(BookTrib) - “Birth-Rate Crisis: Reclaiming Family and Purpose in a Dopamine-Driven World” by Jim Penman and Andrea Pearson

Housing costs. Career pressures. Finding the right partner. The obstacles to parenthood are familiar—but do they fully explain why people across the world are having fewer children than they hoped for?

Jim Penman and Andrea Pearson explore another possibility: modern overstimulation may be changing our brains’ sensitivity to dopamine, making the everyday pleasures of family life less rewarding. Drawing on history, demographic research and their own experiences as parents, the authors examine ancient societies, the postwar baby boom and close-knit communities where larger families still thrive. Their discussion of parenting styles and shared responsibilities offers practical ideas for making raising children more manageable and enjoyable today.

They also call for research into possible biological treatments, an effort Penman is already supporting through research funding. Written for general readers, “Birth-Rate Crisis” explores what helps us find satisfaction in family, work and community — and what might be getting in the way.

Purchase at https://books2read.com/u/mveYGe.

“Crossing Division Street” by Rebecca Chamian Ribaudo

When a little girl jumps into attorney Sidone Russo’s car in Cabrini-Green, crying, “Go lady! They gonna kill me!” Sidone must reckon with a past she put behind her long ago.

Rebecca Chamian Ribaudo’s “Crossing Division Street” is a dual-timeline saga of loyalty, betrayal, and survival that spans a century of American history, from a late-1800s sugarcane plantation to the tenements of Little Sicily and the towers of Cabrini-Green. Across four generations, the novel traces the forces of family, events, and circumstance that shape identity—from parts inherited and embraced to those that are rejected and left behind.

The conflicts of generations converge in an adoption trial in which Sidone is forced to choose between her heritage and the principles guiding her life. At stake are her career, her family’s deepest secret, a little girl, and the only man she has ever loved.

At the heart of the novel is one question: How much of our identity is owed to what we inherit, and how much should be ours to choose?

Learn more at https://www.crossingdivisionstreet.com/ or purchase at https://tinyurl.com/crossing-division-street.

“In Defense of Earth” by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

Seventeen-year-old Elaine Johnson-Coleman is a competitive swimmer, but nothing can prepare her for the devastation Hurricane Zeta brings to New York in 2046. As floodwater rises through her grandparents’ Harlem brownstone, keeping her family alive becomes a desperate struggle.

Years later, Elaine’s geothermal engineering expertise draws her into a secret NASA project. An extraterrestrial android called Axy promises limitless clean energy and a solution to climate catastrophe. Its hidden mission, however, could destroy the planet it claims to want to save.

Meanwhile, New York’s post-hurricane government monitors residents, criminalizes protests and enforces a one-child law. When Elaine discovers she is carrying twins, protecting her children means defying the authorities.

Marlen Suyapa Bodden’s Afrofuturist novel moves from intimate family struggles to threats facing all humanity, imagining a future where governments use the promise of safety to justify surveillance, political repression and forced family separation. It’s a future that feels unsettlingly close — a world one climate catastrophe away from our own.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/in-defense-of-earth. 

“Maya Lin & The Ancient Order of Seshat: the arQitect” by J. Adrian Betancourt

After her father's sudden death, Maya Lin receives an ancient gold medallion from her grandmother — and someone ransacks her home looking for it. When even the police become a threat, the architectural historian flees across Biscayne Bay and into a family history she never knew.

Her grandparents belonged to the Ancient Order of Seshat, protectors of knowledge that could prove disastrous in the wrong hands. Now a stolen scroll has reached QiNIUS, whose popular meditation device could become a way to control other people’s minds.

Joined by her former Kung Fu teacher, an artifact retriever and a technology whiz with an AI robot dragon, Maya follows clues through San Francisco landmarks while enemies close in.

Ancient mysteries, Taoist philosophy and technological ambition fuel this playful adventure, where a 90-year-old grandmother can be as resourceful as any warrior — and preserving wisdom means knowing whom to trust with it.  Take “The Da Vinci Code,” add some “Indiana Jones” and a touch of “The Matrix,” and you get a series opener that will leave you wanting more Maya Lin!

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-arqitect.

