UrbanObserver
Fiction
Fallen Rook by L.J. Shen
An elderly woman in Staten Island sits crocheting with five cats asleep on various parts of her body, listens to her grandson list every reason the affair is impossible, agrees with all of them, and then tells him he will not last the week.
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Fifty feet up a tree in a city that would kill her for being there, a girl who is terrified of heights is being told to jump by a cat. It is the funniest scene in the book and also the one that explains her.
Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
Twice a day an elderly cleaner walks past a stone house in Haifa and stops breathing for about twenty seconds. She could take the longer route. She has never once taken the longer route.
Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer
She has been in the cell less than a day. She puts her hand through the bars anyway, into the dark where a man nobody has been able to touch for two centuries is lying where the guards dropped him.
Mazywood by Tananarive Due
A movie star stands in the snow outside her own mountain resort, takes an axe to the sign bearing her name, and swings until it falls. Her guests watch from the window. Her children watch from upstairs.
Non-Fiction
Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy by Ben Macintyre
Two men crouch beside a running bath tap in a Tehran embassy compound, one Russian, one British, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the water. What passes between them will reshape a revolution.
The Black Orchid by Loreth Anne White
A ship's concierge asks a stranger whether her engagement ring is real. He tells her the truth. Everything the novel wants to argue about is already in that exchange.
The Last Emperor of China by Paul French
One young American woman watched the end of imperial China from inside the empress's sitting room, wrote it all down, and was left out of every account since. This book is what happens when her diaries are finally read.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
Strangers by Belle Burden hands its structure to a pair of ospreys nesting on a pole outside the window, and the birds turn out to be doing more than decorating the grief.
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
At a Las Vegas fan convention, a reality star swings at a gossip blogger who has been tormenting her for six years and connects instead with a seventeen-year-old cancer survivor wearing a T-shirt with her own face printed on it. Forty phones catch it. Her career ends in the time it takes to post.
Poetry
A Rebellion of Care by David Gate
David Gate's debut poetry collection, A Rebellion of Care,...
I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins
Hayley Chewins delivers a visceral, unflinching exploration of teenage...
Autopsy of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob by Avan Jogia
In "Autopsy of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob," actor, director, and...
Eat the World by Marina Diamandis
In her debut poetry collection, Marina Diamandis - known...
Book List
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist
Six books, seven weeks until the winner, and one of them runs to six hundred pages. Which of the shortlisted novels to open first, which to save for a group, and which one I think wins.
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
What to Read Before Nolan’s Odyssey
You have a ticket and not much time. Here is what I would actually read before Nolan's Odyssey, sorted by how many free evenings you have between now and the cinema.
Greek Myth Retellings to Read After Circe
Finishing Circe leaves a very specific hole. Here are the Greek myth retellings that actually fill it, and the ones that only pretend to.
Which Odyssey Translation Should Your Book Club Read?
Your group has decided to read Homer. Now comes the argument nobody expects: which Odyssey translation are you all reading, and what happens when half the room turns up with a different book?
Reader's Corner
Echoes of the Unspoken by Diana Elizabeth Martinovich – From the Grand Stage to the Written Page
Discover Echoes of the Unspoken, Diana Elizabeth Martinovich’s gripping debut psychological thriller exploring control, silence, toxic relationships, resilience, and the fight to reclaim one’s voice.
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
What to Read Before Nolan’s Odyssey
You have a ticket and not much time. Here is what I would actually read before Nolan's Odyssey, sorted by how many free evenings you have between now and the cinema.
Greek Myth Retellings to Read After Circe
Finishing Circe leaves a very specific hole. Here are the Greek myth retellings that actually fill it, and the ones that only pretend to.
Which Odyssey Translation Should Your Book Club Read?
Your group has decided to read Homer. Now comes the argument nobody expects: which Odyssey translation are you all reading, and what happens when half the room turns up with a different book?
Author Interview
Christopher Null
Christopher Null is an award-winning journalist, editor, and novelist.Null...
Writing Guide
What Happens to Your Book If Your Publishing Service Goes Under
When an author services company fails, the loss is rarely just money. Here is what actually happens to your listings, your files, your identifiers and your unpaid royalties, stage by stage.
