Jerickson’s quirky and hilarious space adventure tickles with interdimensional mayhem. Orion Spatial, the behemoth corporation that manufactures platforms for instantaneous travel through the multiverse, has abducted criminal Pharos Barton Plyaedes while still in his pajamas. A clone committee hires him to retrieve an errant droid that is pursuing the Entirely Unwelcome and Unjust Tite, an entity that has caused death and destruction in the galaxy. The company gives Barton a K-Drive capable of traveling through time, as well as a persnickety Bookkeeper to keep track of his expenses. To help him locate the Tite, Barton employs a grumbling Monk of Karlof named “Brother Can Point In The General Direction Of What It Is You Seek,” and kidnaps the last known person to have seen the Tite, Harry Patterson, from the backwater planet Dirt, er, Earth. The quest has its difficulties: the Tite may be mythical, only travels through time, and can appear in two places at once.

Jerickson injects this brisk farce with a paranoid android, doppelgangers, a neuro-positronic initializer Mind Helmet to boost brain power, luck waves emanating through the galaxy, and Quasi-Investment Dollars (QuID). Interspersed throughout the book are comical extracts from the multi-volume History of the Multiverse explaining this uncanny world, including elements like “I-Drives” and “Planet Hubs,” which, on some “Planets of Little Interest” (PoLIs), were great stone circles whose original use was forgotten over millenia and mistaken by locals for “a clock, or something. Or somewhere to kill things for God.” Barton and his motley crew, including engineer Hong, who is stuck inside the ductwork, must find and return the missing droid before Orion Spatial’s Supreme Manager EMM erases the Tite from existence by blowing up the entire universe.

This tropey romp through multiple dimensions and outrageously bizarre aliens and tech delights with action and heart. Readers of classical science fiction and fans of humor will have much to smile about, and will hope for more rowdy adventures in Jerickson’s Multiverse.

Takeaway: Hilarious SF adventure with silly aliens, rogue cyborgs, and interdimensional fun.

Comparable Titles: Douglas Adams; Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.

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

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Puchalski traces the course of constructing a new garden over a year, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, in this refreshing debut. A New Jersey transplant, Puchalski grew up working outdoors in his family’s backyard, but it wasn’t until his move to Pittsburgh—and purchase of a 100-year-old brick house—that his green thumb truly blossomed. Starting in March of 2020, Puchalski chronicles the remodel of his outdoor space, detailing the demolition, planting, and harvesting that went into building his own “private oasis.” His labors were not in vain; the garden renovation produced physical beauty, wholesome food, and a sense of community with his neighbors in a time when fear and isolation were the norm.

Readers interested in starting their own garden will relish Puchalski’s practical advice; from how to check growing zones to avoiding rot in certain crops to the growing phases of rhubarb, he transports readers into a lush atmosphere of sunshine, soil, and sustenance. A top 10 list of dramatic plants for home gardeners (coneflower and lavender steal the show), unique recipes—such as elderflower liqueur or rhubarb syrup—and access to Puchalski’s regularly updated garden tracking page with farming spreadsheets and more give this journal serious clout. Photographs sprinkled throughout add personality, particularly those of Puchalski’s landscape progress and crop growth.

Beyond the practical advice, Puchalski writes with an easy humor that will delight readers as he reflects on lessons learned during the pandemic (“Seeds make great roommates during a global pandemic. They stick to their room, never use all the hot water, and if you maintain your relationship with them, make excellent company in the kitchen.” he claims). Even though the journal is based in Pittsburgh—from the growing season to the concrete garden to the steep hills—it will resonate with gardeners worldwide.

Takeaway: Charming journal devoted to the joys of city gardening.

Comparable Titles: Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates’s Paradise Lot, Page Dickey’s Uprooted.

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

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Digging deeply into the concept of the muse, including its spiritual aspects, and exploring techniques to help writers ignite their own spark, Hawkin, author of the Hollystone Mysteries urban fantasy series and a former part time lighthouse keeper, lays out a path for embracing creativity, finding inspiration, and not over-thinking one’s writing. “Remember,” she writes, in a passage about meditative techniques, “the goal is to stop thinking and start connecting.” To that end, Hawkin invites readers on a journey through art, literature and encounters with the spiritual world, plus a history of the “muse” as developed by the ancient Greeks and celebrated for its ability to inspire us to reach our creative peak.

