CHARMING COZY MYSTERY set in a California beach town, where a tea maven and a Tarot reader try to solve the murder of the realtor who ripped them off. Fast pace, lots of fun. B PLUS

STEEPED IN MURDER
misterio press
2019

FROM PUERTO RICO TO MIAMI BEACH, a writer’s complicated girlhood shaped by love and friendship, as well as by poverty, racism, and sexism. Lyrical writing, full of anger and hope. A MINUS

ORDINARY GIRLS
Algonquin Books
2019

IN A LAND OF ANCIENT MAGIC, a young woman’s extraordinary powers are tested by deadly strife. Richly imagined high fantasy. B PLUS

SIEGE OF SHADOWS (THE KEEPER CHRONICLES SERIES BOOK 3)
JA Andrews
2019

“DR. SPACE JUNK”: how a little girl watching the stars in rural Australia grew up to become one of the world’s first space archaeologists. Delightful, brilliant, and thought-provoking. A MINUS

DR SPACE JUNK VS THE UNIVERSE
The MIT Press
2019

A DEBUTANTE TURNED DETECTIVE faces a murder at her aunt’s English country house. Smart, polished cozy mystery with plenty of charm. B PLUS

MURDER IN BLACK TIE
McGuffin Ink
2019

A GIRL’S DISAPPEARANCE CHANGES the lives of two families and a small Pennsylvania town in unexpected ways. Offbeat, dreamlike novel a bit reminiscent of Eudora Welty. B PLUS

MARILOU IS EVERYWHERE
Riverhead Books
2019

A POET’S EXPERIENCE OF CANCER and treatment takes shape in an eloquent, learned, and ferocious tour of some truths often veiled in pink ribbons. A MINUS

THE UNDYING
Farrar
2019

A QUANTUM COMPUTER MISHAP sends an ordinary man (sometimes woman) into a dreamlike (sometimes nightmarish) set of alternate universes. Cleverly plotted science fiction! B PLUS

LIVES OF E
H. P. Burman
2018

AT THE INTERSECTION OF TOLKIEN AND HARDY, you’ll find this tale of an adventurous boy on a farm in a remote part of England where dragons are said to sleep. Rich, distinctive story. B PLUS

ORMESHADOW
Tordotcom
2019

NUANCED, HEARTBREAKING NORWEGIAN novel tells the story of a woman determined to reveal a long-held family secret. Thoughtful, precise prose. A MINUS

WILL AND TESTAMENT
Verso Fiction
2019