Contemporary literature, social commentary, and modern voices.https://newcenturyreading.com/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/a-second-chance-by-asher-frend/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/a-second-chance-by-asher-frend/Here’s what A Second Chance gets right that most coming-of-age fiction doesn’t: it shows manipulation as a process, not an event. Mikaila and Chara are best friends. Asa is the person who enters and begins, quietly, to dismantle what they have. Asher Frend doesn’t rush this. The dated chapter str...Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:30:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/align-your-business-with-the-real-you-connect-with-yourself-create-what-matters-most-and-define-your-success-by-jennifer-musser/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/align-your-business-with-the-real-you-connect-with-yourself-create-what-matters-most-and-define-your-success-by-jennifer-musser/Not all self-help books are created equal. Jennifer Musser’s Align Your Business with the Real You stands out by blending memoir, strategy, and actionable exercises. Her 5C framework walks you through aligning your inner world with your outer goals. It’s introspective without being fluffy, practi...Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:05:58 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/here-lyeth-by-johanna-frank/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/here-lyeth-by-johanna-frank/Book Summary: In Here Lyeth, Lexxie, feeling angry and heartbroken, leaves her home after learning that her biological father lives in a village called Vereiteln Dorf. There, she becomes intrigued by an unconsecrated graveyard and tries to uncover the truth, despite the locals’ reluctance to shar...Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:18:26 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/universe-of-lost-messages-the-charismites-by-janet-stilson/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/universe-of-lost-messages-the-charismites-by-janet-stilson/Story Summary What if your child has special powers and can get people to do almost anything? What happens if the child is abducted? Izzie and Tristan were never mere humans. They are Charismites, with almost god-like powers of magnetism. And they couldn’t be more different. Izzie is a reckless, ...Tue, 10 Dec 2024 11:27:44 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/champagne-widows-by-rebecca-rosenberg/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/champagne-widows-by-rebecca-rosenberg/Summary: Sparkling Courage: Love, Loss, and the First Champagne Queen’s Daring Legacy France, 1800s. Young widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot possesses an extraordinary gift: Le Nez, an exquisite sense of smell required to craft the world’s finest champagne. Despite crippling grief and societal rules ag...Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:42:16 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/bones-of-the-apostle-by-john-amos/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/bones-of-the-apostle-by-john-amos/Story Summary: “Thomas, I’m bored. We need some excitement.” Back from their harrowing mission in the desert to recover a stolen statue of Aphrodite, detectives Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew have earned a reputation for success against all odds. Just as they are growing restless for anothe...Sun, 08 Dec 2024 12:45:04 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-case-of-the-stolen-goddess-by-john-amos/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-case-of-the-stolen-goddess-by-john-amos/Story Summary: Flinders smiled. “Once more into the breach, my friend.” Now famous after their previous quest to find Cleopatra’s tomb, detectives Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew begin their next adventure in search of a stolen statue of Aphrodite. Their pursuit takes them from the bowels of...Sat, 07 Dec 2024 14:07:30 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/prioritize-us-unlock-lasting-love-with-one-simple-proven-test-by-nick-brancato/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/prioritize-us-unlock-lasting-love-with-one-simple-proven-test-by-nick-brancato/Summary: What if the real reasons behind our arguments were hidden all along? The answer could change everything—starting today. Introducing Prioritize Us: Unlock Lasting Love with One Simple, Proven Test—a research-backed tool with the power to uncover what truly matters to you and your partner....Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:40:33 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/thought-choice-power-charting-the-course-of-liberty-in-modern-society-by-plebeius/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/thought-choice-power-charting-the-course-of-liberty-in-modern-society-by-plebeius/Summary: Thought Choice Power: Charting the Course of Liberty in Modern Society by Plebeius is a thought-provoking exploration of governance, civic responsibility, and the critical need for principled thinking in today’s complex sociopolitical landscape. In an era when superficial messaging and p...Thu, 05 Dec 2024 23:21:55 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/apricot-marmalade-and-the-edmondson-transmittal-by-lon-orey/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/apricot-marmalade-and-the-edmondson-transmittal-by-lon-orey/Summary: The war was not going well. The surprisingly effective Tet Offensive in late January 1968 had humbled and embarrassed the South Vietnamese and their American allies. It had sent a powerful message to the folks back home that this Vietnam thing was not going to be over anytime soon. The h...Wed, 04 Dec 2024 18:16:05 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-crush-of-wine-and-war-by-molly-fumia/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-crush-of-wine-and-war-by-molly-fumia/Summary: “Here is a book of exquisite honesty and profound depth… Along the way grief becomes a dance in the dark and suffering turns to love.” -Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Book of Longings, review of Molly Fumia’s Safe Passage Austria, 1938. Two Couples struggle with the terrifying prospect of ...Tue, 03 Dec 2024 13:00:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/tangles-a-cold-war-love-story-and-mystery-by-by-kay-smith-blum/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/tangles-a-cold-war-love-story-and-mystery-by-by-kay-smith-blum/Summary: “In a well-crafted debut, Smith-Blum provides the reader a ringside seat to the birth of the nuclear age…a beautifully written, important story…Tangles packs a punch and hits close to home.” –Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series Oppenheimer was ...Mon, 02 Dec 2024 13:00:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/101-super-cute-things-to-draw/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/101-super-cute-things-to-draw/More than 100 step-by-step lessons for making cute, expressive, fun art! 101 Super Cute Things to Draw is an interactive activity that can be done by yourself or with friends and family. The numerous things to draw are collected from common themes, such as everyday objects (i.e., coffee cup, vase...Fri, 29 Nov 2024 16:35:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/wine-club/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/wine-club/Raise A Glass Roundup Entering the diverse and intricate world of alcoholic beverages can be a richly rewarding experience, and what better way to do so than through the pages of a good book? In this Raise A Glass Roundup, we’ve gathered together five recently released books that offer a tantaliz...Thu, 28 Nov 2024 16:15:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-hype-machine/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-hype-machine/How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health–and How We Must Adapt Leading up to and following the 2020 presidential election, it seems blatantly obvious the influence that social media and “news sources” have on the public’s opinions on matters. It has seemed that “news s...Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:59:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/get-your-book-seen-and-sold-the-essential-book-marketing-and-publishing-guide/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/get-your-book-seen-and-sold-the-essential-book-marketing-and-publishing-guide/Get Your Book Seen and Sold, written by Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette, is a guide for assisting writers in marketing and getting their book published. Wolk is a published author and Murkette has experience working alongside writers and publishers. The book first starts off by distinguishing th...Tue, 26 Nov 2024 16:02:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/abyss-of-tyranny/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/abyss-of-tyranny/“Justin Cook’s Abyss of Tyranny is a passionate and highly enlightening tale about the justice system in the USA. Drawing on his abusive experience even outside the prison walls, Justin tells a story that shines a light on the need to transform conventional correctional measures and guarantee tru...Tue, 26 Nov 2024 04:31:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/colors-of-art-the-story-of-art-in-80-palettes/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/colors-of-art-the-story-of-art-in-80-palettes/This impressively illustrated collection of paintings ranging from prehistoric times to the present so vividly demonstrates the development and significance of color as stories and history have been artfully and colorfully translated into visual images. The colors and shades produced by the pigme...Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:09:12 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/next-stop-a-graphic-novel/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/next-stop-a-graphic-novel/Pia and her father are supposed to embark on a road trip to see Cessarine Lake, a lake touted to make people’s wishes come true. However, amidst some ongoing problems at home, Pia is off on a summer bus tour alone without her father. While on the tour to some oddball sites, Pia meets Sam […]Thu, 21 Nov 2024 19:18:24 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/wind-riders-1-rescue-on-turtle-beach/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/wind-riders-1-rescue-on-turtle-beach/Grab your sailing gear and get ready to go on an adventure on the high seas…and save endangered sea turtles too.Wind Riders: Rescue on Turtle Beach is a fun read that takes Max, a local beach kid, and his new friend Sofia on a magical boat ride to Hawaii. Max is getting ready for a […]Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:15:15 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/inkflower/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/inkflower/Lisa has a pretty idyllic life—a loving family, plenty of friends at school, and an amazing boyfriend. But she also has some secrets. Her father has just told the family that he is dying. He only has six months to live. And Lisa is Jewish. Her parents insist on a 10:00 curfew, unlike her friends....Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:30:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/carol-gilligan-and-the-search-for-voice-extraordinary-women-in-psychology-series/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/carol-gilligan-and-the-search-for-voice-extraordinary-women-in-psychology-series/Carol Gilligan and the Search for Voice is a very empowering book by Bill Cole and illustrated by Sarah Green. For me, it is especially empowering in these times where there is an election going on and there are many passages about Gilligan’s essays on the patriarchy. She explains at one point in...Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:30:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-one-week-writing-workshop-7-days-to-spark-boost-or-revive-your-novel-by-karin-adams/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-one-week-writing-workshop-7-days-to-spark-boost-or-revive-your-novel-by-karin-adams/About the book: You’ve always wanted to write a novel and have been nurturing a great idea. Perhaps you’ve made a pile of notes—even written several chapters. But as you sit down alone with the blank page or your next scene, nothing happens. Or if the writing does start to flow, it soon dries up....Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:13:23 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-law-says-what-stuff-you-didnt-know-about-the-law-but-really-should/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-law-says-what-stuff-you-didnt-know-about-the-law-but-really-should/The law touches our everyday lives, and Maclen Stanley is determined to help readers change the way they think about the legal system. In this book, the Harvard Law grad and practicing attorney focuses on six broad sections: policing, crime, self-defense, rights, employers and landlords, and the ...Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:42:52 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/devour-a-graphic-novel/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/devour-a-graphic-novel/“We bring our beliefs wherever we go.” The myths and lore from Africa came to America with the enslaved peoples. But it wasn’t just the stories that arrived in the New World; the gods came, too. One of these gods was the spider Anansi, who came to consume the stories of the captured Africans. The...Thu, 14 Nov 2024 16:44:30 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-witchstone/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-witchstone/In a forgotten corner of the Catskills live the Drakefords. The family has been cursed for generations. Nineteen-year-old Maggie lives with her family with no hope of escaping their curse. One night, a visitor knocks on the Drakefords’ door. The man who ventures onto their property is Laszlo. Int...Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:48:25 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/catch-and-keep-a-novel/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/catch-and-keep-a-novel/Outdoors enthusiast Maren Laughlin is looking to start on a new path in Wisconsin after leaving her job as a park ranger and life with her former fiancé in Michigan. In Wisconsin, she reunites with Josiah (Joe) Cole, her older brother Liam’s best friend. They spent a lot of time together growing ...Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:20:37 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/murder-in-the-dressing-room/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/murder-in-the-dressing-room/The London drag scene is on its heels when Lady Lady, one of the premier drag queens of London, is found dead in her dressing room in this uneven novel, which is part mystery novel and part musings on what it means for the author to be in drag and how the rest of the […]Mon, 11 Nov 2024 23:06:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/fragility/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/fragility/Fragility is a speculative satire set during Portland’s COVID-19 quarantine. At its core is an etymology-obsessed narrator, charged with a mission to “disrupt the dominant discourse” by a godlike entity. The narrator’s ability to psychically surveil and manipulate the people around him forms the ...Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:32:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/we-came-to-welcome-you/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/we-came-to-welcome-you/Sol and Alice have recently bought a home in a community named Maneless Grove. While Alice is ecstatic at the new step in their lives, Sol is reserved. Sol has been dealing with a career setback as her position at Yale is tenuous due to an allegation of plagiarism. Sol has dealt with anxiety for […]Thu, 07 Nov 2024 20:37:14 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-case-of-the-stolen-goddess/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-case-of-the-stolen-goddess/Detectives Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew are now famous after their last case to find Cleopatra’s tomb. Years later, they are contacted by the curator of the British Museum to locate a statue of Aphrodite that was stolen. Following the trail will lead them to the deserts of Syria and its B...Wed, 06 Nov 2024 19:51:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/fifty-two-stories/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/fifty-two-stories/Fifty-Two Stories should be subtitled fifty-two absolute delights from a master of literature. Many of these stories were written under deadline pressure in order to earn money to keep his family afloat financially, however, they each show the great capability that Chekhov demonstrated in his pla...Wed, 06 Nov 2024 02:08:58 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/inside-the-compost-bin/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/inside-the-compost-bin/Composting is becoming more and more popular, but what does that mean to young children? One is never too young to build good habits that will help the world be a better place. This wonderful picture book explains what composting is, how easy it is to do, and how it can make the world a […]Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:07:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/anemone/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/anemone/Russell jolts awake, his world shattered by news of his brother Wyatt’s death in a devastating fire. The tragedy cuts deeper: Russell had desperately tried to save him. Now, a cruel twist of fate: mistaken identity. With bandages obscuring his face, Russell is thrust into the nightmare of being a...Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:13:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-indignation-parade-and-other-poems/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-indignation-parade-and-other-poems/The Indignation Parade and other Poems by F.R. Foksal is a beautifully done poetry collection. Foksal explores many themes throughout his work, including isolation, disconnection, and how one feels through the passage of time. His poems take a sort of gloomy outlook on these topics, but still do ...Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:49:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/after-the-funeral-and-other-stories/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/after-the-funeral-and-other-stories/I can’t help wondering if the title of this collection of short stories is an homage to a short story written by Agatha Christie. The author, Tessa Hadley, lives in Wales, where Christie often visited her family. Tessa Hadley has written three short story collections and eight novels. Her writing...Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:12:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-dove-that-didnt-return-poems/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-dove-that-didnt-return-poems/If anyone can call herself a “warrior poet,” it is Yael S. Hacohen. She draws from her experience as a soldier and lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces to craft this collection of poetry. The Dove That Didn’t Return investigates war, questions both violence and peace, and lives on the borders...Thu, 24 Oct 2024 22:34:26 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/how-america-works-and-why-it-doesnt-by-william-cooper/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/how-america-works-and-why-it-doesnt-by-william-cooper/Book Summary: Americans in the twenty-first century are becoming increasingly untethered from both reality and the essential principles and traditions that have shaped the nation’s historic success. A big part of why America isn’t working is because far too many Americans neither know nor care ho...Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:21:34 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/part-13-of-the-haircut-who-would-be-king-by-robert-trebor-blog-tour/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/part-13-of-the-haircut-who-would-be-king-by-robert-trebor-blog-tour/Introducing “The Haircut Who Would Be King” by Robert Trebor This is a satirical portrayal of Donald Trump’s ascent to power and his unconventional alliance with Vladimir Putin. Trump, depicted as egotistical and emotionally stunted since childhood, transitions from real estate to reality TV befo...Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:31:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/part-14-interview-with-rick-moskovitz-author-of-the-pinocchio-chip/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/part-14-interview-with-rick-moskovitz-author-of-the-pinocchio-chip/The Pinocchio Chip is a first-person account of an AI’s quest for the Holy Grail of consciousness: human emotions. It delves deep into the essence of what it means to be alive, challenging the boundaries between AI and human identity. Photina, an advanced AI becomes entwined in a groundbreaking e...Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:33:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/lightning-bugs-and-aliens-a-small-town-coming-of-age-story-by-daniel-babka/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/lightning-bugs-and-aliens-a-small-town-coming-of-age-story-by-daniel-babka/Book Summary: During the summer of 1960, five imaginative, adventurous 13-year-olds, free from computers, cell phones and social media, suddenly must grapple with the loss of childhood security in this small Ohio town, first person, coming-of-age story. A tsunami of science fiction movies, Cold W...Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:36:56 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/who-is-anna-stenberg-by-tracey-norman/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/who-is-anna-stenberg-by-tracey-norman/Book Summary: When her murderous father escapes from an institution, a young girl is forced to flee to safety with secretive pickpocket Anna. Disguised as a boy called Viktor, and drawn into Anna’s mysterious activities, she is catapulted into a strange investigation, and learns that Anna may be ...Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:30:58 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-buffalo-butcher-jack-the-ripper-in-the-electric-city-by-robert-brighton/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-buffalo-butcher-jack-the-ripper-in-the-electric-city-by-robert-brighton/Book Summary: Summer 1901, and the great Pan-American Exposition welcomes the world to Buffalo, New York—Queen of the Lakes . . . the Electric City. Eight million visitors throng the bustling boomtown—all of them looking for a good time. As heat and swarming crowds choke the city, the bodies of p...Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:24:54 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/love-a-novel-of-grief-and-desire-by-jefferson-r-blackburn-smith/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/love-a-novel-of-grief-and-desire-by-jefferson-r-blackburn-smith/Book Summary: After the death of his wife, Ed Gideon survived the bone-numbing loss and loneliness by narrowing his focus to only work and his two college-age daughters, who are also struggling with their mother’s loss as they seek to claim their adult identities, lives and loves. When Ed meets B...Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:57:25 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-advent-house-by-tim-jorgenson/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/the-advent-house-by-tim-jorgenson/Book Summary: Gabriela never imagined her promises to a dying Adriana would entangle her with the state security service. But working at CubaTur she knew the ordinary could mask the extraordinary and the ordinary could go awry. She would soon learn more-after meeting Tomas, who thought his mother...Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:18:11 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/belonging-matters-conversations-on-adoption-family-and-kinship-by-julie-ryan-mcgue-2/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/belonging-matters-conversations-on-adoption-family-and-kinship-by-julie-ryan-mcgue-2/Book Summary: Belonging Matters supports the adoption community while creating a conversation with those not directly touched by adoption. The collection explores the pursuit of identity and the boundaries of family and kinship. It challenges the reader to embrace all of who we come to be, and to...Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:22:00 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/clean-sweep-a-novel-by-e-b-lee/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/clean-sweep-a-novel-by-e-b-lee/Book Summary: Retirement was supposed to bring her time to relax. Instead, she would find a purpose. Selling her Madison Avenue ad agency for billions, Carli Morris, the self-assured career woman, pursues her love of art and spends her spare hours volunteering. But her comfortable confidence turn...Wed, 06 Dec 2023 14:13:10 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/mary-whitcombe-by-valerie-nifora/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/mary-whitcombe-by-valerie-nifora/Book Summary: It’s the turn of the 19th century, and Mary Whitcombe lives in blissful ignorance of the wider world. An orphan born into wealth, her guardian sends her away to a convent, where she grapples with the abrupt transition from opulent living to the austere cloister. But as she matures, ...Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:40:07 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/third-wheel-by-richard-r-becker/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/third-wheel-by-richard-r-becker/Book Summary: Brady Wilks wished for a new life with a real family in the pre-boomtown years of Las Vegas, 1982. Instead, he finds himself in a precarious situation, struggling to belong and find his identity. Outcast as a teenage transplant from the Midwest and estranged at home, Brady forges a ...Tue, 31 Oct 2023 10:24:58 GMThttps://newcenturyreading.com/posts/belonging-matters-conversations-on-adoption-family-and-kinship-by-julie-ryan-mcgue/https://newcenturyreading.com/posts/belonging-matters-conversations-on-adoption-family-and-kinship-by-julie-ryan-mcgue/Book Summary: Belonging Matters supports the adoption community while creating a conversation with those not directly touched by adoption. The collection explores the pursuit of identity and the boundaries of family and kinship. It challenges the reader to embrace all of who we come to be, and to...Sun, 22 Oct 2023 15:32:36 GMT