(BookTrib) - “Over the Hills and Far Away” by Daniel Mack

John Merlan is nearing retirement with an irregular heartbeat, a dwindling roster of therapy clients and a growing suspicion that the modern world is far too eager to tell people how to live. Newly settled in Central Florida, he spends his days driving the back roads of the Lake Wales Ridge, talking with clients, researching local history and wondering what free will really means — and what we are supposed to do with it.

His questions become stranger as mysterious encounters blur the line between imagination and reality. Meanwhile, half a world away, a clandestine experiment is pursuing an astonishing possibility: if the human soul is the source of free will, could that freedom be eliminated altogether?

Funny, profane and philosophical, Daniel Mack’s “Over the Hills and Far Away” combines one man’s search for meaning with a much larger mystery about choice, control and what it means to be human.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/over-the-hills-daniel-mack. 

“Dancing Through Seafoam” by Diane Skye Gropper

Poet Diane Skye Gropper explores the fleeting nature of life through a deeply personal and spiritual lens. Drawing on decades of studying Buddhism, Native American teachings and other traditions, she reflects on love, loss, past lives, healing, mortality and the connections that endure beyond a single lifetime.

The collection moves from intimate poems about family, grief and relationships into broader meditations on karma, free will, spiritual growth and humanity’s responsibility to one another and the planet. Some pieces tell vivid stories; others wrestle directly with questions of death, purpose and what we carry from one life into the next.

The title itself captures Gropper’s central image: life as a dance through seafoam, beautiful and fragile, appearing only briefly before disappearing. Yet throughout the collection, the soul’s journey continues, shaped by love, memory and the choices made along the way.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/dancing-through-seafoam. 

“Hunting the Red Fox” by W. Kenneth Tyler Jr.

In 1942, Perry Barnes’ future is shaped by a teenage mistake with an ironic twist. Given the choice between conscription in the Army and a prison sentence for stealing jewelry, Perry opts for the former. He soon finds himself in a newly formed special operations unit, where he learns espionage, sabotage, lock picking, safe cracking — and the very skills that could someday make him a first-class jewel thief.

After the war, Perry’s adventures take him from stunt work in 1950s Hollywood to professional golf alongside legends like Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer. Then he meets precious-gem investigator Sophia Toscana and becomes entangled in the theft of the famed Mecklenburg Diamond from an elusive master thief known as the Red Fox.

Blending historical fiction, spycraft, romance and irreverent humor, “Hunting the Red Fox” has earned a World’s Best Magazine Award for weaving adventure, espionage and redemption into historical fiction; an Independent Press Award for humor; and a NYC Big Book Award in the cross-genre category.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/hunting-the-red-fox. 

“From the Cyclops Cave: A Braided Memoir” by Don Schofield

Poet Don Schofield looks back on a childhood marked by abandonment, instability and a deep hunger to belong. Raised by a succession of adults after his father left him in the care of strangers, Schofield carries those early wounds into adulthood — and eventually to Greece.

From a primitive hut on the island of Kýthnos, known locally as the Cyclops Cave, he begins revisiting the past. The memoir moves between his solitary life in the Cyclades and vivid scenes from 1950s California, allowing memory to surface in fragments: painful, tender and sometimes uncertain.

Written with a poet’s attention to image and place, Schofield’s memoir explores resilience, identity, family and the complicated work of understanding the people who shaped us. Ultimately, it is a moving account of learning to care for the child he once was.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/from-the-cyclops-cave. 

(BookTrib) - “Palm Beach Confidential” by Susannah Marren

In the latest entry in her Palm Beach novel series, Susannah Marren returns to the glittering, watchful world of Palm Beach, where appearances matter, and family secrets have a way of surfacing at the worst possible time. Lucinda Barrows has spent decades building a dazzling life of wealth, status and social influence, but her carefully controlled world begins to crack when mysterious letters arrive from Kesgrave, the Florida Panhandle town she thought she had left behind.

Her three daughters are already caught in their own storms: Maribelle is estranged from Raleigh after a devastating betrayal, Caroline is trying to hold the family business together, and Raleigh is facing a brutal divorce while being drawn into a risky new romance. Part family drama, part slow-burn mystery, “Palm Beach Confidential” explores what women hide, what they protect and what it costs to keep a polished life intact.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/palm-beach-confidential. 

“Son of Hades” by Caleb Lewis

Alexandros Nyktos is grieving, furious and very dangerous. After his undercover detective wife is murdered by the Moretti Mafia, Alex — the demigod son of Hades — tears through the criminal empire seeking revenge. But when he reaches mob boss Victor Moretti, someone has beaten him to the kill.

