O’Donovan (author of Making Organizational Change Stick) pens a real-life horror movie with this chilling memoir of mistaken identity. When Border Force officer Dave Callaway uncovers contraband cigarettes shipped to his cargo terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport, the address listed as their destination matches O’Donovan’s rented house, though she has no ties to Callaway’s discovery. That seemingly small mistake launches O’Donovan into a devastating cat-and-mouse, as His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) promptly names her as a tax defaulter smuggling illegal goods into the country, embroiling her in a nightmare of debt and criminal charges that threaten to be her undoing.

O'Donovan’s penetrating first-person point of view reflects on her harrowing journey to clear her name—and the mistaken debt—in suspenseful tones as the HMRC intensifies its pursuit, and readers will experience mounting irritation and escalating fear right alongside her. What starts as a possible scam quickly swells to an all-out fight for survival, and O’Donovan candidly lays out the emotions that accompany that battle, sharing the hate mail she received after HMRC named her "a criminal and massive tax defaulter," the dead ends she hit when trying to get to the bottom of the claims, and her demoralizing treatment as “guilty until proven innocent.” Her experiences drive her resolve to uphold “our human right to be presumed innocent… [and] fix the foundations of our democracy and protect our way of life.”

That crusade to fully protect innocence in a system that sometimes falls short propels the memoir, as O’Donovan peels back layers of a shocking nightmare that has the potential to happen to anyone. Her uphill battle to gain justice makes for a riveting tale, one she recounts with grace and a relatable, living narrative. She closes with an analysis of “the cost of HMRC getting it wrong” and a taste of the legal documentation she navigated throughout the process.

Takeaway: Chilling story of one woman’s battle against mistaken identity.

Comparable Titles: Anthony Ray Hinton's The Sun Does Shine, Yusef Salaam's Better, Not Bitter.

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

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A chance remark from a grandmother sparks an enchanting story-within-a-story one morning as she helps young Lisbeth detangle her hair. “The ladybugs must have thrown a grand gala in your hair last night,” the grandmother says. When Lisbeth asks, “What ladybugs?” her grandmother happily improvises, telling Lisbeth a funny, lively tale of an insect party on Lisbeth’s head, complete with refreshments, music, and dancing. (One ladybug uses his six legs to play the cello, guitar, and violin.) Young Lisbeth deduces that the tangles in her hair must be leftover party streamers, prompting her to ask, “Grandma, why didn’t the ladybugs clean up after themselves?” As readers imagine a ladybug frolic and get lost in hair that playfully stretches across page spreads, Lisbeth’s grandmother enjoys the opportunity to make a point about being a good helper and cleaning up even the messes one didn’t create.

Shadrick’s amusingly alliterative storytelling surveys the planning, the fiesta itself, and the messy-haired aftermath, as ladybugs Lana, Lola, and Laney come up with the idea to throw a party to distract themselves from the scary weather. They enlist the help of their friends—including artistic types like Lorelai, who has an eye for fashion and whips up creative costumes—but don’t think ahead to the most important part: that having fun also comes with some responsibilities.

Vibrant paintings from Maya Penzlik bring rich, unruly life to this charming tale of a grandmother and granddaughter bonding while performing a tedious task. Buoyant detail and a sense of warmth distinguish both of the book’s realities: the everyday family relationship with its PJs and smiles, and the gorgeous imaginative world of the ladybugs, who dance, sew, and show off fancy-funny costumes against a backdrop of sun-kissed flowers. These are pages to soak up and get lost in. This adorable children's story will delight elementary-aged kids but also parents and teachers.

Takeaway: Charming children's story of hair-tangling lady bugs and one glorious party.

Comparable Titles: Audrey Wood's Silly Sally, Ed Heck's Many Marvelous Monsters.

