Book Reviews
Tidestep
F.A. Calder
Cauldron Books, 470 pages, (paperback) $16.99, 9781971673011
Reviewed: November, 2026
The enthralling first installment in F.A. Calder’s Saga of Arthios pentalogy is an adventure fantasy following a misfit group of unlikely heroes as they attempt to locate a magic well stone that could lead to the world’s end.
Zaphiel is an apprent...
Upon this Bank of Time
James Driscoll
Independently Published, 543 pages, (paperback) $15.99, 9798170692743
Reviewed: November, 2026
James Driscoll's novel is a sprawling satire of academia cast as a murder mystery.
In 1984, Justin Kindel arrives in San Francisco at the request of Alicia Comstock, one of America’s richest women. She had met his older brother Vincent, a gay doct...
Sorrow’s Brother: A Kelly Durrell Thriller
Mary Maddox
Cantraip Press, 265 pages, (paperback) $15.99, 9781942737452
Reviewed: November, 2026
Mary Maddox’s Sorrow’s Brother weaves graphic novel and supernatural/horror tropes into this final installment of her Kelly Durrell thriller series.
The novel follows Kelly’s return to her hometown after inheriting an artifact related to the murde...
Legends Unearthed: The Lost Bitcoin
Sutton Lewis
SJ Publishing, 260 pages, (paperback) $9.99, 9781962289030
Reviewed: November, 2026
The Lost Bitcoin is the second book in Sutton Lewis’s middle-grade treasure-quest series, Legends Unearthed. Inspired by real-life events, the story reunites Ava, Sam, Riley, and Jonah as they search a London landfill for a misplaced hard drive that ...
A Thousand Touches
David Shams
Atmosphere Press, 391 pages pages, (paperback) $24.99, 9798901745762
Reviewed: November, 2026
In David Shams’s affecting novel, high school sports, complicated family dynamics, and unexpected first love play out against the insular backdrop of small-town Kentucky.
As a rising senior at Bardstown High, Cyrus Soltani is not only determined t...
Retrospective Validation: Searching for Answers
Gordon R. Rawlyk
Independently Published, , , 9788998039928
Reviewed: November, 2026
Gordon R. Rawlyk adapts the scientific concept of “retrospective validation” to evaluate decisions he made as medical surrogate for his beloved, Rhonda, during the last two years of her life.
In this heartbreaking memoir, Rawlyk chronicles the tim...
The Family Behind the Girl Scouts of America: Lives of the Kinzie-Gordon Clan: 1750s-1950s
Melissa Langley Biegert
McFarland, 323 pages, (paperback) $58.99, 9781476697956
Reviewed: October, 2026
In this compelling, expansive biography, Melissa Langley Biegert traces the family tree that produces Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of America.
The adventures of the Kinzies and Gordons span 200 years of U.S. history, par...
Do the Hard Things: The Key to a Fulfilling Life
Garnet Morris
In Your Face Ink, 261 pages, (paperback) $, 9798996056828
Reviewed: October, 2026
In Do the Hard Things, an entrepreneur and leadership coach argues that choosing to face reality with discipline and act on one’s values is ultimately more fulfilling than slumping into comfortable avoidance and, eventually, regret.
In the past, m...
The Needs of the Heart
Phillip Anderson
selfpublishing.com, 214 pages, (paperback) $17.99, 9798887598918
Reviewed: October, 2026
Exploring the architecture of the human soul and timeless questions of existence, Phillip Anderson’s The Needs of the Heart is a philosophical treatise fueled by passion and curiosity.
Beginning with a humble introduction of his position—that ther...
The Lotus Between Worlds: The Stone Lotus
Som Phin
Independently Published, 434 pages, (paperback) $34.99, 9798245215143
Reviewed: October, 2026
The first installment in Som Phin’s pentalogy mixes time travel, romance, and historical fiction in a compelling story about a museum archivist who reconnects with her all-but-forgotten Khmer heritage and finds love—and herself.
Phalla Chen, 32, l...
