Williams (The Platform Owners Guidebook) takes an unconventional and eye-opening look at the mechanics of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), to help businesses transition from start-up to grow-up and avoid what he terms “ClustERPuck”—ERP operations that miss the mark. He supports the fluidity of ERP projects—they can be spread across numerous areas, he asserts, including accounting, supply chain, logistics, and production dynamics—to streamline business processes, and he divides his advice into two main concepts of Preparation and Implementation, while also offering hypothetical scenarios that address the missteps to ERP implementation—and what to do when things go wrong.

The recommendations here are written in frank, down-to-earth language that makes a sometimes-intimidating topic easy to grasp. Williams acknowledges ERPs can be complicated, and he assures readers that a little uncertainty is normal, writing that his “goal isn’t to scare you out of taking action, but to open your eyes to the complexity and provide assurance that ClustERPucks are avoidable.” The material may sound unglamorous, but it’s crucial: he covers pragmatics such as the cost of licenses, how to determine a company’s need for ongoing support services, and the nuts and bolts of different ERP products (dividing them into two categories, closed ecosystem and open), while delving into general business principles as well, including the value of clear communication and understanding investments versus costs.

Williams includes basic visuals to illustrate his principles in addition to resources for continued study, but what’s most valuable about ClustERPuck is the straight-shooting instruction on how to avoid disastrous, time-consuming, and money-wasting ERP projects. And that advice, he argues, is worth its weight in gold, because the alternative will be a system that “probably is worse than what you’ve already got despite the fact that its whole purpose was to make things better.” Professionals ready for a deeper understanding of ERP systems and implementation will find it here.

Takeaway: Clear, concise advice on Enterprise Resource Planning projects.

Comparable Titles: Alexis Leon’s ERP Demystified, Marianne Bradford’s Modern ERP.

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

Click here for more about ClustERPuck

This varied collection from board game designer, poet, and author Andersen is full of grave, moonlit poems, satirical, working-class-related short stories, and slice-of-life vignettes that together offer a multimode appraisal of modern society. Though few in number, the poems Andersen includes are layered and substantive; though majorly forlorn, they emanate a shadowy brilliance: “Fate falls on the hard sidewalk // Too early for the sun // Darkness opens the window shade // To fly away into blue.” The concept of night in these verses is a living character that transcends its cyclical nature and moves like a sentient shadow. His short stories, however, move from the celestial, abstract plane to the sociological.

“Jail World” describes an Orwellian dystopia where the world’s population is confined in a correctional facility upheld by seven guiding “disciplines,” which include principles like “Don’t read” and “Live to eat.” Other stories, like “Windmill” and “The Dwitter Note,” imagine sci-fi futures, complete with flying cars and techno-communes, where governments have direct communication technology with each individual of the state. As the title suggests, empathy for “outsiders” abounds, including “the outcasts, the dissidents, the outlaws,” and more, though female characters tend to be one-dimensional.

Often satirical and thought-provoking, Andersen’s stories toy with morality, especially in the context of capitalism and overconsumption. “The Package” follows Sam in his obsessive quest to reclaim the parcel he believes lost in the mail; he ventures to mail centers and warehouses, causing strife and mayhem in his effort to claim his package and relieve the “pang of emptiness” he feels in its absence. Humanity is sacrificed in lieu of material objects. Andersen’s concluding vignettes—including an account of longing and drinking in military life, and an ambiguous memory of being sent to an adult man’s workshop to learn about hard work as a child—and “Short Shorts” lack the compelling narratives of the longer stories, yet his poetry in particular has an enriching complexity that readers can revisit again and again.

Takeaway: Somber, yet biting poems and stories exploring social and spiritual isolation.

Comparable Titles: Alan Kaufman’s The Outlaw Book of American Poetry, Donald Ray Pollock’s Knockemstiff.

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

Click here for more about The Poetry and Writings of an Outsider

The title is both description and invitation as Casey’s welcoming debut blends memoir—exploring her own recovery, spiritual searching, and embrace of Buddhist precepts and mindfulness meditation—with guidance for seekers eager to discover all that such journeys entail. Casey writes with disarming frankness about relatable concerns in marriage and motherhood, budgets, and the dissatisfactions of modern life, especially the shift in thinking it takes to break from routine and expectation when first making the choice to look inward. “I often felt I had to be making supper or doing laundry or helping the children right away,” she writes of the early days of her explorations, but with support and the “focus of intention,” she “became more deliberate” about her choices. “[J]ust noticing and being here and now” makes a difference, she notes, and it’s an example that can benefit readers who might not have access to the retreats that helped Casey.

