SIN-EATERS, MAGES, AND JEWELSMITHS serve at the pleasure of royalty in a lush, magic-haunted world. Richly imagined fantasy! B PLUS

BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT (HARDCOVER)
Razorbill
2017

GLORIOUSLY RICH FANTASY sets shape-shifters against magic users in an African kingdom. Lots of action! B PLUS

THE KISHI (TALES FROM ESOWON BOOK 1)
Bandele Books
2018

FRANK, BEGUILING MEMOIR of a writer’s life with bipolar disorder combines irreverent wit, a reporter’s sharp eye. B PLUS

MENTAL: LITHIUM, LOVE AND LOSING MY MIND
Blue Rider Press
2017

A POST-APOCALYPTIC TEXAS ROAD trip blends alien tech with Mexican and Indigenous lore. Wild stuff! B PLUS

MIGUEL TRAVELER #1: THE MAN FROM TEXAS
Brave Mission Publishing
2018

FUNNY, INSIGHTFUL, CHARMING exploration of animal personalities and emotions from a wildlife biologist. B PLUS

MOUSY CATS AND SHEEPISH COYOTES : THE SCIENCE OF ANIMAL PERSONALITIES
Beacon Press
2017

BRITISH COURTROOM DRAMA combines glossy, page-turning suspense with some deeper questions about sex and justice. B PLUS

ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL (HARDCOVER)
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
2018

BRIDGING AFRICA AND GALAXIES far away, the story of interstellar “harmonizer” Binti reaches its dramatic ending. B PLUS

BINTI THE NIGHT MASQUERADE BINTI BOOK 3
Tor.com
2018

SHIMMERING WITH ANGER AND MAGIC, a novel combines autobiography, fairy tales, social theory, feminism. B PLUS

WE WERE WITCHES (PAPERBACK)
Amethyst Editions
2017

SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING: not a heavy metal band or a WWE event, but a charming, acerbic guide to downsizing and decluttering. B PLUS

THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING (HARDCOVER)
Scribner
2018

A PLANET DEVASTATED BY periodic apocalypse builds and rebuilds its civilizations. Ingenious speculative fiction! B PLUS

THE SECOND TRANSIT
Blair Reeves
2017