Between the novellas, Raffetto offers an incisive essay on socio-political influences on the celebrated music of Bowie’s late-1970s Berlin era—when he lived in the divided city and recorded Low, “Heroes,” and Lodger—and Bowie’s concert at the Berlin Wall in 1987, not long before it fell. From the Spanish Civil War era to the post-pandemic present of “Mysteries of Game Theory,” where the internet is controlled by the government, Raffetto’s message rings out: peace cannot be born out of war. "There's no future or past in this world," Raffetto writes in “Venice to Venice,” a harrowing story of the U.S. and Iraq in the 2000s that deftly delineates the interconnected repercussions of war across decades.
The collection culminates with significant power in “The Georges”—as in Zimmerman, Bush, and Orwell. This searching, climactic entry, narrated in a numbed first person, challenges readers to consider their own stances on war and violence. Set in “the void created after the trigger has been pulled,” Raffetto’s work aims to unify, eradicate hate and racism, and commit to the truth, urging readers to choose wisely.
Takeaway: Essential read on the interconnectedness of war and the struggle for peace.
Comparable Titles: Katherine Reay’s The Berlin Letters, Will Mackin’s Bring Out the Dog.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
A hard drive containing valuable data regarding Julian’s work, including secrets about fossil fuels, adds a layer of technological intrigue, making Anita’s dangerous journey not only a physical one—she faces deadly attacks in crisp, taut scenes—but also a battle against time and powerful enemies. Dukett’s background in information technology shines throughout these sections, providing a sense of realism and authenticity, while the narrative is driven by Anita’s courage, her profound sense of loss, and her dedication to saving Julian, even as she struggles to face what her marriage had become in the aftermath of grief. One delectable complication: the appearance of François, a deeply passionate man from her and Julian’s past.
The Shutdown List is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that combines heart-pounding action and suspense with poignant emotional moments. Dukett’s deep understanding of the environmental issues at the core of the plot gives the story heft without diminishing its page-turning pleasures. Fans of suspense stories who are concerned about climate issues will find much to admire in Anita’s relentless quest to save her husband and expose the truth.
Takeaway: Exciting thriller intertwining personal tragedy with climate activism.
Comparable Titles: Lisa Brideau’s Adrift, Joel Burcat’s A Drink to Every Beast.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Moore's debut stands out for its historical authenticity, with charming descriptions of spring dances and sweet rendezvous after Sunday church, where it remains the custom for parents to approve—or disapprove—their daughter's marital choices, often favoring financially stable men. That spells trouble for Joel, but he remains unfazed, and Moore paints him as an admirable character who readers will find endearing. More than a decade later, as Joel’s story progresses, he finds Walter, his daughter Laura's suitor, in the same dire situation as he was when young, and his sister-in-law Beatrice is in love with a woman. Joel makes sure the passionate love he shares with his wife becomes their legacy, teaching a generation its ability to endure epidemics, winter storms, wars, and profound grief.
Despite the loosely tied plot and the absence of a traditional climax, Moore deftly uses subplots and a sprawling narrative to portray the ideal dynamics of marriage—contrasting Joel and Belle and their children's happy marriages to the violence Anna suffers at the hands of Bill. A novel powered by passion and sensuality, with brisk storytelling of domestic violence, trauma, and queerness, readers will appreciate the message that "love is good, no matter who it is for."
Takeaway: Story of generational love surviving war, calamites, and societal differences.
Comparable Titles: Adriana Trigiani's The Shoemaker's Wife, Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
For younger readers unfamiliar with Australia’s native animals, Chilov provides a brief description of the story’s two star creatures at the end: quolls are endangered nocturnal marsupials, and pobblebonks are carnivorous frogs named for the sounds they make. Throughout Chilov’s story, Pobblebonk plays the perfect villain, taunting Quoll and Sam, challenging them to races for ownership of his cave, and even risking Quoll’s life in a prank that turns deadly. That rivalry gives the story a faint whiff of danger, but friendship rules out in the end, as both Sam and Quoll learn not everyone should be judged on their reputation.
