Tyler (author of Blue Glass) delivers a wry but ultimately tender memoir focused on her relationship with her aging mother, drawn against the context of her own role as mother of two young children. Though largely focused on the latter part of her mother Elizabeth’s life, Tyler’s introspective reminiscences reach back into her own childhood and forward—into the experience of her mother’s death and its aftermath. Tyler’s dialogue of her conversations with her mother, and with her live-in aide, Chandice, sparkle with lively, personality-filled wit, spotlighting the strong sense of each individual character.

Tyler’s skill in bringing thoughtful perspective and lyrical prose to the mundanities of daily life shines through in her expression of the deep love for a person so central to her life, alongside the intense frustration that comes with managing her mother’s lucid stubbornness and cognitive confusion. Though there are amusing moments that spring from both Elizabeth’s larger-than-life personality and the dissonance that accompanies her failure to acknowledge her own decline, these mostly serve to lighten a compassionate but sometimes heavy narrative.

Though Tyler references the logistical complexities of parenting young children while managing an aging parent—and of curating her children’s relationship with a declining grandparent—she keeps her focus primarily on her own experiences. Her relationship with Elizabeth’s artistic side comes through as she considers the titular painting, which Elizabeth’s own mother rejected, but which Tyler tries to embrace after her mother gifts it to her; this also aids Tyler’s later asides into deep explorations of identity, as she muses “even here, in this murky suspension between the then and now, I was this: I was my mother’s daughter.” Tyler’s expression of the difficult transformations that occur between caregiving and requiring care, especially for women who take on traditional familial roles, resonates with human universality.

Takeaway: Beautifully honest memoir of an adult daughter caretaking her aging mother.

Comparable Titles: Katie Hafner’s Mother Daughter Me, Loretta Anne Woodward Veney’s Being My Mom’s Mom.

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

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Patel, an executive medical director and section chief of neurosurgery, offers an illuminating guide for doctors and medical professionals about the importance of emotional intelligence in their work, from the “crucial skill” of empathy, thoughtful communication to build trust and alliances, and much urgent, humane advice that goes beyond medical school studies, like “The mark of an extraordinary doctor is not how well you manage patients when outcomes are favorable; it is how you manage them when outcomes are not favorable.” Patel takes readers on an intimate journey through what he’s discovered in 15 years in the medical field, with a welcome emphasis on what it takes for doctors to “live up to the special status conferred” upon them by society. He thoughtfully considers the challenges of the work, and acknowledges that it’s hard to admit mistakes—but also that doing so makes it easier to cope with and learn from them.

Throughout Patel demonstrates acute understanding of doctors’ mindsets: “You know you’re superhuman,” he writes with a wink, “but patients appreciate it when you humanize yourself with a little humor and a smile in your voice.” Cooperation, empathy, active listening, and connections are some of the operative words as Patel offers detailed examples of his and his colleague's experiences, both positive and negative, showing the harsh reality of crazy hours, challenging emotions, high-level surgery, and patient care, with a little joke here and there and much clear-eyed guidance about how “the emo- tionally intelligent physician understands that managing chaos doesn’t mean you act chaotically.”

Patel’s advice and anecdotes read like intimate talk from a caring mentor urging for a new level of bedside manner. He’s not just pushing for niceness—this is about listening to the patient, putting aside the ego, and creating solutions. Patel’s encouraging call for self-awareness and improvement is specific to the medical world but readers from any field will find this rousing.

Takeaway: Rousing call for self-awareness and emotional intelligence in medical careers.

Comparable Titles: Michael Stein’s Accidental Kindness, Shareef Mahdavi’s Beyond Bedside Manner.

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

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Walker’s sprawling but gripping debut follows the antics of paranormal hunters as they uncover an alien conspiracy. In 2015 at Chaco Canyon National Park in New Mexico, tour guide Katy Olmos finds a man staggering, covered in blood not his own. After the police take him, Katy reads the papers she finds in a backpack he left behind, discovering a manuscript that mentions Kevin Starkly, the frumpy “urban spelunker” and leader of the “Nerd Legion,” podcasters hunting the paranormal. The Legion—which includes Tony, a psychic who talks to the dead in his dreams; Richard, the scientist and skeptic; and John, the art curator—roadtrips America, gathering content, but on an expedition in Pine Barrens, New Jersey, hunting the Jersey Devil, Starkly is surrounded by mysterious balls of light and promptly disappears.