A Swell Lot of Thieves: Two Gangs One County and The Man Caught in the Middle
Hunter Thomas
Archway Publishing, 262 pages, (paperback) $20.99, 9781665776127
Reviewed: October, 2026
In Hunter Thomas’ crime novel A Swell Lot of Thieves, a repo man’s work recovering goods that haven’t been paid for leads to violence that soon threatens his life.
As the story opens, recovery man Derek Hatchett is repossessing the prized vintage ...
The Watchmen and The Witnesses: One Divine Message, Two Testaments, for All Generations
Augustine Jeyaraj
Partridge, 226 pages, (paperback) $17.99, 9781543785104
Reviewed: October, 2026
Augustine Jeyaraj compares the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament to the Twelve Apostles of the New Testament in this panoramic canonical study of the Bible.
Jeyaraj presents a deeply theological Bible study designed for “the heart that lo...
Skin Deep: A Dermatologist’s Guide to the Science of Skin Care
Nancy Lee Silverberg, MD
Archway Publishing, 116 pages, (paperback) $17.99, 9798348546649
Reviewed: October, 2026
Board certified dermatologist Nancy Lee Silverberg is well aware of patient confusion about the huge array of skin products available, often with high costs and overly dramatic claims. With the cosmetics and skin care market reaching $185 billion in ...
Spectrum of Cars: Rescue and Recovery Road
Tonya Baradaran
Fun Speech Journey, 26 pages, (hardcover) $24.99, 9798318832826
Reviewed: October, 2026
In this rhyming picture book, a young anthropomorphic truck and his father are journeying for a family visit when his dad starts to feel worn down. An overnight trip to the mechanic fixes up Dad and inspires a career dream for the young automobile.
...
The Favorite
Martin Downs
Praeneste Press, 201 pages, (paperback) $11.99, 9798234084040
Reviewed: October, 2026
The Favorite is set nearly two centuries in the future, after a cataclysmic solar flare fried most modern technology.
In this novel, the global map has been reshaped: The state of Grith occupies the New England coast, with the Second Republic of V...
Squirrels of Speedwell Farms
Liza Martini
Archway Publishing, 188 pages, (paperback) $12.99, 9781665790208
Reviewed: October, 2026
Liza Martini’s middle grade novel, Squirrels of Speedwell Farms, is a mix of mystery and fable that tells the story of a scurry, or community, of squirrels under siege by invisible forces.
Chister Chary lives a sweet life surrounded by family and ...
So Easily Swept Away
R.N. Ausable
Archway Publishing, 304 pages, (paperback) $17.99, 9781665786256
Reviewed: October, 2026
R. N. Ausable's novel So Easily Swept Away is a poignant, character-driven work set against the backdrop of a rare inland hurricane bearing down on a small New England community.
Jarvi Poelk and his wife live in an old farmhouse in the town of Par...
The Robe Squad: A Charlestown Tail
Arthur Russell Smith
Seacoast Press, , , 9798950391873
Reviewed: October, 2026
In Arthur Russell Smith’s The Robe Squad, an endearing story about found family, a man and his tiny dog discover a frightened and cold mouse on a walk and adopt him.
Artie, who appears to be an adult in the book’s illustrations, and his dog Gizmo ...
With Justice for Some: Politically Charged Criminal Trials in the Early 20th Century That Helped Shape Today’s America
Lise Pearlman
Regent Press, 470 pages, (paperback) $34.95, 9781587907449
Reviewed: October, 2026
With Justice for Some by Lise Pearlman revisits some of the most infamous trials in America’s history while arguing their continued relevance in the modern age.
Among the 13 high-profile cases covered here are the assassination of President Willia...
Voices in the Sky: A Book of Poems
Nancy L. Davis
Highland Park Poetry, 71 pages, (paperback) $15.00, 9798999712219
Reviewed: October, 2026
Nancy L. Davis’ lovely poetry collection, Voices in the Sky, winner of the 2026 Prairie State Poetry Prize, deftly explores the author’s world and nature’s profound presence in it.
The book is divided into three sections. The first, loosely based ...