Describing writers as “luminaries” who “envision” words that get “taken into our reader’s or listener’s brain and stimulate a private pyrotechnic show,” Hawkin builds on the muse tradition, citing several of her own out-of-body experiences as well as contact with other teachers and artists and the impact such “spirit guides” have had on her personal creative output. Writing with Your Muse blends exploratory spiritualism, including movement meditation and connecting with the “divine source”—or getting into “the zone, a place of intuition”—with pragmatic writing tips and techniques tackling such issues as conquering fear, getting started, developing plots, characters, and imagery. Along the way she explores the “Celtic-Shamanic Journey,” writing to heal, and dispelling fear.

While the mix of personal anecdotes, practical advice, and spiritual musings at times can feel circuitous, Hawkin serves hearty doses of inspiration and imagination while frequently drawing on giants of literature and philosophy. She writes a rousing explanation of the motivation behind characters in Jaws before segueing into a brief chapter on writing sex scenes with one’s muse, where she urges writers to “Shed your moral cap and stop worrying about your mother”—vital advice for the tale spinner in each of us.

Takeaway: Encouraging and spiritual guide for writers seeking connection to the muse.

Comparable Titles:Priscilla Long’s Minding the Muse, Jill Harris’s The Writing State of Mind.

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

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In this moving memoir, son and mother Davis and Mead recount their transformative journey and the lessons they learned as Davis faced heroin addiction. After a life-altering motorcycle accident, Davis lost the feeling in his dominant arm along with his dream of attending art school and pursuing a career in photography. In the aftermath, he numbed the pain of discontentment and depression. Told in rotating point-of-views, Davis and Mead each share their perspective on the impact that addiction had on their lives and their loved ones. The duality of their story being told by both voices results in a moving, multi-faceted examination of a mother's love and young man's misery eventually giving way to a desire to overcome addiction.

Just as Mead reminded Davis that he was not alone, the authors show readers who may be facing similar troubles that it’s possible “to plant a seed that will sprout at some point and turn into a beautiful life.” Through multiple relapses, life-threatening infections, and arrests, Mead never loses faith that one day her son would win the battle. Reflecting on her support, which at times served to enable Davis's addiction, Mead offers a transparent narrative from a loving mother never willing to give up on her son, even in times when she had to learn to let go. Davis offers urgent insight into the mind and struggles of an addict: "Experiencing addiction creates a series of cracks in your belief system,” he notes. “It blows up what you know to be true and breaks you in places you didn't know you could be broken.”

These impassioned accounts demonstrate that "addiction is a 'family disease'" that affects everyone in the life of an addict. Covering detoxes, surgeries, and rehab, both authors illuminate what it takes to find a path to recover—and invaluable lessons about what it takes to support an addict as the authors unflinchingly share a story offering real hope.

Takeaway: Moving memoir from a mother and son's journey overcoming addiction

Comparable Titles: James Brown's Apology to the Young Addict, Erin Khar's Strung Out.

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

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This literary page-turner sets a gripping mystery amid the gorgeous and barren High Desert (and its attendant “occultists, religious groups, UFO abductees, [and] hermits,” as one character puts it) near Joshua Tree as Walker Clayborne, a professor of geology, investigates the murder of his rebel younger sister. Even though the strongest clue at the start is a local seeker’s hallucination, that urgent mission demands getting to know her life with an intimacy he had never before managed as an adult, as he moves into her cottage, tracks down her ex-lovers, visits her church, and discovers that her impassioned activism had won the ire of Universal Waste, the company eager to build what would be “the largest single landfill site in the world.”

Isaak’s novel, written in 2002 and published with four others as part of an inspired posthumous project, will appeal to readers of smart, character-driven mysteries with lots of feeling, a strong sense of place, and opportunities for reflection. The cops suggest that Walker not nose around, and he’s soon attacked by a stranger, threatened by waste-company lawyers, and invited by a visionary physicist to oversee a mysterious experiment. Walker’s colloquies with that physicist, like many of his discussions with the locals, are searching and unsettling in a way that suits the milieu: in places like Mojave, the mind naturally ranges beyond the concrete.

