"Darling Girl" is an often engrossing and heartbreaking story of neglect. Terry H. Watkins’s novel "Darling Girl" follows a girl through her dysfunctional childhood and toward escape. The novel opens when DG is five. Her mother has a... Read More

In an early piece in this book of short, connected stories, Caroline Bock establishes a daughter’s reverence for her father: “let me recall the days when I picked tomatoes beside my Pop, and ate one or two directly from the vine at... Read More

While politicians and civil rights groups have their day regarding the border between the US and Mexico, it’s worth remembering the ordinary human beings who escape the news cycle’s notice. "Cutting the Wire", a timely compilation of... Read More

In "Rods and Koans", all matter becomes something that matters—the confluence exacting and broad. Irena Praitis’s "Rods and Koans" begins with the enigmatic inscription, “This is about saving the cat … or not.” Borrowing the... Read More

In Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer’s "The Water Diviner and Other Stories", Sri Lankans recognize and reckon with each other and their shared history at home and abroad, discovering what connects and divides them. Full of richly drawn... Read More

Me and Mario is a thoughtful and intimate memoir about life with a famous writer. Carol Gino’s engaging memoir Me and Mario dishes on the details of the bestselling author’s longtime romantic relationship with Mario Puzo, who wrote... Read More

Sara Kersting’s "Duty to Warn" is a finely tuned, suspenseful chase story. Psychologist David Malden has been working with a patient, Robert Percy, during his off hours. When Percy suddenly returns to rural Michigan, Malden fears the... Read More

Convincing and timely, this book examines beliefs in terms of their ability to lead to happy, moral lives. N. S. Palmer’s intriguing and vital "Why Sane People Believe Crazy Things" is a multidisciplinary study of belief, theories of... Read More