and what a father owes the child he abandoned; how science can be used to heal or destroy; and how faith, grief, and forgiveness can cross generations.
"The Farther Shore" is a novel about inheritance in every sense -- of genius and of guilt, and of the violence that colonialism and fascism leave in their wake.
Critique: Original, exceptional, compelling, deftly crafted and a thought-provoking read from start to finish, "The Farther Shore" by Seth Fleisher is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for both personal reading lists as well as community and college/university library Jewish Historical/Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "The Farther Shore" from Green City Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798236033237, $35.95, CD)
Editorial Note: Seth Fleisher is an American author whose work has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Pearl, the Journal of Anthropological Research, and elsewhere. Based in Berkeley, California, he has worked with the World Bank Group and other NGOs in South Africa, India, and more than 40 other countries, and co-founded a U.S.-based democracy initiative to counter the rising tide of authoritarianism. A former Fulbright scholar in Sri Lanka, Seth did Ph.D. work at Harvard in Buddhist social history, a fellowship at Harvard's Center for the Study of World Religions, and a B.A. in literature at Swarthmore, where he and his wife first met in a Chaucer seminar.
Aletheia: Vol II: The Binds Of Fate
Luigi A. Kohli
Troubador Publishing
9781836282969, $18.99, PB, 488pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Aletheia-Binds-Fate-Ben-Hur-Saga/dp/1836282966
Synopsis: Justus Pilate is exiled in Parthia, his once favored family all but destroyed by forces in the shadows of Imperial Rome. To say nothing of the love of his life who died a hero's death. Or so he thought. And the keys to his freedom? They are a curse he dare not use.
Until, one day, a message comes that forces his hand. Justus's brother Cassius lives! However, he soon discovers Cassius is not the man he once was. His path has turned to blind vengeance, his rage a winnowing fan at the embers of a new faith. A faith destined to cover the world, but not without bloodshed. The haruspex has seen it. Save Cassius does not believe in destiny, much less that he has a role to play in a much bigger game than he realizes!
Critique: A deftly crafted and compelling read from start to finish, "Aletheia: Vol II: The Binds Of Fate" by Luigi A. Kohli is a part of his two volume 'A Ben-Hur' series set in the ancient Roman Empire and is the sequel to "Aletheia: Vol I: In The Shadows". Kohli's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style fully engages the reader in a kind of 'theatre of the mind' experience. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Aletheia: Vol II: The Binds Of Fate" from Troubadour Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Luigi Kohli is an award-winning author, born in London in 1965 to an Italian mother and Indian father. The family moved to the south of England shortly after. He grew up in a household full of stories, with his grandparents having lived as adults through two of the world's most turbulent events: WWII and the partition of India. A lover of books and the movie epics of the 50's and 60's, he was struck by one story in particular. Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ (written by Lew Wallace).
Dark Messiah
Sara Z. Carson
https://sarazcarsonauthor.com
Navigator
9798994998038, $28.00, HC, 352pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Messiah-Novel-Sara-Carson/dp/B0GVZMLYCR
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-messiah-sara-z-carson/1149827886
Synopsis: In 1975 San Francisco, 15-year-old Nell's world has been ripped apart by her younger sister's sudden, tragic death and her parents' subsequent divorce. As her mother desperately reaches out for solace from any quarter (new hobbies, new philosophies, new relationships) a boyfriend leads her into the cult of a charismatic man known as Father. His message of peace and healing proves irresistible, and soon Nell and her mother join his mysterious Church of the People.
As they are drawn increasingly into the vortex of the Church, the community comes to consume their lives, and Nell's concerns begin to build. She becomes enrolled in the school they operate, is intimidated into adopting their ways of dressing and acting, and is removed from her home.
At the same time, the dangers lurking in the cult's shadows emerge: threats, physical abuse, and the sudden disappearances of members to Father's new "utopian" community deep in the jungles of South America. When Nell is secreted there alongside their fellow followers, they come under Father's power as never before -- with horrific and devastating consequences.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, heart wrenching, "Dark Messiah" by Sara Z. Carson is the compelling story of a girl becoming a woman as her world is thrown into an apocalyptic chaos and a struggle for emotional and physical survival. Of immense relevance for readers with an interest in cults and cult life, "Dark Messiah" is a simply riveting read from start to finish and highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Fiction collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Dark Messiah" from Navigator is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Sara Z. Carson (https://sarazcarsonauthor.com) is a public relations professional who lives with her family in Brooklyn. "Dark Messiah" is her first novel.