Composed of podcast and video transcripts, newspaper clippings, police reports, blog comments, dream journals, texts and even fan fiction, the quick-paced narrative follows the remaining members of the Legion as they continue their cross-country tour, gathering clues as to Kevin’s whereabouts. The mystery starts with an 1897 newspaper report of an airship crash in Aurora, Texas, and the remains of its pilot, “not an inhabitant of this world,” who was buried in a local cemetery. The Nerd Legion follows signs declaring “The Pilot Awakens,” a message revealing that the pilot told Starkly’s great-grandfather his name was Max As Abraxas, and aliens who communicate with us through lucid dreaming.

Walker skillfully manipulates these disparate clues and reports into an intricate chronicle of this dedicated troupe of ufologists and ghost hunters, with welcome attention paid to the thinking and language of Starkly and company, whose takes sometimes surprise: “the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) has done more damage to the study of the UFO phenomena than all the crackpot conspiracy theorists,” Starkly argues. The paranormal intrigue is infused with humor, true science, and literary and pop culture references for a playful and suspenseful adventure. Fans of The X-Files will feel right at home.

Takeaway: Gripping alien conspiracy adventure told in found documents.

Comparable Titles: Connie Willis’s The Road to Roswell, Patrick Lee’s The Breach.

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

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Ricketts makes a strong debut with this swift, polished, funny SF adventure of a scrappy spaceship captain forced to take on one deadly last job six months after the death of her crew. Haunted by events that the novel teases out over its briskly exciting present, Sam just wants to sell her kraken-class ship and start a new life, leaving shipping behind. But for all her grief and pointed gruffness, she can’t resist coming to the rescue of a woman, Kate, whom she sees flee a dive-y station bar. Soon after, an encounter with Miles Floodwater, the gangster who previously claimed a couple of Sam’s fingers, upends her vague plans. Turns out a member of Sam's crew had been smuggling a parcel for this tyrannical boss, and now Kate is on the hook for it.

The Ship freshens up classic space-adventure elements with vibrant prose, welcome wit, and a clear love of the genre—Ricketts both honors and challenges readers expectations. For all the fun, action, and mystery, the characterization archetypal but alive, with the burgeoning relationships between Sam and her quickly assembled crew proving the novel’s heart. Sam and Kate bicker, but they quickly fall in together as trusted compatriots—"Do you have a splicer and some proto-casing?” Kate asks, early on, as Sam monkeys with the kraken’s innards. As those two edge toward acknowledging their interest in each other, Ricketts contrasts them with the hilariously blunter attraction Addy feels for mercenary Parker, a “tall drink of 70-round pulse rifle” keeping tabs on Sam for Floodwater.

Ricketts introduces her universe on the fly, through the eyes of Sam and co. and through the blaster shots of the pirates and others they encounter. Surprises like Kate’s status as a “Purifier” and the secrets of her old crew contribute to keeping the somewhat familiar milieu lively, but what makes this ship soar is its first-rate dialogue and character connections, which blend salty, sharp-elbowed chatter with found-family warmth.

Takeaway: Stellar SF adventure debut, bursting with wit, pirates, and found-family warmth.

Comparable Titles: Becky Chambers, G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward’s Invisible Kingdom.

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

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Licensed psychologist Jamison digs into her personal struggle with substance abuse in this candid, inspiring memoir. “This is the story of a woman whose entire personality was shame-based, and whose childhood wounds created an adult who was driven by perfection and invulnerability” she writes, setting the stage for a brutally honest, often hard to read story covering her ongoing battles with weight, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Jamison acknowledges that she is “one of the lucky ones,” and her dual perspective as counselor and person with a substance use disorder lends authority to this vulnerable debut—a sensitive, transparent journey of pain, healing, and, eventually, peace.

Jamison recounts her secret life as an addict, opening up about the hidden shame, attempted suicides, and ultimately successful recovery she experienced. From writing her own prescriptions to stealing pills from the medicine cabinets of friends and family, this harrowing story of one survivor's private struggle with substance abuse probes the steps it takes to truly recover from addiction—and the rippling effect substance abuse has not only on addicts, but on their loved ones as well. Jamison shies away from nothing, chronicling her life’s precarious balance as she gains accolades in her career all while harboring dark secrets: “I was achieving great things in my life, but underneath I was hiding a seething boil of inescapable turmoil,” she writes.