But despite the characters’ spirituality, Things Unseen is beautifully down to Earth. Isaak takes advantage of Walker’s profession to capture landscapes with gorgeous precision, and he brings the same qualities to his handling of local politics and police work, Christian bikers and other hardscrabble residents, and the occasional burst of ugly violence or emotional catharsis. That richness means the novel is a touch long for a mystery, but Isaak deftly builds momentum and suspense while digging deep into character and place, with even the subdued not-quite-a-romance reading as touchingly human. This is a smart, moving pleasure.

Takeaway: Vivid, searching mystery of the American southwest.

Comparable Titles: David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars, Ivy Pochoda’s Wonder Valley.

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

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What actually makes us happy? According to Bush (author of Designing the Mind), the answers form a relatively short list. Be honest with yourself and others, work hard and help your neighbor. Start now as even relatively small steps can pay large dividends, and the road to fulfillment is paved with good deeds and other virtues. Offering nothing less than a “grand, unified theory of human well-being,” Become Who You Are presents a synthesis of the thinking of Nietzsche (the source of the title), the Stoics, spiritual wisdom, psychotherapy, virtue ethics, and more, as Bush lays out a route to achieving “eudaimonia,” an ancient Greek term for “the good life.”

Bush’s guidance and the book’s soul-searching process is crafted not only to make readers ourselves better individuals, coming into “who they are,” but also to become happier and more fulfilled along the way. Bush cuts a wide swath blending “philosophical arguments, scientific data, and therapeutic advice” with thumbnail explications of philosophical history and movements, all while digging into questions like why we feel there’s a reason to do the right thing even in the absence of consequences, and whether one person’s gain is necessarily another’s loss. Bush notes that, in a society that seemingly values material success above all else, it’s tempting to think of one’s self before others. But after the new car has lost its luster, and the trip around the world is over, what’s next?

Bush urges readers toward greater self-esteem by arguing that regularly doing the “right thing,” i.e., following a simple moral compass, is what can determine who we truly are. Although he occasionally falls short in his philosophical arguments, Bush deserves an “A” for effort. To his credit Bush neither talks “down” to the reader nor gets too grandiose in philosophical jargon. His direct, simple style, buttressed by examples from his own personal journey, which serve as life lessons, make the book highly readable and engaging.

Takeaway: The road to “the good life,” through philosophy, virtue, and ethics.

Comparable Titles: Massimo Pigliucci, Skye C. Cleary, and Daniel A. Kaufman’s How to Live a Good Life, Gregory Lopez’s A Handbook for Stoics.

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

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Jacobowitz’s debut is a lighthearted legal mystery that centers on Tyler McCarther, an egotistical and insecure workaholic St. Louis defense lawyer who discovers the bloodless body of her boss, Kevin, in her car trunk. She views Kevin’s murder as a disruption to her career and, at first, lies to police about finding his body, which soon disappears, only to turn up in the firm’s garage. The cops are understandably outraged, and Tyler, ashamed, awkwardly starts investigating, slowly discovering connections between Kevin’s murder and several class action lawsuits against her law firm’s client, which, in Jacobowitz’s irresistible phrasing, is “a prominent men’s nose hair wax manufacturer.” Tyler is threatened by the real killer while juggling a heavy workload and a surprising spark between her and Tom Armstrong, the detective involved in the investigation, as Jacobowitz’s story deals with the law, love, ego, and more.

Jacobowitz deftly captures the cutthroat competition of a prestigious law firm, particularly in Tyler’s rivalry with another associate, the seemingly perfect Cerene, as well as the monotony of billable hours and document reviewing. Jacobowitz is fascinated by the toll such a life exacts on the soul, as Tyler obsesses over career, weight, and wardrobe while trying to numb her empty personal life with more work, drinking too much and watching endless reality TV. The novel charts Tyler’s slow growth, though she’s often pointedly unlikable, to the point that even the killer complains about it, snapping “try to focus on one person other than yourself.”

Tyler’s a reluctant sleuth, one who resists interviewing Kevin’s family, friends, and colleagues, but readers open to prickly leads will enjoy her growth, her wit, and her burgeoning romance with Armstrong, which develops quickly. Armstrong is close-mouthed about his past and distracts her with sex, making his eventual moments of tenderness all the sweeter. Also satisfying: Tyler coming into her own as the case is cracked, still ambitious but warmer and worth toasting.

