John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

An inspiring and authentic autobiography, Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat The Odds and Discovered Healing, Happiness, and Love by Justin and Alexis Black tells a compelling story of resilience, lifelong healing, and overcoming unlikely odds. This deeply personal memoir details the journey of a powerful partnership, both as individuals and as a couple, to overcome childhood trauma, abandonment, mental health struggles, and societal opposition to reach a place of love and trust. Written with raw emotion and brutal honesty, the message is further backed up with hard data and stunning statistics, presented with analytical authority that understands how […]

With a scathing tongue firmly planted in his cheek, author W.D. County launches a new satirical salvo with SAMMI and the President. The hyper-intelligent, almost-human android SAMMI (Tom) is back in another adventure, this time to foil a sinister Russian plot involving a “presidential” robot of their own. The linguistic puns and real-time social commentary is relentless and timely, but some of the laughter feels forced, given the unstable global position in which America finds itself today. Within the occasionally heavy-handed humor, there is an exciting adventure plot, which gives this potentially heavy book some uplifting energy. Though some […]

Ambitious and intense, The World, Silently Spinning by M.B. Maskovas is a visionary adventure in a dark American future, one that is hopefully not prophetic. Faced with the ultimate struggle of woman vs. nature, Katy is forced to reckon with a planet bereft of humans, but not a world without dangers to fear and scores to settle. Defying a single genre, this book is both a philosophical puzzle and a near-future thriller, with visceral scene-painting, whip-smart social commentary, and subtle allegorical winks. Despite a tendency to over-narrate potential dialogue, as well as some repetition of ideas and exposition, this is […]

Overflowing with heartfelt positivity and aspirational prayers, On This Day by Gillian McEntyre is a devotional guide for a modern world in desperate need of saving. The five distinct sections of this easy-to-read spiritual manual make this a versatile companion, regardless of what you’re going through. Interwoven with classic wisdom from Christianity’s parables, prayers, and stories, this is an energetic and revitalizing read. Though some of the sentiments may repeat themselves, and the formatting of the verses/prayers seems could be more uniform, the powerful words and undeniable passion behind these timely prayers make this book an uplifting gem.

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Tapping into the rich and sometimes painful vein of childhood nostalgia, To the Top of Greenfield Street by Ryan Standley is a deep dive into the teenage psyche. Awkward interactions with the opposite sex, internal battles with self-image and societal norms, and the endless desire to find a sense of belonging fill these pages, making this an entertaining, relatable, and heartfelt story. The narrative voice captures the struggles of youth, but also peppers in humor and sarcasm, emotional descriptions, and meaningful moments of growth and revelation. While some of the writing does feel rough around the edges, the author’s informal […]

Steve Amoia delivers an engaging collection of heartfelt, deeply human tales in Five Short Stories. From exorcising a long-held fantasy through a disappointing slice of romance, to seeing the world from the rougher edge of the map, these stories criss-cross the country, exploring the perceptions and prejudices we experience, as well as those we quietly hold. Amoia carefully dissects the pain of unexpected loss, the unpredictable nature of cruelty, and the toxic addiction of greed and wealth, in stories with gradual momentum and a straightforward, thematically clear tone. There is strength in the simplicity here, and this is a […]