Maze draws on his years of experience in the media industry, including stints as art director for Parenting and design director at Coastal Living, to transform the art of magazine writing and editing into an energetic, actionable leadership playbook. Maze’s deep background in publishing offers readers a unique twist on standard corporate leadership coaching: he reimagines leadership as a creative process, drawing parallels between the skills and attitudes necessary to thrive at the helm of a publication and the universal pillars of business success: building an effective team, establishing a vision, connecting with an audience, and refining your product and message.

Though comprehensive and wide-ranging, Lead Like an Editor reads quickly due to its engaging writing and effective structure. Maze organizes his leadership philosophy through the acronym MY STAMP, which encapsulates the essential areas for readers to focus on: Mindset, [developing] Yourself, Structure, Team, Audience, Message, and Product. Each chapter explores its focus through Maze’s personal experience, case studies, research, and advice from experts ranging from Disney’s Bob Iger to Martha Stewart. These concrete illustrations help convert complex concepts into digestible, practical steps, which are reinforced in synopses after each chapter and a downloadable workbook.

Maze gives fascinating insight into the fast-paced world of magazine publishing, from identifying and naming trends to the pressure of shipping an issue to the printer on time. While examples like these may feel less accessible to readers outside the print world, Maze takes care to extrapolate how “the editor’s edge” can help managers and entrepreneurs in any field to level up. His high standards—he encourages showing up to work sick in most circumstances, and he advocates for “work/life brilliance” instead of work/life balance—might intimidate some, but his enthusiasm is persuasive and infectious. His advice will motivate anyone eager to grow professionally and provide them with tools to make a meaningful impact on their careers.

Takeaway: Practical leadership strategies drawn from the world of magazine publishing.

Comparable Titles: Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc., Kerrie Flanagan’s Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing.

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

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Couples seeking a structured approach to enhancing their connection will find much to love in Brancato’s user-friendly debut. Promising a “practical, easy-to-use framework that helps you and your partner uncover where your priorities align and where they diverge,” Brancato introduces his Total Difference Score (TDS), a tool he designed to help partners explore their individual and shared values, ultimately fostering deeper empathy, trust, and collaboration. ​He emphasizes that many relationship conflicts stem from misaligned priorities rather than a lack of love, and he encourages readers to harness the TDS to identify areas that may require more intentional effort.​

Brancato keeps the material clearly organized and accessible throughout, as he guides readers through understanding life priorities, taking the TDS, interpreting its results, and turning those results into actionable goals. ​Each chapter is packed with practical advice, real-life examples, and reflection prompts that will assist couples as they navigate the challenges unique to their relationship. The sheer abundance of practical tools Brancato offers will keep readers focused on the conversations that count, reducing misunderstandings and fostering a “collaborative mindset.” He reminds readers that alignment does not equal “agreeing on everything” and urges them to put in the work necessary to improve their more vulnerable areas: “Even small shifts in alignment… can have a profound impact on your relationship,” he writes.

Prioritize Us is not just about identifying misalignments but also about appreciating strengths and building on shared values. Brancato encourages couples to create rituals and habits that reinforce their connection and reminds them to “celebrate small wins along the way.” ​The book's practical worksheets and templates make it easy to apply the concepts and track progress, and Brancato’s insightful, actionable approach transforms this into a valuable resource for couples seeking to deepen their connection and build a relationship that reflects their true values.

Takeaway: User-friendly tools for couples seeking a deeper connection.

Comparable Titles: Marcus and Ashley Kusi’s Questions for Couples, Alica Muñoz’s The Couple’s Quiz Book.

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

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Scientist Clarke walks readers through his life, starting from boyhood and covering his extensive education and professional work as a biologist, in this easygoing debut. Just as comfortable on land as in water—and deeply connected to the natural world—Clarke writes with loving devotion about his work in the field, whether he’s studying the feeding patterns of tiny fish or recalling an undergraduate project on the behaviors of spiders. In lush descriptions of backyard exploring, he shares how his upbringing shaped his love of the outdoors, before building to his life’s work “investigating the behavioral ecology of reef fishes.” Throughout, he crafts his observations with an inquisitive curiosity that entertains as much as it educates.