The twist? Moretti was actually Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, and someone has discovered how to murder immortals.

Now Alex is both suspect and reluctant guide for FBI Special Agent Morgan Hale, whose investigation pulls her into a hidden America populated by gods, vampires, demons and other legendary beings living behind modern identities. When another god turns up dead, the uneasy partners must uncover what connects the victims before the killer strikes again.

Blending urban fantasy, police procedural and slow-burn romance, “Son of Hades” brings ancient rivalries and divine grudges into a dark, dangerous modern underworld.

Purchase at https://a.co/d/00T5kpWj.

“In Search of the Optimal Human Diet: A Layperson's Guide to Nutritional Science” by Jonathan Spitz

In a world of competing diet plans, contradictory headlines and nutritional quick fixes, Jonathan Spitz goes back to a more fundamental question: What does the science actually tell us?

“In Search of the Optimal Human Diet” traces more than two centuries of nutritional research, from an eighteenth-century experiment on scurvy through the discovery of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to today’s understanding of metabolism, fiber and the gut microbiome. Along the way, Spitz brings the history to life through the scientists, experiments and occasional wrong turns that shaped what we know about food and health.

The evidence ultimately leads Spitz to advocate a whole-food, plant-based diet, with Dr. Michael Greger’s “Daily Dozen” providing a practical food guide. Extensively documented and supplemented with nine appendices, the book is both an accessible scientific history and a useful reference for readers who want to make evidence-based dietary choices rather than follow trends.

Purchase at https://man-eating-plants.com/.  

“When Waiting Becomes Life” by Jeff Deaton, MD 

“When Waiting Becomes Life” gently illuminates the often-unseen emotional landscape of infertility — a journey many walk in silence. Drawing on heartfelt, real-life stories from women and couples who have faced failed cycles, loss and years of uncertainty, Dr. Jeff Deaton blends compassionate medical insight with deeply human narrative. Each chapter offers not only the raw honesty of lived experience but also practical, encouraging advice that helps readers process grief, confront shame and navigate complex treatment decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Readers praise the book for its warmth and wisdom, noting how Deaton’s balanced mix of hope, science and empathy makes even the most difficult moments feel shared rather than endured alone. Whether you’re living the struggle or supporting someone who is, this book offers solace, strength and a reminder: waiting isn’t the whole story — growth and resilience can be part of the journey too.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/when-waiting-becomes-life.

(BookTrib) - “Redemption Initiative: The Good Samaritan” by C.L. Morrissey

Once, Desi Delgado was exactly the kind of criminal society feared: violent, impulsive and consumed by addiction. Eight years in prison changed the course of his life, but not the weight of his past. Now a successful businessman and co-founder of a halfway house, Desi is determined to keep others from repeating his mistakes. When a violent crime strikes close to home, he creates Redemption Initiative, a covert program that uses immersive technology to force offenders to confront the full reality of the harm they've caused. 

But can accountability be engineered? Can the process unlock the innate ability to be reformed? Can true remorse be measured and verified? In “Redemption Initiative: The Good Samaritan,” C.L. Morrissey blends crime fiction with provocative moral questions, exploring the uneasy space where punishment ends, redemption begins, and justice itself is reimagined.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/redemption-initiative.

“The Realm of Ruin” by Carson Zan Hughes

In “The Realm of Ruin,” exile is not an escape from the world — it is the place where the unwanted are sent to be forgotten. For Nyla, a fiercely loyal hunter torn from her family, and Jester, a bold teenager who refuses to surrender, the Realm is a brutal wasteland of monsters, outlawed magic and secrets no one dares name. 

After barely surviving an attack on their village, they are drawn into a monster-hunting guild led by Dice, a leader whose easy smile hides hard-won experience. But each hunt reveals that the Realm is more than a prison. It is a crucible, built to test, break and transform those trapped inside it. Dark, fast-paced and filled with danger, Carson Zan Hughes’ fantasy adventure asks what survival costs — and what someone must become when the world has already cast them aside. 

Purchase at https://amzn.to/4eE87O4.

“Casey Dancer: A Memoir About Dating, Stripping, and a Little Hot Yoga” by Kristin Casey

At 39, nearly a decade sober and struggling through a real estate slump, Kristin Casey returns to the work she once thought she had left behind: stripping. To her surprise, stepping back into Austin’s clubs restores not only her finances but also a sense of confidence, purpose and control.