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

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Blending the gothic and the romantic with a light touch, Page’s debut kicks off a duology centered on Estelle, a young woman in the kingdom of Eventide whose indentured service to a meat-pie seller is abruptly ended when she catches the eye of Dirk, a blind wizard who shuns daylight, grants wishes for a living, and clearly harbors dark secrets. Uncertain whether she’s a guest, servant, or captive, Estelle is brought to swank Nightingale Manor, where the staff proves welcoming—"Well, my dear, the best cure for a worried mind is a caring ear,” declares the lovable Berry. Readers won’t be too surprised to learn that beneath his (literally) frigid exterior, Dirk is both hurting and capable of love … or that in Estelle’s starlit aura, he sees something rare: hope.

While the novel is episodic and hefty in length, Page establishes all of this with brisk, chipper aplomb, quickly getting to the heart of the matter—the curse that Dirk has been suffering under ever since dabbling in necromancy to restore life to his beloved sister. Estelle quickly begins to find her place in the labyrinthine manor, studying herbs with the gardener and soon developing skills in magic, guided by Dirk himself. Unlike many romantasies that luxuriate in dark held-captive scenarios, Page eschews provocations as the leads lower their walls and discover each other. This choice, plus a disinterest in graphic spiciness, diminishes the tension somewhat but will please readers who prefer their fairy-tale fantasies upbeat and healthy.

The broader plot involves the machinations of wizards beneath the town of Bulbrook, plus Estelle and Dirk’s efforts to remove his curse and unlock the mysteries of Estelle’s soul. Characterization is lively and consistent, with antagonist wizard Fiorenza a particular delight. While the pacing flags somewhat in a second half involving Dirk’s alma mater and a wizards’ council, Estelle’s development into a confident woman, wielding magic and innovating new healing techniques, is a pleasure to witness.

Takeaway: Warmly romantic fantasy debut of a servant bought by a mysterious cursed wizard.

Comparable Titles: Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us, Lauren Blackwood’s Within These Wicked Walls.

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

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Ritter offers a practical and insightful roadmap to help readers conquer fears and move toward self-mastery. This self-help guide is thoughtfully organized into two main sections—Personal and Professional—each packed with actionable strategies for improving both life and career. Ritter opens with the essential idea that fear is not a fixed reality but instead a perception shaped by our thoughts and beliefs. He encourages readers to confront their fears head-on by stepping into uncertainty. Strategies like “conquer your fears” and “feel your feelings” urge readers to reframe their mindsets—to “shift from victim to creator”—and fully embrace their emotions, rather than avoid them.

The text is simple and sharp, with an emphasis on practical tips and results. Themes introduced through introspective questioning allow readers to initiate a dialogue from within. Ritter adopts a warmly didactic tone, evoking the feeling of a personal guru instructing you through every step. In the Personal section, Ritter delves into cultivating a positive mindset, nurturing relationships, and finding purpose. He advises readers to “[c]reate a life that helps you feel good,” suggesting the importance of removing negativity and focusing on uplifting experiences. Ritter also stresses self-belief and encourages readers to share successes openly as a way to build confidence and foster recognition.

The Professional section tackles job satisfaction, leadership, and career advancement. Ritter’s recommendation to “control your job satisfaction” by creating a meaningful work environment and “increase your visibility” through strategic networking is especially useful for career progression. He also emphasizes building trust and respect within the workplace, underscoring the value of a collaborative and supportive environment. Becoming Fearless is an empowering and accessible guide, providing readers with tangible steps to reshape their approach to fear and actively pursue personal and professional growth. Ritter’s direct, clear style and the book’s actionable strategies make it an invaluable tool for anyone on the path to self-improvement.

Takeaway: Empowering guide to facing fear and uncertainty to build confidence.

Comparable Titles: Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain Is You, Ethan Kross’s Chatter.

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

Click here for more about Becoming Fearless

The emotive, intriguingly non-human first entry in Malloy’s six-book Moonstorm series offers rousing fantasy that dares to be fantastical. At its heart is Lightning, a young kezel—spiked, tailed, telepathic creatures—who has lived her whole life in the stony caves of an “accrete” with the rest of her telepathic tribe. Her world is a place of hunger and violence where nonconformity and change are not tolerated. While out hunting, Lightning discovers a “hairless, beak-faced creature” she's never seen before, one that, shockingly, is able to hear her thoughts and respond in kind. Lightning hides her discovery, naming the creature Joy for the warm feelings that bloom between them. Joy’s inevitable discovery eventually forces the pair from the community into the frozen wastes, where they endure extreme survival adventures before Joy helps Lightning to form a very unlikely friendship with bombas, the avian-like food source for kezel.

