SMART LOVE
Genre: Sexuality
IR Verdict: A profusion of lessons learned saves SMART LOVE from being a merely unpleasant time immersed in the perspectives of two people who may or may not be entirely better off apart.
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MY PERSONAL WAR WITHIN
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: Ted Bagley gives a thoughtful, chatty, philosophical account of his life growing up black in segregated Alabama just before and during the Civil Rights era in MY PERSONAL WAR WITHIN, a valuable resource, both for young people looking for inspiration and courage in difficult times, and for current and future historians as a valuable primary source concerning events rapidly moving out of living memory and into the history texts.
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THE MAN ON THE RAILS
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: THE MAN ON THE RAILS is a powerful work. Rovshan Abdullaoglu writes with passion and grace with an impressive sense of detail and atmosphere in a modern novel crackling with ancient wisdom.
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PATCHWORK
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: PATCHWORK by Carol Wilson-Mack is a charming book of authentic stories relayed from an earlier era concerning rampant racism (which still exists today) and an affected extended family who trusts in the Lord that there is a larger picture at play, as they struggle to love each other and endure.
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THE ALBATROSS: CONTACT
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: THE ALBATROSS: CONTACT by Connor Mackay balances the large scope of worldbuilding with small details of character to create a science fiction epic that is both immersive and engaging.
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ALL THOSE TEARS WE CAN’T SEE
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: The novel ALL THOSE TEARS WE CAN’T SEE by Gita Audhya takes a brave look at a range of true-to-life multi-cultural injuries from the physical to the psychic to the little deaths sometimes initiated against those we say we love the most.
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PIERCING THE CELESTIAL OCEAN
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: An ensemble cast plus inventive worldbuilding makes Kip Koelsch’s PIERCING THE CELESTIAL OCEAN an engaging, memorable start to a sweeping space epic of the struggle between religion and science, ambition and the collective good.
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CHAWLGIRL RISING
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: T.K. Young’s CHAWLGIRL RISING is an exemplary model of apocalyptic science fiction with a unique setting, writing that is suitably gruesomely morose and gritty, powerful use internal and external conflict and a plot that is sharply organized and enticing.
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THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV
Genre: Biography
IR Verdict: Inventively structured and impeccably written, THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV is a must-read book for anyone interested in Holocaust narratives. But it is also a compelling example of family memoir, a compact introduction to the history of Israel, and a personal history that adumbrates the larger story of the Jewish diaspora—not to mention an illuminating account of the writing process itself.
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LOST ONE STANDING
Genre: Young Adult
IR Verdict: Hector Hill’s LOST ONE STANDING delivers all of the suspense and action of a heist film for the YA crowd and is a tense, high-stakes thriller with an extremely likeable protagonist and enough twists and turns to keep the plot barreling along at a breathless pace.
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IN ONE LIFETIME
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Graham Forlonge’s memoir IN ONE LIFETIME is an expansively honest and brutally detailed submersion into aspects of trauma that left the author with a lifelong case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is most touching when detailing his healing process.
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SEX, ROMANCE, AND INDISCRETION
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: Sean Develin has created the perfect mix of steamy passion and heartwarming story in SEX, ROMANCE, AND INDISCRETION, hitting all the markers of a great romance.
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THE RING OF MANN
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: THE RING OF MANN is a fast-paced, engaging and well-written historical thriller with an intriguing plot that skillfully intersperses fact and fiction.
THE VOYAGES OF RALF
Genre: Humor
IR Verdict: Trading on science fiction’s most-established themes, R.M. Kozan’s THE VOYAGES OF RALF makes up in thrills and comic brilliance what it lacks in originality.
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NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE TIDE
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE TIDE (Or, How I Married a Lying, Psychopathic Wannabe-Murderer and Kinda Lived to Tell) by Kergan Edwards-Stout is a beguiling look at the long, lively years of this thoughtful, rainbow-hued advocate for loving male/male relationships, fatherhood, an inclusive society, and pursuing one’s creative dreams.
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THE IRA AND RETIREMENT PLAN OWNER’S GUIDE TO BEATING THE NEW DEATH TAX
Genre: Finances
IR Verdict: For those persons who are anywhere over the 24% tax bracket, THE IRA AND RETIREMENT PLAN OWNER’S GUIDE TO BEATING THE NEW DEATH TAX is a useful alarm on the need to modify their IRAs now.
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UTOPIA FOUND
Genre: Inspirational/Spiritual
IR Verdict: For anyone who ever wanted to know whether creating World Peace was possible and, if so, how civilization might go about getting there, the rousing UTOPIA FOUND: A Blueprint for Spiritual Renaissance and World Peace by Troy Reicherter–like the best transformational spiritual resources–can be considered a sacred text in and of itself.
LOST ON THE WAY
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: LOST ON THE WAY by Isabel Jolie is such a heart-palpitatingly good romantic tale, it’s likely to make readers want to check out what else this author has written.
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THE THIEF AND THE WASTE BOOK II
Genres: Dystopian
IR Verdict: Tanya Lee’s writing creates a feeling of suspense that’s cinematic in THE THIEF AND THE WASTE, a tense sequel that outpaces its predecessor in an emotionally stirring story that packs a punch and is impossible to put down.
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THE POSTER BOY
Genre: Business, Biography
IR Verdict: Chad Scott’s hard-won business success is outlined in fine detail in the marvelously compact heartening and practical THE POSTER BOY: Small Towns, Big Ideas, and the Reality of Becoming an Entrepreneur.
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PROPHET REBORN
Genre: Horror
IR Verdict: Sympathetic characters and strong pacing make PROPHET REBORN, the sequel to PERFECT PROPHET, a white-knuckle thrill ride.
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THE ART STONE
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Jesse A. Ellis’s THE ART STONE is an exciting fantasy novel of epic proportions–across a world constructed with such comprehensive cultural and ecological detail as to make it feel real–that shows the power of cooperation when one’s destiny feels impossible to achieve.
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RAVEN’S APPRENTICE
Genre: Biography
IR Verdict: D. Robert Hardy’s RAVEN’S APPRENTICE is a great and compelling story, both nuanced and vivid, that will leave readers wanting to head off on adventures of their own.
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SUMMER’S END
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: SUMMER’S END is a sweet and satisfying conclusion to Jill Sanders’ Wildflowers series. Full of heart, emotion, and a bit of heat, this low-stakes contemporary romance about two people learning to trust and to love is both delightful and engaging.
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THE COLORLESS CHAMELEON
Genre: Children’s (Board books and Pre-reading)
IR Verdict: THE COLORLESS CHAMELEON, written by Rachel Bostick and Hayley Irvin, and illustrated by Samantha Jo Phan, is an adorable children’s book with an important message.
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THRIVING WHILE BLACK
Genre: Political + Current Events
IR Verdict: A brief, targeted text exploring racism and related stresses faced by Black Americans in corporate environments, Cori J. Williams’ THRIVING WHILE BLACK covers the obvious, but also does a great, fact-led job of exposing the wrought emotional consequences of race issues in the professional world.
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WHO’S THERE? A Collection of Stories
Genre: Horror
IR Verdict: WHO’S THERE? is a short sampler that demonstrates author Dimas Rio’s deeply-felt intelligence and promise as a writer of suspense.
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