Casey’s reports from those retreats offer vividly described lessons, insights, and revelations that demystify the process of meditation and spiritual searching while never diminishing the greater mysteries. Casey describes awakenings, recovering memories of a “unified connection with all,” and also understandable uncertainty about her first experiences. “What do you do here?” she asks, with hesitation, after expressing concern that she’ll feel “strong feelings” during an intense, three-day “Zen sesshin.” Her teacher’s answer: “We sit.” And she did, learning that “in the realization of ultimate Truth, all must be seen by oneself.”

The result is an unusually grounded book of discovering truths, with an emphasis on the work that this demands, including setbacks and doubts, but also the real changes Casey experienced as she learned to name feelings, recognize “five primary hindrances,” confront “emotional patterns of despair and unworthiness,” and “transform shame into forgiveness and make amends.” Even if the book didn’t cover her eventual path as a mindfulness meditation teacher, readers would probably guess—page after page, with warmth and clarity, she teaches.

Takeaway: Encouraging, relatable memoir of discovering meditation, Buddhism, and one’s path.

Comparable Titles: Jack Kornfield’s After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, Sharon Salzberg’s Real Change.

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

Click here for more about Time for Awakening: A Memoir

A capstone to his expansive Time Statues series, which interrogates over five volumes (and change!) key moments from a lifetime of searching and thinking, this spirited miscellany from psychologist Morgan examines what he’s discovered, contemplated, listened to, and laughed at in the 21st century. The emphasis is on the parapsychological, on extending life, and on understanding the relative nature of our relationship with time—especially on finding ways to slow its passage as we age. The new millennium kicked off, for Morgan, with a health crisis that left him briefly legally dead and facing two open-heart surgeries. At the same time, he beheld a vision, in Guam, of a small woman who asked him the most pressing of questions: “What would you like to know?” His account of this conversation, and a surprising connection to recent discoveries about the ancient human past, is incredible in every sense of the word.

Unlike many authors who report insights and connections from beyond the edges of our science, Morgan never over-interprets such incidents. (Others here include a patient with precognition, a possible ghost at a Singapore university, some experiments, and other surprises.) Instead, Morgan presents them with a storyteller’s elan, a welcome lightness of touch, and a sense of curiosity and quiet awe that makes it easy to give the tales credence. The effect is more like a trusted friend thinking through the implications of a shiver-inducing mystery than an author peddling lofty secrets.

The conclusions he draws—about aging and memory, about how educating the “wealthy and powerful” about life extension might make them “better motivated to heal the world that they would live longer in”—prove both wise and playful. Morgan indulges that sense of play in some loose, silly chapters that experiment with memes, emojis, and jokes about Xi Jinping and Kardashian amplitude. That material isn’t especially edifying, but it’s honest to the “Time Statues” mission—setting down who Morgan was at these moments.

Takeaway: A psychologist’s surprising moments, insights, and brushes with the beyond.

Comparable Titles: Rupert Sheldrake’s The Sense of Being Stared At, Edward F. Kelly and Paul Marshall’s Consciousness Unbound.

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

Click here for more about TIME STATUE HARVEST From the 21st Century

Proposing an antidote to an industry besotted with intrusive marketing, Pratt’s debut urges teams to earn their attention from audiences by “resisting the urge to interrupt [them] with annoyances [and] choosing to blow their minds.” Arguing that contemporary marketers possess a golden opportunity to build willing audiences by producing high-quality content, like podcasts and social media spectacles, Pratt pulls from his own podcast agency experience with notables such as Ford and Audible to lay bare the secrets behind creating content that stands on its own. “The world’s most valuable commodity is attention,” he writes, and this refreshing guide shows readers several ways to harness that resource.

Replete with catchy visuals and down-to-earth writing, Earn It is unconventionally appealing. Pratt advises readers to “Do the Opposite” of the norm, offering an original framework that covers mindset, strategy, creation, and audience development, all with the idea that bucking the status quo will net the best results. Rather than falling back on what he calls “selfish” marketing instincts, such as urgency and interruption, Pratt helps readers focus instead on generosity, patience, and spotlighting the greater good. By shifting to content that is a desirable gift versus a distracting disturbance, he asserts that teams will see greater financial success as well as more positive views of their brand.

