michellehogmire

An affecting Proustian realist novel about childhood emotional development, Mary Taylor’s Dorian’s Quarterback is an accomplished rumination on the impact of sense memories and the nature of time. Following a young girl named Beth growing up in a privileged New England family in the 1970s, the novel tackles subjects like mental illness, teen suicide, and homophobia with genuine nuance and confident, intimate prose. The cover doesn’t nearly reflect the artistry inside, as author Taylor paints an arresting portrait of a girl coming of age in the midst of family crisis.

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A quick-read self-help guide about achieving enlightenment in a complex world, L. Owen Paxton’s Your Little Big You Adventure: The Secret to Discovering Your Enlightened Life offers readers useful advice about self-discovery and not letting others define you. By effectively using the concept of a birthday suit as a metaphor for stripping away external pressures and revealing your true self, Paxton explains how to live a genuine life free from insecurity and fear, to be a more intuitive, creative self. Based on personal epiphany, Paxton’s writing is at once highly encouraging and informative. The text is sometimes repetitive, especially given […]

An exciting, heartfelt time travel novel perfect for fans of “Sense8,” Scott Swisher’s Ring Fold follows a group of young people who can surpass space through interdimensional gateways. Five children of top-secret scientific experimental subjects have inherited a natural time-traveling ability, and now a threatening government organization is trying to hunt them down. The premise may seem somewhat familiar, but Swisher mixes up scene-setting and action-based adventure exceptionally well, moving with the instant pace of a TV series. His imaginative descriptions of different historical periods transport readers with ease, and strong character development make this enjoyable sci-fi tale a standout.[…]

A uniquely strange novel about three people whose connection seems to span across multiple lifetimes and worlds, Ayan Pratap’s Compilers is a mysterious, slow-burn novel full of murder, sacrificial ceremonies, and meditative trances. An elderly rideshare driver down on his luck crosses paths with a witchy woman seeking her son, setting off a chaotic journey across portals to the unknown. A heady mix of visionary fiction with touches of fantasy and character-driven drama, Compilers will appeal to readers who like their horror to lean heavily on occult and esoteric themes. The novel may at times be too obvious in its […]

A historical novel about four diverse women struggling to survive on the cusp of the 20th century, Carrie Hannah’s Epicenter is a deftly crafted, character-driven epic about fighting against sexism and never giving up. Caitlyn, Liah, Marianna, and One Feather’s stories are each uniquely compelling and all eventually converge in San Francisco, where the 1906 earthquake wreaks havoc in the background, for an intense and dramatic setting. While it’s sometimes painful to see these women treated so brutally, the characters’ perseverance and persistence are inspirational, and the author’s skill with characterization makes this a highly rewarding read.

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A timely screenplay about environmental destruction, Russ Brandon’s Holy Smoke: Trapped by Hellfire is a fictionalized story about real fires that struck Yellowstone in 1988. A group of skilled rangers and firefighters battle the blaze while trying to save park visitors from the rapidly spreading inferno, for a story that is at once character-driven and action-packed. Scene descriptions are a bit wordy for a screenplay, and some characters come off more like caricatures than real people, given its historical basis, but Holy Smoke is an affecting tale about both the power of nature and human perseverance, which is relevant now […]