Noelle Cook’s "The Conspiracists" is an in-depth, empathetic study of conspiracism, filtered through the outlook of two women involved in storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Cook ponders what draws middle-aged women, in... Read More

Samantha Ellis’s powerful memoir "Always Carry Salt" exemplifies diaspora yearning and determination. Ellis grew up in the United Kingdom, hearing snippets of the Judeo-Iraqi Arabic of her parents and ancestors. By adulthood, though,... Read More

Full of empathy, humor, and love, Kelly Foster Lundquist’s memoir "Beard" details the trajectory of her marriage to a gay man. When Lundquist and Devin first met as counselors at a Christian summer camp, their connection was immediate.... Read More

Drawing on intimate gossip and rigorous critical scholarship, Todd Goddard’s "Devouring Time" is the first full-scale biography of Jim Harrison, the mold-breaking and large-living man of letters who transformed the literary landscape... Read More

Brian Buckbee’s reflective memoir "We Should All Be Birds" is about how his friendship with a rescued pigeon alleviated his ongoing health struggles. In 2020, Buckbee was walking near home when he noticed a pigeon on a roof. The bird... 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

Attending to gaps in the Arthurian legends with care, Sam Davey’s captivating fantasy novel "The Chosen Queen" delves into the dangerous web of politics, religion, and magic that led to the birth of King Arthur. Through the... Read More

A family’s fraught road back to each other is the focus of Shirley Russak Wachtel’s bittersweet historical novel "The Baker of Lost Memories". Josef and Anya run a small bakery in Lodz, Poland, with the help of their bubbly young... Read More