Though Earn It’s methods may feel more anecdotal than carefully measured, Pratt addresses crucial marketing concepts in a refreshing way while offering readers handy how-to pointers, including usable idea-generating exercises, strategies to make advertising content unique, tips to build a niche audience, and more. His real-world examples, from Red Bull to Shopify, illustrate the guide’s concepts in understandable ways, and he sprinkles advice from marketing experts (Ann Handley and Jonah Berger, among others) throughout his writing, closing with a timely—and uplifting—reminder to “Stay Creatively Brave and Committed.”

Takeaway: Down-to-earth guide on shifting from interruption marketing to high-end, creative content.

Comparable Titles: Jeff Rosenblum and Jordan Berg’s Friction, Meera Kothand’s One Hour Content Plan.

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

Click here for more about Earn It

Sachdeo’s debut is a thorough, nuts-and-bolts resource for readers who are serious about building a portfolio of rental properties that facilitates “the generation of passive income” and promises “long-term capital appreciation.” Sachdeo inspires with the story of transforming his own financial profile from one of “significant debt” to a multi-million-dollar portfolio, but he makes clear that success in real estate, as in all businesses, demands hard work, especially as unruly tenants, costly repairs, “regulatory challenges,” and more all pose regular obstacles. Sachdeo demystifies what it takes to make it work, covering basics like finding a promising location, managing effectively, underwriting, money raising, network building, and much more, with a welcome emphasis on the practical steps that investors need to know now—and how to prepare for all that can go wrong.

Sachdeo presents a host of checklists, sidebars, and hard-won insights, including step-by-step walkthroughs for refinancing, renovating, and other “major steps when building a rental property investment portfolio.” The guidance is both best-practices general (“Screen tenants thoroughly”; “Establish clear rental criteria”) and helpfully granular (one table demonstrates the “Advantages and Disadvantages of a Cash Purchase,” and Sachdeo’s “comprehensive list of financial documents that you should review” lives up to its title).

The result is a guide for readers who are serious about putting in the work and understanding all the decisions and planning that stand between them and their dream. Sachdeo specializes in answering the questions you might not know to ask, like what to look for in a management company or a property manager, the pros and cons of incorporation, and environmental factors to keep in mind when scouting potential properties. Numerous case studies demonstrate the reality of being a landlord, laying out the strategies individuals adopted and the lessons they learned. A hefty glossary of real estate terms will help arm the would-be mogul prior to any negotiation.

Takeaway: Practical, thorough guide to investing in and managing rental properties.

Comparable Titles: Brandon Turner’s The Book on Rental Property Investing, Symon He’s Rental Property Investing QuickStart Guide.

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

Click here for more about Building Wealth through Rental Properties

When well-traveled and highly educated Meena Mehra opts for an arranged marriage to politician Avinash Sehrawat, her decision comes with a fair share of misgivings, though she comforts herself on the wedding day with a reminder that “arranged marriage wasn’t strange… after all, could any woman say, years later, that on her wedding day she’d really known the man she was marrying?” Though Meena’s mother and sister harbor doubts, Meena and Avi are hopeful: they’ve adjusted their careers for work that will afford a family life in their Ohio town, and they both understand the need to balance tradition with their desire to connect on a deeper level.

Gauri’s vibrant characters steal the spotlight in this thoughtful debut, with the most memorable—Rav Uncle—coming across as both horrendous and, at times, hilarious. He is loud, aggressive, and full of himself, riding roughshod over people’s emotions and sensibilities, even as he desperately tries to hide his vulnerabilities beneath a veneer of authoritarian bluster. Avi and Meena are equally well fleshed out, with entirely relatable confusions and conflicts, but the character readers will find themselves rooting for the most turns out to be Peeku: vulnerable, confused, intimidated by his overbearing father, but standing up for himself and making his own decisions in the end.

Peeku’s position serves as a metaphor for the deeper themes at play here, as each character comes to terms with their reverence for tradition in the midst of a contemporary world that calls for flexibility: Meena, who longs for passionate intimacy with Avi even as she espouses the perks of arranged marriage; Avi, who considers his views more modern but still suffers disappointment when Meena falls outside the “maternal archetype”; and Peeku, who naively believes that love truly conquers all. This is an often funny and thought-provoking tale on the nature of love and long-term relationships in a world that glorifies individualism.