Samantha: The Next Chapter
Fiona Davis
American Girl Publishing
9781683372653, $30.00, HC, 272pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683372654
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/samantha-fiona-davis/1149447532
Synopsis: It's 1920, and 25-year-old Samantha Parkington is working hard to educate women in New York about suffrage and encourage them to vote in their first presidential election that fall.
But when Samantha's large inheritance (including her childhood Mount Bedford home) is stolen in a shocking scheme, she goes from socialite to shop girl overnight and experiences a very different side of New York City living in a boarding house.
Searching for clues regarding the theft of her inheritance, she infiltrates the business of a notorious criminal in New York City. Determined as ever, Samantha will do whatever it takes to find answers and save her family's legacy.
Critique: An original, carefully crafted and thoroughly entertaining work of historical fiction by novelist Fiona Davis, "Samantha: The Next Chapter" is an engaging read from cover to cover and a highly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Samantha: The Next Chapter" from American Girl Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Fiona Davis on FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/fiona-davis
Coming of Age: The Story of Pen and Gail
Sam Sperry
Peanut Butter Publishing
https://peanutbutterpublishing.com
9781598493924, $19.95, PB, 416pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Age-Story-Pen-Gail/dp/1598493922
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coming-of-age-sam-sperry/1151134595
Synopsis: In a rapidly changing mid century America defined by ambition and prejudice, two girls cling to the one thing the world can't take from them: each other.
Pen and Gail dream big in a society determined to keep women small. As they step into adulthood, they confront the realities of racism, the seduction of romance, and the ruthless misogyny of a business world built for men. Beauty, intelligence, and drive open doors, but also make them more vulnerable than either girl imagined.
One must navigate life without a mother's guidance. The other is shaped by a woman whose love is both anchor and compass. The social and economic tides of the era push them toward futures they did not anticipate. Along the way, unexpected allies influence their choices. They learn that wealth and success may not protect them from heartache and disappointment.
When violence threatens their safety and passion tests their loyalty, Pen and Gail must decide what success truly means, and how their friendship can survive the vagaries of an evolving social order.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and a compelling read from cover to cover, "Coming of Age: The Story of Pen and Gail" by Sam Sperry has written an extraordinary story of the strength, resilience, and unbreakable bond that holds a friendship between two women trying to make their way in a world that seeks to suppress their ambitions personally and professional. One of those novels so well written that it will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Coming of Age: The Story of Pen and Gail" from Peanut Butter Press is unreservedly commended and recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: A native of Seattle, Washington, Sam Sperry's 47-year career included work as a journalist, a professional journalism fellowship, public service in government, communications consulting, adjunct teaching Political Science, and volunteer service with several institutions.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Brothers in Service
A. M. Soliman
https://amsoliman.com
Independently Published
9798188269494, $15.99, PB, 285pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Service-Novel-M-Soliman/dp/B0HGMJ344T
Synopsis: On September 11, 2001, Omar Bakari walked out of the World Trade Center covered in ash and came home to New Jersey. His twin sons answered the years that followed in opposite ways: Ali with the Constitution, Adam with a uniform -- until something happened in Iraq that neither brother could speak of, and a family built on service went silent.
Now, in 2026 (as the country talks itself toward another war) Omar's grandson Elias begins asking the questions no one will answer. What he finds is not a secret but a wound: a story of what fear does to a country, what war does to the people sent to fight it, and what it costs a family to finally tell itself the truth.
Spanning a quarter century of American life, "Brothers in Service" by civil rights trial attorney and former journalist A. M. Soliman is an original and deftly crafted novel of faith, inheritance, and one Muslim American family's long answer to a single September morning that will life on in infamy. And what it means to serve a country that never stopped asking you to prove you belong -- and it asks the question hanging over this American moment: if a country never reckons with its last war, what stops it from walking into the next one?
Critique: A simply riveting read from start to finish, "Brothers in Service" is a memorable and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Brothers in Service" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: A. M. Soiman (https://amsoliman.com) is a trial attorney whose practice includes civil rights litigation. Before entering the law, he was a journalist: a newspaper reporter, a columnist for The Record, a commentator on CNN and NPR, and the producer and director of the 2003 PBS documentary Born in the USA: Muslim Americans. His opinion writing earned a New Jersey Press Association award. His fiction draws on the world he knows from the inside -- courtrooms, families, and the institutions that decide who gets believed. He writes upmarket literary fiction about law, faith, memory, and the cost of telling the truth.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Who Needs Mistletoe?
