Book Reviews

4.8

Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz (Clarkson Potter, April 2021) is a New York Times bestseller and foundational cookbook designed to turn food-lovers who lack kitchen confidence into capable, improvisational cooks — named one of the best cookbooks of the year by NPR, Food52, and Taste of Home.

May 17, 2026

The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

4.8

The Fellowship of the Ring is the opening volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's landmark epic The Lord of the Rings — a foundational work of fantasy fiction set in the richly constructed world of Middle-earth, following hobbit Frodo Baggins as he sets out on a world-altering quest to destroy the One Ring.

May 16, 2026

Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind by Gad Saad

4.7

In this hardcover from Broadside Books (May 2026), evolutionary behavioral scientist and marketing professor Gad Saad mounts a sweeping critique of what he terms "suicidal empathy" — the thesis that Western societies are destroying themselves by allowing misdirected compassion to override rational self-interest. A natural successor to his international bestseller The Parasitic Mind, the book will energize readers already aligned with its worldview while drawing pointed criticism from those who find its framing reductive or its political valence troubling.

May 17, 2026

The Cockatiel Handbook (B.E.S. Pet Handbooks) by Mary Gorman

4.7

Mary Gorman's The Cockatiel Handbook, published by Sourcebooks as part of the B.E.S. Pet Handbooks series, is a comprehensive care reference designed to guide both first-time and experienced cockatiel owners through every major aspect of keeping these birds — from finding a reputable breeder to understanding dietary needs, housing, health care, and behavior. This review is based on published source descriptions and series information; it does not reflect hands-on use or testing of the guidance inside.

May 16, 2026

Psychology: A Complete Introduction by Sandi Mann

4.6

Psychology: A Complete Introduction by Dr. Sandi Mann is a wide-ranging introductory non-fiction guide designed to give students and general readers a comprehensive, jargon-free grounding in the discipline, structured to mirror the way psychology is taught across university courses.

Dire Bound (The Wolves of Ruin, 1) by Sable Sorensen

4.6

Dire Bound launches The Wolves of Ruin trilogy with a high-stakes survival premise — the Bonding Trials — that places protagonist Meryn Cooper in a brutal contest to forge a mental bond with one of the world's massive, vicious direwolves. Written under the pen name Sable Sorensen by two co-authors, this debut romantasy draws comparisons to Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games, and some readers find it a gripping, immersive start to a planned three-book series set in the Kingdom of Nocturna.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

4.5

Libby Page's novel This Book Made Me Think of You is a moving work of contemporary fiction about widower Tilly Nightingale, who discovers that her late husband Joe left her a year's worth of carefully chosen books — one per month, each with a handwritten letter — to guide her through the first year of life without him. Published by Berkley and a National Bestseller, the novel has drawn starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, earning praise as one of the most emotionally resonant works of fiction for book lovers in recent memory.

The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have by Melissa Michaels

4.5

The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have is a New York Times bestselling home décor book by Melissa Michaels, creator of the award-winning blog of the same name, designed to help readers embrace and beautify the homes they already own — without a large budget or advanced DIY skills.

May 13, 2026

Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) by Stan Shubel

4.4

Stan Shubel's Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies, published by TFH Publications in 2006 as part of the Animal Planet Pet Care Library series, is a compact but wide-ranging guide covering everything from tank setup and water quality to breeding techniques, health management, and competitive showing — making it one of the more complete single-volume references available for fancy guppy keepers.

May 17, 2026

Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach

4.2

Alice Steinbach's travel memoir follows a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who takes a sabbatical from the Baltimore Sun to travel through France, England, and Italy in search of a self no longer defined by her roles and routines — a journey praised by the Chicago Tribune as "a lovely travelogue" and by the Des Moines Register as "a feast" for the soul.

May 13, 2026

The Troop by Nick Cutter

4.1

The Troop is a 2014 horror novel by Canadian author Craig Davidson, writing as Nick Cutter, that pits five Boy Scouts and their scoutmaster against a parasitic nightmare on a remote island — a debut that won the inaugural James Herbert Award for Horror Writing and drew a blurb from Stephen King himself.

DreamBound (The Colors of Malent Book 1) by Tim Adams, Sam Inzerillo

DreamBound, the first book in The Colors of Malent series by co-authors Tim Adams and Sam Inzerillo, is a young adult fantasy novel that follows fifteen-year-old Alara Martin as escalating dreams of a distant world collide with a shocking revelation about her origins — launching her into an otherworldly conflict she never anticipated. Originally published in an earlier edition and now reissued in a second Kindle edition (March 2026), the novel offers a compelling blend of identity mystery, fantasy world-building, and adventure for readers aged 12–18.

May 16, 2026