Chilov’s black and white illustrations showcase the animals and Sam rollicking in the Australian bush, whether it’s Quoll’s pups leapfrogging from lily pad to lily pad or Sam enjoying a friendly game of Monopoly with his pal. Pobblebonk is rendered crafty and imposing at the beginning, but as the book’s relationships undergo a transformation, so, too, does he—leaving him looking less ferocious and more harmless in the end. Chilov’s language is a fun montage of tongue-twisting, entertaining read-aloud material, perfect for young readers—as when Sam tells Pobblebonk he’s “sneakier than a slithering snake in a swamp.” This is a fun introduction to Australia’s adventurous landscape.
Takeaway: Rollicking Australian adventure with a young boy and his animal friends.
Comparable Titles: Carol Diggory Shields’s Wombat Walkabout, Alexander McCall Smith’s The Race to Kangaroo Cliff.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Dejected, Peg decides to seek advice from the experts, turning to a bluebird and an owl for guidance. With great wisdom, the owl provides the key to achieving her goal: “When your heart finally sings, believe and you will fly. You’ll have your very own wings and you can soar so high.” Armed with her newfound self-confidence, Peg finally takes to the skies. Ultimately her dream leads her to the stage as well, where she sings, dances, and leaps for her audience. Seeing Peg succeed will encourage kids to use their imaginations to surpass their own limitations.
Chau Pham’s cheerful illustrations show Peg and her friends in their charming woodland home, where they inhabit a lush, green world teeming with flowers and wildlife. The best scenes show an ecstatic Peg flying with glittering butterfly wings, surrounded by clouds and blue skies while trees and buildings fade from sight below her on the ground. When the animals watch Peg perform onstage, the starry skies and crescent moon will spark nostalgia for the kind of magical summer night when the world seemed expansive and anything truly did feel possible.
Takeaway: Miz Peg discovers that her imagination is the key to achieving her dreams.
Comparable Titles: Brenda S. Miles’s Taco Falls Apart, Calista Brill’s Little Wing Learns to Fly.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Throughout the book, Rogers introduces several colorful characters, including the painter he calls John, who sees potential in Rogers and takes him under his wing, advising him that “art is not about what you like. It is about what others will like.” Like many of Rogers’s relationships, his connection to John ends in trauma, a theme that is layered throughout this wrenching debut memoir. Marta, too, is a vivid character, often presented as a silent partner to Rogers’s suffering but always staunchly in attendance and eager to navigate the ins and outs of street living, as when she and Roger devise a new way of communicating through a police callbox or her dedication to improving their art.
Rogers’s story unfolds through out-of-order snippets, touching on memorable moments while dashing the flicker of hope that he sometimes exudes for a better life. He hints at military service and closes with his endeavors to help veterans, sadly observing that “most of the relationships in my life were about people getting what they wanted, and I had to come to terms with that.” This is a harrowing, powerful account of a young man’s fight to find a way forward.
Takeaway: Wrenching account of life on the streets in 1980s New York City.
Comparable Titles: Janice Erlbaum’s Girlbomb, Violet Blue’s A Fish Has No Word for Water.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Chaleff (author of The Courageous Follower) grounds his theories on followership in his experience consulting for governments and heads of state, and his arguments and data are laid out with clarity and power, although the language about possible action at times could be more concrete. The reader of To Stop a Tyrant who falls into the “populace” category may find this book less immediately helpful than those in the “bureaucrat,” “elite,” or “confidant” circles, since Chaleff has much more direct advice for them. The message throughout, though, is direct: all these circles must work together, in coalition, from early in a prototyrant’s rise, to interrupt oppression “before the autocrat has time to consolidate power and eliminate all challenges to his rule.”