Takeaway: Refreshing take on arranged marriage and small-town American politics.

Comparable Titles: Akhil Sharma’s Family Life, Manju Kapur’s The Immigrant.

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

Click here for more about For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus

A rousing cry for freedom, a celebration of the courage of Black soldiers who fought for their liberty in the Civil War, and a well-researched history, the second entry in Mason’s “documentary” fiction trilogy continues the story of the real Parson Sykes, who along with his brothers escaped enslavement and seized his own freedom, first by fleeing a farm in Southampton County, Virginia, and then by heading for Norfolk and Fort Monroe to enlist in the Union Army. Following the events of the first book, the story picks up in December of 1864, with 17 year-old Sykes and his brothers Joseph and Henry “between bondage and freedom” at Fort Monroe, facing scant supplies, meeting other former slaves from around the country, enduring racist invective from officers, and eventually seeing combat with a cavalry regiment of the United States Colored Troops (UCST).

Freedom is a tangible but still distant dream for Sykes, though the tide was turning against slavery. Parson and the UCST fight bravely despite inadequate training or supplies, earning the respect of their Union Army, but as Mason demonstrates continually, his fight began long before the war itself—Sykes must fight to simply enlist in the army as a Black man and “contraband of war,” a term for escaped slaves who sought refuge at military camps but were often relegated to menial tasks.

As it follows the battle against the Confederates—from Fort Monroe to Richmond, from contraband to serving in the cavalry, from ghastly diseases to bloody battles—Mason’s novel often emphasizes the historical record over fictionalized scenes or sensational drama, though moments of doubt and fear have power. That works, though, despite some repetitive passages—the history is more exciting than fiction. Often, Mason, a descendant of Sykes’s, reports what the real Sykes wrote to others, capturing epochal events and the everyday textures of life. The result is a powerful reminder of the crucial, often overlooked, role Black soldiers played in the Civil War. Thorough introductory material provides essential context.

Takeaway: Fascinating “documentary” novel of a formerly enslaved man seizing freedom in the Union Army.

Comparable Titles: Joyce Hansen’s Which Way Freedom?, Douglas K. Egerton’s Thunder at the Gates.

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

Click here for more about The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes Enlistment in the Union Army

Arguing that people’s best performance comes “when the least control is applied” and “when trust exists by default,” Jaroslawski’s Digital Irreverent lives up to its pitch: how the success of top digital talent, who often feel empowered to approach their work with a new “irreverence” for traditional hierarchies, can inform management approaches for other organizations. Jaroslawski, the Chief Technology Officer at the Dubai-based global financial institution Edenred UAE, is known for assembling technology and product development teams that outpace the competition. Here, he presents a clear and inviting playbook for a principled irreverence in product development, calling for collaborative, interdisciplinary, purpose-driven, customer-focused teams given the freedom and trust to “adapt to any circumstances.” Pointing out hard truths about today’s demand-driven economy, where there’s little time for catch-up, Jaroslawski argues that it’s urgent to “lose respect for the things which, while commanding respect in our business world, negatively contribute to the results we seek.”

Instead, he calls for an unwavering focus on exceeding customer expectations and offers a wealth of hard-won, practical advice, from reminders not to “fall in love” with established processes to the six steps of his *Digital Irreverent* Playbook. He also offers advice on spreading responsibility among competent partners and instilling in teams a sense of ownership (he prefers Project Owners to Project Managers). Otherwise, the book is an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and, above all, instructional read.

Digital Irreverent is a resourceful, of-the-moment guide for those looking to take their organization to that seemingly elusive next level. Irreverence, a concept explored in depth, is linked with agility, inquisitiveness, and the ability to pounce on new opportunities without worrying about entrenched hierarchies. Small companies, Jaroslawski notes, can benefit from new technology just as readily as larger competitors, and the small company that is first to market may quickly become a dominant player, especially if it is satisfying customer needs in a way its established competitors—likely less open to irreverent innovation—have failed to achieve.

Takeaway: Practical, thought-provoking guidance to empowering digital development teams for success.

Comparable Titles: George Karseras’s Build Better Teams, Nigel Vaz’s Digital Business Transformation.