As Lightning and Joy forge through distrust and make their home among the Bombas, relying on manners and empathy to build trust, often facilitated by Joy, Malloy’s descriptive and imaginative series breathes life into the land of Aranae, a wild landscape regularly buffeted by extreme weather. Characterization is as engaging as the gripping scenes of braving the environment, especially as Lightning and Joy discover their connection. Malloy’s prose is crisply efficient, never losing narrative momentum as it captures danger, wonder, and uneasy social situations with real power, all while Lightning fears she’ll never be able to go home again.

Malloy builds this world’s creatures, civilizations, and more with imaginative precision, developing languages, belief systems (even illustrating where different tribes diverge on various points), and arresting creation mythologies. Malloy adds enough attitude and emotion to allow readers fairly easy access to an entirely novel world built with wholly unfamiliar language. Though there are no human characters, the relationships, societies, family structures, and concerns are deeply human. A unique world breeds familiarity and feeling in this rich series starter.

Takeaway: Strong fantasy of surprise connections in a wholly original nonhuman world.

Comparable Titles: Martha Wells’s The Cloud Roads, Tad Williams’s Tailchaser’s Song.

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

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Immersive, haunting, and melancholy, Huff’s tale draws out the obligations and degradation of the social elite, played out on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Dame Isobel, the scion of a filthy rich family that mines the moon’s seabed for precious metals, is caught having sex with a woman, an illegal act. While her wealth saves her, her lover, Liore, is punished with a lobotomy. Tormented and desperate, Isobel devises a plan: she orders her ship to capture one of the native lifeforms, called a Fisherman, from the moon’s vast ocean, in hopes that the Fisherman’s god, Aeter—rumored to grant wishes—will help her restore Liore.

The lives of Huff’s well-drawn but damaged characters quickly collapse into desperate actions. Isobel has three weeks to find Aeter before she’s forced into conversion therapy and an arranged marriage, and Fisherman—whose outer layer that enables them to shapeshift was removed by Isobel to ensure their compliance—is equally frenzied and enraged that their skin has been stolen. The story unfolds from Fisherman’s tortured perspective, delving into issues of control, sexual autonomy, and distorted views of cultural conformity, all against the background of a frantic race to find a god who can grant both freedom and destruction.

Huff (author of Free Burn) incorporates erotic sexual descriptions and subtle elements of retribution into the storyline, as Isobel is as much a shapeshifter as Fisherman in many ways, a prisoner of a culture forcing her to give up her identity. Still, her treatment of Fisherman—who assumes the form of a female human to please Isobel and keep her sexually satisfied—echoes her own subjugation at the hands of others. As the plot morphs into a weighty examination of humanity’s greed and brutal disregard for divergence of any kind, Huff’s characters undergo their own transformations, leaving readers with a profound reflection on what truly defines a monster.

Takeaway: Stirring tale of the depths of love in an unforgiving alien world.

Comparable Titles: C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken, Kameron Hurley’s The Worldbreaker Saga.

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

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Both a celebration of the values and promise of the United States and a dense, outraged, epic-length polemic that excoriates the treatment of conservatives, Tea Partiers, and Trump supporters in the American press, Fragoules’s impassioned debut argues that today’s “radical left elitists are in many ways the modern equivalent of the Roman Catholic Church, feudal lords, and royal cohorts who once dominated and subjugated Europe.” The book also charts Fragoules’s research into the nation’s founding, the brilliance of the Constitution, and the vigorous debates between Madison, Jefferson, and others on subjects like the separation of church and state.

