Book Reviews

4.8

Lysa TerKeurst's It's Not Supposed to Be This Way is a Christian nonfiction book published by Thomas Nelson in November 2018 that draws on TerKeurst's own experiences of her husband's infidelity and her battle with breast cancer to help readers reframe disappointment as a path toward deeper faith. A New York Times bestseller, the book is structured around Scripture, personal narrative, and chapter-ending reflection sections designed for both individual and group use.

Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every by Barry Hoffner

Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth is a travel memoir by Barry Hoffner that chronicles his globe-spanning journey through grief, resilience, and human connection after the sudden death of his wife Jackie in 2017. A Readers' Choice Book Awards Bronze Winner in Adult Nonfiction, it is published by GFB and draws comparisons to the introspective travel writing of Paul Theroux and Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The memoir is candid, emotionally grounded, and rooted in a genuine quest to feel the pulse of the world again.

Apr 22, 2026

The Sense of Wonder: A Celebration of Nature for Parents and Children by Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder is an award-winning essay-turned-book that has endured for decades as a foundational guide to sharing the natural world with children, pairing Carson's luminous prose with color photography by Nick Kelsh in an edition designed to inspire parents and caregivers alike.

The Wayward Pines Trilogy Series 3 Books Set by Blake Crouch

Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines Trilogy — comprising Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town — is a mystery/thriller/science fiction series that follows U.S. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke as he wakes in the remote Idaho town of Wayward Pines after a car accident and discovers a community of residents who cannot leave, cannot speak of their pasts, and are watched at all hours. The series earned strong critical praise for its first installment, a Booklist starred review, a Bloody Disgusting Top 10 of 2012 placement, and an M. Night Shyamalan–produced television adaptation, while critics noted that momentum and characterization become uneven as the trilogy reaches its conclusion. For readers who enjoy boundary-crossing genre fiction rooted in paranoia, isolation, and dystopian revelation, this boxed set offers an immersive start-to-finish experience.

Apr 18, 2026

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama

Co-authored by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, and psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living is a work of practical philosophy structured around extended interviews and public presentations. Originally published by Riverhead Books in 1998, it spent ninety-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has since been translated into fifty languages. This review is based on published sources and public record, not hands-on reading.

Apr 18, 2026

History Matters by David McCullough

History Matters is a posthumous collection of 20 speeches, essays, and interviews by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough, edited by his daughter Dorie McCullough Lawson and longtime researcher Michael Hill, with a foreword by historian Jon Meacham, published by Simon & Schuster in September 2025. The collection gathers pieces written across McCullough's long career, many appearing in print for the first time, all centered on his conviction that history is indispensable to understanding the present and the future. Publishers Weekly calls it "a resonant collection" and "a warmhearted valedictory hymn to the American spirit."

Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller by Gary Gerlacher

Sin City Treachery is the third entry in Gary Gerlacher's AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller series, published by Black Rose Writing on June 13, 2024. Set against the backdrop of Las Vegas's first Formula 1 race, the novel follows AJ Docker, his reporter girlfriend Lana Hearn, friend and colleague Rick, and trained ex-police dog Banshee as they untangle a terrorist plot after a bomb detonates in a parking garage. Gerlacher, a pediatric emergency physician, brings authentic medical credibility to the action, and the series is designed so that each installment can be read independently or in sequence.

The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Popular Culture by William Irwin

Edited by William Irwin and published by Open Court in 2002, this anthology marshals a team of academic philosophers to probe the deepest questions raised by the Wachowskis' landmark film — from Cartesian skepticism and Platonic allegory to questions of mind, matter, fate, and existential authenticity — making it a substantial entry point for readers who want rigorous philosophical engagement with popular cinema.

Shield of Sparrows: An Enemies-to-Lovers Epic Romantasy by Devney Perry

Shield of Sparrows is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling romantasy from Devney Perry, published by Entangled: Red Tower Books on May 6, 2025. Set on the monster-plagued continent of Calandra, it follows Princess Odessa — an overlooked royal thrust into deadly politics when she is claimed as a bride prize — as she transforms from forgotten daughter to warrior. With a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, high-stakes monster hunting, and sweeping worldbuilding, it opens a planned trilogy and has earned recognition across major bestseller and "best of year" lists, along with a feature film adaptation now in development at Amazon MGM Studios.

Apr 18, 2026

I See You (Pax Arrington Mysteries Book 1) by Elle Gray

4.5

Elle Gray's I See You launches the Pax Arrington Mysteries with a tightly wound premise: a former cop turned private investigator whose first case—a family kidnapping—pulls him into the crosshairs of a serial killer who wants not to be caught, but to recruit him.

Apr 17, 2026

Essentialism: Essentialism Made Simple. Pursuit a Simpler by Anthony Wright

Anthony Wright's Essentialism Made Simple: Pursuit a Simpler and Happier Life is a short self-help Kindle title aimed at readers who want a concise introduction to essentialism — the discipline of focusing only on what is truly important and cutting away the rest. At 68 pages, it is a quick-read distillation of the core ideas around selective living, stress reduction, and reclaiming control over time and energy. It suits readers looking for an accessible entry point to the topic rather than an exhaustive treatment.

Apr 22, 2026

Stoicism: A Beginner's Guide to the Core Ideas by The Philosophy School

Published in August 2025 as a Kindle edition, Stoicism: A Beginner's Guide to the Core Ideas by The Philosophy School is a compact introduction to Stoic philosophy — tracing its origins with Zeno of Citium through the Roman figures of Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius — and designed to make the school's core principles, including the Dichotomy of Control and the four cardinal virtues, accessible to readers coming to the subject for the first time.

Apr 22, 2026