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

Click here for more about Digital Irreverent

This swift, swaggering space-opera debut follows the desperate remnants of humanity into space some 500 years from now after Earth’s annexation (and destruction) by Edric Peregrine and his Aetherian Empire. In the aftermath, Earth’s Captain Elliot Greyjoy finds himself serving at the pleasure of Edric himself, hunting down Terran collaborators, now loose in the galaxy, who killed countless Terran innocents—and stole ships that could have aided in the evacuation of humans. Elliot accepts the assignment, though he keeps his ultimate mission secret: revenge against Edric, both for the Terrans dead at Edric’s command, but also personal losses, like the woman he loved … or the Aetherian princess, Ember, trusted to Elliot’s care after first contact but then assassinated.

On the hunt, Elliot discovers Ember’s spitting image in a Terran orphan, Aurora, who is astonished to discover that, like Ember herself, she can connect to his mind through the “empathic link” shared by Aetherian Royalty. From there, Ideue keeps the story hurtling along as Elliot, Ember, and crew (including the scene-stealing AI Zorac) strive to discover the emperor’s secrets, take revenge, and build an enduring foundation for humanity’s future. Despite the novel’s scope and hefty length, the pages turn quickly, the storytelling powered by something as potent as any antimatter drive: Ideue’s passion for space adventure in a classic vein, for stout heroes, ragtag crews, and bold missions; for epic space battles described with an attention to tactics; for stakes that are both civilizational and deeply personal.

Ideue never ignores advanced tech or scientific ideas, but they also never get in the way of fun or momentum. Elliot’s love of Bablyon 5 and Galaxy Quest is cute, a cue not to take this too seriously—for Elliot, isn’t that like being obsessive about Middle English lit today? The rousing ending, coming some 400 pages after Earth’s destruction, finds what’s left of humanity facing a much wider universe, sure to be explored in later books of the promising New Terrans series.

Takeaway: Fun, action-packed space opera of an Earth captain facing an empire.

Comparable Titles: John Birmingham’s The Cruel Stars series, Gareth L. Powell’s Continuance series.

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

Click here for more about Aurora Ascending

Dickson’s debut plunges readers into a world where romance and darkness intertwine. The prologue teases a murder before quickly pivoting to a whirlwind affair between public relations star Emiliah Bent and powerful CEO Ben Goodall, offering readers a captivating blend of allure and danger. When Emiliah initiates an edgy promotional limerick to her entire press list, her unconventional style takes the internet by storm, catapulting her into a new level of fame where she meets Ben, who sweeps her off to private jets and lavish dinners, transforming her world into one of luxury and fulfillment. But soon Ben’s grip on Emiliah tightens, slowly extending to every aspect of her life and gradually stripping away her independence.

From there, The Story of Emiliah Bent morphs into a dark tale of control and danger, as Emiliah refuses to confront her haunting past or challenge the seeming ease of her new lifestyle. The casual first-person narrative pulls readers in with a steady build-up of tension, punctuated by moments of stark intensity as Emiliah’s shifting perception of her relationship moves from dreamlike wonder to desperate urgency. Dickson weaves a treacherous line between romance and thriller, allowing Emiliah and Ben’s relationship to darken with each chapter.

The novel echoes themes of oppression, but with a brutal edge that will push readers to the brink, as Emiliah breaks free from her socially awkward, low-self-esteem prison into a different type of bondage, where tender lovemaking swiftly morphs into something terrifying and Ben progressively becomes more violent and unpredictable. The blend of romance with psychological suspense cuts deep, opening a world of shadows behind a seemingly perfect love story, and Dickson's portrayal of the dangers that can lurk just beneath love’s surface—combined with a killer surprise ending—is sure to resonate with fans of darker romantic thrillers.

Takeaway: Passion, violence, and the past erupt in this dark romance.

Comparable Titles: Nicole Blanchard’s Toxic, Sheridan Anne’s Pretty Monster.

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

Click here for more about The Story of Emiliah Bent

Retired doctor and widow Meg never guessed her 70s would be a time of turmoil. When her adult son, Nick, refuses to move out, and Meg grows weary of his freeloading, she kickstarts her golden years by selling her house and buying a quiet flat near a golf course. Unfortunately, her idyll is soon disrupted when an accident reconnects her with Colin, her first love, lost to her when he was conscripted into the Vietnam War. As the pair sort out unresolved feelings for each other, a dangerous presence from Colin’s past makes itself known—and they must decide if rekindling their love is worth the risk.