Chaleff’s nonpartisan approach allows for examples of resisting tyranny from a variety of political contexts as he explores strong case studies, like the rise of Václav Havel, and considers persistent problems in bureaucratic democracies, like “diffuse accountability,” or how governments tend to tilt toward autocracy when countering external threats. His focus on followership rather than leadership gives To Stop a Tyrant a more practical bent than other examinations of dictatorial leadership. Readers concerned about democracy will appreciate this practical examination of the unique roles we all can play in defending against tyrants.
Takeaway: Urgent look at how “followers” throughout the population can interrupt a tyrant’s rise.
Comparable Titles: Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, J.R. Moody’s A March Toward Tyranny.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Folsom starts strong, outlining how to engage in positive self-talk by using statements that can be applied to any person, such as “I am held in love” and “there is a fire deep in my core.” His ideas on honoring feelings—and the wisdom inherent in our bodies—will resonate with readers eager to believe in themselves, as will his step-by-step, functional methods. One key to making his advice stick is to build “non-negotiable rituals” into daily living—brief activities such as meditation or stretching accompanied by relevant soul statements that he guarantees will take self-care to the next level.
Folsom’s ability to frame his methods in understandable ways—such as the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” strategy to reduce unnecessary distractions and increase silence, or the “Courage to be Clear” relationship technique that involves “speaking up when something feels uncomfortable or off”—makes these tools easy to use and effortless to remember. Though much of his relationship advice centers on romantic partnerships, the guidance is still useful, as Folsom urges readers to acknowledge their loved ones’ experiences, address conflict with respect, and “let go of logic and just be with each other.” This is a soothing reminder that “you have more to offer life when you know who and what you are.”
Takeaway: Empowering guidance to build empathy-driven communication skills.
Comparable Titles: Connirae Andreas’s The Wholeness Work Essential Guide, David Richo’s How to Be an Adult in Relationships.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Sandler (author of The Age of Worry) paints a meticulous, indulgent, and loving portrait of a very relatable, flawed protagonist. Jane is both vibrant and vulnerable, portrayed through Sam’s eyes in a way that keeps her at an arm’s length from readers—who get to know her thoughts and feelings primarily through what she confides in Sam. The book’s other characters are just as lively, including the left-leaning Trotsky with his passion for cooking, mandolin playing Matt who infuses tense situations with humor, and the empathetic Sam. Interestingly, Suzanne—Sam’s girlfriend when Jane wanders onto the scene—lingers in readers’ minds, made vividly realistic through her unwavering feminist beliefs and tendency to push herself into a lonely corner while pursuing them.
Sandler keeps the narrative pace relaxed and the prose sunny, evoking a largely positive atmosphere of enthusiastic curiosity and passion for safeguarding one’s beliefs throughout. Times may seem simpler in Sam’s story, but they’re not without problems: amid a heated discussion about women’s rights, Jane energetically proclaims to Sam and his entourage that “someday, a woman will bring us the TV news at night.” This is a nostalgic study of love, war, and protest in the ‘60s.
Takeaway: Nostalgic study of ‘60s life amid cataclysmic world events.
Comparable Titles: Susen Edwards’s What a Trip, Philip Roth’s Letting Go.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Sharp insights abound in Price’s crisp, plain-spoken verse (on the shopping cart icon: “Is this the archetype of America, the bin // We can never fill?”), and Price’s emotional range is broad enough to encompass satire, despair, and flashes of real feeling, especially in lines on icons whose designs harken back to the world before: paper clips, paint brushes, the three-columned facade of a bank. “Nothing says bank like a Greek temple // Holding your money, blocking // You from whatever is left”, Price writes. The poet’s voice is knowledgeable and often funny, exposing the strangeness and power of such easy-to-overlook images (like the “Angular and sharp” Bluetooth “rune”) with wry asides and deeply human expressions of longing for greater connection.
