Steven Pressfield's The War of Art is more than just a guide for creative individuals; it's a manifesto for anyone seeking to overcome the inner battles that prevent us from reaching our true potential. It has significantly influenced me as a creative entrepreneur by offering clarity and direction both professionally and personally. Pressfield introduces the concept of "Resistance," an internal obstructive force expressed through self-doubt, procrastination, and fear that impedes personal growth, but learning to identify it can enable one to overcome moments of uncertainty with renewed willpower towards creativity. The book serves not only practical advice, but also acts as a reminder about the inherent dedication required for any form of artistry - whether professional or recreational - insisting on discipline, courage, persistence against “Resistance.” In a world filled with distractions and doubt, The War of Art stands as a beacon for anyone determined to fulfill their creative potential and overall discipline.

The occasion for this memoir is a month abroad in Venice during which the author reflects on his life, from childhood in Nigeria to adolescence in Detroit; the author himself is the minotaur that he eventually meets face to face in the maze of his wandering through past and present. "The idea that the surreal could only break through in an ordinary moment" describes the book, establishing the ordinary and only momentarily allowing the surreal to take over, in a kind of "performance" of transformation. His discussion of his relationship with his father is honest and mature. The language has the power that comes from restraint - both in terms of storytelling and in terms of suffering, isolation - the expanding perspective that comes from seeing the labyrinth all at once. The intertextuality of the book, the way that its existence is intertwined with that of other texts, adds to its dimension.

It is summertime, and thoughts turn to vacations on a quiet beach. Before you pack your bags, check out “Eruption” by Michael Crichton and James Patterson. Before Crichton’s death in 2008, the author had a passion project about a devastating volcanic eruption.  His widow found the unfinished novel and turned over the completion of the manuscript to author James Patterson. What results is a thriller and disaster novel like no other. On the big island of Hawaii, the volcano Mauna Loa is 5 days from eruption. The city of Hilo is in danger from lava, and from a secret cave that houses dangerous radioactive waste. If lava were to reach these barrels, the entire world may cease to exist! Volcanologist “Mac” MacGregor is recruited by the army to save Hilo, and possibly the entire world. Grab a Mai Tai and settle in for a thrilling ride!

Walter may seem a little off, but he’s bright and has a good heart. Walter is a community builder, one of those people who forms the core of a group of friends and holds them together. He invites ten of his closest friends to a magnificent house, an architectural wonder, on an expanse of beautiful, isolated wilderness. And then … the world ends. The vacationing friends’ social media feeds are filled with images of horror and chaos, until the Internet and all other communication goes silent. The panicked friends scramble to return to their families and loved ones, only to discover that they cannot leave the grounds … and that Walter might not actually be human. “The Nice House on the Lake” is a creepy, quiet, post-apocalyptic story of love, friendship, obsession, power, and trust, and is a must-read comic for horror fans.

The world is thrust back to agrarian life where communities are more insular and the world beyond is one of mystery and uneasy alliances. This shift is not the result of some pandemic or cataclysmic natural event, but rather because all technology (cars, phones, computers, guns) just stops working one day. The story is set in what is now Maine. Sandy is there solely because he was visiting his sister’s farm at the time of the Arrest. An aimless character with no discernable talent, Sandy is trudging through life with some community-assigned responsibilities. Things are thrown into disarray when his old college buddy/writing partner from Hollywood barges into town in a monstrous, nuclear-powered machine that is part tractor and part tunnel digger. As the situation becomes volatile, Sandy struggles to figure out just what is happening and where he fits into the solution.

Robert Earl Davis Jr., better known as DJ Screw, was a pioneering Houston disc jockey active throughout the 1990s until his untimely death in November 2000. Known for his “chopped and screwed” technique, DJ Screw would pitch down his mixes to slower tempos, creating an eerie, laid-back vibe that came to define the region's sound. The book is an oral history of the artist and the Houston music scene, told by people closest to him, including members of his immediate family and the “Screwed Up Click,” a collective of Houston-based artists featured on his deep archive of mixtapes. “DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution” gives readers a look at the elusive DJ’s life and successes, from selling tapes hand-to-hand locally to his lasting impact on the broader hip hop community.

Like Márquez’s other stories, “Until August” presents a realized memory, despite the author's struggle with dementia later in life. If memory is his source material and tool, it is also the product, the work of art itself. Here the narrative takes the form of a sequential unveiling, in which one must wait until each succeeding August to see a flower, a gladiolus left on a mother's grave, and the heart of protagonist Ana Magadalena opening in secret. And if this posthumous, nearly forgotten work of his suggests anything, it is the way that each successive moment in the end makes up that unbelievable fabric of a life: "hours of uncertainties" seen all at once in recollection, in a single moment of compassion.