This memoir is unique in its exploration of both the wounded and the healed side of trauma and addiction, and readers struggling with similar issues will find Jamison’s emotive writing spellbinding. More than just a chronicle of the devastation wrought by addiction, Jamison’s story is ultimately an homage to her triumph over years of mental anguish and pain—so much so, she coins her own phrase, “surthriving,” to describe her transformation from “mere survival to one of truly thriving, in all the best ways.”

Takeaway: Vulnerable memoir of a psychologist’s triumph over substance abuse.

Comparable Titles: Laura Cathcart Robbins's Stash, Sarah Michaud's Co-Crazy.

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

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“Soon, Chris Davis would lie in a pool of blood,” the villain vows of her long-time protege turned adversary early in this gripping sequel of kill-shots, high-stakes targets, and a pair of resultant “silentcide” assassins, Chris and his sister Michelle Barton, eager to exact revenge against their murderous master, Irene Shaw, whom they at last escaped—and whose hatred they earned—in the previous book. But the duo can’t manage that if Irene and her commissioned killers take them out first. As the bullets fly, the principals chase each other around the world, and Irene again targets Chris’s girlfriend, Anna Monteiro, whom he was once himself tasked with killing. Ebert ups the stakes, with Irene taking on a shocking new “commission” with global consequences: the poisoning of multiple U.S. senators.

Ebert’s fast-paced thriller again combines explosive action with complex character development, creating a thrilling and an urgent, emotionally resonant narrative as invested in these highly-trained killers’ hearts as much as it is their skills at subterfuge. Ebert deepens the sibling relationship between Chris and Michelle, while introducing new dynamics with Anna Monteiro and their former foster brother, Ansel Meehan. The storytelling smartly balances intense, inventive action with moments of introspection, even on Irene’s part in a glimpse of her past, adding depth and many personal touches to what could have been a straightforward action plot.

Irene is the standout character, a refined yet ruthless villain whose machinations drive much of the plot and add a layer of political intrigue amid all the personal vendettas. Ebert's prose is, again, taut and efficient, propelling the reader through a series of heart-pounding set pieces across Canada and the US. The author demonstrates a keen eye for detail in his action scenes, making them vivid and immersive, ensuring the reader is fully engaged in the narrative. While the plot is engaging, the multitude of swift-developing elements can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, Ebert keeps these threads cohesive, tying them together in a satisfying climax.

Takeaway: Swift, smart thriller of silent assassin siblings seeking revenge.

Comparable Titles: Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series, Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series.

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

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Davies crafts contemporary fables reminiscent of classic Aesop in this creative reimagining. In "The Peacock and the Lion", a male peacock and male lion meet “under the shade of a lofty limba" tree to regale each other with tales of their masculine prowess, only to learn a valuable lesson about humility after their wives point their own role in ensuring each family’s survival, while “The Angling Otter” finds a lazy otter learning the devastating effects of pollution caused by his own carelessness. Throughout this debut, Davies addresses racism, classism, and deforestation, among other topics, through vivid imagery, engaging prose, and entertaining lyrical alliteration.

In traditional Aesop form, Davies animates her featured animals, endowing them with very humanlike emotions and problems, and offers a moral at the end of each story—themes that are both “current and controversial,” in Davies’s words. From a productive goat who becomes lazy and unfocused after he’s gifted a mobile phone to a moth who hates his own reflection, Davies tackles issues that young readers will immediately relate to. In “The Owl and His Dilemma,” a rollercoaster loving owl learns to deal with bullying over his dinner choices, after a gaggle of geese tease him for enjoying a “fieldmouse burger.” That incident prompts him to explore the culinary choices of other birds, inciting his epiphany that “we should just eat what tastes good to us and not mock anyone if their dinner is different to ours,” a message that Davies ties into accepting others and avoiding judgment.