Considering American history and the roots of division, Fragoules acknowledges the brutality of history, slavery, and the “wanton destruction and the massive death” that followed Columbus in the New World. The Founders, she argues, were imperfect, but the Constitution transcends that—nothing in it “limited the application of American ideals by race or sex.” She likewise surveys millennia of the Catholic Church’s harsh enforcement of its doctrines, linking the punishment of heretics to the cancellation or treatment of conservatives in the sciences today. She quotes at length, often hundreds of words at a time with little context or explication, from popes, presidents, historical thinkers, and contemporary firebrands like Dinesh D’Souza (approvingly) and Bill Maher (not so much).

The project is sprawling and deeply felt—Fragoules’s account of her family’s immigrant success story is rousing, and a passion for liberty shines throughout. But for all the history and first principles investigated here, many of Fragoules’s arguments feel like the product of their heated moment. Readers not already on board with her opinions about Trump, climate change, the science of conception, and more will likely find little to persuade them. Fragoules decries how leftist “elitists,” the “woke,” and a vague “they” demonize and presume the worst of the right, especially the 2008 Tea Party movement, even as she compares Democrats to Hitler and insists, “The left is not opposed to racism; they just think it’s justified when directed at the right people.”

Takeaway: Searching study of the founders’ beliefs mixed with red-meat outrage at the contemporary left.

Comparable Titles: Glenn Beck; Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism.

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

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Bartles’s grabber of a speculative fiction debut brings together a plucky spy, a vengeful butler, and a shy baker to navigate the mysteries of an Appalachian utopia in the climate-ravaged near future. All Henry Townsend wants is to bake for his patron, SustainAble CEO/philanthropic billionaire Lady Duggery, and forget the climate-ravaged world beyond Sediment Valley. But activist Brisa Arroyo looks to sabotage SustainAble’s cryptomines hidden beneath the supposedly green-powered Valley, while Duggery’s loyal butler, Colson Dagwood, harbors a dangerous secret and a burning desire for revenge. After a failed attempt on the visiting Pennsylvania Militia leadership, the three unlikely allies find themselves entangled in a sinister plot involving earthquakes, magic, and missing citizens.

Readers will fall headfirst into this frightening near-future vision of a country torn apart by extreme weather, corporate greed, and ecofascism; where activists fight clandestine battles, enigmatic Awakened wield Earth’s gifts to protect the planet, and the rich lord over a common caste scraping to get by. Bartles explores his rich world via crisp prose and a roster of nuanced characters alive with complexity and heart—and always capable of surprise. This attention to drifts of mind and the textures of everyday living brings the world to life, though at times it diminishes narrative momentum and can feel at odds with some superhero-coded action. Still, A Valley to Harness mostly maintains consistent balance and flow, and despite the excitement of supernatural powers and a fight for freedom, Bartles’s scenes pulse with humanity and strange, striking detail.

Bartles’s focus on a well-drawn, predominantly queer cast offers an honest, tender, and beautifully knotty forecast of possible futures for a community too often “othered” by society, and the simmering romance between Henry and Colson is a delightful reminder that even in the darkest era there’s room for love. Fans of genre-defying spec-fic with thought-provoking worldbuilding and deceptively complex characters will relish this.

Takeaway: Smart, humane novel of revolution and Earth-derived superpowers in a climate-ravaged future.

Comparable Titles: Graham Masterton’s Drought, Emmi Itäranta’s The Weaver.

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

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Katsoulas debuts with an encouraging parable centered on a classic matchup of the powerful and the upstart, in this case a creative battle of chess between a king and his subject. When the King, the “Ruler of everything” and “nature’s Commander,” issues a challenge for his people to devise “the most perfect strategy game,” a poor, unknown subject steps up to the plate—and presents a chess set, determined to astound his ruler and grasp the prize: guaranteed wealth beyond his imaginings. So begins an epic metaphorical battle, as the subject, referred to as an “unimportant black pawn,” instructs his monarch on the game’s rules—and tries to convince the “Great Conqueror” that chess is worthy of his favor.

Beyond an innovative take on chess showdowns, The Pawn Against the King registers the dynamics at play between the powerful and those who are perceived as weak. As the pawn carefully manipulates his ruler into falling for the game, he also measures careful steps to his own victory, plotting his moves and weighing his words until he emerges as not just a brilliant game maker but also a surprisingly worthy opponent for “the absolute Monarch.” Katsoulas crafts the subtleties of that battle with brevity, though astute readers will read between the lines and grasp the larger themes at play here.