This is the true story of Mary Haverstick, a filmmaker who was halfway into making a documentary about Jerrie Cobb, one of the first women trained as an astronaut but denied going to space because of her gender. But when Haverstick receives a bizarre warning about the film, she does some digging. Through exhaustive research, Haverstick uncovers the real story—that Jerrie was almost certainly one of the most active, dangerous CIA spies in the early 1960s. Using declassified CIA documents, newspapers, interviews, and other primary sources, the author then comes to a disturbing conclusion—that the elderly woman she knows was a ruthless spy involved in President Kennedy’s assassination and the CIA’s most brazen actions abroad. You don’t have to come to the same conclusion as the author, but if you find merit in her research methods, you will come away obsessed by the possibilities of what she’s found.

Dante Ross is the man behind some of your favorite records. He came up in the early NYC hardcore punk scene, but later fell in love with rap. In his twenties, he broke into the music industry as an A&R man for Tommy Boy records, signing the likes of De La Soul and Queen Latifah. Later, he worked at Elektra Records, ushering now classic rap acts like Pete Rock & C.L Smooth and Ol’ Dirty Bastard into the spotlight. Yes, he did get into a fist fight with Diddy. Son of the City weaves legendary tales like this, with quieter, but poignant moments of Ross’s life. Amongst his tales, Ross never takes any undue credit, instead praising the artists for their skills and creativity. Above all, Ross is a fan of music, and his enthusiasm for it will keep you turning the pages.

Every book Riley Sager comes out with is an instant must-read for me - I love psychological thrillers, and he never disappoints. Lock Every Door is an exciting page-turner that takes place at the mysterious Bartholomew building in Manhattan, an edifice full of secrets and surprises. Jules answers an ad and takes on a job apartment-sitting at this exclusive building. While Jules will receive a rather tidy sum, the money is under the table, and she must adhere to suspiciously strict rules, including never having visitors, and never interacting with the other residents. As she delves into the building's mysterious history, she discovers its dark secrets, including murders, suicides, and mysterious disappearances. This book, full of twists and turns, has an ending that you’ll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building on Hulu!

If someone were to ask where to start reading with Walter Mosley’s books, I would have said the Easy Rawlins mystery Devil in a Blue Dress. But now I think that The Awkward Black Man: Stories might be a great way to get to know the author. True, there’s not the mystery element of Mosley’s Easy Rawlins or his newer Leonid McGill series, but in this collection, you get stories that explore relationships and racial and age issues in the signature Mosley style where he refuses to make his characters caricatures. Nothing is going to fit into a nice, neat box with a bow on it, but it will get you thinking. The added bonus here is that in some of these offerings Mosley gets into his not-quite-sci-fi weirdness – a realm in which he excels.

Vesper Wright is a twenty-something with a jaded world view living a mediocre life in a large city. She grew up in a staunchly religious community (some would say a cult), but left when she was 18 and has never looked back. Vesper receives a wedding invitation from her cousin and best friend, Rosie, to attend her wedding, and wonders if she will be welcomed back by the cult and her toxic mother, who is a former horror movie star. Ultimately, she decides now is the time to support her cousin. While her plan is to get in and out quickly and not engage with her family or the cult community, even the best-intentioned plans sometimes don’t succeed. Rachel Harrison uses dark humor and supernatural elements to depict the cult, including descriptions of the mother’s house of horror décor. The novel is a rambunctious read with lots of action, humor and of course, horror!

After burning down their family home, six-year-old Tariq Trotter has an abundance of time to observe his surroundings in Philadelphia. Now a fifty-two-year-old famed hip hop artist and a member of the group The Roots, Mr. Trotter, aka Black Thought, has been piecing together his father’s death during his youth and the death of his mother as an adult. These vignettes of different pivotal life chapters that have shaped Mr. Trotter to date make up his memoir “The Upcycled Self.” Other stories include having a job at the neighborhood optometrist during his teen years, and meeting Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, to form The Roots, which later become the house band for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Mr. Trotter delivers a reflective self-help narrative through lived and hard-earned wisdom.

“Bright Young Women” is a fictionalized account of what characters Pamela Schumacher and Tina Cannon experience when their lives are upended by a serial killer. Told from the two women’s perspective, this book begins with the fateful night at a Florida sorority and hits the ground running. Jessica Knoll’s research and attention to detail richly recreates the year of 1978 when the book begins, and follows these women as they navigate through tragedy and experience empowerment as they search for and confront the killer, shedding light on the sacrifices and triumphs that come with defying societal norms. Perfect for true crime fans and everyone who enjoys a fast-paced thriller!

If you loved reading “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as a kid, then you’ll fall in love with “The Wishing Game.” Instead of a chocolate factory, reclusive author Jack Masterson has his “writing factory,” an island in Maine. The “Clock Island” series of children’s books enthralled a generation of readers, but a new book hasn’t been released in six years. When Masterson announces the long-anticipated latest novel, he also declares a contest to win the only copy of this new manuscript. Four adults, all once children who ran away from unhappy situations at home to Clock Island to meet “The Mastermind” whom they believed had the power to make their wishes come true, will solve riddles and compete in games to win the prized manuscript. Each has their reasons for wanting to win the contest, but who will win the ultimate prize? This is a sweet, hopeful, emotionally satisfying book!