Sarah Estep
Entangled: Amara
https://entangledpublishing.com
9781682817049, $22.99, PB, 400pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Who-Needs-Mistletoe-Advent-Romance/dp/1682817040
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-needs-mistletoe-sarah-estep/1149910567
Synopsis: Ten years ago, Ivy Weaver left town after a confession meant for her longtime crush, Austin, accidentally landed in the hands of his older brother, Grant. His brutal reaction made leaving easy. Staying away for ten years? Even easier.
Until now.
Ivy is home for Christmas, Austin is suddenly interested, and Grant is realizing the girl he let get away might have been meant for him all along.
Between a chaotic family holiday, old feelings, new possibilities, and a second chance neither of them saw coming, Grant is running out of time to prove that the boy Ivy once loved isn't the man she was meant to end up with.
Critique: The stuff of which Hallmark Movies are made, "Who Needs Mistletoe?" by Sarah Estep is a fun read from cover to cover and a 'must' for fans of holiday themed second-chance romances. As an author, Sarah Estep proves herself to be original and with an impressive flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style that keeps the reader fully engaged and appreciating a classic 'happy-ever-after' style ending. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Who Needs Mistletoe?" from Entangled: Amara is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Sarah Estep (www.sarahestep.com) is a romance author who loves small towns, romantic comedies, and niche pop culture references. She is also the author of the small-town romantic comedy series The Brunch Bros.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Dance in a Madhouse
Jess Wright
https://jesswrightmd.com
Montague Books
https://www.stablebookgroup.com/pages/montague-books
9781646049325, $19.99, PB, 288pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Madhouse-Novel-Townsend-Mystery/dp/1646049322
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dance-in-a-madhouse-jess-wright/1149599089
Synopsis: Philadelphia, 1905.
A month ago, Owen Townsend was a medical intern primed for success. Now he is locked in Fairmount Lodge, an asylum where the public is invited to gawk at the patients. His fall was sudden: typhoid fever, delirium, an act of violence. Is Owen sane -- a victim of a toxin no longer in his system? Or is he as psychotic as his doctor claims?
There are fires at Fairmount. Attacks that defy logic. Terror instead of treatment. Though others dismiss his concerns as paranoia, Owen soon realizes that someone wants him put away forever -- or dead. To survive, he not only must navigate the labyrinth of the madhouse but also must recruit someone on the outside to his cause.
Brumbaugh, a shrewd police inspector, is the man for the job -- and Celeste, an enigmatic young opera singer who transfixes him after he saves her from suicide, might have the clues they need to solve the mystery. But if Owen is going to find a way to freedom, he'll first have to decipher riddles from Celeste's tortured past.
Set at the dawn of modern psychiatric treatment, "Dance in a Madhouse" by Jess Wright is a thrilling testament to courage and resilience. Can Owen and Celeste overcome the odds against them? Are redemption and healing possible? The dances will tell.
Critique: Original, exceptionally well written, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Dance in a Madhouse" showcases author Jess Wrights remarkable flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling that is ideal for an historical psychological thriller. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition from Montague Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Jess Wright (https://jesswrightmd.com) is an internationally recognized psychiatrist. The first author of a trilogy of critically acclaimed medical books on cognitive-behavior therapy, his research on therapy for depression has received multiple grant awards from the National Institutes of Health; and he has lectured widely in Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. Wright's debut novel, A Stream to Follow, is an award-winning account of a battlefield surgeon's recovery from the psychological trauma of warfare.
The Caterer
Nick Greenberg
Speaking Volumes, LLC
9798890225085, $18.95, PB, 310pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Caterer-Cook-Crook-Nick-Greenberg/dp/B0HJFGRRPQ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-caterer-nick-greenberg/1151309779
Synopsis: Chef Anton Cherny thought he'd left his life as an art thief behind, but his girlfriend's father, Russian mob boss Peter Danielovitch, has other plans.
Danielovitch may have wiped Anton's old debts clean, but the price is steep: steal priceless masterpieces to fill the mobster's private gallery. Fortunately, Anton's elite catering business provides the perfect cover, turning every high-society gala into a high-stakes heist.
As a ruthless Ukrainian rival closes in, and FBI agents tighten their net, Anton's options are running out. To save his business, his freedom, and his life, he must pull off one final robbery -- or lose everything!
Critique: The second title in author Nick Greenberg's 'By Cook or By Crook' suspense thriller, "The Caterer" is a fun read from crime novel fans from cover to cover. With the added element of cooking humor, Greenberg's genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style makes his novels come alive in a kind of 'theatre of the mind' experience for his readers, "The Caterer" is a solid and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "The Caterer" from Speaking Volumes is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Nick Greenberg is also the author of "The Culinary Caper" (Speaking Volumes, 9798890223036, $19.95 PB, $6.99 Kindle, 374pp).
