UNFETTERED JOURNEY
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Intelligently structured with an interesting juxtaposition between technology and humans attempting to balance living in head, heart, and body, Gary F. Bengier’s UNFETTERED JOURNEY is an epic expedition into the nature of consciousness, God, Reality, and the minds of Man.
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YESTERDAY IS NOT YET GONE
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Author Gabriel Veiga brings the heat with his taut and tense YESTERDAY IS NOT GONE, a visceral detective story that confronts multiple themes at once, from inchoate feminism to high school bullying. But most important of all, the novel tells a gripping story that will leave readers guessing.
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DANIEL SCRATCH
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Vibrating with the ancient, mystical images known as runes and awash in complex moral questions, DANIEL SCRATCH by Don Jones gives readers much to ponder as it thoroughly enchants.
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TRAVELS WITH HAFA
Genre: Travel
IR Verdict: Nathan Pettijohn’s TRAVELS WITH HAFA reveals the not-so-pretty realities of an extended RV trip, while never losing a sense of wonder and appreciation for the journey.
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THE GHOST OF WALHACHIN
Genre: Children’s (Early to intermediate readers)
IR Verdict: Compared to contemporary children’s literature, which can sometimes seem overly prone to harsh realities, THE GHOST OF WALHACHIN–with its sociable ghost and its intergenerational friendships– is a welcome change of pace.
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JOURNEY TO THE HOPEWELL STAR
Genre: Young Adult
IR Verdict: Young adult author Hannah D. State effortlessly blends science fiction and fantasy in JOURNEY TO THE HOPEWELL STAR, an engaging story featuring an alien culture and a destructive megacorporation that is as enjoyable as it is timely.
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CATAPULTING CHANGE
Genre: Business
IR Verdict: Management consultant Albert Collu pulls no punches and makes a strong case on how to be a good executive while also being a good person in CATAPULTING CHANGE. If more managers adopted the principles and attitudes set out in this book, they would very likely have better employees and better profits.
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COME HOPE OR HIGH WATER
Genre: Biography
IR Verdict: Biographies work best when an interesting subject is willing to reveal just about everything and in the short, select chapters that snapshot Steve Knuth’s life, Candi Cross has laid down a witty, no-holds-barred story that’s raw, stark and full of memorable lessons that feel embracingly whole.
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TRINE RISING
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: TRINE RISING is an intense and emotionally-engaging beginning to a promising new fantasy series, set in a well-crafted new world with believable and thoroughly human characters.
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LOKI OF MIDGARD
Genre: Erotica
IR Verdict: He’s an ancient off-world god who used to look for love in all the wrong places, she’s an Earthly college student more familiar with the joys of a vibrator than being in romantic relationships, yet in the funny and quirky LOKI OF MIDGARD, Abby and Loki manage to find each other and connect, defying all odds.
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SOUTH KOREA: The Price of Efficiency and Success
Genre: History
IR Verdict: Although they sometimes let their liberal and Western biases color their arguments, John Gonzalez and Young Lee present a thorough portrait of Korean society and their warnings about the price of success are worth attending, both for other nations and for individuals in SOUTH KOREA: The Price of Efficiency and Success.
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RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT: My Guy on the 9th Floor
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: Tenets of quantum physics and Eastern philosophy are distilled down by Kevin Russell into a highly accessible instructional for readers wanting to explore spiritual enlightenment in RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT.
THE CROCODILE MAKES NO SOUND
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: THE CROCODILE MAKES NO SOUND by N.L. Holmes is a fascinating tale full of suspense and historical details, and readers with a penchant for ancient history will love it.
NOBLE’S GOLD
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: W.C. Craddock’s unusually provocative tale, NOBLE’S GOLD, is populated with many inventive ideas that make it well worth a careful read.
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THE TRAPPED DAUGHTER
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Plot twists abound in this harrowing tale of an abused and isolated young woman struggling with lost love and lost ideas in Jay Kerk’s THE TRAPPED DAUGHTER, a solid psychological thriller sure to give readers the creeps.
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SCEPTER OF FLINT
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: In SCEPTER OF FLINT (The Lord Hani Mysteries Book 3), author N.L. Holmes delivers an engaging historical murder mystery that’s fun to read, highly informative and full of wonderful characters set in the changing political landscape of Egypt, 1343 BCE.
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A JACK FOR ALL SEASONS
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: A JACK FOR ALL SEASONS is a wacky and charmingly literary science fiction romp that combines sci fi, adventure, and humor in a story that’s consistently lighthearted without being fluffy.
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THE ODD AND THE STRANGE
Genre: Short Stories
IR Verdict: Mixing the fabulism of Jorge Luis Borges with the bleakness of Stephen Crane, the tales contained in Harvey Havel’s THE ODD AND THE STRANGE draw the reader into a world they won’t soon forget.
THE IRA AND RETIREMENT PLAN OWNER’S GUIDE TO BEATING THE NEW DEATH TAX
Genre: Finances
IR Verdict: Writing with elan and the detail that makes him an accomplished CPA, James Lange explains how to legally and safely avoid a host of new investment account taxes in THE IRA AND RETIREMENT PLAN OWNER’S GUIDE TO BEATING THE NEW DEATH TAX.
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WASTING TIME…
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Mike Murphey’s WASTING TIME is a quirky, enjoyable novel with some interesting speculations on the consequences and possibilities of time travel, lightened by a playful sense of humor.
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THE IPO PLAYBOOK
Genre: Business
IR Verdict: Steve Cakebread’s THE IPO PLAYBOOK is an instructive, no frills, soup-to-nuts look at what it takes for IPOs to become successful.
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WHEN DARKNESS DESCENDS
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: G. W. Lücke’s WHEN DARKNESS DESCENDS is an engrossing addition to the high fantasy catalogue. Lücke’s characters have a vivid energy; the land and people of Enthilen are illuminated with care and detail, and the plot runs at a tight, satisfying pace.
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JOURNEY TO THE ECSTATIC SELF
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: Using an elegant blend of research and personal experience, author Kae Strouse draws from a variety of healing modalities in order to take his readers on a quest toward self discovery in JOURNEY TO THE ECSTATIC SELF.
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A NEW ORDER
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: A NEW ORDER is a solid sequel to N.J. Lujan’s first book and a high-octane political thriller that trots the globe, from Iraqi Kurdistan to the mean streets of urban America.
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THE COMFORT OF DISTANCE
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: A solid start to a brand new mystery series, THE COMFORT OF DISTANCE makes the most of its debut with a lively rural setting, great pacing, realistic dialogue and intense forensic details.
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SOUL SEEKER
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal
IR Verdict: Kaylin McFarren’s SOUL SEEKER is a clever, slow-building supernatural thriller that finds great strength in the way it infuses a fairly normal reality with ever-growing surrealist undertones.
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BISHOP’S LAW
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: A pulsating, fast-paced thriller heavy on military- and guerilla-style action and weaving multiple plot lines, BISHOP’S LAW is a tough-to-lay-down book about survival and adventure, set around a charismatic, dark but well-intentioned lead in John Bishop. A memorable second book in a well-developed series.
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