In this novel, we find ourselves in the near future--in AutoAmerica, where technology is pervasive and invasive! Where everything and everyone is surveilled! And where people are not just figuratively divided, but physically divided, with the “Netted”--largely fair-skinned and employed, living on high land--and the “Surplus”--the have-nots, who are seen as not employable, living on the water or in danger of being under water. Among the Surplus is a couple, a former professor and his lawyer wife, resisting the system and trying to keep their humanity and dignity. To them is born a girl who grows to have an unparalleled pitching arm, not such a big deal until AutoAmerica squares off against ChinRussia in the Olympics. Socio-economic issues, racial issues, family issues, and yes, baseball!

Set in 1983, the novel follows home health-aide Kit as she begins a new posting at the home of the reclusive and wheelchair bound Lenora Hope, who was accused of murdering her entire family in 1929. As Kit begins to care for Ms. Hope, she can’t resist asking her about the murder of her family. To her surprise, Ms. Hope replies “It wasn’t me.” Kit’s curiosity gets the better of her as she tries to uncover the truth about the murders that took place over fifty years ago. Riley Sager sets the novel in a gothic mansion on the Maine coast that is placed precariously on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. The house, the staff and Ms. Hope all give off ominous vibes that create tension and propel the reader forward. The mystery unfolds slowly but the character development is rich and when the twist happens readers will be both surprised and satisfied.

This slim, forceful novel will leave an imprint on your brain. The first half, set in 1949, is based on a true story––the rape and murder of a Bedouin teenager in the Negev desert. The second half takes place decades later, when a young woman in Ramallah becomes fixated on the crime, realizing it took place exactly twenty-five years before the day she was born. The cool, impartial prose contrasts against the brutality of the events described. Shibli does not give the reader the ending they want. Nor does she answer the many questions that arise within this novel. Instead she provides insight into other questions, ones we all should be asking––what is it like to spend your whole life under occupation? How much suffering are humans able to endure? Who gets to write history?

A brave young woman destined for greatness navigates intricate court politics in a steamy fantasy novel inspired by European history and mythology. Whether you’ve been swept up in the romantasy madness running amok on BookTok or always been a fan of the genre, you must check out Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey. Cast aside by her parents, Phèdre is raised by the lavish Night Court and sold to a house of courtesans due to a scarlet birthmark in her eye. When the realm's most skilled spymaster recognizes the flaw as the mark of the god Kushiel, he purchases and trains her for his own purposes. Carey weaves a tale of twisting plots, lush world-building, and swoon-worthy love interests in mesmerizing first-person voice. On top of all of this, Kushiel’s Dart displays remarkable sex-positivity and unapologetic queerness for a novel written over twenty years ago.

Just in time for Valentine’s day, I recommend this somewhat hallucinatory noir tale of desperate desire and terrible betrayal. Phineas Poe is a disgraced cop, formerly with Denver’s Internal Affairs Division. In the aftermath of his wife’s death and his own nervous breakdown, fresh from the psychiatric hospital, he goes to a bar and picks up a woman named Jude … and awakens in a tub full of ice and pinkish water, with a phone nearby and a note that reads “if you want to live call 911.” Missing a kidney and suspecting that a bomb has been inserted in its place, Phineas pursues the woman who removed his organ and stole his heart. If you’re in the mood for stylish, dark noir fueled by bad choices and unhinged obsession, you’ve found your next favorite novel.

This is a science fiction novel severely lacking in evil robots, space travel, or aliens. Yet, it managed to be the most haunting example of the genre I have had the pleasure (and terror) to read. Kathy is a thirty-year-old woman who works as a "carer." Nostalgic for her youth, she tells us about her childhood spent at Hailsham, a secluded boarding school in England. There she contends with the typical trials of adolescence: friendship, romance, maturity, and identity. But something doesn't feel right. And as her story unfolds page by page, Kathy and the reader simultaneously come to unearth the chilling truth of her past. To say any more would spoil the suspense. My advice: read it with a friend. This is a book you'll want to talk about.

You have likely wondered (and worried) about just how much your shopping or viewing habits are tracked online, and you may very well be flabbergasted at the state of political affairs in the world today. Author Marc-Uwe Kling takes us to a future where these areas of concern are taken to the nth degree. In Qualityland (not merely a pretty good country, but the BEST country) what you need is delivered before you knew you needed it. A perfect Quality partner can be chosen for you. Presidential candidates tailor their pitches for each individual. In the middle of all this, Peter Jobless (your surname is your parents’ occupation) is on a mission to return something from The Shop that he didn’t want. But that’s impossible - because of course he wanted it! The ensuing drama is a satire in the tradition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.