Takeaway: An ambitious lawyer must put her ego aside while investigating her boss’s murder.

Comparable Titles: Caro Land’s Convictions, Robyn Gigl’s By Way of Sorrow.

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

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This provocative novel from Hay (The Fountain) of a day-in-the-life of office drones facing a soul-crushing job mesmerizes with disheartening psychological observations of the internet’s impact on our psyche. The social media moderators at Vexillum Co. in Chicago watch horrific internet videos to decide which to flag, pixelate, or remove, such as suicides, terrorist videos, and shootings. Ironically these videos are NSFW: not safe for watching at work. Vex employees understandably need extreme coping mechanisms to numb the emotional toll—office hookups, narcotics, and floggings. They also don’t want to know each other’s real names. @Sa>ag3, a 49-year-old divorcé, has sex with Wiccan @Jun1p3r in the lactorium and gets his lorazepam from trans @Skiny_Leny. With an atrocious retention rate, Vex entices workers to stay by offering a therapist stipend, and a surprise bonus if they last 90 days.

Hay manages not to horrify the reader quite as much by only briefly describing the videos, rather, he redirects with a litany of depressing observations of social media’s absolute subjugation of our humanity. “The best and brightest from Ivy League schools are not curing cancer. They’re trying to get you to like things,” observes @Sa>ag3. While some workers die by suicide, @Sa>ag3 and @Jun1p3r literally turn their apartment into a garden, installing sod and trees, and suggest a murder-suicide pact. But they inevitably crack after viewing a child pornography video and learning that their boss, known only as face, is releasing a new device that runs on the body’s bioelectrical charge so that people need never live a moment unplugged.

Hay shrewdly addresses the real human issue of our present lives hypnotized by the glow of our devices and the lengths we will go to adopt the latest tech, regardless of what it does to our humanity. This exposé of the seductive power of tech is a passionate wake-up call.

Takeaway: Smart, outraged novel of social media moderators facing humanity’s worst.

Comparable Titles: Hanna Bervoets’s We Had to Remove this Post, Calvin Kasulke’s Several People Are Typing.

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

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Parker’s debut provides a fresh take on—and path to—approaching and obtaining wealth, with insights, action steps, and emphasis on personal growth, communication, and goal-setting. Parker offers "no false promises of instant riches or overnight success,” and instead shares a blend of tried-and-true guidance, such as learning to define one’s vision and cultivate a “Growth Mindset,” and original lessons like “Embrace the Power of ‘Yet” and a suite of “Keys to the Journey” crafted to achieve abundance beyond financial wealth. Brisk and compact, The Wealth Spark offers clear-eyed guidance—drawn from experience, research, and inspiring examples of success–—into what it takes to build and maintain wealth through visualization, adjusting the mindset, and finding joy in the non-material riches of life.

Personal anecdotes peppered throughout showcase the wealth mindset, plus the power of techniques such as gratitude practices, visualizations, and positive affirmations. Parker digs into some familiar success stories common to books in this genre, such as Helen Keller, Jim Carrey, and Oprah Winfrey, as exemplars of visualization and other techniques; more intriguing are celebrations of Roger Bannister (famed for running a mile in under four minutes in 1954) and Kobe Bryant. Parker urges readers to "acknowledge the wealth that can not be quantified" and push past the beliefs that financial wealth is the only wealth that can curate a wealthy, successful, and happy life.

"It is through action that we breathe life into our dreams, transform challenges into opportunities, and transcend the boundaries of what is possible," Parker writes, and that spirit of upbeat coaching keeps the book inviting. Though at times repetitive, each chapter provides building blocks to create positive habits. Through setting goals, time management, and ongoing learning, Parker shares the foundational knowledge to tap into one's potential and skill sets to take power over one’s life. Exercises, a host of practical lists (“Five Tips for Effective Affirmations), and other reader-friendly tools reinforce the lessons.

Takeaway: Motivational guide focused on wealth, mindset, and positive habits.

Comparable Titles: Neville Goddard's The Wealth Mindset, Arian Simone's The Fearless Money Mindset.