How to Have a Better Book Club Plot Discussion (Without It Feeling Like English Class)
Most book club plot discussions end in summary or argument about plot holes. Here's a better set of questions — ones that get to what plot actually reveals about character, theme, and authorial intent — without the conversation feeling like a lecture.
Emotional Journaling for Fiction Writers: Breathe Life into Characters
Look, we've all been there. You're staring at a...
Unlock Your Creativity With 5-Minute Writing Sprints
Let's face it, folks - we're living in the...
AI Writing Assistants: Enhancing Creativity Without Compromise
Let me tell you a story. It was 2...
Publishing Guide
What Happens to Your Book If Your Publishing Service Goes Under
When an author services company fails, the loss is rarely just money. Here is what actually happens to your listings, your files, your identifiers and your unpaid royalties, stage by stage.
Mastering Kindle Vella Publishing: Your Guide to Serial Fiction Success
Hey there, bookworms and aspiring authors! Ready to dive...
Subscription Platforms and the Rise of Serial Fiction
Remember the good old days when people would line...
The Future of Storytelling: Audiobook-First Publishing
So, picture this: I'm sitting in my favorite coffee...
Beyond Self-Publishing: Exploring Hybrid Options for Your Book
Let me tell you, folks, the publishing world is...
Book Marketing Guide
The Psychology of Book Buying
Listen up, fellow book nerds and publishing pros—we're about...
Bookish ASMR: Creating Soothing Content to Attract Readers
Picture this: You're curled up in your favorite reading...
Mastering BookTok Marketing: Your Ultimate Guide to TikTok Success
Welcome to the wild world of BookTok, where literature...
How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Book Launch
So, you've toiled for months, maybe even years, crafting...
The Best Social Media Platforms for Authors and Book Marketing
As an author, venturing into the vast, chaotic wilderness...
Fiction
Fallen Rook by L.J. Shen
An elderly woman in Staten Island sits crocheting with five cats asleep on various parts of her body, listens to her grandson list every reason the affair is impossible, agrees with all of them, and then tells him he will not last the week.
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Fifty feet up a tree in a city that would kill her for being there, a girl who is terrified of heights is being told to jump by a cat. It is the funniest scene in the book and also the one that explains her.
Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
Twice a day an elderly cleaner walks past a stone house in Haifa and stops breathing for about twenty seconds. She could take the longer route. She has never once taken the longer route.
Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer
She has been in the cell less than a day. She puts her hand through the bars anyway, into the dark where a man nobody has been able to touch for two centuries is lying where the guards dropped him.
Mazywood by Tananarive Due
A movie star stands in the snow outside her own mountain resort, takes an axe to the sign bearing her name, and swings until it falls. Her guests watch from the window. Her children watch from upstairs.
Non-Fiction
Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy by Ben Macintyre
Two men crouch beside a running bath tap in a Tehran embassy compound, one Russian, one British, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the water. What passes between them will reshape a revolution.
The Black Orchid by Loreth Anne White
A ship's concierge asks a stranger whether her engagement ring is real. He tells her the truth. Everything the novel wants to argue about is already in that exchange.
The Last Emperor of China by Paul French
One young American woman watched the end of imperial China from inside the empress's sitting room, wrote it all down, and was left out of every account since. This book is what happens when her diaries are finally read.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
Strangers by Belle Burden hands its structure to a pair of ospreys nesting on a pole outside the window, and the birds turn out to be doing more than decorating the grief.
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
At a Las Vegas fan convention, a reality star swings at a gossip blogger who has been tormenting her for six years and connects instead with a seventeen-year-old cancer survivor wearing a T-shirt with her own face printed on it. Forty phones catch it. Her career ends in the time it takes to post.
Poetry
A Rebellion of Care by David Gate
David Gate's debut poetry collection, A Rebellion of Care,...
I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins
Hayley Chewins delivers a visceral, unflinching exploration of teenage...
Autopsy of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob by Avan Jogia
In "Autopsy of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob," actor, director, and...
Eat the World by Marina Diamandis
In her debut poetry collection, Marina Diamandis - known...
Book List
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist
Six books, seven weeks until the winner, and one of them runs to six hundred pages. Which of the shortlisted novels to open first, which to save for a group, and which one I think wins.