Then she meets Lalo, a married former drug dealer whose charm and volatility pull her into an intense relationship. As romance, financial pressure and old emotional wounds collide, Casey begins confronting the patterns that have shaped her choices — especially her attraction to unavailable men and her fear of depending on anyone.

Interspersed with candid entries from her popular stripper blog, “Casey Dancer” is unfiltered, sexually frank and frequently very funny. Hot yoga becomes both refuge and metaphor as Casey works toward greater strength, firmer boundaries and a life defined on her own terms. It is a memoir about sex work, sobriety and the difficult practice of becoming fully yourself.

Purchase at https://amzn.to/4aG3jXj. 

“What the Trees Remember” by Abigail Cutter

At 93, Dora Minor has spent most of her life atop Horseshoe Mountain, carrying secrets nearly as old as the trees surrounding her home. When Hurricane Camille unleashes a catastrophic flood across Nelson County in 1969, Dora faces the storm with only her two dogs — and the memories she has long avoided.

Her story reaches back to post-Civil War Virginia, where she is raised by her fiercely independent grandmother Alma in a Quaker family committed to racial equality. When Dora’s father helps open a school for Black children, the family becomes a target of violent resistance. Loss, betrayal and a horrifying act Dora witnesses as a child shape the isolated woman she becomes.

Moving between Dora’s coming of age and the night of the flood, Abigail Cutter’s deeply researched historical novel explores racial violence, moral courage and the weight of silence, while finding resilience and hard-won hope in the natural world.

Purchase at https://amzn.to/4vPefto. 

(BookTrib) - “Day of Wrath” by Otho Eskin

There are secrets within the Church. Some are worth killing for.

When Washington, D.C. homicide detective Marko Zorn arrives at the city’s cathedral, he finds the cardinal archbishop dead beneath a high balcony, a tarot card clutched in his hand. What first appears to be a single murder soon opens onto something far darker: an ancient cult devoted to Holy Death, a trail reaching back to Mexico and a conspiracy threatening the Vatican itself.

With the pope dying and a conclave approaching, Marko has only days to uncover who wanted the archbishop silenced — and why. Complicating matters is his sharp-tongued new partner, Saoirse Richmond, who distrusts both his methods and his judgment.

Fast, sly and steeped in history, “Day of Wrath” sends its unconventional detective into a world of ritual, power and buried secrets where faith can be weaponized and the past holds the key to a modern threat.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/day-of-wrath.

“Marek of the Mists: The Sword of the Moon Maiden” by Corey E. King

In the mist-shrouded kingdom of Storm’s End, Marek has built a life among the Wolfe Gypsies, the clan that raised him after he was found abandoned. A gifted swordsman with a talent for spectacle and survival, he expects danger to come from challengers in the ring — not from an ancient evil gathering beyond the coast.

When a monstrous attack reveals that darker forces are moving, Marek is drawn into a quest involving a shattered celestial blade, a vanished village, a moon goddess and the demon Vuoto, whose followers are preparing for war. Joined by loyal friends, a wolf-husky and the woman he loves, Marek must decide whether he is merely an orphan or the champion Storm’s End has been waiting for.

Fast-paced, illustrated and rich with banter, battles and found-family bonds, “Marek of the Mists” launches a fantasy saga of courage, identity and light against darkness.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/marek-of-the-mists.

“Allegory” by Jack Martin Haley

Set along the Yukon River, “Allegory” follows Fred, a Korean War veteran and once-respected Gwich’in elder whose life has narrowed under the weight of illness, alcohol and public shame. Once known as Sarge, he was a master fish wheel builder and a proud descendant of Shahnyaatii, the legendary “Christian Grandpa.” Now, younger men mock him, and even Fred struggles to hold on to the dignity he once carried so naturally.

When a cancer diagnosis makes it clear that his days are numbered, Fred turns back toward the river — and toward the old fish wheel that once gave him purpose and helped feed his village through the long winters.

With the aid of Jere, a young man preparing for the ministry, Fred begins a final act of restoration and redemption that becomes both practical and mythic. Rooted in Gwich’in tradition and Christian faith, “Allegory” is a resonant story of one man’s last chance to be remembered rightly.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/allegory-epiphany.

