SEARCHING FOR JIMMY PAGE
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: In SEARCHING FOR JIMMY PAGE skilled author Christy Alexander Hallberg creates a tense family drama–set against a background of early Led Zeppelin albums–about grief in the wake of a young mother’s suicide. A moving family drama with a rock ‘n’ roll heart.
Read the full review here.
COUNTRY HEARTS
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: A perfect blend of passion and romance, COUNTRY HEARTS by Gisèle L Grieves takes readers through tragedy to true love, with plenty of twists and turns in between.
Read the full review here.
DARCY LANE
James T. Graham
Genre: Action/Adventure
IR Verdict: Mining the messiness of middle-class malaise to great effect, DARCY LANE is an impressively affecting examination of the deep and lasting impact that violence can have on a developing mind through the eyes of a character for who readers can’t help but cheer.
Read the full review here.
SAFELIGHT
Genre: New Adult
IR Verdict: A coming-of-age dramedy with a clever, sardonic edge, Casey Lown’s SAFELIGHT is a potent, superbly written novel that pushes boundaries, and maybe even a button or three, all the while showing that the road-less-traveled is sometimes the only way forward.
Read the full review here.
THE VAAHANA TALE
Genre: Children’s (Early to intermediate readers)
IR Verdict: While Hindu practitioners are an obvious audience for this book, families from all cultures and denominations will appreciate the timeless message of tolerance at the heart of the whimsical and beautifully-illustrated THE VAAHANA TALE.
Read the full review here.
SOUL COLLECTOR
Genre: Paranormal
IR Verdict: A modern urban folktale with its own cadence and soul, Duvay Knox’s SOUL COLLECTOR shoves aside literary constraints to tell a darkly funny, poignant, and artfully fast-paced story of the human condition.
Read the full review here.
THE MARLOWE MURDERS
Genre: Mytsery/Thriller
IR Verdict: THE MARLOWE MURDERS is a cleverly-designed murder mystery, with a sharp, determined heroine, an entertainingly dysfunctional set of suspects, and enough suspense and plot twists to keep readers guessing until the end.
Read the full review here.
SONGS FOR THE CLEVELAND AVENUE WARRIORS
Genre: Poetry
IR Verdict: Combining of-the-moment racial outrage with timeless themes like the slippage of childhood, the poems in Gary Moore’s SONGS FOR THE CLEVELAND AVENUE WARRIORS are an apt meditation on 21st century urban life.
Read the full review here.
THE TOWER PRINCESS
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Blending fiction and nonfiction, Michelle Tocher’s THE TOWER PRINCESS is a feminist memoir that draws poignant meaning from fairy tales with dreamlike language and keen literary analysis.
Read the full review here.
LEAP THIRTY
Genre: Poetry/Fiction
IR Verdict: In LEAP THIRTY, Diane Lowell Wilder plumbs the depths of memory to explore how relationships change over time, particularly our relationships to ourselves. It is a moving reflection on love and loss readers will find entrancing.
Read the full review here.
RAMPING YOUR BRAND
Genre: Business
IR Verdict: No Consumer Packaged Good (CPG) is exactly like another, yet there is general, insider knowledge regarding ways to effectively structure one’s entry into the CPG marketplace that can prove helpful, and James F. Richardson, PhD offers this kind of clear, useful information in RAMPING YOUR BRAND: How to Ride the Killer CPG Growth Curve.
Read the full review here.
A WICKED WIND
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: A worthy and almost impossible to put down second book in the Archanium Codex saga, A WICKED WIND continues the complex characters, action and event-filled plot, and vivid worldbuilding begun in The Hunter’s Gambit.
THREE MONTHS ON AN E-BIKE
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Glen Reddick’s memoir THREE MONTHS ON AN E-BIKE (What Could Possibly Go Wrong) is filled with humor, and his descriptions of the Australian countryside provide the perfect backdrop for what turns out to be an optimistic story of embracing change and learning from adversity–the perfect balance of entertainment and reflection.
THE OTTAWA WAY
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Accused of murder, THE OTTAWA WAY by Demetrios (Jim) Angelis offers an exhaustive, thought-provoking (if somewhat gender-biased) examination of concepts including intergenerational abuse, the vulnerability of nurturing men and ‘what if’ questions concerning how alternate choices at critical junctures might have changed events producing less horrific outcomes.
Read the full review here.
HAPPY HERE AND NOW
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: Personable, not-preachy, HAPPY HERE AND NOW by Matt Tracy is a concise, extra helpful self-help/self-empowerment book; the kind one might want to read twice…or better yet, refer to again and again.
Read the full review here.
EACH PASSING MOMENT
Genre: Self-Help
IR Verdict: The rare example of a ‘self-help’ book that never overstays its welcome, EACH PASSING MOMENT begins as an understated examination of an existential crisis but evolves into a compelling and thoughtful life-affirming guide to breaking through the limitations of modern living.
Read the full review here.
MILIEU
Genre: Poetry/Fiction
IR Verdict: MILIEU offers a thought-provoking, intelligent, and sometimes controversial panorama of what it’s like to live on this planet in the early 21st century. Whether readers empathize with or vehemently eschew the author’s sentiments, author Jay Green has a relevant voice that demands to be heard.
Read the full review here.
THE MAYFLY
Genre: Short Stories
IR Verdict: While Ben Rogers’ short story collection THE MAYFLY toes the line between focused and myopic, the freshness and care of the prose remain riveting to the end.
FIRST LIGHT
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: Isabel Jolie serves up an enjoyable slice of romantic escapism in FIRST LIGHT, another polished instalment in her “Haven Island” series, with a sprinkling of suspense to make it a solidly entertaining read.
Read the full review here.
ONCE A MAN INDULGES
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Tony Kelsey’s ONCE A MAN INDULGES is an entertaining and accomplished homage to classic crime-noir, employing all the necessary ingredients to excellent effect, while feeling fresh and contemporary.
Read the full review here.