The Long Game
Sue Robertson Danells
Old Crow Books
https://newsletter-oldcrowbooks.com
9781036919085, $13.69, PB, 471pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Game-Maggie-Dent-Novels/dp/1036919080
Synopsis: When a young woman is found dead in the woods near St Albans, Detective Inspector Maggie Dent is determined to uncover the truth. But as the investigation unfolds, it tears open wounds too close to home.
When the trail leads to her own family's doorstep, Maggie must decide how much she's willing to lose for justice.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, an a compelling read from start to finish, "The Long Game" by Sue Robertson Danells is a tense, gripping, and emotional British detective mystery set in small-town England and an ideal choice for dedicated cozy mystery fans where a DI Maggie Dent must deal with small town corruption. A cozy mystery that stars a female detectives with grit and heart and where justice comes at a cost, "The Long Game" will hold a special appeal for readers with an interest in British police procedurals, and is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "The Long Game" from Old Crow Books is also currently available in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99).
Editorial Note: Sue Robertson Danells spent her working life in education, writing countless reports and documents, but never thought she would write a novel. Everything changed in retirement when she first published at the age of 71. She writes in different genres which provide the backdrop for her character led stories. Sue's interest is the human condition, the way in which experiences shape us; the choices we make whether good or bad and what influences those choices. She has published three stand-alone novels and two of a crime trilogy featuring DI Maggie Dent, with more waiting in the wings.
The Silence on the Line
Jordi Gaxiola
https://www.jordigaxiola.com
In Nebula Lux
https://www.innebulalux.com
9798258864970, $24.99, HC, 348pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Line-Jordi-Gaxiola/dp/B0GYL17R8Q
Synopsis: November 2001. Somewhere in the suburbs, couples are found dead inside their homes. The doors are left open. The mirrors are covered. And the music (always oldies, always love songs) is still playing when the police arrive.
Ethan Crane runs The Frequency Files, an online forum built for people who notice what others miss. When the killings begin, his community becomes obsessed -- and so does he. He sees the details the press keeps smoothing over: the covered mirrors, silent 911 calls, lipstick smeared across the faces of the men.
He brings his findings to two detectives who couldn't be more different. Marcus Hale is polished and camera-ready, and Leo Mercer is a veteran worn down by the cases that never let go. But as the body count rises and Ethan's observations prove too precise, the investigation begins to turn back toward him. His posts start reading less like theory and more like confession. And a phone number from his past surfaces where it has no right to be.
"The Silence on the Line" is a dark literary thriller about obsession, identity, voyeurism, and the thin membrane between watching a story and becoming one. Set in a pre-smartphone era of VHS tapes, dial-up forums, and landlines that ring in the dark, "The Silece on the Line" follows a man who becomes so fixated on the pattern that he may already be standing at its center.
Critique: The first of a two book "Frequency Files" series, "The Silence on the Line" by Jordi Gaxiola is an original and deftly crafted psychological suspense thriller of a read from start to finish. Of particular appeal for readers with an interest in police procedurals and serial killer themed murder mysteries, "The Silence on the Line" is a recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Silence on the Line" is also readily available in paperback (9798258642660, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Jordi Gaxiola (https://www.jordigaxiola.com) writes about the things that happen in quiet rooms -- where obsession looks like devotion, silence sounds like music, and the line between watching and participating disappears without warning.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Taste of Rain in Buenos Aires
Will Dowd
https://www.willdowd.net
Etruscan Press
https://etruscanpress.org
9798990767881, $18.00, PB, 124pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Rain-Buenos-Aires/dp/B0GK6B9CB9
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-taste-of-rain-in-buenos-aires-will-dowd/1149564956
Synopsis: When a vision disorder stole his ability to read, Will Dowd found himself exiled from the world of books -- until he discovered an unusual path back through the landscape of dreams. Armed with an experimental dream-inception device from MIT, Dowd embarked on a year long odyssey into his own unconscious.
"The Taste of Rain in Buenos Aires" chronicles twenty extraordinary dream narratives born from this first-of-its-kind experiment:
A service dog navigates grief after his owner's death. A time-travel tour guide loses tourists across centuries. An alien researcher falls in love with Earth despite himself. The stories in this collection emerge from a mind at its most unguarded, each one intimate, strange, and deeply human.
Part literary experiment, part exploration of consciousness, "The Taste of Rain in Buenos Aires" reveals how dreams, like books, can become portals to other worlds -- wild, untamable places where the impossible is married to the everyday and even exile can become a form of homecoming.
