Editorial Reviews

Author Zachary Aneiress delivers another attitude-laced adventure of mythology, magic, and self-discovery in The Partitioner, the eighth installment of his Athens Ophelia series. Taking their ever-expanding powers to a strange new world, meeting long-lost relatives, and learning more about their reincarnation as a timeless hero, Athens Ophelia faces more identity challenges and existential crises than ever before in this new chapter of the saga. Celebrating gender fluidity, modern ideas of heroism, unexpected brotherhood, and compassionate acceptance of those we don’t yet understand, this novel may be somewhat meandering, but it offers touching wisdom in bursts and sparks. The prose […]

A man receives a mysterious camera that allows him to travel between worlds in The Warrior With Broken Wings, an eclectic work of fantasy about how artists can be heroes. Photographer Thomas Knight is in a state of malaise when he suddenly becomes the unlikely savior of a planet menaced by a supernatural army. With the help of a talking cat, an ancient sword, a prince who makes 80s references, and a feisty princess, Thomas must fulfill a prophecy to rescue the Earth from eventual destruction. Brandl’s ambitiously original novel contains so many elements that the plot can seem […]

An inspiring story of fearless belief in the face of impossible odds, A Ball With No Points by Stephen D. Reddy is a decade-spanning trip through the author’s deep love of basketball, specifically during one legendary season in 1971. Written with a remarkable level of detail, from pickup games on Gumbert Court 1 to the play-by-play recall of nail-biters during Westfield High School’s historic run, this memoir is both exciting and heartwarming. Watching the rust fall off the author’s memories, as well as his basketball skills, will be a pleasure for readers prone to nostalgia over their own long-buried passions.[…]

A blend of color and black-and-white photography, interspersed with inspiring quotations and historical context, Elizabeth Buchmann’s Bengodi: Visions of Capri is an enchanting meditation on the beauty of historic architecture and the natural world. Buchmann decided to visit the island of Capri in Italy at the beginning of the pandemic, seeking both solace and an escape from the relentless news cycle – a relatable and understandable perspective, which gives her photography increased weight and meaning. Her pictures convey a true degree of reverence for what really matters in our often too fast-moving lives, instilling in the reader a sense of […]

The first title in the anticipated solo travel series, Dispatches From Europe, Rory Moulton’s Europe By Milk Run: A Solo Travel Experiment from Copenhagen to Barcelona blends historical information with authentically funny personal anecdotes centered around the author’s travels throughout the Continent. After an acquaintance claims that European travel has become too commercialized, Moulton decides to take a leisurely, off-beat train journey to see what he discovers, and the result is both informative and entertaining – whether you’ve traveled through Europe, but perhaps especially if you have not. His forays include nightlife parties, chance encounters with quirky locals, delectable […]

Caravan of Pain by Scott Alderman is a gritty and savagely honest account of the author’s epic dream come to life – a chaotic collaboration of metal’s biggest names and some of the most legendary tattoo artists on the planet. The author wasn’t just a backstage observer, but the organizer and originator of “Tattoo the Earth,” a tour like nothing that had ever been attempted. From the earliest brainstorming pitch sessions and potential disasters with scheduling to the chaos of rock star egos and downright raunchy tour anecdotes, this book covers ground you might expect – debauchery and all-around bad […]

A sweet, imaginative collection of rhyming poetry for kids, Sherry A. Fraser’s How the Faeries Dance is an enchanting picture book that will entertain children and adults alike. Many of the selections involve faeries from the title, but the subject matter ranges from unicorns and dragons, to epic sailing journeys, and even making cookies as an act of magic, for a wide-ranging assortment of esoteric tales, with illustrator Julia Vasileva’s lively images delightfully enhancing each poem. While some rhymes and poems are more affecting than others, overall this collection is both charming and whimsical.

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Five Pebbles In A Pond may be a work of fiction, but this very human tale reads like a true-to-life memoir. The “pebbles” in question are the members of an all-girl group of immigrants who meet by chance at university and become lifelong friends. While the pace of the book jumps around a bit, the unity between the friends does not, as they face all manner of challenges in their lives and loves, and complex families, with diverse races, religions, and traditions creating both a sense of belonging and friction in this vibrant tapestry of intersectional feminism.

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