Despite the often-complex subject matter, readers will find Clarke’s style easy to digest. He veers from technical writing to a more relaxed, creative manner that brings the natural world to life, unraveling his astonishment at the billowing underwater environment he falls in love with, where “fluorescently colored juvenile reef fish [dart] about” and “territorial three-spot damselfishes” take their aggression out on him. Despite that lighthearted feel—Clarke even declares that “science is a form of play”—his recollections center on the importance of data collection and analysis, explaining to readers how fieldwork helps him strike a balance between immersing himself in the natural environment and becoming “an intellectual being engaged in abstract thought.”

The most powerful sections in Clarke’s memoir revolve around his family’s annual trips to St. Croix, a reunion of sorts for them. He writes, “That first snorkel always felt like a homecoming. I was surrounded by fish and corals I knew intimately… I belonged here, and the reef community welcomed me.” Those trips were the breeding ground for several breathtaking discoveries, and Clarke includes personal photographs of his family during their time there. Nature lovers and curious minds will be fascinated.

Takeaway: Compelling memoir that blends scientific inquiry with rich personal recollections.

Comparable Titles: Christine Figgener’s My Life with Sea Turtles, Juli Berwald’s Spineless.

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

Click here for more about Fieldwork

Tressler’s debut infuses his richly developed, comical future world with eccentric aliens, inventive technology, sexual appetites, and a slick-talking rogue. Bronze-skinned Kash is known for finding anything for anyone—and talking himself out of any predicament. On planet Poncia, he declines a risky commission by the unscrupulous Doc, later blackmailing him for billions of credits. With the cash, he hires Plekish, from the science-based planet Thracia, to develop a vaccine for the Poncians, who suffer from the radiation of their two suns. When he delivers that vaccine to Poncia, Kash meets Doctor Omia Moss, a self-described nymphomaniac, who is eager to show Kash how grateful her people are for his help.

Kash soon attracts unwanted attention from the powerful Consortium Government due to his sentient ship Calynn retaining her memories of once being a teenage girl whose brain was implanted into the ship’s nerve center. To divert unwanted attention, Plekish installs Calynn’s mind into a powerful synthetic body, one she can use to practice Omia’s sexual expertise. Tressler teases out Kash’s protective side for both Calynn and Omia—whom Kash falls in love with almost instantly—but Kash’s plan to safeguard them backfires spectacularly when Omia is kidnapped by a corrupt senator and sold into a trafficking ring. Tressler sends Kash and company careening through the cosmos, as they rescue trafficked women, make last-minute deals with unsavory characters, and pick fights along the way.

Tressler’s animated characters spout humorous dialogue and cleverly extricate themselves from the clutches of gamblers and crime bosses, but frequent tangents divert the plot’s flow, and the story’s sexual exploitation may not be for everyone. Nevertheless, the clever antics of this passionate crew offer a winning combination of high-stakes adventure, camaraderie, and inventive future worlds.

Takeaway: Galaxy-spanning adventure starring a slick-talking rogue and synthetic pilot.

Comparable Titles: Therisa Peimer’s Taming Flame, Clio Evans’s Cosmic Kiss.

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

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Sullivan concludes his A Place of Safety trilogy (after New World for Old) by transforming Brendan Kinsella into Jeremy Landau, a Texan researcher of Jewish heritage. It’s 1981, and Brendan’s mission is to return to his native Ireland, virtually incognito as Jeremy—who is there to draw parallels between the Irish hunger strikes and the Israeli and Palestinian clashes. With his southern drawl, close-cropped hair, and NASA baseball cap, he is nearly unrecognizable, even to his closest friends. The journey—prompted by his mother’s impending death—draws him back to a country that never truly let him go.

But Sullivan makes it clear that Ireland hasn’t forgotten Brendan. Both the IRA and British intelligence have him firmly on their radar, each vying to extract information about the bombers behind a years-ago tragedy that claimed the love of his life, Joanna. Even as Brendan navigates a tense web of intrigue, the alphabet organizations—like the PIRA, OIRA, UDF, UVF, and RUC—scrutinize his every move, turning each checkpoint into a gauntlet of suspicion, revenge, and betrayal, while Sullivan resurrects Brendan’s past with an eerie twist: Joanna may still be alive. Haunted by this revelation, Brendan embarks on a perilous quest to save his family and piece together the truth about his parents, uncovering recordings that provide startling insight into their lives and motives along the way. His pursuit is as much about understanding his own identity as it is about uncovering hidden truths and enduring tortured interrogations.