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
What to Read Before Nolan’s Odyssey
You have a ticket and not much time. Here is what I would actually read before Nolan's Odyssey, sorted by how many free evenings you have between now and the cinema.
Greek Myth Retellings to Read After Circe
Finishing Circe leaves a very specific hole. Here are the Greek myth retellings that actually fill it, and the ones that only pretend to.
Which Odyssey Translation Should Your Book Club Read?
Your group has decided to read Homer. Now comes the argument nobody expects: which Odyssey translation are you all reading, and what happens when half the room turns up with a different book?
Reader's Corner
Echoes of the Unspoken by Diana Elizabeth Martinovich – From the Grand Stage to the Written Page
Discover Echoes of the Unspoken, Diana Elizabeth Martinovich’s gripping debut psychological thriller exploring control, silence, toxic relationships, resilience, and the fight to reclaim one’s voice.
Where to Start With the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist
Thirteen novels, one shortlist in September, and not enough evenings. Here is what each book on the Booker 2026 longlist actually is, and which one I would open first.
What to Read Before Nolan’s Odyssey
You have a ticket and not much time. Here is what I would actually read before Nolan's Odyssey, sorted by how many free evenings you have between now and the cinema.
Greek Myth Retellings to Read After Circe
Finishing Circe leaves a very specific hole. Here are the Greek myth retellings that actually fill it, and the ones that only pretend to.
Which Odyssey Translation Should Your Book Club Read?
Your group has decided to read Homer. Now comes the argument nobody expects: which Odyssey translation are you all reading, and what happens when half the room turns up with a different book?
Author Interview
Christopher Null
Christopher Null is an award-winning journalist, editor, and novelist.Null...
Writing Guide
What Happens to Your Book If Your Publishing Service Goes Under
When an author services company fails, the loss is rarely just money. Here is what actually happens to your listings, your files, your identifiers and your unpaid royalties, stage by stage.
How to Have a Better Book Club Plot Discussion (Without It Feeling Like English Class)
Most book club plot discussions end in summary or argument about plot holes. Here's a better set of questions — ones that get to what plot actually reveals about character, theme, and authorial intent — without the conversation feeling like a lecture.
Emotional Journaling for Fiction Writers: Breathe Life into Characters
Look, we've all been there. You're staring at a...
Unlock Your Creativity With 5-Minute Writing Sprints
Let's face it, folks - we're living in the...
AI Writing Assistants: Enhancing Creativity Without Compromise
Let me tell you a story. It was 2...
Publishing Guide
What Happens to Your Book If Your Publishing Service Goes Under
When an author services company fails, the loss is rarely just money. Here is what actually happens to your listings, your files, your identifiers and your unpaid royalties, stage by stage.
Mastering Kindle Vella Publishing: Your Guide to Serial Fiction Success
Hey there, bookworms and aspiring authors! Ready to dive...
Subscription Platforms and the Rise of Serial Fiction
Remember the good old days when people would line...
The Future of Storytelling: Audiobook-First Publishing
So, picture this: I'm sitting in my favorite coffee...
Beyond Self-Publishing: Exploring Hybrid Options for Your Book
Let me tell you, folks, the publishing world is...
Book Marketing Guide
The Psychology of Book Buying
Listen up, fellow book nerds and publishing pros—we're about...
Bookish ASMR: Creating Soothing Content to Attract Readers
Picture this: You're curled up in your favorite reading...
Mastering BookTok Marketing: Your Ultimate Guide to TikTok Success
Welcome to the wild world of BookTok, where literature...
How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Book Launch
So, you've toiled for months, maybe even years, crafting...
The Best Social Media Platforms for Authors and Book Marketing
As an author, venturing into the vast, chaotic wilderness...
Latest Articles
Fallen Rook by L.J. Shen
An elderly woman in Staten Island sits crocheting with five cats asleep on various parts of her body, listens to her grandson list every reason the affair is impossible, agrees with all of them, and then tells him he will not last the week.
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Fifty feet up a tree in a city that would kill her for being there, a girl who is terrified of heights is being told to jump by a cat. It is the funniest scene in the book and also the one that explains her.
Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
Twice a day an elderly cleaner walks past a stone house in Haifa and stops breathing for about twenty seconds. She could take the longer route. She has never once taken the longer route.
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