Each fable begins with a colorful, hand-sketched illustration hinting at what readers can expect from the tale, and younger readers will enjoy Davies's outlandish characters, humorous situations, and figurative language (just as adult readers will appreciate the opportunities scattered throughout to learn new, unfamiliar words, such as “pulchritudinous” and “avaricious”). This is a lighthearted tribute to Aesop’s brilliance.

Takeaway: Lighthearted reimagining of Aesop’s fables, for today's youth.

Comparable Titles: Vivian C. Olsen’s The Good, The Bad, and the Goofy, Mike Bennett’s Aesop’s Fables Reimagined.

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

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Giordano’s second installment in her Strange Eden series thrusts readers back into the tumultuous regency period of colonial Nassau, diving into Eliza Sharpe’s troubled marriage to the island’s commander, Charles Sharpe. As she grapples with the loss of her illicit lover, Jean, her despair deepens when she discovers she’s pregnant—a child whose future seems grim. Meanwhile, Lord Dunmore’s political intrigues and illicit dealings collide with Charles’s sense of duty and honor, further straining the fragile foundations of his estate and the colony, with potentially devastating consequences.

Giordano weaves a riveting tale deeply embedded in colonial life and subtly laced with the harsh realities of slavery, nimbly portraying colonialism and the imperial enterprise’s many contradictions, often through probing questions. Her nuanced descriptions and skillful integration of surrealism, particularly through the otherworldly mystique of dream sequences, add a haunting layer to the narrative. The oracle Cleo, a central figure, guides both Charles and Eliza through their respective dilemmas and premonitions, and, as the story delves deep into Eliza’s psyche, readers will also be drawn into her slow descent into madness, captured here in vivid detail.

At its core, The Island King is a tale of two individuals haunted by their pasts, grappling with the guilt that shadows them. Themes of honor and betrayal permeate, fueling the dilemmas they face, and Giordano deftly captures Eliza’s emotional transformation as her feelings for Charles shift from intense hatred and disgust to care and affinity. The saga unfolds gradually, with inner monologues that occasionally drift away, but the rich, period-appropriate details firmly ground the story in its sociocultural context. The looming threat of the governor and Captain Bruin escalate the tension, injecting much-needed pace into the narrative's second half, and Giordano ends the novel on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Takeaway: Regency-era historical fiction blending surrealism with harsh reality.

Comparable Titles: Amita Murray’s The Marleigh Sisters series, Natasha Boyd’s The Indigo Girl.

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

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In Ingold’s latest, he paints a tender-hearted portrait of painter Robert Turghoff and his romance with Yvonne Curtiss, a mysterious, complex, conflicted woman who becomes his lover and muse. Turghoff, a twice-divorced father of two living in Long Branch, California, described by a colleague as not “particularly inspiring or [his] hands any more graceful than those of the average artist,” latches on to an idea to paint a series of murals, in a bid to rev up both the town and his career. When Yvonne—married to Iraq war veteran Gil Curtiss—enters his life, he’s intrigued, and, despite warnings from friends, slides into a deep relationship with her, while mentoring her 12-year-old daughter Carly.

In deft strokes and bold lines, Ingold (author of There Came a Contagion) effortlessly brings to life characters who linger long after: Turghoff, who paints to express what he cannot say even to himself and “had a reputation well earned; galleries wanted his work, buyers purchased it” ; Yvonne, a journalist who writes with clarity and empathy but is having trouble at home with her alcoholic husband (and self-medicating to cope); Gil, tormented from his time in Iraq; and Carly, tentative, shy, and fragile, with only sporadic attempts at creating art. Even Edgar Montoya, a minor supporting character nicknamed “Headlong” (because “when he set off running he gave no thought to stopping”) comes across as a fully animated, memorable addition to the cast.

Ingold’s depiction of Turghoff is nuanced, capturing the complexities of his artistic self—the joys of small successes and the frustration when “the channel between mind and hand” is blocked—with finesse. Turghoff’s initial wariness, and Yvonne’s mysteriousness, are all fashioned with skilled surety, making this an in-depth exploration of an artist’s mind, its vulnerabilities, the constant battles with roadblocks to expression, and the resilience born out of loyalty to the creative self.

Takeaway: An engrossing portrait of an artist and his muse.

Comparable Titles: Deborah Moggach’s Tulip Fever, Percival Everett’s So Much Blue.