Sullivan intricately weaves trauma, history, and espionage into a narrative that demands careful attention. The backstory, richly detailed and emotionally charged, requires patience to fully absorb, especially for readers unfamiliar with the earlier books in the trilogy. For the most rewarding experience, starting with the first series offering will deliver the clarity and depth needed to appreciate the full scope of this complex saga.

Takeaway: Emotionally charged intertwining of trauma, love, and acceptance.

Comparable Titles: Anna Burns’s Milkman, Sorj Chalandon’s My Traitor.

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

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Schulman concludes his epic galaxy-spanning trilogy (after .99999 and Folding Time) with a far-future return to Earth and a threat to all humanity. Previously, eight people from Earth were chosen to travel 10,000 light years to the Inner Ring of the galaxy, returning to Earth 10,000 years later. They brought with them medicine and technology to aid in the recovery of our plague-ridden planet and established wormhole travel to other worlds. It’s now ten years after their return, in the year 12,340, and Earth feels vulnerable now that the rest of the galaxy knows it exists. Especially dangerous are the ancient Balock race, who possess faster-than-light travel, and the Inorganics, mechanical life forms the Balock imprisoned in an enormous Dome orbiting the planet Flotom after they threatened to destroy all sentient organic life in the galaxy.

Classic elements of head-spinning SF adventures—including a character who declares, “I’m an astrophysicist, not a geologist”—blend with fresh complications, innovations, paradoxes, and jolts as two of the “Old Earthers,” computer expert Marie and archaeologist Jack, seek vital information on matter/antimatter interaction, folding space, and weapons technology that is known only to the Inorganics. After the risk-averse High Council grants permission, Marie accesses the information but installs a self-destruct program in case the Inorganics get rowdy. Meanwhile, a missing unmanned research ship disappears, leaving Earth fearful that an alien race might access the ship’s information about Earth, opening our “backwater” planet up to invasion.

The various returned travelers set off on other adventures throughout the galaxy as the heroes explore, strive to “outwit two ancient civilizations,” keep a host of Earth’s starships throughout the galaxy from joining the Inorganics, and remind each other in space battles, “this is not a video game. Real people are dying!” Pacing is uncertain, but Schulman springs some smart surprises involving time displacement and the motivations of planets in the galaxy’s Inner Ring, and this finale will please lovers of old-school but still forward-looking SF.

Takeaway: Muddled, galaxy-spanning adventure of scientists protecting a far-future Earth.

Comparable Titles: Stephen baxter’s Xeelee Sequence, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time.

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

Click here for more about Temporal Destiny

In this M/M novella, prolific Merrill offers a full year of festivities, and a followup to her Pinups and Puppies, in a sweet and solid contribution to the multi-author “Once Upon a Holiday Story” series. Grumpy Marine veteran Luther Sorenson, dealing with pain from his injuries with the support of his trans sister, whom he first met in foster care, and the cautiously growing love of his new foster daughter Mila, tries selling his wood paintings at a local craft fair. There, he meets ex-Air Force cybersecurity expert and musician Doug Cross, helping out his housemate’s dog rescue by selling airbrushed goth canine accessories, and though the spark is slow, Doug is doggedly persistent in pursuing Luther’s attention.<.br>

Merrill leans a little heavily into sentimentality with the cute children and puppies, forgivable in a holiday piece, and her history of writing musicians with good hearts and complicated histories. Nevertheless, she builds an impressive amount of real connection between the two men in the short space of a novella, while minimizing the on-page trauma and highlighting the joys of found family. Luther and Doug’s very different experiences of life after the military creates both commonality and tension in the relationship.

Luther and Doug’s machinations to make time in the limited hours while Mila is at summer camp will be relatable to readers familiar with single-parent scheduling, while the mini-festivals run by Doug’s housemates on their farm evoke a warm, old-school lesbian aesthetic, which is a bit of a surprise in an M/M story, but which emphasizes the queer community themes. Sex scenes are realistic about disability and body fears while remaining overall positive and hot, and there’s only love in her presentation of the erotic appeal of Doug’s goth styling and hard-rocking music, even if the actual encounters are tender, vanilla, and gear-free. In the end, readers will believe that all of the characters, not just the couple, have done the emotional work to earn their happy ending, and although the climax isn’t all that Christmasy, it’s certainly satisfying.