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

Click here for more about The Wealth Spark

Quaver’s Elly Robin series begins, once again, with a daring escape by heroine Elly—this time in a 1914 Curtiss Model F flying boat. After barely landing the craft in one piece, Elly’s banged up and left with a head injury, rescued by Magda and her brother Niklaus, members of a reclusive Amish community. She spends the next few weeks recuperating, until the police, who wrongly suspect her of murder, are once again on her tail, forcing her to flee. Niklaus, who believes in Elly’s innocence, along with itinerant fiddle player Paw-paw and grandson Davy, help her escape anew.

Thanks to the help of her friends, Elly lands in New York City, determined to dig up information about her past—and search for her grandfather, Ira Rabinowitz. That doesn’t go as planned, of course, leaving Elly high and dry, with no one to turn to. As with the other books in the series, Quaver plunges readers directly into action in this sixth installment (after Bird in a Gilded Cage), crafting adventure that comes at breakneck speed. Elly’s fantastic escapades take her to places peopled with colorful and interesting characters: standouts include Ursula the “angel,” Frau Moser, who unexpectedly finds the courage to stand up to evil, a porter named Thomas Jefferson with a heart of gold, and Paw-paw, whose world view is entirely in sync with Elly’s.

What makes this a page turner is Quaver’s unique skill at building adventure alongside realistic history; the World War I scenes, though authentic, are jarring in their realism, disrupting the charmed fictional universe of Elly’s ordeals, as when one character wisely reflects “I always thought that wars was fought for reasons. But what could be so all-fired important that men has got to die like squashed bugs for it?” Throughout it all, Elly’s the same courageous, unshrinking heroine, molding this into another series stunner.

Takeaway: Breakneck adventures of a young musical prodigy in the early 20th century.

Comparable Titles: Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle, Kirby Larson’s Hattie series.

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

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Acclaimed novelist Marielle Wing finds herself caught up in the hustle and bustle of JFK airport after an exhausting weekend spent at a PEN America event, ready to catch a flight home to Los Angeles—and her beloved cat, Dude. As she wanders through airport security, she’s swept into a nightmare when a terrorist bomb strikes. Instead of running, as others do, Marielle snaps pictures of the madness and men—one dressed as a police officer, who immediately takes her phone as “evidence” but neglects to leave her his name. A day later, when someone tries to kill Marielle via an explosion at her Los Angeles address, Homeland Security sweeps in to take over.

That’s just the beginning of Marielle’s troubles, as Homeland Security soon determines she’s in danger and whisks her into the Witness Security Program, altering her identity—and publishing her obituary in the New York Times. Utterly alone and unsure of what the future holds, Marielle starts to wonder who she can trust, including the government officials supposedly looking out for her best interests. Wolverton (Stealing Angel) skillfully crafts Marielle's downfall from a lovely life spent working on her latest novel to a woman at wit’s end with no one to turn to, a transformation that’s made all the more unreal when Marielle notices her publisher advertising her latest novel, posthumously of course—a novel Marielle is adamant she didn’t write.

Readers will sympathize with Marielle as she’s whisked into what feels like a fiction novel—but ends up being her own life—and cheer her on in the hunt for the truth. When the lid finally blows off completely, Marielle is left to pick up the pieces, wondering if the real “Marielle Wing was [ever] coming back.” Ultimately, the experience, though terrifying, allows her to view life differently, “meet]ing] each day as the thing she had once dreaded, an empty page.”

Takeaway: Appealing thriller showcasing a strong female lead determined to recapture her life.

Comparable Titles: L.T. Ryan’s Noble Beginnings, Cara Black’s Murder at the Porte de Versailles.

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

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Sarah Wilkinson continues her journey in Purtee’s latest, after Crossing Paths, as she turns to her love for art following the death of her mother. At age 10, when Sarah’s mother dies after a terrible accident, and her father deserts her the night of the funeral, Sarah is left with her grandmother. Encouraged by a school caseworker to pursue her passion for art, and sponsored by a mysterious patron with a deep interest in Tanzanian wildlife conservation, Sarah embarks on a worldwide adventure through programs for promising young artists, discovering new opportunities for friendships, romance, and more.