“My Hip-Hop Wiz: A Journey Through Rhythm, Resilience, and Self-Discovery” by Innton Tagger

Innton Tagger puts a bold, beat-driven spin on a beloved classic in “My Hip-Hop Wiz,” a high-energy reinvention of “The Wizard of Oz” rooted in hip-hop culture, humor and resilience.

Dorothy Jones is no Kansas farm girl. She’s a self-made real estate mogul whose life is upended when a supernatural storm sweeps her and her loyal Rottweiler, Governor, into a strange new world. Along the way, she joins forces with a sharp-tongued Scarecrow, a bionically rebuilt Tinman and a powerful Lion still learning to master his fear.

As music, magic and danger collide, Dorothy’s journey becomes less about finding a way home than recognizing the strength, wisdom and courage she already carries. Filled with swagger, pop-culture references and plenty of heart, “My Hip-Hop Wiz” celebrates the power of rebuilding after hardship. An accompanying soundtrack (on Apple and Spotify) extends the experience beyond the page, bringing the story’s rhythm and inspiration to life.

Purchase at https://a.co/d/08r160GZ.

(BookTrib) - “a written self-portrait: ‘On Psychosis’ a Novella Vol. I” by Louis Gale

In the first volume of Louis Gale’s experimental series, readers enter the restless mind of Amstel, a man moving through psychotic breaks, travel, drug experiences and an increasingly unstable sense of reality. He does not understand the forces working on him, but the deeper he goes, the more difficult it becomes to separate insight from distortion.

Written in a nonlinear stream of consciousness, “a written self-portrait: ‘On Psychosis’ a Novella Vol. I” reflects the rhythm of Amstel’s thinking through repetition, abrupt shifts and unconventional typography. The result is less a traditional psychological narrative than an attempt to place readers inside the experience itself.

Strange, darkly funny and often unsettling, the novella asks readers to follow Amstel without the usual guideposts. It is an unusual opening to a larger series about the mind, identity and the possibilities that emerge when familiar ways of understanding the self begin to break apart.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/written-self-portrait1.

“a written self-portrait: ‘On Tragedy’ Volume II” by Louis Gale

The second volume of Louis Gale’s series takes Amstel’s story beyond the limits of the first book and into the worlds his mind creates. Now confined both literally and psychologically, he moves through imagined realms, philosophical speculation and moments in which love still reaches him, even when its meaning is difficult to grasp.

“a written self-portrait: ‘On Tragedy’ Volume II” continues the series’ nonlinear, experimental approach while widening its focus to include higher consciousness, human potential and the uneasy overlap between imagination and reality. The book is less concerned with giving readers easy answers than with showing how Amstel tries to make sense of what he experiences.

For those drawn to unconventional fiction and inward journeys, this second installment offers a fuller view of the series’ ambitions. It deepens the mystery around Amstel while suggesting that even within confinement, the mind can still create, question and reach for connection.

Gale draws on a life that has included a year of silence, homelessness and psychiatric hospitalization. He later earned a master’s degree in consciousness studies and is pursuing a PhD in international psychology, bringing both lived experience and academic inquiry to this unusual series.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/written-self-portrait2.

“Infernal Tramps: Tales of Weird Terror” by Alex Grass

A forgotten video game with a terrifying past. A spiked dog collar wields the power to convert an entire city to the worship of a dead dog. A surgical implant promising the perfect shape gives its wealthy owner far more than she bargained for.

These are only a few of the horrors lurking in Alex Grass’s “Infernal Tramps,” a collection of 17 stories that seems determined to keep one-upping itself in strangeness. Some tales are brief and brutal; others lead deeper into worlds shaped by obsession, grief, vanity, debt and loneliness. Regardless of the topic, the familiar rarely stays familiar for long.

Grass writes with a taste for the elaborate, grotesque and macabre, spiked by dark humor that arrives when you least expect it. Black-and-white images add to the book’s disquieting atmosphere. This is horror for readers who like their fiction unapologetically bizarre and their gore grindhouse-style — the sort of collection that may have you laughing on one page and regretting lunch on the next.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/infernal-tramps.

“The Future Is Not Yet Written” by Michael Weiner, MD

History has a way of changing families in an instant. What comes after can take generations to understand.