Takeaway: Warm goth holiday M/M romance, with found-family themes.

Comparable Titles: Sara Raasch’s The Nightmare Before Kissmas, Annabeth Albert’s The Geek Who Saved Christmas.

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

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“You’re in Greenwich Village, kid,” young Daniel Summerhill is told early in this novel of coming-of-age in turbulent times. “Go native. Become an artist. A painter, say, or a musician, or a writer.” Epstein conjures youthful innocence, a nation’s disillusionment, and the raucous creative spirit of the Village in the 1970s as Daniel quits college with a dream of becoming a writer. Like most at that age, Daniel is confused about what he really wants and how to go about it. As he strives to avoid the draft and worries about confronting his parents, he immerses himself in the bohemian culture of the Village, that once-affordable American Left Bank for those who dream boldly. Daniel and readers encounter poets, activists, folkies, beats, and only-in-New-York cranks—Ginsberg and Corso turn up, while Woodstock’s outsider artist Clarence Schmidt plays a major role.

Daniel absorbs their stories on the path to writing his own. Ultimately, in a feverish burst of inspiration, he writes a novel that he hopes will “provide for readers a home not offered by the world.” Novels about writing, of course, can be a tough sell for readers, asking them to care about the frustrations and technical considerations of authorship. As the title suggests, much of the narrative concerns Daniel finding his way toward something—in this case, what it means to write, what he can write, how to derive inspiration from people around him, and more—questions to which he brings a young person’s romanticism and idealism.

For all the specificity of milieu, a certain evergreen quality prevails: the content of Daniel’s novel is left a mystery, putting the emphasis on experiences and worries common to any creative person discovering a voice and a process. Epstein’s own novel comes to its fullest life, though, when it leaves Daniel’s head for interactions with the Village’s motley bohos and dreamers, plus excursions upstate and to the Berkshires. They do not disappoint. Lovers of 70s Village life and artistic self-discovery will find much here that resonates.

Takeaway: Evocative novel of coming-of-age as a writer in the Greenwich Village of the 1970s

Comparable Titles: William Collins’s , Ed Field and Neil Derrick’s The Villagers.

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

Click here for more about This Way to the Light

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be touted as a business game changer, shaking up the tiniest of start-ups and the stodgiest of old-guard companies, what’s less clear is how job seekers can leverage this rapidly emerging technology. Dumas, a veteran career counselor with an eye on the explosive possibilities of utilizing technology when job hunting, explores that question with an emphasis on the ways AI can aid in crafting a compelling profile, narrative, and presence on LinkedIn. But how does one get to the front of the LinkedIn line? Dumas presents fresh, innovative strategies for using AI as a tool or “smart assistant” for doing just that—from optimizing a profile, brainstorming “side hustle opportunities,” generating ideas for posts, and discovering career development options tailored to address gaps in your skills, to offering up-to-date insight into what recruiters search for and how to work with the algorithm rather than against it.

While Dumas rightly centers the ways that job seekers use new technologies to power their career searches, she never promises AI as an easy solution or downplays the so-called traditional qualities and details that thoughtful hiring managers seek in new candidates. Intangible qualities such as creativity, problem-solving, and the ability to get along with one’s co-workers are not often measured by algorithms. Instead, she presents a wealth of practical tips, insightful explanations, and clear dos and don’ts, all designed to help job seekers demonstrate these and other skills, including adaptability.

Written in a fast-paced, friendly style, these pragmatic notes for mid-level and senior career changers are insightful and encouraging, while her sharply honed prompts demonstrate how to solicit quality assistance from AI. Amid on-point guidance about mastering keywords, “About” sections, and demonstrating one’s Unique Value Proposition across one’s profile, postings, and networking actions, Dumas is both gung-ho on AI and absolutely clear that it is a fallible tool that can enhance “your thought leadership rather than [replace] it.” Dumas urges readers to use it to demonstrate their individual humanity.

Takeaway: Fresh, illuminating advice for using AI to thrive on LinkedIn and in job searches.

Comparable Titles: Omar Garriott and Jeremy Schifeling’s Linked, Hilke Schellmann’s The Algorithm.