Critique: Original, unique, fascinating, deftly crafted, "The Taste of Rain in Buenos Aires" by Will Dowd is a compendium of exceptional short stories that will be of particular appeal to readers with an interest in Magical Realism and Paranormal Fantasy. An inherently engaging read from start to finish, "The Taste of Rain in Buenos Aires" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Will Dowd (https://www.willdowd.net) is a writer and artist based outside Boston. He is an editorial cartoonist for The Boston Globe, a poetry editor at Post Road Magazine, and the author of the widely read newsletter The Lunar Dispatch.
Harbinger
Geneva Lee
www.genevalee.com
Entangled: Ret Tower Books
https://entangledpublishing.com
9781682816738, $32.99, 496pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Harbinger-slow-burn-romantasy-dangerous-secrets/dp/1682816737
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harbinger-geneva-lee/1151449024
Synopsis: Arden Icaros was never supposed to matter. From the poorest of five noble bloodlines, she prefers life on the family farm with dirt under her nails over the fine dresses at court. She just needs to get through one boring ceremony, inherit her earth magic, and return home.
Instead, she's handed a dagger and with it, an impossible choice.
Now Arden is branded an omen of war, half the nobility wants her dead, and assassins are tracking her every move. Her only chance of survival lies with the most feared man in Antares.
They call him Bishop. No one remembers the name he had before he dedicated his life to his order. Empowered to execute first and question later, Bishop is ruthless, terrifying, and utterly loyal to the kingdom that wants Arden dead.
He should kill her. Instead, he offers her sanctuary.
But the longer Arden stays under Bishop's protection, the more dangerous he becomes. Because Bishop has secrets powerful enough to topple kingdoms...and a need for Arden that could ruin them both.
Critique: A fun and compelling read from cover to cover, "Harbinger" launches a new epic fantasy series by Geneva Lee. The author's impressive flair for imaginative, character, and narrative driven storytelling style is ideal for creating a romantic action/adventure heroic fantasy that is ideal for genre. While this hardcover edition of "Harbinger" from Entangled: Red Tower Books will prove an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of fantasy fans that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Geneva Lee (www.genevalee.com) is the author of the Filthy Rich series (now optioned for television by Amazon MGM Studios), the Rivals Saga, the Royals Saga, and Harbinger, among other works. A recovering academic, Geneva traded studying books for writing them and never looked back.
Tales from The Foxes of Foxham
Matteo Sedazzari, author
Andy Catling, illustrator
ZANI
https://foxesoffoxham.com
9781838462420, $9.99, PB, 201pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Foxes-Foxham-Matteo-Sedazzari/dp/1838462422
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tales-from-the-foxes-of-foxham-matteo-sedazzari/1142029698
Synopsis: "Tales from The Foxes of Foxham" by author/storyteller Matteo Sedazzari and artist/illustrator Andy Catling is a magical adventure set in the 1950s and encompasses the bustle of Naples, the thrills of London, and the tranquillity of Norfolk. This is a tale of quick-witted foxes joining forces with Vespa-riding wolves, stylish bears, steadfast badgers, and witches both kind and cruel. Together they weave through comic mishaps and perilous twists, building to a dramatic battle between the forces of light and darkness.
Critique: An original, clever, and entertaining anthropormorphic fantasy, "Tales from The Foxes of Foxham" is an extraordinarily engaging and thoroughly fun read from start to finish. Especially commended is author Matteo Sedazzari's genuine flair for imaginative and character driven storytelling style supported by the charmingly engaging illustrations of Andy Catling. A hyighly recommended pick for community library action/adventure fantasy collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Tales from The Foxes of Foxham" from ZANI is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note #1: Matteo Sedazzari is an author, publisher, and creative force rooted in pop culture, outsider art, and countercultural storytelling. His writing journey kicked off in 1989 with Positive Energy of Madness - a raw, DIY fanzine sparked by the Acid House explosion and a need to capture the madness of the moment. That fanzine evolved into ZANI, launched online in 2009, becoming a hub for interviews, opinions, and cultural snapshots featuring icons such as Clem Burke, Shaun Ryder, Bobby Womack, and Chas Smash. While ZANI is currently on hiatus as a magazine, it lives on as an independent publishing house -- with its heart still firmly in the underground.
Editorial Note #2: Andy Catling (https://www.catling-art.com) is a professional illustrator with more than 70 illustrated titles under his belt. He has worked for many publishers such as Oxford University Press, Caterpillar books, Quarto, Harper, Lion Hudson and others in the UK and around the world. Andy loves illustrating Picture books and books for older children using a more mature style. He works in traditional mediums and digital wot-nots to make artwork with a rigorous mangle-like process.
Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy
Matteo Sedazzari, author
Andy Cating, illustrator
ZANI
https://foxesoffoxham.com
9781838462499, $9.99, PB, 201pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Presto-Sardinian-Prophecy-Foxes-Foxham/dp/183846249X
Synopsis: When the Foxes of Foxham and their allies defeated Enoch and the Witches of Benevento in 1958, they stopped a wicked army from seizing the world. But evil never rests.
Two years later, shadows stretch across Sardinia -- and the old warning is no longer just a tale.
Presto the Great, a fox conjurer with dormant magic, is drawn into a battle to stop an ancient prophecy from being fulfilled. If the Sardinian Prophecy comes to pass, darkness won't just return -- it will rule.
In "Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy", Trudi, Carlotta, Alberto and other beloved characters return to the fight. But Sardinia has its own guardians:
Donna Lucia Delitala Tedde - great-granddaughter of a legendary bandit.
The Ancient Giants - hidden in the peaceful village of Tiracura.
Petal - a four-foot singing rabbit with a golden sword and a score to settle.
Orson - a pompous prison governor with a lifelong grudge against window cleaners, now caught in forces beyond his control.
Lurking in the shadows are Giubiana and the Cogas, sworn to see the prophecy fulfilled.
"Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy" deftly blends folklore, fantasy, comedy, and adventure in a rich, character-driven tale that is suitable for all ages and anyone still young at heart.
Critique: A richly entertaining anthropormorphic fantasy, "Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy" is the sequel to author Matrteo Sedazzari's "The Foxes of Foxham". The series draws upon British and Italian folklore in an original story of fantasy, mystery, adventure, and wicked humor. A fun read from start to finish, "Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommend pick for K-12 and community library Fantasy Fiction collections for readers ages 12 to 112. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Presto - The Sardinian Prophecy" from ZANI is also currently available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note #1: Matteo Sedazzari is an author, publisher, and creative force rooted in pop culture, outsider art, and countercultural storytelling. His writing journey kicked off in 1989 with Positive Energy of Madness - a raw, DIY fanzine sparked by the Acid House explosion and a need to capture the madness of the moment. That fanzine evolved into ZANI, launched online in 2009, becoming a hub for interviews, opinions, and cultural snapshots featuring icons such as Clem Burke, Shaun Ryder, Bobby Womack, and Chas Smash. While ZANI is currently on hiatus as a magazine, it lives on as an independent publishing house -- with its heart still firmly in the underground.
Editorial Note #2: Andy Catling (https://www.catling-art.com) is a professional illustrator with more than 70 illustrated titles under his belt. He has worked for many publishers such as Oxford University Press, Caterpillar books, Quarto, Harper, Lion Hudson and others in the UK and around the world. Andy loves illustrating Picture books and books for older children using a more mature style. He works in traditional mediums and digital wot-nots to make artwork with a rigorous mangle-like process.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Ditchland: The Graphic Novel
Tim Mulligan
Highpoint Lit
https://mulliganworld.com
9798996982202, $28.99, PB, 138pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Ditchland-Graphic-Novel-Tim-Mulligan/dp/B0HDFYRNGW
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ditchland-tim-mulligan/1151026029
Synopsis: "Ditchland" by Tim Mulligan is a part of 'The World of Witchland' series of interconnected graphic novels set in the cursed town of Richland, Washington -- where the ghosts of a poisoned past refuse to stay buried.
From witchcraft awakened by nuclear fallout (Witchland), to ghosts wandering the corridors and streets trying to bring secrets to life (Snitchland) to vengeful addicts feeding on toxic secrets (Twitchland), each individual story reveals another monstrous truth lurking in the radioactive heart of America.
"Ditchland" is the latest edition to this chilling graphic novel series and takes place in nuclear-tainted Richland where a pack of misfit kids find themselves mutating into werewolves (victims of decades of secret animal testing at the Hanford Reactor) and it's up to Ali and friends to uncover the truth before their transformations make them the next predators in a cursed town's history.
Every ditch has a secret -- and this one howls!
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, memorably illustrated, and a riveting read from start to finish, "Ditchland: A Graphic Novel" by author/illustrator Tim Mulligan is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for the personal reading lists for dedicated fans of science fiction/fantasy and post-apocalyptic graphic novels. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Ditchland: A Graphic Novel" from Highpoint Lit is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Tim Mulligan is a playwright and graphic novelist whose work explores the thin, treacherous boundary between the ordinary and the unthinkable. He is the creator of The World of Witchland graphic novel horror series, set in the shadow of Washington State's Hanford Nuclear Reactor, where witches, ghosts, and toxic waste collide. His plays Witchland and Point Loma have haunted audiences from New York to California, blending dark humor with psychological dread.