In “The Future Is Not Yet Written,” Michael Weiner continues the story begun in “Both Sides of the Same Coin,” following the interconnected Klein, Carbone, Doyle, Roth and Bartell families from the aftermath of 9/11 to the COVID era. Across two turbulent decades, spouses grieve, children grow up too quickly, careers shift, families blend, friendships deepen and new lives take shape in the shadow of old losses.

Richly detailed and deeply compassionate, this multigenerational saga traces how love, illness, ambition, service and chance redirect even the best-laid plans. Weiner’s wide cast of characters reminds us that resilience is rarely simple or sudden. It is built choice by choice, through the people we hold onto and the futures we dare to imagine.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-future-is-not-yet-written.

(BookTrib) - Presidential history can sound like something that belongs in a classroom, a documentary or a very large book you keep meaning to read someday. But Ronald Gruner’s We the Presidents makes a compelling case that the presidents of the past are not really past at all. Their decisions are still shaping the country we live in now.

Published in a new anniversary edition on July 4, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, We the Presidents looks at a full century of American leadership, from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump. But this is not a standard march through presidential biographies. Gruner is less interested in personality, party labels or political theater than in consequences. What did these presidents actually do? What problems did they inherit? Which decisions echoed far beyond their term in office?

Many of the issues dominating today’s headlines — immigration, inflation, income disparity, civil discord, war and the expanding power of the executive branch — did not appear overnight. Gruner traces their roots across administrations, showing how one presidency often sets the stage for the next. In his telling, American history becomes less a series of isolated chapters and more a long chain of choices, reactions — and sometimes, unintended consequences.

Gruner brings an unusual perspective to the subject. Before turning to history, he spent 40 years as a business leader, founding and serving as chief executive of three successful technology firms. That background informs the book’s results-oriented lens. He writes with an eye toward outcomes: what worked, what failed and what changed the country in ways Americans are still living with today.

The book is also designed for readers who may be tired of the usual partisan framing. We the Presidents examines presidential decisions without leaning on labels like Democrat, Republican, liberal or conservative. The result is a clear-eyed history that invites readers to think beyond team politics and look instead at leadership, policy and impact.

It helps, too, that the book is built to be accessible. With more than 140 images and charts, many in color, the anniversary edition gives visual context to a century of change. Reviewers have praised the book as “essential reading for every conscientious citizen” and “a compelling education on the issues which have shaped the American century up to the present day.”

That may be the real promise of We the Presidents: not simply that it teaches us what happened, but that it helps us understand why the present looks the way it does. At a time when public conversation often feels loud, fractured and impatient, Gruner offers something more durable — historical perspective.

For readers who want to better understand America’s current divisions, the growth of presidential power and the long shadow of executive decisions, We the Presidents is a timely and thought-provoking guide. It reminds us that every president inherits a country shaped by those who came before — and leaves behind a country the next one must answer for.

Purchase at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2KFD1SY/ or learn more at https://wethepresidents.us/.

(BookTrib) - “The First Cycle: NUE World Chronicles” by F.N. Knight

In this ambitious science-fantasy epic set nearly a thousand years after humanity’s flight from a dying Earth, the planet Thelo is both refuge and prison — a world of twin suns, corrosive mists, dangerous beauty and old bargains with a long reach.

Anibel Azure, the youngest daughter of the ruling Azure family, has been raised to become Lady Head of the Medium. But first she must face the Test, a secret coming-of-age rite that has claimed generations of Azure daughters and bound her people to the mysterious Black Towers. Haunted by visions of humanity’s violent first days on Thelo, Anibel begins to question the history she has inherited.

With Jael, a quick-witted acolyte drawn into her orbit, Anibel may uncover the truth behind the ritual, the ruling Vaine families and the rebellion gathering in the shadows. Richly imagined and morally charged, “The First Cycle” launches a bold new saga.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-first-cycle.

“Grab Another Gear: Disrupt the Norm. Ignite Your Passion.” by Wayne Williams

This compelling self-help and leadership guide is designed for anyone ready to break out of autopilot and live with greater purpose. Drawing on Wayne Williams’s deep experience helping leaders navigate pivotal transitions, “Grab Another Gear” invites readers to disrupt the routine, rekindle dormant passion and embrace meaningful change rather than comfort.