Though Sarah’s tragic backstory consumes much of the novel’s first half, her journey takes off once she departs to study, first in a Parisian art school, and later through an art scholarship competition in Australia—where she falls deeply in love with fellow art student Hans Schuman. As Sarah changes, so, too, does the world around her: her father dies from complications of pneumonia, her relationship with Hans is haunted by old lovers, and a guided trip to Tanzania, meant to spark her creative juices, alters her in more ways than one. Purtee steers clear of the often-messy emotions that come with young adulthood, focusing instead on Sarah’s evolution as an artist—and the realities of female artists in the 1990s, trying to succeed in a classically male-dominated profession.

Purtee skillfully embeds strong female artists who inspire young Sarah into a narrative that shines most when describing the artistic process: intricate details, the elation of watching animal dynamics on safari, and the energetic explorations Sarah and friends make under the tutelage of Kenneth Patrick stand out—as does the underlying theme of Sarah as a phoenix, rising from the ashes of her tragic childhood. A side plot about political kidnappings slightly distracts, but Purtee rallies with a sweet conclusion that will give fans hope of future adventures with Sarah.

Takeaway: Friendship, love, and art intertwine in this sweet YA story.

Comparable Titles: Sandhya Menon’s From Twinkle, with Love, Kayla Cagan’s Piper Perish.

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

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Rich and rousing, this memorable historical fantasy explores the hardships and lack of power a woman can endure even when she seems to be at the top of the hierarchy. Princess Andrada of the Andori tribe begins her apprenticeship to serve a father, King Cothelas, that she has only met in passing for most of her childhood. After her 18th birthday she is tasked with the King's Challenge to secure her place as queen when her father passes away, an honor and title that only one other woman has held. It’s also one her father's subordinates believe no woman is worthy of. The king himself eventually intercedes, marrying her off to a King Nicetas of the Carpi tribe, with the provision that Nicetas will grant King Cothelas the couple’s firstborn son. Exiled Andrada is forced to watch her birthright, her kingdom, and her legacy from afar.

Arama (Extreme Vetting) creates an imaginative world and kingdom that weaves in realistic themes of life as a royal, the duties of heirs, and the violence of war. Incorporating fantastical elements of ritual magic, supernatural deities, and a mystical bell, The Exiled Queen is a sweeping narrative of a young woman grasping for the love of a father she has never really known and her deep desire to fulfill her responsibilities as heir to a kingdom struggling to hold on to power. Looming over all of the tribal power struggles, of course, is the greatest of threats: the Roman Empire.

"I can't be a queen and have no scars," Andrada laments of her duty. In a story of betrayal, secrets, and sacred responsibility, one princess is at the center of it all. Readers who enjoy historical fiction, royal drama, and fantasy elements will be riveted by this chronicling narrative. Told from multiple engaging points of view, The Exiled Queen will thrill fantasy readers who favor strong women who find a way to take their own power.

Takeaway: Memorable historical fantasy of a princess turned queen claiming back her power.

Comparable Titles: Vanessa Riley's Queen of Exiles, Nancy Goldstone's The Lady Queen.

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

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In this art-centered memoir, Smith (author of Cockloft: Scenes from a Gay Marriage) shares his love of writing, bits of his marriage with his husband, Julius, and the insights he gleaned about himself through a chance meeting with a French film maker named François. Smith offers readers a quaint snapshot of his life as a young gay man learning about love, the growing pains of changing friendships, and the hardships of pursuing a career as a writer. Through his own penned letters to François—and then later to God—Smith bares his fears, attempts to manifest his dream job, and gains acceptance for “who and what are truly important in our lives.”

Smith's love for art culture is vividly depicted through anecdotes of his adolescent school years and trips to France. From the beginning, readers will surmise that the budding romance between François and Smith will be short-lived, yet Smith's reminiscence of his time in France—and their brief tryst—recounts the growth of a young man exploring the world and finding himself along the way. "Now that I’m about to turn 50, I’m inclined to ask myself, why bother saying anything about someone I knew for such a short period of time? Then I considered that I was young when I met François, and these encounters… have an immeasurable impact on our lives going forward," Smith writes.

