IndieReader Discovery Awards 2026 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
Simone Hewitt’s LIVING IN COLOR is part self-help book and part memoir using experiences and trauma from the author’s life to illustrate various forms of betrayal, exclusion, and deceit that exist within communities that claim to stand for the opposite. She explores societal demands that drive these dynamics through the lens of personal and painful experience. Each chapter begins with a series of affirmations relating to the chapter’s topic then expands outward through a personal story, how she navigated through it, and what lessons she took from it that allowed her to take the next steps. LIVING IN COLOR teaches that we are capable of bearing more than we think possible at any given moment, and, most importantly, that we are not alone.
A COMPREHENSIVE BREAKDOWN is unafraid to examine pain but always finds a way back to meaning. It is a moving and reassuring work that invites readers to feel less alone in their struggles. The stories are told with honesty and warmth, making heavy experiences feel lighter to carry. Each chapter reads like a quiet reminder that healing takes time and that imperfection is part of being human. In the end, it leaves you with hope that even in hardship, there is always a way forward.
Whilst it may be beneficial to be familiar with the original Austen novels from which the myriad cast of characters derives, it is not essential. Author Alice McVeigh expertly brings each character to life as if they were all of her very own creation. With a dusting of lasciviousness, MARIANNE: A SENSE AND SENSIBILITY SEQUEL may not be for the Austen purist, as McVeigh effortlessly blends characters from different Austen novels into one narrative, but, for the modern reader with an adoration of the classics, this book is perfect holiday reading.
Learning the truth about oneself is always an eye-opener, and for Sean/a, the truth is about as “they” as they come. In I, SEAN/A: THE STORY OF A HOMELESS INTERSEX WOMAN WHO INSPIRED A COMMUNITY by Dr, Kirsten Viola Harrison and Sean/A Smith, a colorful and vivacious man-woman finds a new life, acceptance, and love throughout his/her own community. This inspirational story may ring a bell for many others who are looking for acceptance in their own truths.
SCATTERED TALES by R. Henry Price is a captivating mix of sharp imagination and rich storytelling, offering thirteen stories that surprise, amuse, and provoke thought in equal measure. Each piece draws readers into a different world—sometimes strange, sometimes familiar, but always engaging. It is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys short fiction that balances humor, curiosity, and a touch of the unexpected.
STOLEN HISTORIES by B.R. Michaels is a bold and thrilling fantasy adventure that dazzles with its vibrant worldbuilding, sharp humor, and magnetic characters. With a heist plot layered in rebellion, elemental magic, and queer representation, Michaels weaves a narrative that is both fun and emotionally resonant, making this book a standout for fans of morally complex heroes and richly imagined settings.
BLACK CORROSION by Costi Gurgu is a visceral and richly imagined postapocalyptic tale that immerses readers in a crumbling world plagued by scarcity, mutation, and looming war. Balancing relentless action with deeply human struggles, the novel explores resilience, betrayal, and the price of survival through characters who are both fantastical and achingly real. Gurgu’s haunting vision of a civilization battling ruin and revelation is both a thrilling sci-fi epic and a sobering mirror of our world.
A GUIDE TO JAZZ IN JAPAN by Michael Pronko is a passionate, richly detailed exploration of Japan’s jazz scene, blending practical insights with cultural depth. With vivid storytelling and decades of first-hand experience, Pronko offers both a travel guide and a heartfelt tribute to the music, making it essential reading for jazz lovers and curious travelers alike.
THE JOURNEY FROM KAMAKURA by Glen Allison is a compelling, semi-autobiographical novel that transports the reader across the globe on the perilous but intoxicating quest of travel photographer Grey Matheson. Driven by ambition, wanderlust, and a hunger for the perfect image, Grey roams from Puerto Vallarta’s surf to Tibetan avalanches, falls prey to self-destructive impulses that cost him his marriage, fortune, and sense of stability, and is ultimately forced to confront what truly matters when a mysterious woman in Southeast Asia shows him visions. Allison’s prose is rich with sensory detail and emotional honesty, immersing readers in both the beauty and danger of life on the road. With its themes of resilience, identity, and the cost of chasing excellence, The Journey from Kamakura offers not merely a travel narrative but a deeper reflection on purpose, loss, and transformation.