Through his signature Grab Another Gear framework, Williams blends vivid racing metaphors, personal insights from wins and wipeouts, and clear “Gear Check” action steps that help individuals clarify identity, strengthen relationships and make courageous choices that matter. Far from a typical motivational read, this high-octane guide empowers readers to shift from merely successful to truly significant — living fully engaged, fully awake and fully alive. It’s the ideal read for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling stuck or seeking clarity, courage and a renewed sense of impact.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/grab-another-gear.

“Dawn Before Darkness” by Liz Lazarus

A psychological thriller inspired by real events, “Dawn Before Darkness” reveals the treachery of a ruthless stalker, the alarming failure of the legal system and the unthinkable battle a daughter must face to protect her family.

Dawn Smith, a vet tech, meets her dream guy. Not only does he woo her with fancy dates and thoughtful gifts, but he charms her widowed mother. Soon, however, strange things begin to happen — a break-in at her home, a missing necklace, and most alarming of all, a rapid decline in her mom’s health. The facade of Mr. Charming is cracking and before Dawn understands the magnitude of his lies, she’s immersed in a battle she never saw coming.

Drawing on real-life guardianship cases and interviews with stalking victims, Lazarus crafts an emotionally charged thriller that explores how the systems designed to protect us can be manipulated.

Details at https://tinyurl.com/dawn-before-darkness.

“Scripts” by Brandon Knightley

In mid-twentieth-century America, Arlene Zirner is a woman no one seems to see clearly — least of all her cold, dismissive husband, Charlie. Raised with an unusual worldview and trapped in a marriage that has taught her to disappear, Arlene quietly accepts the boundaries of her life until a chance encounter in a park awakens a hidden gift.

With a typewriter tucked away like a secret, Arlene begins to discover not only a talent for writing, but a self she has long been denied. Woven through her story are intimate two-person dramatic scripts, read aloud by other couples who find in them a language for emotions they cannot otherwise express.

Inventive, tender and quietly powerful, "Scripts" is a literary novel about marriage, silence, unseen goodness and the private acts of creation that can become a path to liberation.

Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/scripts-review or purchase at https://tinyurl.com/scripts-novel.

(BookTrib) - “The Captain's Clue” by Brock Eastman and Shaun Stevenson

In this hilarious action-adventure for Christian kids, the parables of Jesus literally come to life — and Parable Port is in deep water. Anthony and his friends have barely recovered from their last wild adventure when the storm of the century hits town. The rain won’t stop, the waters keep rising, and the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders has gone seriously haywire.

As flooded streets fill with electric eels and homes begin crumbling like sandcastles, Anthony teams up with Grace and Duck to find the mysterious lighthouse keeper, Captain David, who may hold the key to saving the town. Meanwhile, budding podcaster J.R. gets caught up chasing a big story and must decide whether popularity is worth risking real friendships.

Fast-paced, funny and faith-filled, this illustrated middle-grade adventure helps young readers discover what it means to build life on a solid foundation.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-captains-clue.

“Ashes of the Republic” by James Chesterton

In this chilling speculative thriller, America in 2046 is a nation transformed by surveillance technology, artificial intelligence and an increasingly authoritarian government. Former engineer Lily Osbourne knows this world better than most: years earlier, she helped create the technology that now monitors citizens, suppresses dissent and keeps those in power firmly in control.

Forced to abandon her former identity after falling out of favor with the ruling Dennison family, Lily discovers firsthand what happens to those who challenge the system. As she watches her inventions weaponized against ordinary people, she is compelled to confront her own role in creating the future she once helped build.

Blending high-stakes suspense with timely questions about power, responsibility and personal freedom, “Ashes of the Republic” is a thought-provoking cautionary tale that feels less like distant science fiction than a warning about the world taking shape around us.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/ashes-of-the-republic.

“The Peace Guidebook: How to Cultivate Hope, Healing, and Harmony for the Good of Humankind” by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman

In a divided and uncertain world, “The Peace Guidebook” offers a practical path toward personal healing, compassionate leadership and meaningful collective change. Inspired by the global Percolate Peace Project, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman draw on decades of work helping people navigate grief, transition and transformation to present Ten Principles of Peace for everyday life.

Blending reflection, storytelling and accessible daily practices, the book invites readers to quiet what is unsettled within, move through conflict with courage and grace, lead from a place of love, and build relationships rooted in shared values. The book’s prompts and exercises make the journey interactive, encouraging readers not only to think about peace but to practice it in their homes, workplaces and communities.