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

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Calkosz’s charming adventure invites readers of all ages into a whimsical world where magic and reality intertwine. Set in an alternate New York City, this entertaining debut follows Olaf, a kind-hearted bear living in Central Park, who unknowingly scares off a pair of witches, leading to an unexpected discovery—a baby left behind in the chaos. Believing the child needs saving, Olaf, with the help of his loyal friend Essex the fox, sets out on a journey to return the baby to its presumed parents, Mabel and Harvey.

Olaf, Essex, and their newfound companions handily navigate this magical city where foxes communicate with trees and witches lurk under cover. The novel delves into themes of connection and belonging, with each character on a quest to find or reconnect with loved ones; Olaf yearns for his mother, Baby the cat yearns for her former owner, Betty, and Essex pines for her late mate, Bolton. That thread of longing loops the different characters together into a united quest, of sorts, forcing them to consider how a makeshift family may be just the answer they’re all looking for—despite the lack of blood ties.

Olaf—who eventually decides to keep the child and soon learns that she was kidnapped from her true father, Chief Detector Damon Thomas—embraces his role as protector and, with the help of witches Hilda and Helga (one evil, one good), he and Essex face challenges that test their bond and resolve, but ultimately reaffirm the power of love and chosen family. “Life was not a tale signifying nothing. He loved other beings, and they loved him. That was something. That was neverending” Olaf muses. Xiao’s black and white illustrations bring the story’s animals to vivid life, making this heartwarming tale a delightful read for both children and the young at heart.

Takeaway: Sweet tale of the power of found family.

Comparable Titles: S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember, Dave Eggers’s The Eyes & the Impossible.

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

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Sweepingly ambitious yet focused with intimate detail on one family, this forecast/call-for-action from Bengier (author of Journey to 2125) surveys the next century of life on Earth. In 2033, Max Yang MacGyver, now over 100 years old, is surprised in his Northern California home by a visit from his grandson, who has eluded the guard robot at his Texas commune and come seeking answers to how his family and a baking world got this way. Max guides him through roughly a hundred years of recent history, starting with Max’s own rescue, as a boy in Taiwan, from a 2033 Chinese attack, and then his life as a refugee adopted into a Bay Area family. Max’s family is deeply connected to the forces shaping our future: his adopted father has committed to fission power as the best energy source in the face of climate change, while his sister marries an entrepreneur seeking a fortune in robots.

There is serious opportunity there, of course, but as Bengier reminds readers throughout this humane, surprising novel, the course of technological shifts is never predictable, and it will take a generation or two for robots, AI, and other technologies to reach their potential—and, for some of the descendants of Max’s adopted parents, to fight against. The episodic plotting is concerned with changes over decades, cultural and sociopolitical in addition to technological. Bengier considers the fates of the global superpowers, how long it takes smartphones and online eyeglasses to be supplanted by brain-computer interfaces, and why “All robots except the military ones and those in factories have a blind spot behind.”

“You are here to save the planet,” an engineer tells grad students in the mid 21st century. Journey to 2125 explores how some could try. The result is a thoughtful, human-scaled future history, examining the lives—some hopeful, some tragic—of refugees, engineers, public policy-makers, entrepreneurs, and more as they’re both shaped by the world they’ve inherited and committed to saving it.

Takeaway: Sweeping, humane SF novel of one family, the next century, and all the change to come.

Comparable Titles: Kim Stanley Robinson, Sequoia Nagamatsu.

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

Click here for more about Journey to 2125: One Century, One Family, Rising to Challenges

In Fagan’s gripping, fast-paced third installment of the Pepper Ryan Mystery Thriller Series, FBI Special Agent Pepper Ryan is on a “losing streak”—he’s recovering from a break up with his girlfriend and his job with the Bureau is at risk. But when his friend Angel calls him to ask for help finding his girlfriend Marisol, who mysteriously disappeared from a street market in Cuba, Pepper doesn’t hesitate to board a plane. With only Marisol’s broken pink high-heeled shoe to go on, he finds himself on a dangerous unauthorized mission that leads him into a risky web of secrets in Cuba’s capital.