Price’s poems shine brightest when they reach to the tangible or some personal history. While well-articulated and eminently readable, their overall brevity (usually around five to six lines) at times limits their depth, and the deeper, near-religious experience of icons suggested in the introduction is often lacking in the poems themselves. Sill, Icons both invites and playfully rewards readers for thinking more deeply about the standardized symbols of our digital lives, with many striking observations.
Takeaway: Incisive poems urging a closer look at the iconography of the digital era.
Comparable Titles: Lan Donne’s Whispers from the Web, Wesley Bishop’s The Digital Self.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The guide is candid and to the point, and Marks notes the potential pitfalls of several business strategies, including aggressive discounting, top-notch customer service, and pioneering in technology and innovation. He uses case studies to reinforce his guidance, spotlighting businesses from ArbiterSports to Nordstrom, and shares the ins and outs of their successes and failures, using Voice-of-Customer (VOC) research as the benchmark for their wins and losses; Mister Car Wash emerges with gold stars, “singlehandedly chang[ing] the industry’s stigma from bad boy to goodness gracious,” while others fare less well.
After walking readers through this approach, Marks delivers step-by-step guidance on launching “thought leadership initiative[s]” for any business, always returning to the philosophies of Greek notables to promote the “right mindset.” His “Critical Insight Selling” technique—that “teaches sales reps how to sell wisdom before they sell anything else”—takes center stage, and the importance of corporate ethics makes a repeat appearance throughout as well. The text is sidetracked at times by unnecessary asides, but overall Marks delivers a well-written, common-sense approach, updating the fundamentals for today’s marketing professionals under the thought leadership umbrella.
Takeaway: Candid guide that breaks down thought leadership in business.
Comparable Titles: Adam Witty and Rusty Shelton’s Authority Marketing, Jan Phillips’s The Art of Original Thinking.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
“Creativity flourishes when you’re happy,” the authors write, and that mindset forms the framework of the guide. Starting with the need to brainstorm a slew of ideas, they walk readers through how to validate their own business concept, judge whether it’s worth the effort, and take the initial leap towards development, while encouraging their followers to consider a co-founder “to help move the business forward.” They also caution readers on potential pitfalls, including successfully selling the idea of a product that isn’t even made yet, ways to enhance products according to customer need without making them too niche, and how to navigate the inevitable problems that accompany funding.
The advice may seem simple, but it’s reliable and matter of fact, teeming with real world know-how that pairs well with the authors’ emphasis on research, market-tested theories, tangible results, and a ton of hard work. The stakes are high, too, as they assert that “70 percent of startups will fail in years two through five,” but that shouldn’t deter readers from taking risks—and understanding that mistakes are just part of the game: “You’re not going to be perfect” they acknowledge, going on to recommend that “when you slip, do what needs to be done to make it right.” This is as upbeat as it is pragmatic.
Takeaway: Upbeat advice on beating the startup game to achieve long term success.
Comparable Titles: Rand Fishkin’s Lost and Founder, Peter Thiel’s Zero to One.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Polf’s storytelling proves both exquisite and haunting, capturing the pace of life in brisk, striking pose, delving into the underbelly of human experiences with candor but an absence of sensation or judgment: “Barnes sometimes found the predictability of their banter oddly comforting,” Polf writes of some old-timers’ coffee-shop mornings marked by “the humdrum repetition of their dialogue.” But the stories here, wise as they are to ritual, turn on days when lives get upended or his people at last demand something more.
Polf's characters are puzzled, mistrusting, and sometimes distrusting, worrying over stray remarks (“Was she depressed, as her aunt believed? She couldn’t tell; her feelings were a mystery to her”) and navigating a world that offers no easy answers. By design, the stories often leave the reader wanting more closure, a longing that mirrors the search for meaning in our lives. The prose is a masterclass in slice-of-life storytelling, offering true-to-life scenarios that veer into often harsh and tragic storylines. Water themes recur throughout, symbolizing the flow and turbulence of life.
