EPIC FANTASY WITH A TWIST: a marvelously rich world of quests and knights and magic draws its primary inspiration from the Black experience on our Earth, with warrior nations shaped by legacies of occupation and enslavement. B PLUS

I AM KING: BOOK ONE
Independently published
2020

SOME SIMPLE TRUTHS OF PARENTING, and some more complex ones, laid out with clarity and unadorned candor in a lovely, engaging novel. B PLUS

A LIE SOMEONE TOLD YOU ABOUT YOURSELF
Mariner Books
2021

AT THE INTERSECTION OF MAGIC AND SCIENCE, two people battle to save the world. Again. Tense, terrifying novel mixes science fiction, fantasy, and horror with insightful characterization. B PLUS

A BROKEN DARKNESS (BENEATH THE RISING #2)
Solaris
2021

THE PERILS OF TIME TRAVEL, outlined in a neatly plotted British thriller with an eye for telling detail. Lots of action in this riff on essential tropes. SOLID B

RETURN TO TOMORROW (THE TIME BUBBLE BOOK 11)
Jason Ayres
2021

MARVELOUSLY COMPLEX MYSTERY, constructed as a nesting puzzle of a book within a book, delights. Shades of the Golden Age sleuths add luster. B PLUS

MOONFLOWER MURDERS
Harper
2020

SAD, SWEET, ELLIPTICAL novel about death and relocating and feeling lost. Observant, understated prose. B PLUS

EDIE RICHTER IS NOT ALONE
Unnamed Press
2021

FROM COUCH POTATO TO TRIATHLETE: superstar horror writer Tim Lebbon’s witty personal account of how he got fit in his forties is ridiculously entertaining and surprisingly inspiring. A MINUS

RUN WALK CRAWL: GETTING FIT IN MY FORTIES
Dreaming in Fire
2021

A BRUTAL CHILDHOOD GRACED primarily by nature and a love of reading: Gary Paulsen’s simple, direct autobiography shows how he became such a powerful writer for children. B PLUS

GONE TO THE WOODS
Farrar
2021

THE CREATOR OF HARRIET THE SPY lived a life as wild as any author could imagine. Fascinating biography of a famously private person draws on deep research and many interviews. B PLUS

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LIE
Seal Press
2020

MURDER ON A REALITY SHOW: now the surviving cast, stranded on an uninhabited island, must fight for their lives. Cleverly plotted and timely thriller with a well drawn protagonist and a sharp take on the power of social media. B PLUS

THE ISLANDERS: A GRIPPING AND UNPUTDOWNABLE CRIME THRILLER
Canelo Crime
2021