THE WAYPOINTS: FROM 400 FAREWELLS AND 3,000 MILES by Diane Gansauer is a beautifully written and deeply moving reflection on life, loss, and the strength of the human spirit. Blending her seven-year hike along the Continental Divide Trail with her work as a life-cycle celebrant, Gansauer transforms miles of rugged terrain and hundreds of memorials into profound meditations on healing, resilience, and connection. Her storytelling is honest and luminous, filled with lessons gathered from both the wilderness and the lives she’s honored—each chapter a reminder that every farewell, like every mountain climbed, can lead to unexpected wisdom and grace.
HUNTING THE RED FOX by W. Kenneth Tyler, Jr. is an ambitious noir-tinged historical caper that positions itself somewhere between a confessional memoir and a crime thriller. The tale unfolds through the lens of Roger Mace, an amateur golf writer, who interviews the enigmatic Perry Barnes: a man whose life spans Depression-era Georgia, covert wartime missions, Hollywood showbiz, professional golf, and a daring heist involving the Mecklenburg Diamond. Tyler’s narrative voice leans heavily on nostalgia and Southern charm, weaving flashbacks and revelations with the cadence of a story told beside a bourbon glass. The novel’s greatest strength lies in its character: Perry is magnetic and layered. However, its pacing sometimes meanders beneath the weight of exposition, and readers seeking relentless action may find it slower than expected.
In NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE TRUE author Manny Garcia takes an introspective approach, guiding readers to improve both their mental and emotional wellbeing by flipping the script on detrimental false narratives that are unconsciously woven into daily life. Through concrete examples and the distinctive perspective provided by the author, this book is brimming with realistic takeaways.
STAND UP SPEAK UP by Tim Lennon is a raw, unflinching testament to resilience and collective action. Beginning with his own harrowing account of clergy abuse, Lennon expands into a broader narrative of how survivors broke their silence to challenge institutional cover-ups and demand accountability across churches, sports, Hollywood, and beyond. The prose is rough-hewn yet powerful, carrying the immediacy of lived experience, while the book’s scope, history, analysis, organizational profiles, and interviews maps the rise of the Survivors Movement as a force akin to the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements. More than a memoir, it is a manifesto: searing, galvanizing, and designed not to comfort but to awaken.
THE CHAINED CHOICE by T. M. Betts is a gripping fusion of personal turmoil and ancient conflict, where one woman’s journey through love, danger, and impossible decisions becomes a battle between light and darkness. Francis Conley is both refreshingly real and unexpectedly heroic, pulled into a mythic struggle that tests every ounce of her strength and heart. With rich worldbuilding and relentless tension, this story is a thrilling emotional ride.
THE CASE AGAINST JASPER by Clifton Wilcox is a charming and suspenseful animal-mystery set on Wildwoods Farm, where the tranquility of woodland life is shattered after Jenny, a spirited young squirrel, falls from a telephone pole. In the wake of her death, gossip spreads and the once beloved Jasper becomes the prime suspect. Courageous friends Fiona the cat and Ink the ferret undertake a risky investigation to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. Wilcox’s tale is beautifully paced, blending a sense of pastoral innocence with mounting tension. Using animal characters gives the story heart and accessibility, while the themes of justice, rumor, and redemption resonate with emotional weight.
Chris Bentley’s WHEN A TREE FALLS IN A FOREST is an ecologically insightful and revealing novel that centers on a family’s ill-fated rafting trip aimed at reconnecting them. Through it, Bentley conveys how nature closely imitates human resilience, such as with the Salmon River, which keeps moving throughout the book despite the varying levels of tragedy it witnesses, espousing a quiet reverence for the balance between destruction and rebirth. Loss, resilience, and the natural world’s indifference to human suffering is also explored through alternating perspectives.
EMBERS KINDLED IN DARKNESS by Achamma George, offers an intimate account of faith and perseverance, tracing her journey from a childhood vision of Jesus to finding strength in the Holy Spirit. Through its sincere storytelling and heartfelt reflections, the book provides readers with inspiration and a reminder of the sustaining power of hope.
THE TROUBLE WITH TELLING by Bickford Penn is a refreshingly offbeat coming-of-age mystery-romance that turns typical whodunit conventions on their head. The novel interweaves two parallel stories: a socially awkward Army Specialist grapples with uncontrollable impulses in hilariously cringe-inducing situations and a gutsy college freshman who plots to expose her manipulative boss’s illicit schemes. The author brings a sharp comedic touch and heartfelt insight into themes of perception, self-discovery, and the awkward transitions of young adulthood with a blend of humor and emotional growth, alongside quirky characters and unexpected twists.