Brooksbank (author of All My Love) takes readers on a smooth ride with a down-to-earth, relatable main character. Like many retirees embarking on a new stage, Meg isn’t quite sure what she wants, though she instinctively feels a change is in order. Readers will be endeared as she tries to defy generational expectations and vows “not stir up the air or the water, not do anything foolish like falling in love,” just as she falls head over heels for her old fling. That affair comes with some serious risks, thanks to shocking secrets from Colin’s past, and Brooksbank teases those secrets to add moments of action and surprise to the novel.

Besides the main affair, Brooksbank adds compelling relationships between Meg and other characters, including her neighbors Linh and Suzanne, and Nick—a bohemian pain-in-the-rear whose honest and unapologetic nature, in combination with his genuine care for his mother, makes him entertaining and strangely appealing. His character arc suffers from a lack of development at times, but Brooksbank makes up for that by giving him a crucial role in the story’s surprise ending—one that allows mother and son some reconnection and hope for their future. This soft love story has considerable backbone.

Takeaway: Cozy women’s fiction with high-stakes thrills sprinkled throughout.

Comparable Titles: Lisa Williams Kline’s Ladies’ Day, Nancy Crochiere’s Graceland.

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

Click here for more about Don't I Know You?

Sarda’s brutal modern thriller (the third in the Hamburg Noir series) explodes like a Molotov cocktail as revolution and murder collide on the streets of Hamburg. Former Bundeswehr (German military force) bomb disposal expert Edda Green thrives in the city’s underbelly, fueled by oxycodone and violence. Employed by the shadowy BKA to infiltrate a revolutionary cell responsible for deadly riots, Edda goes off the rails when the tortured body of her Army blood brother washes up in the harbor. Homicide detective Meike Voss, alongside Meike’s partner Motz Beck and team leader Thomas Ritter, is on the case, too, with all signs pointing toward a foreign conspiracy.

Sarda commands readers’ attention with energized prose, snapping the world and its characters into unflinching focus and presenting a gnarly, atmospheric mosaic of a Hamburg where everybody, as Edda reflects, “knew the difference between an insider and an outsider. And nobody liked the cops.” There’s a lived-in sense to everything (and everyone), where even the idlest of background figures feel less like set dressing and more like essential denizens in their own right. It’s an impressive weaving of vitality and messy humanity.

As a Californian living and working in Hamburg, Sarda leverages his perspective in crafting a striking vision of a “rugged harbor town… with a robust and colorful criminal underworld.” From the WWII-era bunker Edda calls home to the Blankenese foothills overlooking the container islands in the harbor, there is a palpable vein of history pumping beneath the concrete skin of Sarda’s Hamburg to match the beating hearts of his cast. Shuddering with vibrant immersion, Edda Green practically muscles its lesser parts into working order, culminating in the kind of engaging, street-level crime fiction noir fans crave.

Takeaway: A vibrant, muscular neo-noir, alive with magnetic characters and a vivid Hamburg.

Comparable Titles: Andrew Warren’s Cold Kill, Nic Saint’s A Field of Blood.

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

Click here for more about Edda Green

"Why is it so hard for me to be kind to him?" writes Hitchcock of her husband, Joe, as she reflects on their broken relationship. That sentiment swirls throughout this stirring debut memoir, as Hitchcock recounts the struggles that led to the downfall of her marriage, the couple’s last-ditch effort to save it, and her own awakening in the aftermath of its destruction. After their children grow up and leave home, Hitchcock and her husband light on an opportunity to purchase a ranch in the Wet Mountains of Colorado, agreeing to give their marriage one last chance—nine months to recover or agree to “go our separate ways.”

As Hitchcock reflects on that journey, readers will be swept into the daily ups and downs of a long-term marriage on the rocks, for no glaring reasons other than a gradual growing apart. Both she and Joe feel the tug of an almost-comfortable sense of isolation weighed against the pain that comes with opening up and admitting “I just want to be loved,” and, as they move towards separation, Hitchcock also confronts her tumultuous childhood—fraught with emotionally absent parents and episodes of sexual assault—and its impact on her ability to bond with other people.

The end of Hitchcock’s marriage triggers a new beginning, and she leans on her Buddhist beliefs to find peace—and a way forward when everything falls apart. That path includes her transformation from student to teacher, as she leads meditation classes inside a federal prison nearby her new home, and, eventually, a solitary life on the ranch that creates inroads for her healing. After much self-work, Hitchcock reflects on her redemption in liberating tones, writing that “I always had a nagging feeling that there was something else, something more, some kind of freedom from my unhappiness,” before proclaiming “we can connect with a goodness inside ourselves and find happiness there.”

