A typical American family with Cold War secrets brings Chekhovian intrigue to this literary thriller. Uncle Anton’s Atomic Bomb is a book hard to describe, and that’s part of what makes it so interesting. Ian Woollen’s novel tells... Read More

With equal parts insightful and humorous, this soul-searching venture blurs the line between reality and insanity. "Song of the Vagabond Bird", by Terry Kay, is the story of a man desperate to forget the woman he loves. Five men on an... Read More

Each limerick-like verse in this book of goofy anecdotes uses evocative yet silly vocabulary to convey situations that are both nonsensical and imaginative. A thug mugs a ladybug, for instance, and a tall giraffe gets photographed— in... Read More

Often-affecting moments of poetry are "Carry the Sky"’s most defining, unique characteristic. "Carry the Sky", the first novel by award-winning poet Kate Gray, reads a bit like a quiet song. The refrain of repeated imagery deliberately... Read More

Practical advice pairs beautifully with discussions that delve deeply into the rich emotional complexity of the act of dying. In four clearly and tenderly written parts, "The Divine Art of Dying", by Karen Speerstra and Herbert Anderson,... Read More

A teen prodigy’s AI tries to pass for human in this quirky, thought-provoking novel. A teen computer whiz and his artificial-intelligence protégé return to high school in this inventive YA fiction debut. Though occasionally a bit... Read More

As the action-filled plot progresses, secrets of the characters’ rich, mysterious histories are revealed. Imagine a quest fraught with peril, elves working with dwarfs and human mercenaries to overcome a dark force, frequent weapon and... Read More