IndieReader Discovery Awards 2025 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
With FINAL VIDEO GAME, Craig Speakes delivers a clever and surprisingly nuanced sci-fi YA adventure that explores the probable consequences of our increasing reliance on technology and artificial intelligence. With a thought-provoking premise and some highly relatable characters, Speakes crafts an engaging page-turner that will captivate “readers aged 9 to 109” and likely leave many pondering the not-so-distant future.
THE CASE OF THE WANDERING CORPSE, by David Cairns of Finavon, is an exhilarating addition to the Major Gask Mysteries. Gripping from page one, the story follows Findo Gask and Erroll Rait as they are called upon by a friend for a domestic dispute case; however, they quickly find they must navigate the cut-throat social and political landscape of the 1860s Melbourne gold rush. The author displays an excellent grasp of antiquity and narrative as this sequel spans over 20 years of history and covers two continents.
Fantasies about living the high life become reality for a struggling actor, but all is not what it seems. Sometimes written in “English” English, Mo Fanning’s HUSBANDS—LOVE AND LIES IN LA-LA LAND, is an amusing yet disturbing fictional account of Hollywood’s dark side. First set in England but later in America, HUSBANDS is well written with crafty characters and unpredictable scenarios that bring the goods, making it a fine and engaging read.
Jordan P. Spalding’s beautifully presented BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER is an enchanting little book that explores the duration of a single breeding season from migration to migration of a female Black-Throated Blue Warbler. The novella is a fascinating blend of scientific fact and artistic fiction that examines the natural cycle of this wild migratory bird while sub-textually offering a poignant reflection on the human experience. Spalding charmingly articulates Blue’s (the little warbler) aspirations and emotional responses, gifting the bird with a wonderfully understated yet individual personality.
In FOREVER YOUNG, author Ron Ricci and illustrator Lyn Meredith craft a heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship between a moth and an orchid that highlights the delicate balance and interdependence of all life on Mother Earth. This beautifully conceived book also carries an important message about the responsibility we have to cherish and protect the natural world, making it a must-read for young readers as they learn about the true meaning of friendship, sacrifice, and the delicate balance that sustains us all.
PARKINSON’S: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise by Kristine Meldrum is part science, part physical therapy/exercise, and part motivational. A pioneer in the establishment of neuro-wellness classes, Meldrum not only promotes the four different types of exercises – cycling, treadmill, progressive strength training, and ‘rock steady boxing’ (a trademark) – she also explains the whys and how exercise stimulates the brain’s neuroplasticity. Kudos and narratives from research physicians (the Cleveland Clinic, Northwestern University and abroad) plus real-life case histories solidify the absolute importance of this book for Parkinson’s Disease patients and their caregivers.