The Activity Book Shelf
Hidden Wonders of the World
Blake Gore
https://blakegore.com
Blue Star Press
https://bluestarpress.com
9781963183894, $24.99, HC, 56pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Wonders-World-Seek-Find/dp/1963183894
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hidden-wonders-of-the-world-blake-gore/1148552830
Synopsis: "Hidden Wonders of the World: Seek-and-Find Puzzles Featuring Iconic Locations" is a beautifully illustrated puzzle book featuring intricate artwork by renowned miniature artist Blake Gore. Created for puzzle lovers, travelers, and art enthusiasts, it stands out among seek-and-find books for adults with detailed scenes inspired by remarkable locations around the globe.
Armchair travelers will enjoy journeying from the bustling streets of Tokyo to the peaceful canals of Amsterdam as they search and find tiny surprises hidden within every illustration. Look for a sneaky sloth in Costa Rica, a lost baguette in Paris, and many more clever details that make each destination a rewarding visual adventure.
"Hidden Wonders of the World" includes:
20 intricately illustrated locations inspired by iconic destinations
Challenging hidden objects and playful surprises in every scene
Immersive artwork that combines puzzles, travel, and miniature art
A wooden, camera-shaped magnifying glass for examining tiny details
A relaxing, screen-free activity to enjoy alone or with friends
Part travel keepsake and part hidden pictures book for adults, "Hidden Wonders of the World" is distinctive activities book that offers hours of entertainment. It's an ideal birthday, holiday, retirement, hostess, or bon voyage gift for travelers, puzzle fans, and anyone who loves exploring the world.
Critique: Impressively original, unique, clever, beautifully illustrated, and fun from cover to cover, this hardcover edition from Blue Star Press of "Hidden Wonders of the World: Seek-and-Find Puzzles Featuring Iconic Locations" by artist Blake Gore is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for ages 18 to 88.
Editorial Note: Blake Gore (https://blakegore.com) creates miniature art using a .15mm pen on canvases often no larger than an inch or two. Working without magnification or formal training, he discovered drawing at age 37 while serving as an adviser at Vanderbilt University. What began as a creative outlet quickly became a passion. His hand-drawn miniatures are now featured in galleries and private collections around the world. Blake has collaborated with brands such as Jo-Ann Stores, Monopoly/Hasbro, BLICK Art Materials, and Sakura of America.
The Sports Shelf
Archery Inspiration
Aaron Cohen
Pikoi Press
www.archeryinspirationbook.com
9798996494309, $21.99, PB, 392pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Archery-Inspiration-Aaron-Cohen/dp/B0HF1HTM5K
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/archery-inspiration-aaron-cohen/1151065997
Synopsis: Every walk to the archery range connects you to something thousands of years old and as current as the physics of your last shot. "Archery Inspiration" by Aaron Cohen is a daily companion that sets your mind on those connections and sparks your drive to practice.
Inside are 365 entries that are varied on purpose. Get your inspiration from a page or two, then pick up your bow and meet your practice wherever it is that day. One page might sit you down with a piece of the sport's history. The next might open up the physics of an arrow in flight. Every page has a consistent rhythm. There's a quotation worth holding onto, some facts or ideas, and a question or two to consider.
"Archery Inspiration" is made for everyone who shoots. Whether you are new to the sport or many years in, there's something here for you. There's no table of contents and no right order, but you can certainly follow it day by day. Open it anywhere, sit with the page, and let it draw you to the range.
Critique: Original, unique, fascinating, "Archery Inspiration" is an extraordinary archery-based approach to self-help/self-improvement and dealing with the stresses of life through archery -- a practice goes back to the antiquity of human civilization. "Archery Inspiration" is an exceptional and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community library Self-Help & Archery collections. It should be noted that all proceeds from "Archery Inspiration" will go to support Pikoi Archery -- a youth archery program that Aaron Cohen founded.
Editorial Note: Aaron Cohen is a high school junior who established Pikoi Archery as a rewarding activity for young people. Archery has been an important part of his life for years, and it all started out with the simplicity of this fun form of archery.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Share Jesus Together: Intentional Relational Evangelism
Jim Moon, Jr.
Two Cities Project
https://twocitiesproject.org
9798995792406, $19.93, PB, 238pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Share-Jesus-Together-Intentional-Relational/dp/B0GZG4ZY18
Synopsis: Sharing Jesus was never meant to be a solo activity.
