John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

A witty fling into some fantastically bizarre bedrooms, Qozy Queerotica by Rori Thornton is a boundary-pushing tour de force with a touch of snark and whimsy. Tapping into the contemporary fascination with classic monsters as misunderstood lovers, and exploring the diverse spectrums of gender and romance, this collection of stories is a playful, eye-opening, and hilarious plunge into queer fantasy romance. From kinky ice giants and lascivious dragons to sex-starved merfolk and deviant demons, these hot and heavy tales draw on every corner of the erotic imagination. Beyond the vivid descriptions and raunchy bits of narrative, however, these stories reframe […]

Raw, honest, and enlightening, Stumbling Towards the Buddha: Stories about Tripping over My Principles by Dawn Downey is an emotionally charged memoir that transmutes childhood trauma and loss into teachable moments and enduring self-acceptance. From bullying, abuse, and the loss of innocence to intrusive thoughts, bodily autonomy, and the questionable paths of faith, Downey’s journey is recounted in all of its painful and profound detail. This tenth anniversary edition also offers contemporary reflections from the author on each account, adding more context and impact to these powerful messages. Rich in life lessons for people of every stripe, this intimate collection […]

An emotional rollercoaster of guilt, greed, and desperation, Downfall by Frank C. Senia offers a chilling peek into the consequences of lost innocence. Stumbling through life in a haze of hangovers and unresolved childhood trauma, Everett is on a downward spiral, but his unlimited company access as head of the IT department presents an unexpected opportunity to turn everything around. This deeply flawed protagonist must navigate a high-risk scheme and salvage his floundering relationships, while struggling to shake the sins of his father and avoid the lure of a ravenous addiction. While the story covers some familiar ground about addiction […]

An authentically funny afterlife parody with existential implications, Prometheus for Breakfast by Jack Tilde is a thoroughly inventive everyman adventure about discovering the meaning of life and the potential advancement opportunities in death. When the unremarkably average Richard is thrown off his mortal coil, he not only has to reckon with dying, but also the realization that human existence and reality itself are little more than interdimensional experiments. As Richard makes an unlikely transformation into a hellish hero, he rises to face down the biblical bureaucracy and prove that even corporations named GOD can lose. Offering wickedly clever commentary on […]

A conversational yet authoritative guide on navigating stress, strife, fear, and doubt, Solving the Anxiety Equation: The Formula to Free Yourself from Fear by Wendy Leeds is a timely companion for the increasingly worried masses. Probing into the fundamental aspects of anxiety and exemplifying these concepts with anecdotal stories and the author’s own lived experience, this book offers an interactive self-assessment, which gradually leads the reader toward a tailored plan for stress reduction. Given the epidemic of anxiety and depression currently affecting people of all ages, Leeds’ invaluably personalized take provides an accessible, compassionate, and customizable approach to reclaiming personal […]

A subversive spiral of lurid storytelling, A Collection of Terrible Things Done by Terrible People by the aptly named KillJoy is a grim tour through the ethically parched landscape of our generation. From casual killers and unapologetic adulterers to sadistic mass murderers and violent revolution-mongers, these pages are riddled with entangled stories of carnage and nihilism made flesh. A commentary on the madness of modernity, as seen through the rotten lens of Stockton and its desperate denizens, this is a graphic portrait of contemporary cruelty, forcing readers to face the limits of their own morality and the boundaries of taboo […]