IndieReader Discovery Awards 2024 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
In her heartwarming book, GETTING ALONG WITH RUSTY: Horses, Healing, and Therapeutic Riding, Lasell Jaretzki Bartlett describes her love and devotion for horses, especially for her friend Rusty, who helped her discover a better version of herself. It has always been Bartlett’s desire for horses to be recognized as unique animals, cherished, and welcomed despite the fact that their behavior might occasionally be frightening. In the book, she discusses how her friendship with Rusty helped her through her difficult and unresolved grief by teaching her to accept dependency and seek assistance to heal.
Engaging readers to care about the effects of climate change via a stimulating fictional story brimming with emotional conflicts, THE WREN’S SONG by David Hudson delivers a setting so alive that readers will feel deep in the redwood forests. The relationships between characters and the deep-seated emotional turmoils add depth to the provocative story.
A medley of friendship and globetrotting love, Francesca Vespa’s SEVEN PERFECT DAYS introduces protagonist Maggie Lomax coping with the aftermath of a profound high school trauma, triggered by the enigmatic disappearance of foreign student Adam Moon. In a voyage of introspection, Maggie encounters both new horizons and distressing echoes of the past. Vespa’s narrative style, with its mixture of dark humor, romance, and soulful self-analysis, emerges as an enchanting odyssey through the maze of human (dis)connection and the alchemy of emotional pliability.
Love and hate are cleverly woven into the captivating characters and riveting plot of Jessica Carrasquillo’s absorbing thriller, THE MANCHINEEL, which is almost a guide for how to get away with murder. A brilliant debut novel from a talented author.
In MARGINAL MAN: LIFE OF EMILIO GOGGIO, Paul Redvers Brown unravels the enthralling journey of his grandfather, a remarkable Italian immigrant who left a mark on academia. From Goggio’s humble beginnings in Italy to his illustrious career as a distinguished professor at the University of Toronto, Brown navigates the intricacies of his grandfather’s life, not just by documenting his achievements and tribulations, but through a poignant confrontation of his shortcomings and relationship with fascism. In a nutshell, Brown’s MARGINAL MAN ponders the contradictions of the immigrant experience and the unremitting quest for cultural identity preservation.
R. Van Brabant’s THE MEANING OF MISCHIEF NIGHT takes place in a vividly imagined world where bravery and ingenuity reign supreme. Zora’s determination to confront the spectral threat and her inventive solution to combat it offer a thrilling journey and a testament to resilience and resourcefulness that will captivate readers seeking an enchanting escapade in the land of the dead.
It’s the early 20th century, in the deep South when teenager Willie Grace is left an abandoned house by his mother and decides to re-establish her business as a house of prostitution, while raising to help him matriculate at the University of Virginia. His loyalty to friends and to employees is unparalleled as all experience prejudice, hard knocks, and set-backs. Author Peter Skinner’s staccato dialogue is seductive; the characters, more than appealing. And the plot moves quickly enough for readers to want to know what happens next.
Based on true events, STUMBLING STONES by Bonnie Suchman follows the compelling story of one Jewish woman’s determination to succeed in Nazi Germany during a time of persecution and increased spread of anti-Semitic ideologies and policies. The book serves as an excellent panorama into the challenges that the Jews faced at a bleak time in history, deftly exploring the themes of identity and resilience.
DREAMS OF A DRAGON GIRL by Bonnie Jacoby follows two unlikely protagonists from different worlds and the journey they undergo for survival. Gregor is a dragon plagued by the loss of his family, and Becca is a teenager who believes in dragons despite backlash from fellow humans. The author sketches two immersive and realistic worlds, masterfully building the settings for a plot full of suspense and unfolding twists while the vivid mountains that Gregor witnesses on his hunts breathe life into the narrative. The mission to save dragons from extinction is of paramount importance, and both characters go through ordeals to realize their dreams.
Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, explosive antics, and an ‘us-against-the-world’ narrative, KAWABUNGA KITTEN! is a nutty, genre-bending romp that effortlessly entertains—a modern “comic novel” channeling a yesteryear, counterculture vibe, Doc Pruyne’s third novel is a wholly entertaining epic that more than earns its saga-length page count.
THE INFINET DIRECTIVES by John Akers follows protagonist Oreste as he struggles to return to normal life following the world-changing defeat of the Mechanic and the Chaotica virus. The second installation of the Trivial Games series unravels its intriguing plot with great finesse, as the Mechanic returns to take over the Inifinet and endanger life itself; Oreste and his companions must find a way to defeat the ultimate machine. The setting’s detailed world-building and descriptive imagery help immerse the readers into the book, and the pertinent question of the ethics of using artificial intelligence while preserving human safety takes centre stage. Fans of immersive science fiction will love this book.
A whirlwind romance full of witty repartee as two passionate characters fight their magnetism, only to succumb to their attraction. J Rose Black writes LOSING MY BREATH with such finesse, deftly addressing PTSD in a mentally wounded warrior and an emotionally wounded “princess,” as they conquer their past and cultivate their love together. A steamy romance that grips the reader from the first chapter until the very last page.
MISPLACED CHILDHOOD is an achingly earnest text penned by Joan Ulsher where the author recounts her journey of enduring horrible abuse at the hands of her parents to turning these tragic experiences into child advocacy. She goes ahead to brilliantly share how finding her voice and healing her soul empowered her to fight for the most vulnerable citizens in America. Ulsher provides readers with an insider’s glimpse on this hidden world, its complexities and triumphs, leaving an after-effect on anyone who puts their hands on this book. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, it is an essential read from an author with a story to tell.
FEISTY RIGHTY: is a comprehensive and no-holds-barred memoir written by award-winning author, Jennifer D. James. Based on her seven handwritten journals, James recounts her long and difficult journey from her diagnosis of breast cancer and its aftermath, including surviving the life-altering condition. Paired with pragmatic tips, the text is full of hope, enlightenment, and inspiration and a constant reminder that we all carry within ourselves a fighting spirit, no matter what life throws at us.
PROTECTING MAMA by Léonie Rosenstiel is an eye-opening memoir detailing the author’s battle against the guardianship system for the care of her elderly mother. The author comprehensively documents every step in her journey, from details in the legal cases to meetings with lawyers to her reckonings with the massive and unyielding system in formal court. Furthermore, the book is emotionally poignant, detailing the author’s courage and evolving relationship with her mom. Readers interested in the oft-subverted realities of guardianship will learn much from this book and become more informed about possible difficulties in elderly care.
THE HERMIT skillfully navigates the high-stakes world of investment banking, offering a gripping exploration of existential struggles within the seemingly glamorous realm of finance. Katerina Grishakova’s debut novel presents a compelling narrative, skillfully unraveling the complexities of a successful bond trader, Andy Sylvain. With a sharp eye for the poignant conflict between the allure of a rational, technocratic world and the deeper longing for serenity, Grishakova delivers a thought-provoking tale that transcends the surface of Wall Street glamour, making it a must-read for those seeking a nuanced understanding of the human condition in the financial realm.
Vividly imagined and viscerally told, Aina Hunter’s CHARLOTTE AND THE CHICKENMAN goes straight for the reader’s jugular and never lets up. Queerness, blackness, and privilege do not intersect so much as collide, in sharp-toothed moments of both wry humor and bitter verisimilitude. This vision, and this voice – peppered with both Haitian Creole and French – cannot be ignored.
INTO THE HEART OF THE INFINITE by Maetreyii Nolan is a spiritual memoir focusing on the author’s journey into the mystical and transcendental world. The novel details the author’s childhood experiences such as divine visitations and adult forays into psychedelic methods and navigating college life. The author offers practical guidelines for those looking to immerse themselves in spirituality, while authentically portraying her negative and positive experiences in her spiritual transformation. Those interested in improving in the spiritual realm of life will benefit from this book.