Taking the traditional hero’s quest in intriguing directions, Mari Lowe’s enjoyable novel "Beinoni" follows a boy who spent years preparing for his bar mitzvah—with the added pressure that, as the Nivchar, or Chosen One, he’ll... Read More

Chloe Michelle Howarth’s coming-of-age novel "Sunburn" simmers with first love, confusion, and quiet rebellion in sun-drenched 1990s Ireland. Lucy, a restless teenager, lives in Crossmore, Ireland, where “motherhood is the nearest... Read More

In Mary E. Roach’s smoldering novel "We Are the Match", a modern retelling of the Trojan War, star-crossed lovers maneuver against a powerful crime family for revenge. After losing her sisters on the island of Troy to bombs and fire,... Read More

A creative woman uses writing as a balm for her trauma in the encouraging novel "Gajarah". In Somia Sadiq’s rich literary novel "Gajarah", a Pakistani woman reclaims her story after violence. Emahn is inspired to write a book whose... Read More

In "From Self-Care to We-Care", psychologist Jordan Quaglia tackles the dilemma of whether to prioritize self-care or care for others, suggesting “we-care,” a holistic, science-based approach that includes both. The book argues that... Read More

An immigrant contends with alienation and love in Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo’s spirited novel "The Tiny Things Are Heavier". Nigerian Sommy is a graduate student in Iowa, though she’s ambivalent about the virtues of the American... Read More

In Jen Michalski’s queer romance novel "All This Can Be True", two women find each other and themselves after grief. Just before Lacie asks her husband for a divorce, he has a stroke and winds up comatose. While torn between supporting... Read More

Bonnie Yochelson’s enlightening biography "Too Good to Get Married" captures the life and work of nineteenth-century lesbian photographer Alice Austen. Born in March 1866, Austen, an amateur photographer living among elite Staten... Read More