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

Click here for more about The AI-Savvy Job Seeker

A team-building corporate retreat leads to significant—and toothily violent—change in Claiborne’s debut, which finds young Anthony Montgomery enjoying a nigh-perfect life until he’s dragged to a work event in a remote cabin, “forced to engage in meaningless social banter” and a creepy ceremony, and then attacked by an unknown assailant in the woods. Doctors marvel as he heals quicker than usual, and soon the truth is revealed: Anthony has been bitten by a werewolf, and now he’s one, too. High on the thrill of his transformation, he kills a woman in cold blood and soon is fully caught up in the world of Lycan politics as he strives to learn to control his new abilities—and hungers.

Moonrise stands out from the pack of contemporary werewolf fiction thanks to Claiborne’s refusal to romanticize the transformation of human to wolf-beast or find beauty in brutality. Anthony’s initial transformation is raw and unforgiving, and he faces wrenching physical therapy afterward. As his bones clench and grind—a process described with vicious zest—Anthony craves blood and prey, and his body, while enhanced, is more beast than sexy. Claiborne also never shies away from the consequences of lycanthropy, as Anthony is often overwhelmed with guilt about his bloody deeds and is almost immediately caught for his recklessness.

All that means readers will both empathize with Anthony and fear him, especially as his relationships with family and his girlfriend wilt—Anthony is scared, justifiably, that he might hurt her. Complicating Anthony’s struggles are the rules, factions, and bloodlines of werewolves, which are contrasted wittily with the corporate world and Anthony’s position (possibly a board member!) at MGE, the company he works for. Dialogue is sharp and occasionally satiric, but Claiborne never undercuts the horror and suspense. Sometimes, as Anthony tries to make sense of his new life of Pure Bloods, Half-Breeds, and Ultimas, some transitions will leave readers with questions of logistics, but lovers of urban fantasy with bite will find much here to relish.

Takeaway: Action-packed werewolf thriller with dark emotions and vivid detail.

Comparable Titles: Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt series, Glen Duncan’s Last Werewolf Trilogy.

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

Click here for more about Moonrise

Set in ancient Atlantis, a land that lay in the center of a world then known as Earthia, S.K.R. and Durso’s warm, morally charged fantasy series starter concerns the secretive, subterranean Imen, a people possessed of rare healing and spiritual powers. “It is said,” notes an Imperial Knight of Carron, that the Imen “can turn things to gold.” That possibility leads to danger and adventure for Roni, the only child of the emperor of Imen-Hera, when the trees above her realm report that a man lies dying in the forest above. He is Prince Eyvind of Carron, wounded in a hunting accident. Beholding the “golden-haired” Carron men and helping them with a bit of Imen healing tempts Roni into violating Imen laws designed to keep their culture pure and untroubled by want.

Perhaps worse, glimpses of Roni’s powers tempt an ogre named Bomo to strive to capture her. Soon, the “lust for gold” leads to conflict, as things asked of an Imen and not freely given come at a cost: one’s own need for more. The authors adopt a tone that draws deeply from early fantasy and fairy tales while honoring contemporary fantasy’s coherent worldbuilding. The tale opens with a clear, engaging survey of Atlantis and the waters that surround it, while the Imen people’s history, including their atonement for a greedy warrior past, establishes simple yet resonant themes.

Acts of kindness from Roni lead to unexpected consequences, such as her healing a blind man down on his luck and bestowing upon him a magical gold coin, a choice that sparks incidents of human (and ogreish) covetousness. Those moments have a familiar satirical edge, but scenes of Roni and Eyvind, who requests a way to regain his family's status, pulse with a more compelling temptation, as she fights the urge to gaze into his soul and memories. A cliffhanger ending feels somewhat abrupt, but the prose and world will delight lovers of classic fantasy.

Takeaway: Classical, morally charged fantasy of greed, healing, and magic.

Comparable Titles: Jeanette Ng, Emily Lloyd-Jones.

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

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Fedorak’s immersive sequel to Children of Alpheios delves deeper into creepy medical malfeasance in a colony on the planet Eamine. Previously, Alina escaped with her infant son, Mandin, who was born with a DNA anomaly, from the city of Alpheios, where biotech corporation Genodyne conducts unethical medical experiments. Now it’s three years later, and Alina is living with her telepathic son and her lover Kiean in the underground town of Evesborough, due to Eamine’s harsh environment. She receives word that her estranged mother, Linette, in Alpheios is suffering from an untested Genodyne rejuvenation serum called Revive that causes disfigurement and a rash that has metastasized to her internal organs. If Alina returns to Alpheios to visit her mother, she could get arrested. As a precaution, she risks contacting Chance Graylin, Mandin’s father and son of Alpheios’s ruthless Chancellor Jade Graylin, a Genodyne board member.