Takeaway: Memoir of finding happiness within when life falls apart.

Comparable Titles: Jaymen Chang’s I Love This Version of Myself That You Brought Out, Nora McInerny’s No Happy Endings.

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

Click here for more about A Tree With My Name On It

Marie whisks readers back into the world of the Cognation Academy with her third of the After Intelligence Series, which finds intrepid student Charlotte Blythe, now in her third year at tech-giant Cognation’s wildly innovative school, on edge after Dr. Kindred, Athena Fawlings, and her parents present a new tech product that might herald the fall of Cognation: “a new kind of soulmate.” Designed to “seamlessly integrate” with the user’s senses, this augmented intelligence device dazzles Charlotte’s classmates, but Charlotte is more than skeptical. After uncovering secrets about Cognation in the previous books, and alarming encounters with an AI named C.J. who might just be preparing to destroy everything she knows, Charlotte and her wry android bestie Isaac must expose the truth about Cognation Industries’ “brazen hubris” and this “invasive” tech’s “potentially catastrophic consequences.”

This entry is a swift, exciting, of-the-moment read that plunges readers into the tangled web of machine learning, augmented and artificial intelligence, and thoughtful exploration of the ethics of all of this. One strong twist finds Charlotte suddenly wondering if actually it’s AI C.J. who needs protection—from humans. Charlotte remains a winning hero, somewhat at odds with her peer group but caring about what matters most, and her friendships bring heart to the material. (A date that suffers from technical difficulties is a highlight.) For all Marie’s persuasive expertise in presenting this world, non-techie readers will not feel overwhelmed by the cool science elements as Charlotte discovers the lies and truths of Cognation.

In fact, Marie smartly uses the school setting to offer pointed, age-appropriate conversations exploring the issues of privacy, hackability, and more. The introduction of soulmates powers welcome exploration of invasive science, with the questions raised being answered, in words and inventive action, by a young generation that has only ever lived with such technologies. Lovers of searching but down-to-Earth science fiction will appreciate this sequel’s accessible and relatable consideration of the urgency of setting boundaries with technology.

Takeaway: Smart YA sequel of an innovative academy, invasive tech, and a bold student hero.

Comparable Titles: Rebecca Hanover’s The Similars, Suzanne Young’s Girls with Sharp Sticks series.

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

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Hansen’s luminous collection, following Skies and Chasms, is a reverential prayer of gratitude and acknowledgement of one of nature’s most fundamental cycles on Earth: night and day. “When stars flickered into view, // and the moon poured out its silver,” he writes, “I was in a land of magic: miracles-on-demand, nothing-is-impossible.” In this cerebral state of cosmic observation, the speaker experiences a spiritual transcendence, just by taking the time to notice the mundane and marvelous phenomenon of the night sky. Yet as much as it focuses on the external stimuli of nature, Hansen’s collection also explores the internal landscape of the self and the challenge of attaining peace.

In “Inner Peace,” the poem’s speaker observes the sun setting and the slow advance of night, and as they experience a flood of tranquility at the sight, the speaker declares, “I decided that the way I perceive the universe // is influenced more by my inner state // than by the lights in the sky.” Hansen explores the notion that internal equilibrium is essential for the self in order to experience a connection with the universe, and a method to engender that personal serenity is to use poetry as a way to express the phenomenon of living. Elsewhere, Hansen makes the connection even more explicit: “Absorbing nature every day // is transforming me,” he notes, a truth that will resonate with anyone who also has prioritized such an observant immersion.

Hansen’s poems also act as vehicles for the existential questioning that results from serious contemplation of the cosmos: “But I may wait a lifetime // and still not get the explanation. // So I put the question on hold // and return to stargazing.” Though somewhat misaligned thematically, the final section, “Love Poems for Kristen,” is nonetheless touching and sincere; romantic love, like the cosmos, is another source of inspiration and spiritual exploration in Hansen’s starry-eyed verse.

Takeaway: Marveling, moonlit collection of poems that illuminate the nightscape of the mind.

Comparable Titles: Sara Teasdale’s “Winter Stars,” Nisha Patel’s “The Blue Bird”

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

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