In Brett Marie’s novel The Upsetter Blog, Henry, a past-his-prime writer, sets out to chronicle the first tour of a talented but inexperienced band and its mercurial singer. Henry takes the assignment at the urging of his godson, who... Read More

A distinctive urban fantasy novel, Cadwell Turnbull’s "No Gods, No Monsters" is an operatic story involving monsters, magic, and myth. The stage is set when Laina receives a flash drive containing footage of a Boston cop killing a... Read More

"Under the Rainbow" is an amiable and elegant diary set during Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, when rainbows were displayed as a symbol of unity and appreciation with Britain’s National Health Services workers. James Attlee reports from... Read More

In Christopher de Vinck’s novel "Mr. Nicholas", a hardened newspaperman’s life is rocked by a small boy’s love and an encounter with a mysterious old man. On his way to interview a beekeeper, Jim sees Anna’s car clinging to the... Read More

Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ’s dreamlike coming-of-age novel "Seasons in Hippoland" is about the power of storytelling. Mumbi grows up in Victoriana, a country populated by freedom fighters and generals and oppressed by a succession of men in... Read More

Malia Márquez’s intense multigenerational novel "This Fierce Blood" incorporates magical realism into its story of three women struggling with family and social expectations. In Vermont, Wilhemina marries Norwegian Johannes, rather... Read More

Brad Kessler’s compelling and compassionate novel "North" follows Sahro, a young Somali woman who’s forced to flee to Canada to avoid deportation from the US. Detoured by a snowstorm, she becomes the troubled secret guest of a small... Read More

The deep, heartfelt essays of veterinarian Philipp Schott’s "How to Examine a Wolverine" read like rewarding animal memes. Drawing on years of experience, Schott’s bite-sized, real-life stories are organized by animal type, from... Read More