Part guidebook, part call to action, “The Peace Guidebook” is a steady companion for anyone seeking a more grounded, purpose-driven life — and a more compassionate world.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-peace-guidebook.

“The Alpha Trace” by J. Mayberry

A string of murders. A cryptic symbol. A small town where everyone seems to be hiding something.

True-crime podcaster Elena Coleman has spent years digging into the questions Millbrook Falls wants left alone — a decades-old serial killer known as the Alpha, a suspicious police shooting and the local forces determined to keep both stories quiet. When Elena is found dead in her apartment with the Alpha’s chilling mark left behind, Detective James Rios is pulled into a case that refuses to stay cold.

Then more bodies appear. Each one bears the killer’s signature. Each one pulls Rios deeper into a pattern of violence that grows more disturbing with every turn. To solve it, he must untangle a web of police corruption, family loyalties and evidence that refuses to point in only one direction.

A tense serial murder investigation full of twists and turns, “The Alpha Trace” is a psychological crime thriller where every clue raises new questions — and no one is above suspicion.

Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/the-alpha-trace.

(BookTrib) - “Riptide” by Chad Robichaux with Jack Stewart

Still haunted by his former teammate’s betrayal, former Force Recon Marine Foster Quinn is thrust back into the world he thought he left behind. As he hunts down the men pulling the strings of a global conspiracy, Foster must resist the temptation to be swept away by revenge in his search for justice ― especially when the war becomes personal, and he realizes it’s coming to his own turf.

Written by two Armed Forces veterans who bring real-world expertise to their writing, “Riptide” is an exhilarating, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that blurs the line between duty and revenge ― and leaves no one above suspicion.

“Riptide” is hailed as an “action-paced conspiracy thriller that brims with authenticity” (Mark Greaney) and praised for “its unmatched realism and tactical authenticity” (Nick Freitas).

Purchase at https://amzn.to/4rHt5QJ.

“Should Have Told You Sooner” by Jane Ward

While studying art history in London, Noel Enfield falls deeply for aspiring artist Bryn Jones. Their future seems set — until Bryn leaves for a five-month painting trip through Italy, Noel discovers she is pregnant, and a series of painful misunderstandings leads her to make a life-altering decision.

Thirty years later, Noel returns to London for a museum secondment, determined to prove she has moved on. Instead, she is drawn back into the city’s close-knit art world and the unresolved past she thought she had buried. When she finally learns why Bryn never came back, everything she believed about her choices, her family and her own resilience is shaken.

Praised by Kirkus Reviews as an “artful and affecting novel of loss and reconnection,” “Should Have Told You Sooner” is a moving story of romance, regret and second chances.

For more information and to purchase, visit https://www.janeaward.com/.

“The Heart of Gardening: How to Have a Successful Life Through Sustainable Gardening from a Storyteller’s Perspective” by Rebecca Band

So many people dream about having a garden but hesitate to take that first step. Knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming. That’s why organic gardener and horticultural professional Rebecca Band created “The Heart of Gardening,” a simple, gentle guide to help new gardeners find their footing and discover success without relying on chemicals.

Along the way, Band shares personal stories, the reasons behind her methods, and the observations she’s gathered from years of experience. “My hope is that this book will not only offer practical guidance,” writes the author, “but also uplift, entertain, inspire and spark thoughtful reflection for anyone ready to begin their gardening journey.”

Purchase at https://amzn.to/4v123pF.

“Lili y el árbol de los colores mágicos / Lili & the Tree of Magical Colors” by Rosalba Segovia

In this gentle bilingual picture book, Rosalba Segovia introduces readers to Lili, a kindhearted girl whose walk to school becomes an unexpected lesson in friendship, empathy and peace. Along the way, Lili meets a lost turtle, a frightened black cat and an injured iguana, each in need of comfort and help. Together, they follow a fragrant breeze toward a wondrous tree of magical colors — only to discover that the tree grows sad and gray when friends fight.

With soft illustrations and side-by-side Spanish and English storytelling, “Lili & the Tree of Magical Colors” invites young readers to see kindness as something active: listening, helping, forgiving and standing together. As Lili and her friends learn, differences do not have to divide us. When we reach for one another with love and respect, the world becomes brighter, more peaceful and more beautiful. Also available: an accompanying album of songs based on the book.

Purchase the book at https://amzn.to/4d5b2Qk and the accompanying music at https://amzn.to/4uzbwUO.