Katsoulas’s stereotypical portrayal of a selfish, spoiled monarch—with little regard for the people he’s charged with protecting—takes away somewhat from the novel’s impact, though the twist at the end is satisfying. Hidden in the folds of the book’s rallying cry against complete power are wise snippets of battle advice with parallels drawn to everyday life, as in the pawn’s explanation that life, much like battles, is unpredictable, and “Sometimes, we’ll need to deviate and fight unorthodoxly.” Fans of thoughtful tales with tempered moral themes will appreciate this compact call to boldness and innovation.

Takeaway: A game of chess represents larger themes on battle, life, and power.

Comparable Titles: Bob Burg and John David Mann’s The Go-Giver, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble’s How Stella Saved the Farm.

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

Click here for more about The Pawn against the King

Inspired by her grandmother’s “ancestral ways of eating off the land” in Castrignano D’ei Greci, Italy, nutritionist Houle explores the evolution of people and food in this health-minded resource. "Half a world, it seems, separates my life from that little farming village where my grandmother grew up picking dandelions and stealing from the edges of farms," Houle writes, as she delves into how the Industrial and Digital Revolutions have transformed our eating habits and lifestyles, the capitalistic mindset of the “Big Food” companies, and why fresh, whole foods are the key to “a new relationship with food, your body, and your intuition.”

Houle’s personal quest to take control of her family’s health was sparked by the digestive pains of her then six-year-old son, which served a catalyst for her plunge into ancestral eating patterns, analysis of the myths surrounding the costs of nutritionally dense food, and growing reliance on “buying locally produced food.” In many ways, her writing serves as a wake-up call for readers on the tactics of Big Food, as Houle addresses not only their tendency to “health-wash” by publicizing misleading statements on the benefits of their products but also their constant efforts to reach the “bliss point” for their goods—“the perfect balance of sweetness from sugar, richness from fat, and savoury flavour from salt” to hook consumers.

As Houle breaks down contemporary society's addiction to unhealthy foods, she also offers readers an alternative, declaring that “our ability to feel good is deeply tied to what we eat.” That alternative includes advocating for local farms, body movement through exercise and strength training, and allowing for moments of boredom in a world plagued by constant notifications and technological engagement. Readers from all walks of life will find wisdom here, and Houle closes with a reminder that “growth does not happen all at once, but with patience and care, it happens inevitably.”

Takeaway: Comprehensive resource on ancestral food and wisdom for healthy living.

Comparable Titles: Mark Bittman's Animal, Vegetable, Junk, Bill Schindler's Eat Like a Human.

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

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This rousing thriller of a desperate chase across Nazi-occupied Europe picks up right where Miller left off in The Hunt for The Peggy C. After risking it all to help a Jewish family escape the Gestapo, Captain Jake Rogers has left his beloved Miriam Maduro safe in Palestine but must now set off to rescue her father, Solomon Maduro, from occupied Amsterdam. Surviving a shipwreck and some tragic losses, Jake must make his way to Holland overland, only to discover, upon finally finding the elder Maduro, that Miriam has made her own journey to visit her father—and has been missing for weeks. Now, as Jews are being imprisoned and killed, Jake must work with a team of allies, including Solomon, to track down Miriam and get themselves to safety once again.

Miller again delivers a page-turner with ample heart, tension, and engaging, lived-in historical detail, like hobnail boots sounding on wooden stairs as the heroes hide from the Gestapo. Jake and his allies must disguise themselves as they track Miriam while being tracked themselves, never fully knowing who to trust. Among their adversaries are Hitler’s bounty hunters—there’s a price on the heads of Jews in general and Miriam in particular, as she is accused of being a Jew, a British spy, and the killer of three policemen. Rescue Run is both breathless and thoughtful, moving fast while giving voice to an eclectic group of heroes, cultures, and perspectives that readers won't soon forget.

