The innocence of boyhood is eclipsed by a fraught world in Vijay Khurana’s coming-of-age novel "The Passenger Seat". From the first page, Teddy and Adam are described as “boys, or men,” as if even the narrator is uncertain about... Read More

A king with everything goes in search of nothing in this picture book with a philosophical twist. The king travels to the not-quite-barren expanse of the desert and gazes into the not-quite-emptiness of the night sky, but still,... Read More

Revenge, murder, and gender-based hypocrisy in communist China drive the unsentimental narrative of Fang Fang’s short novel "The Running Flame". Yingzhi lives in a small village in the Chinese countryside. Desiring more than what her... Read More

The incisive autobiographical essays of Amy Lee Scott’s "When the World Explodes" ponder private tragedies and global threats. Eleven inquisitive pieces consider personal crises alongside natural disasters and gun violence. One links... Read More

In Haylee Manda Reynolds’s poignant coming-of-age novel "Flirting with Glowsticks", a bisexual teenager struggles to find love in a period of transience. Chloe wants to belong in the places her parents move her to, including... Read More

In Binnie Kirshenbaum’s novel "Counting Backwards", a woman is thrust into the role of a caregiver. After Addie’s husband, Leo, is diagnosed with Lewy Body disease in his early fifties, he begins to lose touch with his former self.... Read More

Three youths unite in protest against an authoritarian government, afterward winding up on different paths, in the thoughtful, provocative graphic novel "You Must Take Part in Revolution". Andy, Maggie, and Olivia meet during political... Read More

Asa West’s meditative guidebook offers comfort, advice, and inspiration for seekers interested in harnessing their magic, connecting with the natural world, and finding beauty in the everyday. Part memoir, part instructional guide,... Read More