Fagan brings Havana to life, weaving its landmarks, vibrant culture, and menacing political landscape seamlessly into Pepper’s exploits. As his investigation deepens, the lively cast of supporting characters infuses the story with energy: Hector, Angel’s Elvis-loving cousin, reluctantly shepherds Pepper through Havana’s dicey underworld; grizzled, tenacious Cuban detective Juan Guiteras sets himself against Pepper at every turn (even in the boxing ring); laconic Belarusian filmmaker Victor Beriev’s camera is always watching; and gorgeous actress Dayana de Melina distracts Pepper with her sensual beauty even as her charm opens doors in his investigation. While the arc of their relationship occasionally feels predictable, their romance is disrupted when Pepper discovers that Dayana knows more about Marisol’s disappearance than she claimed.

With a hurricane approaching and tensions escalating, Pepper must make a crucial decision that will impact this case – and the rest of his life. Though readers may find some of his initial discoveries too convenient, as Pepper’s investigation deepens and he finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who is targeting Cuba’s well-known artists, his trademark intelligence, wit, and resourcefulness create exciting confrontations and thrilling revelations. The story’s relentless pace and action-packed twists and turns through Havana’s dark underbelly will have fans of international thrillers on the edge of their seats.

Takeaway: Exciting and witty missing-person thriller, with a Cuban twist.

Comparable Titles: Carl Hiaasen, Janet Evanovich.

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

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Bellano tackles an infamous decade for sports in this entertaining “celebration of an otherwise lamentable era” from a sports fan’s perspective. Bellano convincingly sets the stage that the 1970s were a home run for the sports world, especially for his favorite teams—the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Steelers, each legendary organizations in their own right. He touches briefly on the music and political scenes for the ‘70s before diving into his recollections of the “greatest single decade experienced by any sports fan,” transporting readers down a memory lane swamped with sports statistics, family history, and a string of athletic idols in all their strapping glory.

Bellano takes readers on a lively journey, from the streets of New York City and its surrounding suburbs to extended visits with cousins in hardscrabble western Pennsylvania towns, regularly reserving a close eye and gentle love for his numerous sports subjects. The unique differences he observes are striking and play a role in the man he becomes; like his hardworking immigrant family finding its way in a new country with a heavy influence from the Catholic Church, Bellano transforms as he grows, from precocious youngster to sensitive young man.

Sports fans who came of age during this period will appreciate Bellano’s recreations of timeless moments in ‘70s sports history, while also welcoming his intertwining of more serious news, such as the impact of Watergate and inflation on his generation. His recounting of such seemingly mundane things like the “finely manicured grass” of Yankee Stadium or the apparent desperation within Pennsylvania’s all-but-abandoned mining towns is unadulterated and nostalgic, as he reaches the happy realization that the ‘70s were not a “forgettable” decade by any stretch, but one of the greatest, and most under-appreciated, on the books, a “golden age” when “our appetite for sports was voracious.”

Takeaway: Emphatic tribute to the sports triumphs of the 1970s.

Comparable Titles: Mike Greenberg’s Got Your Number, Michael MacCambridge’s The Big Time.

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

Click here for more about Fond Memories from the Forgettable Decade

In her extraordinary memoir, debut author Shumer mines a painful past to shine a hopeful light on the experience of eating disorders. Shumer, influenced by 1980s standards of female beauty she saw everywhere, including the pinups in her older brother’s room, always worried about her weight. At ten, triggered by an insensitive teacher who told Shumer she had elephant legs in front of the class, Shumer went full-scale into what she called “Operation Anorexia”— taking an hour to eat a carrot stick because she had to chew each bite 50 times before swallowing, and eating strawberries divided in fifths that she forced herself to chew 25 times—and taking inspiration from anorexia-themed young adult novels, notably Steven Levenkron’s The Best Little Girl in the World.

Young Shumer eventually was hospitalized when she refuses to eat or drink anything with calories, dropping to nearly 40 pounds. Her journey to gaining weight during her hospital stay found her facing anxiety attacks, strict rules, and restraint devices to stop her from over-exercising. She was discharged weighing 33 pounds more than when she arrived. But after that, Shumer reports, she still struggled with the anorexic mindset, even turning to cutting as a coping mechanism. Consulting therapists, Shumer began the rocky road to recovery, which she writes about with the same frank clarity as the darkest moments, bravely laying bare her moments of backsliding—such as resorting to diet drugs when she hit 108 pounds.

