A delightful, mature, female protagonist who reminds us that its never too late for revelation, redemption, and reinvention.

A story of healing and hope on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail.

Set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, Leif Enger’s forthcoming I CHEERFULLY REFUSE is a rollicking adventure story set on Lake Superior. It’s a big-hearted novel with an unlikely hero – protagonist Rainy embodies the empathy and compassion and motivation robbed of a society run by a wealthy and malevolent ruling class.

A powerful literary novel of suspense that examines the aftermath of a violent crime on the victims and families and individuals left behind.

Akbar’s prose is searing, his plot is evocative, and his insight is profound.

Part memoir, part travelogue, and part natural and cultural history, Impermanence will appeal to lovers of the Great Lakes and those concerned about climate change.

A poignant story of love and loss and how food sustains body and soul.

A paean to the unsung heroines, like Martha Ballard, who stand in the gap for the marginalized.

During those hours of cooking and eating together, her mother told her stories about her early childhood, a sad and lonely and often terrifying existence, and one that contributed to the manifestation of her schizophrenia later in life.

The GRAVITY OF LOVE is about grief and loss, but it’s also about love and redemption, about how we can go back and recover our lost selves. It’s a reminder that the love of one person can mend the heartbreak caused by another. It’s about resilience and creating a new life for yourself and the people you love.

Kate St. Vincent Vogl’s IRON HORSE COWGIRLS is the story of Louise Scherbyn and the women motorcyclists of the 1930s and 1940s. Co-written with friend and colleague, the late Linda Back McKay, Vogl amassed an encyclopedia’s worth of stories, facts, photos, and memories from newspapers, family members and friends, and the Women’s International Motorcycle Association archives.

British journalist Daniel Finkelstein’s memoir TWO ROADS HOME: Hitler, Stalin, and the miraculous survival of my family is the extraordinary story of survival.

Kurtis Scaletta's first picture book (illustrated fabulously by Nik Henderson) is a reminder that we are always a part of something bigger than ourselves. Young readers will love the bold and colorful illustrations by Henderson and will be comforted to know that they, too, have the strength and resources to claim their space in the world. An inspiring picture book for the timid and the tough. Highly recommended for holiday gifting (especially from a special grandmother.)

Dunbar has written a sensitive and studied story about generational trauma and it's effects. Dunbar's writing is evocative and lyrical. Her characters are complex and their relationships are conflicted. Yet, she does not turn to easy answers. And though things don't turn out as Mallory might have wished, in the end she finds salvation.

With a full cast of crooners and misfits, Fick keeps you guessing until the last. Written with the cadence and twang of a good old country western song, the dialogue is sharp and the action fast-paced.

CLOUDED WATERS is a well-written mystery that addresses issues near and dear to those of us living in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota and beyond. If you are a socially conscious reader, go forth, my friends, and pick up a copy of CLOUDED WATERS. Highly recommended for mystery fans looking for stories with depth and heart.

YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL is not a tell-all as Smith assures us -- it is a contemplation on modern love, a reckoning with expectations, and an excavation of self. It is a lyrical meditation on hope and what is left when all seems lost. Maggie Smith does indeed make something beautiful -- a life lived with integrity and love and possibility.

Mona Susan Power has written a heart-rending book about three generations of Dakota women spanning from the 19th century to the present day in in her newest novel, A COUNCIL OF DOLLS, available from booksellers August 8.

Author Melanie Benjamin is a master of historical fiction. Her best-selling novels include THE AVIATOR’S WIFE, SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE, and THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD. Her newest, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN IS SET IN the 1960’s surf culture of California. Described as a mash-up of the Beach Boy’s , Gidget, and the counterculture of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN is Benjamin at her best. From her deep dive research into trailblazing surfing icon Marge Calhoun and other pioneering female surfers to  1960’s popular culture – the music, movies, television, and fashion of this iconic era -- Benjamin sends you back to your beach blanket, listening to music on your transistor radio.

Rachel is a college student working in a bookstore in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis in Cork, Ireland. James is her co-worker and though they seem an unlikely match, they soon become the best of friends and roommates. The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is witty and warm and full of the angst of young adulthood.