Book Reviews

4.8

The graphic novel adaptation of Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire — illustrated by Mike Holmes and published by Graphix in 2018 — brings the opening chapter of one of middle-grade fantasy's most successful series to the visual page, putting five dragonets at the center of a war-torn world and a destiny they never asked for. With the broader series having sold over 27 million copies worldwide and spent more than 200 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, this adaptation arrives with the full weight of an established phenomenon behind it.

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson

4.7

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe is a New York Times bestseller in which psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson presents a guidebook designed to help readers recognize and interpret messages from loved ones and spirit guides on what she calls the Other Side — a work that blends personal memoir with spiritual instruction and is aimed squarely at those navigating grief, loss, or a search for deeper meaning.

The First to Die at the End Prequel By Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera's The First to Die at the End is a speculative YA fiction prequel to his celebrated They Both Die at the End, set against the chaotic nationwide launch of Death-Cast — a company that notifies subscribers they have 24 hours left to live. A New York Times bestseller, it centers on the fateful collision of Orion Pagan and Valentino Prince in Times Square, weaving grief, romance, and social upheaval into what Kirkus Reviews calls "a rush of emotion and suspense."

Mar 28, 2026

Thinking in Systems: International Bestseller by Donella H. Meadows

Donella H. Meadows' Thinking in Systems is a landmark nontechnical primer on systems thinking — originally drafted in 1993, published posthumously in 2008, and now widely regarded as the definitive introduction to a discipline that cuts across ecology, management, computer science, and global policy.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith

Myquillyn Smith's The Nesting Place is a four-color home-decorating book built on a single liberating premise: a home doesn't need to be perfect to be beautiful, and real life — kids, pets, mess, and all — is not an obstacle to a welcoming space but the very thing worth designing around.

The Color Purple: A Novel by Alice Walker

Alice Walker's epistolary novel The Color Purple — winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983 — follows Celie, a young Black woman in rural Georgia whose letters chart a harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey from abuse and silence toward selfhood and independence. It remains one of American literature's most decorated and contested works of the twentieth century.

The Box Turtle Manual: From the Experts at Advanced Vivarium Systems (CompanionHouse by Philippe de Vosjoli, Roger J. Klingenberg

A compact but substantive care manual from two reptile authorities, covering box turtle husbandry, health, and breeding — with a standout veterinary chapter on disease and disorders that sets it apart from generic pet guides.

It's the Manager: Moving From Boss to Coach by Jim Clifton, Jim Harter

Published by Gallup Press in May 2019, It's the Manager: Moving From Boss to Coach is a business leadership book by Jim Clifton, Chairman of Gallup, and Jim Harter, Ph.D., Gallup's Chief Scientist for Workplace. Drawing on Gallup's decades of workplace research, the book argues that the single biggest factor in organizational performance and employee engagement is the quality of the manager — and that today's workforce demands coaches, not commanders. It earned recognition as a Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller and remains a widely cited resource in management and human resources circles.

Stuart Little by E. B. White

First published in 1945, Stuart Little is E. B. White's debut children's novel — a picaresque, episodic tale of a two-inch-tall boy born into a normal New York City family who resembles a mouse in every outward respect yet possesses the confidence and courage of a dashing hero. Illustrated by Garth Williams, the book has endured for decades as a recognized classic in children's literature, admired for its understated humour, graceful wit, and ironic interplay of fantasy and everyday possibility, even as it has attracted genuinely divided critical opinion since its original publication.

Mar 26, 2026

AN Optimist's Tour of the Future: One Curious Man Sets Out to Answer "What's Next?" by Mark Stevenson

4.4

Mark Stevenson's An Optimist's Tour of the Future is a non-fiction travelogue in which the British author, comedian, and businessman travels the world to meet scientists, engineers, and innovators working at the cutting edge of medicine, computing, robotics, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and environmental technology — making a compelling, broadly praised case that the future belongs to those willing to look at it clearly and with hope.

Mar 28, 2026

Highs and Lows on the John Muir Trail by Inga Aksamit

4.3

Inga Aksamit's trail journal chronicles her trek along the John Muir Trail with her husband, capturing the raw joy, physical strain, and camaraderie of more than three weeks in California's High Sierra — a candid, practical read designed for aspiring JMT hikers, Sierra veterans, and armchair adventurers alike.

How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins

4.0

Peter Hollins's self-help guide targets the gap between knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it, drawing on psychology, self-discipline frameworks, and neuroscience to help readers push through aversion and build consistent action — a focused, topic-specific addition to his extensive Live a Disciplined Life series.

Mar 28, 2026