Suspense is potent, with tense standoffs, interrogations, and border crossings, and the action, when it bursts out, proves explosive. Miller steeps this spirited fiction in historical fact, offering extensive chapter notes that provide key context on battles, locales, political situations, wartime inventions, and important figures, like a Resistance banker or a notorious German spy. The open-ended conclusion will please lovers of realistic but exciting World War II fiction who are hoping for more.

Takeaway: Tense World War II thriller of a desperate chase across Nazi-occupied Europe.

Comparable Titles: Alan Furst’s Spies of the Balkans, Mark Sullivan's Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

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

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Gerald’s unconventional debut is rich with business acumen and hard-won life lessons. Drawing from his years of experience as a shipping executive, he outlines the processes his teams used to overcome production issues and achieve “team synergy,” as told through the eyes of Aubyn, an interim operations manager at a container terminal. As Aubyn sets out to address the issues plaguing his terminal, he cues readers in to the daily operations and logistics of a shipping yard, in the process outlining 13 “Key Personal Introspection[s]”—ranging from the need for meaningful relationships to building an inclusive work environment—that are integral to business success.

Crank it Up! boasts a creative setup that allows for the organic delivery of business concepts, as Gerald embeds valuable lessons at the core of each chapter, each centered around the hands-on examples from Aubyn and his team. Aubyn quickly learns that believing in his vision is the key to team buy-in, and, despite his natural inclination towards privacy and introspection, he also comprehends the need to rally the troops around that vision, leading him to recognize—and depend on—his staff members, from the newest to the often-overlooked. Gerald uses those awakenings to illustrate that “valu[ing] people and their opinions” ignites a productive work environment—and how learning from mistakes can help performance improvement moving forward.

Though the narrative stays specific to the shipping industry, Gerald’s insights can be generalized to all business professionals. He touches on celebrating progress as a team, believing in a higher power to effect “a narrative [that] transcend[s] mere financial gains,” and offers readers candid snippets to apply to daily operations, including KISS (“Keep It Simple Stupid”) and “be inspired by the good you see in others.” His final guidance focuses on being honest about setbacks, relishing victories, and rewarding top performance.

Takeaway: Business principles to unlock teamwork and positive leadership.

Comparable Titles: Joshua Medcalf’s Chop Wood Carry Water, Matt Tenney’s Inspire Greatness.

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

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Arrington spins a sweet yet unconventional romance in this touching debut. When Izzy—who has been estranged from her family for a decade—gets word that her beloved grandfather, William, has died, she heads home for his funeral. While she’s there, her grandmother, Marina, announces to Izzy and her snippy mother, Susan Jane, that William left a legacy behind: the story of how he and Marina met, written in his own hand. As Izzy uncovers the secrets to her grandparents’ past, she, too, undergoes a quest of self-discovery, though her journey serves primarily as a springboard for the deeply emotive love story between William and Marina.

Emotional resonance echoes throughout this sweet tale, as William’s story recounts the first time he met Marina—at Mildred’s Diner in Hudson, Ohio, where she was a sassy waitress determined to see the world—and delves into his impulsive decision to accompany her on a cross-country road trip to California. Arrington uses that trip as the instrument for the couple’s blossoming romance, ably showing both the literal and emotional journeys they undertake en route. As they stop in Memphis, Oklahoma City, and Denver, Arrington keeps the emotional stakes humming, spurring the couple through discussions of grief, death, and a tender romance rich with sentiment and connection.

Arrington punctuates William’s narrative with snapshots from the present, though Izzy and Susan Jane’s roles are largely peripheral. The 1970s flashbacks to William and Marina captivate, and Arrington sensitively handles a host of challenging topics, including suicide, death, and cancer. Amid those developments—and a shocking twist in the form of a vehicle accident—the story revolves around the deeply abiding, measured bond between William and Marina. Anyone who has wished for a second chance at life and love will be satisfied by this stirring journey from tragedy and heartbreak to happily-ever-after.

Takeaway: Emotional second chance story of love, loss, and rebirth.

Comparable Titles: Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You, Hannah Ellis’s Always With You.

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

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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

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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