WIth power and sensitivity, Shumer lays bare how anorexia gives perfectionists a sense of accomplishment that is hard to overcome, especially for someone raised in a media culture where “brains were not a high priority currency for females.” But Shumer also demonstrates that recovery from an entrenched eating disorder is possible. Shumer’s gutsy book will provide hope to those enduring one and help family and friends to understand.

Takeaway: Hopeful, eye-opening account of disordered eating and the path to recovery.

Comparable Titles: Deborah Hautzig’s Second Star to the Right, Marya Hornbacher’s Wasted.

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

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The seventh installment in Ferrendelli’s Samantha Church Mystery series, after The Long Way Home, follows Sam Church, a dedicated yet deeply insecure reporter, divorced mom, and recovering alcoholic, as she fights to unravel a series of deadly fires, all tied to arson, including the one that killed her daughter April’s best friend, Carol. Adding to her problems is Sam’s forbidden relationship with Wilson Cole, her boss and AA sponsor. As Sam draws deeper into an epic battle of good versus evil, Ferrendelli contemplates themes of family, grief, healing, and love.

Sam’s devotion to her family is a highlight throughout, especially to April, as she’s careful not to put work ahead of her time with her daughter—though her search for the arsonists sometimes overshadows those goals. Sam still carries guilt over her alcoholism, and Ferrendelli probes the limits of that dark emotion, using it as a catalyst to fuel Sam’s efforts, sometimes misplaced, to help April’s deep depression after Carol’s murder—as in the scene where Sam gives April a pony, expressing to a friend that “I want nothing more than for her to be happy and okay. And I don’t know what else I can do. She’s all I have left of me.”

The story stumbles when it centers too much on extraneous clues connected to the arsonists, getting bogged down by lengthy descriptions of firefighting equipment and Sam’s obsession with her weight (Ferrendelli includes multiple references to Sam’s physique, characterizing her throughout as trying to “shed the pounds”). Crime scenes are fittingly intense, and the arsonists’ excitement—and obsession—at setting fires is disturbing to read, but the ending stays upbeat. Scenes at Sam’s beloved ranch, her oasis of calm in a sea of chaos and evil, are uplifting, as is the blossoming romance between Sam’s grandmother, Nona, and her longtime friend Howard, offering readers some glimmers of hope amidst the foreboding darkness.

Takeaway: Single mom fighting her own demons hunts for serial arsonists.

Comparable Titles: Sara Paretsky’s Burn Marks, Christopher Pike’s Slumber Party.

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

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“Wherever you are in life, you can set yourself on the path to being happier and more successful” writes Smith (author of Principles for a Self-Directed Society) in this upbeat homage to the power of self-love. Acknowledging life’s ups and downs—and drawing from his own experience hitting rock bottom after a failed business venture—Smith calls on readers to move past their present circumstances, step outside of the opinions and judgments of others, and “chang[e] the story you tell yourself about your life.” That mindset transformation is the first step on Smith’s prescribed journey for self-improvement, a necessary shift that, he urges, must be followed by hard work and a hopeful outlook.

Smith renders self-help as a personal and intimate experience, with a slew of personal advice, anecdotes, and, most of all, encouragement—to stay positive, practice self-forgiveness, and stop worrying about situations outside of your control. He speaks to readers in gentle, casual tones, never losing sight of his rosy outlook—even when addressing weighty topics like end-of-life events and toxic emotions. “The more time we spend feeling bad about our mistakes,” he writes, “the more likely we are to do something else bad,” pushing instead for readers to “make amends… and move on.” Those pep talk snippets are both welcoming and refreshing, a soothing answer to the moments in life that can feel insurmountable.

Smith's references to religion, philosophy, and case studies on well-knowns like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix underscore his desperate search for answers. From there, ideas such as the power of the self, mindfulness, and gratitude spring forward, as Smith demonstrates that the path to recovery will be long and challenging but ultimately rewarding. Change hinges on willpower, mindset, and being true to yourself, he writes, and, in his own words, there’s no time like today to start “enjoy[ing] a more fulfilling life.”

Takeaway: Upbeat guide to creating a joyful, fulfilling life.

Comparable Titles: Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain Is You, Sue Varma’s Practical Optimism.

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

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