Fedorak ratchets up the tension with an in-depth dive into Genodyne’s experiments on new life forms, the kronosapiens, harvesting their stem cells to create a cure for Revive patients. Their heinous experiments gain the attention of violent protesters who demand that the cure be available to all for free. As Linette’s health worsens, Alina asks Chance to enroll her mother in a clinical trial. He agrees on the condition that it remains a secret. While he offers Alina and Mandin safe passage through Genodyne, she doesn’t realize just how far Chance is willing to go to rekindle their romance and remove Kiean from her life.

Merging lively action and intrepid, engaging characters, Fedorak deftly teases and reveals political, social, and medical conspiracies that have far-reaching consequences for the entire planet. With some twists and turns, she creates an authentic world of near-future science and thought-provoking issues related to designer babies, corporate accountability, and familial commitment. A provocative page-turner.

Takeaway: Stellar SF novel of unethical medical experiments on a distant planet.

Comparable Titles: Sue Burke’s Semiosis, Madeline Ashby’s Company Town.

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

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In this aptly titled collection of stories, journalist Clark explores human lives navigating urban landscapes and urban problems: a sense of isolation, the mad rush, the lack of time to pursue real passions, and the strain urban living puts on romantic and parent-child relationships. Not knowing that he is going to die a few hours later, a man on holiday with his family takes a stroll through Paris, his wife’s beloved city, visiting spots remembered from previous visits and encountering people both living and dead. In other entries, an unexpected inheritance gives a woman the soul-satisfying luxury of revenge, and a brother calls his sister to apologize—yet his apology only reveals his true state of mind and their past.

Clark’s prose is elegant, serene, boasting a reporter’s eye and a storyteller’s élan, never drawing attention to itself but always serving the needs of the story: “It made her glow,” he writes, from the perspective of the husband in Paris: “The midnight dinners in tiny bistros, the warm croissants in the morning, oysters at midday, the long, long walks, making love in the afternoon …” Most of the characters and situations are entirely believable and relatable, and many remain in the reader’s mind, such as that husband, who faces the end alone in the most mundane of ways, or a father who comforts his son after he has a panic attack.

Clark makes small, everyday moments poetic. The parents of a teen couple in “Pizza Thanksgiving,” watching anxiously as their son skates with his love/crush, are sketched with an empathetic eye and loving attention to the textures of everyday life, especially their anxiety at her rejection of him. The understated way in which the influence of wealth and class shapes politics and, through it, the lives of ordinary people is a key theme, explored with power in “The Reunion.” This deserves special mention. An interesting collection, drawn from life, alive with insight and grace.

Takeaway: Engaging stories revealing contemporary urban life with insight and humanity.

Comparable Titles: Thomas Morris’s Open Up, Yiyun Li’s Wednesday’s Child.

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

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Monti’s organized crime thriller takes place in New Jersey, where big-money golf-hustler Rocky Delmonico accidentally disrespects local gangster Gino Lofaccio at his father’s funeral, forcing Rocky to make amends—or else. Soon, Rocky finds himself entrenched in Gino’s world, cavorting with ruthless gangsters, arms dealers, and duplicitous agents. The more he tries to repay his debt to Gino, the further he sinks into this new, dangerous game, all while the fate of a nefarious CEO and one of the top golf courses in New Jersey hang in the balance.

From the start, Monti’s fiction debut evokes a typical New Jersey-esque mobster atmosphere, with Gino’s right hand man, Vinnie, an “angry street thug who belted people around for kicks” on constant guard duty while Gino runs a side business at a club where “for two C-notes, the tie and suit guys get three drinks… and the chance to hound the best dancers this side of Las Vegas.” The humor-tinged perspective on neighborhood violence and politics, combined with snappy street slang and a handful of vicious hits, will keep readers entertained, topped off only by Monti’s slew of peculiar characters, from Gino’s mother Mrs. Lofaccio to golf course CEO/arms dealer Pincus Bogalinsky—each of whom harbor their own curious quirks. Golf also forms a central part of the narrative, with large sections of the plot dedicated to the ins and outs of the game.

