In Noa Silver’s novel "California Dreaming", a recent college graduate tries to live up to her mother’s reputation. Using her rebellious mother’s story as a template, Elena moves to Oakland with Teach for America. She’s sure her... Read More
A girl comes of age via resistance, trespassing into a magical world, in the epic fantasy novel "The Last Refuge". In Christina Bacilieri’s fantasy novel "The Last Refuge", a damaged world is overseen by an autocratic government that... Read More
A grieving woman seeks the truth about her origins abroad in the warm novel "La Espina (The Thorn)". Unwavering bonds exist among family members and friends in Carol Alford’s novel "La Espina (The Thorn)", in which a woman pursues the... Read More
A lively and distinctive cast invigorates this biting novel about a midlife, never-married comedian navigating another chance at love. Snappy and obscene, Randy Ross’s novel "The Squid and the Spaceman" lays out the wonders and woes of... Read More
Polly Atkin’s memoir "Some of Us Just Fall" reveals the concentric circles surrounding chronic illnesses, drawing on history, experience, science, and literature to explore life lived in a liminal space with nuance. From toddlerhood... Read More
In the imaginative science fiction novel "The Reality Meltdown", reality’s scaffolding is compromised by the discovery that “inanimate” materials experience sentience—and rage. In Dan Cray’s surprise-filled science fiction... Read More
In Eva Menasse’s short story collection "Animals", families, parents, and lovers are understood in terms of excerpted zoological descriptions of animal behavior. “Butterfly, Bee, Crocodile” delves into the private grief of a woman... Read More
In the pain-filled historical novel "The Roll of Honour", Scottish soldiers and women navigate loss and endure the horrors of World War II. In A .B. Reid’s historical novel "The Roll of Honour", Royal Scot soldiers struggle to survive... Read More