Have you ever wanted to be confident in sharing your faith, but it seems intimidating? Now with "Share Jesus Together: Intentional Relational Evangelism" by Jim Moon Jr. you can learn simple, relational ways to share your Christian faith together with your friends.
Are you a mature believer with a burden for revival and the next generations to be active in sharing the gospel? God can use believers like you in revival by training people to share Jesus together in a culture of evangelism.
"Sharing Jesus Together" will help you and your friends transform:
From fearful to confident
From unprepared to equipped
From passive to intentional
From unsure to clear
From spectator to participant
"Sharing Jesus Together" is an open invitation to experience the power of God's story, prayer, parties and events, listening, adapting and inviting others into faith in Christ. Each chapter comprising "Sharing Jesus Together" is backed up with biblical, practical training exercises where you'll get simple skills and confidence to share Jesus together.
Critique: Every Christian has a spiritual obligation to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ whenever the opportunity to do so arises in the daily life. "Share Jesus Together: Intentional Relational Evangelism" by Jim Moon Jr. is a kind of instructional manual on doing so that will prove to be as inspiring as it is 'real world' practical. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Share Jesus Together" is unreservedly recommended for clergy, seminary students, and all members of the Christian community both Protestant, Catholic, and unaffiliated. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Share Jesus Together" from Two Cities Project is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jim Moon Jr. isn't an expert on evangelism, but he has a fresh conviction about how to share Jesus together today. As a pastor and the director of Two Cities Project, Jim has a rekindled passion for mobilizing the next generation to advance the kingdom of God through prayer, evangelism, making disciples, church planting, global missions and humanitarian aid. While he has an advanced degree in theology, he's still learning to be a faithful and fruitful follower of Jesus.
The Self-Help Shelf
Hijacked
Paula Houlihan
Aitherion House
9798995162629, $27.99, HC, 306pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Surprising-Neuroscience-Choices-Controls/dp/B0H4WQQHPS
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hijacked-paula-houlihan/1150116347
Synopsis: Why am I so drained all the time?
You've worked hard to build a successful life. But somewhere along the way, the pressure became constant, and you're exhausted, disconnected, and running on autopilot. Burnout isn't the problem -- hijacked choices are!
"Hijacked: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind the Choices You Think You're Making and How to Take Back the Controls" by Paula Houlihan reveals a surprising truth: Sustainable success isn't created by working harder or managing your time. It's driven by how your choices are being made.
A professional executive coach, Paula Houlihan explains the neuroscience and real-world experience with her Choice Mastery(TM) approach to reveal how unconscious patterns, stress responses, beliefs, and habits quietly drive performance, productivity, and, over time, burnout. After years in a high-pressure corporate environment, Paula found herself on the edge of an adrenal crisis-and faced a choice: continue operating on autopilot or take back the controls. Now she's handing those controls back to you.
Designed for high-performers, leaders, and executives who operate in high-stakes environments, Hijacked uncovers what's really driving your decisions-especially under pressure-and what to do about it, "Hijacked" shows how to:
Recognize when autopilot is quietly driving your decisions.
Interrupt reactive patterns in real time and change how decisions are made under pressure.
Apply a simple four-step framework to assess, evaluate, choose, and act with clarity.
Increase focus, resilience, and moments of flow.
Create success that performs at a high level-and sustains it.
"Hijacked" reveals that the answer isn't to push harder-or to pull back entirely. Rather it's to understand what's driving your choices-and choose differently. Gaining the science-backed insights into executive burnout, self-awareness, values-based productivity, leadership, and peak performance.
If you are ready to stop feeling hijacked by stress and enjoy a life that feels as good as it looks, "Hijacked" will help you take back the controls.
Critique: Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Hijacked: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind the Choices You Think You're Making and How to Take Back the Controls" by Paula Houlihan is an truly extraordinary, life changing, life enhancing DIY instructional guide to stress management, leadership, self-motivation, and emotional/psychological renewal of interest and purpose. While highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library business themed Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Hijacked: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind the Choices You Think You're Making and How to Take Back the Controls" from Aitherion House is also available for MBA students, academia, business managers and corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in paperback (9798995162605, $18.99) and in digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Paula Houlihan, the Choice Mastery(TM) architect, is a keynote speaker and executive coach who partners with high-performers and organizations to understand what's driving their decisions-so they can sustain performance without burning out. After 15 years in a high-pressure corporate insurance environment, a life-altering diagnosis reshaped how she approaches performance-and the decisions behind it.
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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