Monti’s fast-paced twists and turns culminate in a speedy climax, that, when it comes, echoes the book’s earlier themes, with sting operations aimed at Syrian-backed illegal arms dealings and a takedown requiring a multiple organization cooperative. That tidy finish allows Monti to nicely sum up each character’s journey and leaves Rocky safe and sound—though his golf game is irrevocably affected. An adrenaline-inducing read, Shooting Bogies is filled with action, idiosyncratic characters, and snappy intrigue that will leave mafia fiction fans murderously entertained.

Takeaway: Mafia mix-up leaves a golf hustler repaying an unlikely debt.

Comparable Titles: Ed McBain’s Criminal Conversations, Jon A. Jackson’s La Donna Detroit.

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

Click here for more about Shooting Bogies

Quinn's debut, framed as an autobiography, reveals his personal trials with a condition diagnosed when he was only two years old: developmental language disorder (DLD). A speech and language disability that can be mistaken for stuttering or muddled speech, DLD created extensive challenges for Quinn, from struggling with slow speech and stuttering to delayed learning, marking his early years of development with low self-confidence and self-doubt. He relays those challenges starting with his birth—punctuated by insights from family members and treating professionals alongside his own extensive research—and focuses throughout on raising awareness.

Quinn writes with an obvious passion for educating others, sharing candid first-person testimony that is honest, sincere, and, even during his most painful moments, upfront about the challenges he has faced and overcome. That passion will inspire readers, and Quinn notes it has opened significant doors of opportunity for him, including serving as a vice president for the AFASIC organization, established to spread awareness and provide support for youth diagnosed with DLD. His overriding message is hopefully earnest: the impact of DLD is far-reaching, but, with support and effective care, it can be managed. “I have been knocked down,” he writes, “[but] I got back up and soldiered on through life, ever molding myself to be what I am today.”

Quinn’s personal and professional victories will encourage others to rise to the challenge, as he channels his frustration at the lack of awareness about DLD into a victory rally. “This disability is a part of me, but doesn’t define who I am,” he emphasizes. The narrative flow is disrupted at times by loosely related deviations, but, when delving into his more intimate moments of pain and triumph, Quinn’s writing is powerful. His inclusion of photographs builds connection with readers, and he closes with simple ways to shed light on DLD research and programs.

Takeaway: Empowering personal story of coping with development language disorder.

Comparable Titles: Sheila Hale’s The Man Who Lost His Language, Marc Shell’s Stutter.

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

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Flarity’s latest blend of psychological suspense and speculative science fiction invites readers to solve a tantalizing riddle. After her promising career in finance collapses when she has a panic attack during a major presentation, Mika Crane finds herself working midnight shifts at her family’s 24-hour convenience store in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. When her ailing father reveals that he has discovered the location of her sister Naomi, who left the family nearly two decades earlier, Mika travels to New York to find her, hoping to restore their formerly close relationship and heal family wounds.

Flarity (author of The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter) artfully infuses the Pine Barrens setting with a moody, atmospheric darkness, mirroring the Crane family’s inner turmoil. Though the Cranes share a strong bond and long to have Naomi back, each member of Mika’s family struggles with unresolved pain: her father is tormented by paranoid delusions, her mother’s violent outburst led to a prison sentence, and her other sister Paige’s seemingly happy marriage camouflages her toxic jealousy. When Mika reunites with Naomi, she discovers that it is not family dysfunction that drove her away, but rather Naomi’s desire to protect them from the aliens that had abducted and tormented her.

Though Mika initially rejects her sister’s wild claims, the addictive twists and turns of the plot force her to consider if there have been otherworldly forces at work in her and her family’s lives. When disaster strikes, she must decide if she is willing to open her mind to new possibilities—and new realities. Though Flarity’s esoteric approach to the alien genre may challenge some readers, the relatable characters and their visceral relationships keep the story grounded. Far from a generic tale of little green men, this story’s intelligent exploration of identity, family bonds, and generational trauma infuses empathy into the extraterrestrial.

Takeaway: Haunting speculative sci-fi with psychological depth.

Comparable Titles: Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter, Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow.

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

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