Smith's search for acceptance from his family, friends, and potential love interests makes for a relatable and transparent memoir that readers will find as endearing as it is vulnerable. In finding daily inspiration through his writings, Smith passes on nuggets of wisdom and encouraging words to "survive the ordeal" that is life, in the process rediscovering joy in his day-to-day moments as well: "I had a new reason for writing these letters. I was falling in love with my own life," Smith muses.

Takeaway: Inspirational memoir that explores taking risks for love while finding one’s self.

Comparable Titles: James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, Garrard Conley's Boy Erased.

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

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Blending spiritual philosophy, alternate history, pre-historic adventure, and brisk life-after-life storytelling, The Great Being is above all a beginning. First comes creation itself, which gets started with the knockout opening line (“The Nothingness felt surprise upon realizing itself.”), and then, in just a few pages, of the known universe, of what we might call gods, angels, and souls, and soon of homo sapiens, evolving past Neanderthals with the guidance of two Agents of Cosmic Intelligence, Melchizedek and Layla. Harvey (Mind Magic) follows that duo’s births and rebirths from the era when fire was new up to the dawn of the Abrahamic religions. The Great Being also begins Harvey’s Agents of Cosmic Intelligence series, which imagines the history of the universe itself and the agents’ efforts to connect humanity to higher consciousness.

This is the fourth entry published but the first chronological chapter. It shares the swift pacing, spiritual seeking, twisty plotting, and sharply human dialogue of the earlier books, though its focus feels tighter. This time, Harvey surveys the act of creation, narrated by a well-meaning creator variously called The Great Being, The One Self, and—slightly apologetically—He. (“He had He and She inside of Him,” Harvey notes.) Despite surprises like Him creating Venus the Lovebringer and warning against the power of the ego, the cosmology of Harvey’s series draws heavily on Milton, with Lucifer endowed with free will as an experiment and leading a rebellion against the Great Being.

Here, that rebellion is fought on Earth, as Melchizedek and Layla are born time and again among the people, attempting to guide them forward. As the heroes nudge humanity forward (with cave paintings and other surprises) they face Earthly wars, Barbary Macaques, and Lucifer’s minions. They also must not become too human and forget their connection to the One Self. That’s dramatic and resonant, rich with spiritual implication. Seekers and lovers of mind-bending pre-histories will relish this.

Takeaway: Vital novel of creation, ancient people, and Agents nudging humanity forward.

Comparable Titles: William Bramley’s The Gods of Eden, Michael Flynn’s Eifelheim.

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

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Bailey (author of Army of God) prods the limits of science, faith, and spirituality with a "plague of anomalies" that sets in motion a biological maelstrom on Earth. When ecologist Brandon Foxworth notices something strange happening around his rural home—the fireflies stop illuminating, the birds disappear, and the animals go silent—he teams up with Taylor Grant, a reporter for the Richmond Herald, to get to the bottom of the mystery. Together, they search for a scientific explanation, but after multiple tests, they still can’t prove any physical causes to the wildlife’s decay. The government blames global warming, but Grant and Foxworth suspect that’s not the whole truth.

Foxworth, a self-proclaimed atheist, and Grant, who "hadn't made up his mind about God yet," connect with Bible scholar Marcy Cambridge, who shares some convincing scripture aligning with the recent events, but neither are sold on the spiritual side to the phenomenon. Still, the three team up to investigate, eventually landing them in the sights of a group that offers bribe money to skew their findings, then later threats of violence, putting their lives and the lives of their loved ones at risk. Bailey delivers a slow burn as this layered science fiction unravels more devastating changes on Earth: the sky and the ocean lose their blue pigmentation, plants die, and a drought threatens mass hysteria. As panic sets in worldwide, the three central characters must each rely on their areas of expertise to find answers.

This heart-pounding, "end of days" thrill ride takes readers on a speculative journey rich with scientific theories and evidence, paired with the unexplainable, unforeseen presence of a higher power. Bailey contrasts the factual position of science with faith’s perplexing beliefs, spinning an intricately complex tale that resonates as it delivers real world suspense. Readers who crave a cataclysmic race against the clock will be riveted by Bailey’s tension building.

Takeaway: Science and faith are at odds in this apocalyptic thrill ride.

Comparable Titles: James Rollins's The Seventh Plague, Demitria Lunetta’s In the After.

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

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