DELPHYS RISING by Kip Koelsch
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: While Kip Koelsch’s novel DELPHYS RISING, the follow up to Wendall’s Lullaby, is not the first fictional exploration on the allure of human-dolphin communications, strong storytelling, excellent pacing and a highly original plot make the work stand out as an exemplar of the thriller/sci-fi genres.
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THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Steven Ramirez
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Absorbing, well-paced, and suspenseful, THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR is a pitch-perfect supernatural mystery with plenty of twists to keep readers guessing.
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BLIND WALLS by Conrad Bishop + Elizabeth Fuller
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: BLIND WALLS is a masterful and eerie tale of obsession, increasing madness, and deepening sadness, surrounding the haphazard construction of a haunted house. It’s a fine and engaging read, a page turner that will not allow readers to put it down without finishing to the very end.
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TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS by Editors at Margery de Brus
Genre: Short Stories
IR Verdict: TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS is a varied, creative, and thoughtfully-chosen anthology of stories, designed to affect and engage both mind and heart.
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RIGHT BACK AT YOU by Steve O’Grady
Genre: Popular Science
IR Verdict: RIGHT BACK AT YOU is a thought-provoking, eye-opening and mind-bending look at how the brain makes sense (or fails to make sense) of what we see and what we experience, using examples from art, literature, and the world of entertainment.
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THE CHRONICLES OF ALTARAN by Mark Swirsky
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Readers who enjoy fantasy stories and don’t mind biblical comparisons will find much to like in THE CHRONICLES OF ALTARAN (Book 1: Shadow Lord Rising), an engaging tale of good and evil featuring interesting and compelling characters in a strange, often brutal, world.
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COMMENCEMENT by Thom Kudla
Genre: Poetry
IR Verdict: COMMENCEMENT is a collection of small poems with large hearts, a work that will inspire much more thought and feeling than its short length suggests.
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ADVISING CHIANG’S ARMY by Stephen L. Wilson
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: ADVISING CHIANG’S ARMY is an epic tale exploring one man’s duty and experiences during World War II, outside of the mainstream depiction of the European Theater, and provides a well written and expansive history not commonly told.
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DREAMTIME by Mark Le Dain
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Sharp plotting and characters who face nightmarish problems make it difficult to put DREAMTIME down, despite its (possibly intentional) lack of specifics to setting and sensory details.
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BILLION OR BUST! by Lanham Napier
Genre: Business
IR Verdict:
BILLION OR BUST! is a lively, thoughtful, and engaging story of a man, a business, and a city, told with a thoroughly Texan degree of vigor and verve.
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OUT OF CONTEXT by Thom Kudla
Genre: Poetry
IR Verdict: OUT OF CONTEXT is a series of exploratory, sensual, philosophical poems that engage the reader’s mind and heart.
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MENDING THE FLAG, HEALING THE WORLD by Andy Bilik
Genre: Politics + Current Events
IR Verdict: Author Andy Bilik offers an erudite, comprehensive discussion of the current political climate without any of the tiresome hyperbole and snipery of current political discourse.
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SPARROW BEACH by Shelby Raebeck
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: SPARROW BEACH is a gentle, nuanced, character-centered exploration of relationships, change, and growth.
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THINGS I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS by Lori-Ann Keenan
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: THINGS I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS is a light-hearted memoir with a dash of self-help stylings whose down-to-earth writing style, easy-to-chew advice, and humorous tone might not revolutionize the reader’s life, but will provide them with an afternoon of delight.
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ADVENTURES OF ONE UP MAX by Lisa Shawver
Genre: Children’s (Early to intermediate readers)
IR Verdict: ADVENTURES OF ONE UP MAX: RUNIC AND THE CRYSTAL CAVE delivers a heart-warming story that young readers will find exciting and comforting. It’s a great lesson that author Lisa Shawver tells with crisp writing and a wonderful imagination.
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VACANT FIRE by Ray Gardener
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: VACANT FIRE is a tense and often disturbing near-future thriller that examines science, discrimination, and just how thin society’s veneer of acceptance and tolerance really is. A gripping and entertaining read.
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THE RISK THEATRE MODEL OF TRAGEDY by Edwin Wong
Genre: Writing/Publishing
IR Verdict: THE RISK THEATRE MODEL OF TRAGEDY is a fascinating dissection of tragic theater, focusing on both universal themes and specific tragedy models and is a must-read for any “theater geek.”
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FALL ROTTEN by Eric Serrell
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: FALL ROTTEN is an often hilarious, fun, witty, screwball-comedy heist-adventure.
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