Takeaway: Gripping stories offering a profound exploration of the human condition
Comparable Titles: Nickolas Butler’s Beneath the Bonfire, Richard Ford’s Sorry for Your Trouble.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Charles expertly writes scenery that seethes with action and heart, whether Eddie’s describing his mother’s failing health or speeding along the mountainside with his two friends in tow, racing Corey’s second cousin, Manfred—a law-breaking, risk-hunting young man who barrels into the story like a hurricane, full of reckless abandon and a sort of frenzied wildness. When Eddie runs into a woman from his past, bringing back shocking memories from his mother’s death, he finally succumbs to the trauma, in palpable scenes wrought with intense emotion that will stay with readers long past the novel’s end.
The climax is a high-stakes, death-defying car race, serving as both a literal and symbolic confrontation with the darkest aspects of Eddie's psyche. The tension is palpable, and Charles captures the adrenaline and desperation of a young man on the edge, fighting not just for victory but for his sanity and a semblance of peace. This is more than just a tale of youthful rebellion and high-speed chases; it confronts the enduring impact of loss as much as Eddie’s arduous journey toward mental health and self-discovery, in writing that is both heart-wrenching and hopeful.
Takeaway: Electrifying story of a young man’s journey through trauma and loss.
Comparable Titles: Chris Offut; Bill Rivers’s Last Summer Boys.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Mirroring his subject’s style, Nikola-Lisa cleverly utilizes his “predilection for collage technique” here; nowhere is this method, risky for an academic inquiry but fitting for Nikola-Lisa’s “celebratory exercise,” more apparent than in the structure of this book. Deep thematic analysis, rich with textual evidence, gives way to readings of Keats through “Japanese Zen Buddhism and Chinese Taoism” to a short biographical sketch to a gloss on the psychoanalytic concept of the child in children’s literature. Nikola-Lisa fails to connect a few dots, but his ambition and analytical acuity combine to yield powerful insights on race, education, and American history.
Nikola-Lisa spins gold out of even the most unremarkable-seeming threads of Keats’s work and life. The “found objects” that Keats’s heroes fashion into playthings “exist[s] as a reminder of the necessary—and often frail—relationship between concrete reality and personal fantasy” he writes, further analyzing how Keats’s own “journey into the soul” not only “led him to his own humanity,” but can “speak directly to the child within us all.” Keats’s world comes alive within Nikola-Lisa’s luminous writing, reacquainting readers with one of the great, unsung voices of children’s literature, as well as reuniting them with their own imaginations.
Takeaway: Illuminating journey through the work of a children’s lit icon.
Comparable Titles: Linda Lear’s Beatrix Potter, Bruce Handy’s Wild Things.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Jones’s juxtaposition of the delicate, stunning Birdfolk with the savage Dragonkin evokes striking imagery of caged birds and their cruel masters, none more so than when Mistress Essodel—head of the Essodel Plantation and a vicious slaver who prefers her dragon form over her human side—defeathers the Birdfolk she finds most beautiful, plucking their feathers one by one for her own pleasure. Though Minty is initially out of Mistress Essodel’s reach given her tender age, she’s soon driven into slavery’s harsh reality, sold to a neighboring plantation and forced to live with a family of harpies who steal her feathers to sell. Minty’s abuse continues, as does her unbreakable spirit and conviction that “God’s will… [wasn’t] for Birdfolk to be slaves,” sparking her transformation into the unflinching, tenacious Harriet.
This is a testament not just to Harriet Tubman’s legendary role within the Underground Railroad, but to the indomitable human spirit and power of hope. Jones's narrative prowess shines through in her expert blending of historical significance and intense fantasy, offering readers a compelling story made rich with its relevance to contemporary times. Readers will be as transfixed as Harriet’s loved ones, as they watch her hard-won transformation into “a woman seizing freedom.”
Takeaway: Fantasy reimagining of Harriet Tubman’s transformative journey.
Comparable Titles: Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-