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Mystery and Thriller Books That Put You in the Action

Some mysteries invite you to observe the investigation, while others put you right alongside the characters as events unfold. These Mystery and Thriller books emphasize immediacy, danger, and situations that demand a response. Their stories create momentum by keeping characters close to the action. Ideal for readers who want a more immersive kind of suspense.


Romance Books for Every Kind of Reader

Romance spans a huge range of characters, settings, relationships, and emotional experiences. From lighter stories to more emotionally layered novels, there’s plenty of variety within the genre. These picks highlight different ways Romance can approach love and relationships. Together, they offer something for readers with very different tastes.


Literary Fiction Books About Identity and Belonging

Who we are can change depending on where we are and who surrounds us. These Literary Fiction books explore identity, belonging, relationships, culture, and the tension between how characters see themselves and how others see them. Each offers a different perspective on finding—or questioning—a sense of place. Explore these picks when you enjoy fiction that examines what shapes a person.


Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books With Unlikely Heroes

Not every hero begins with the skills, status, or destiny you might expect. These Fantasy and Sci-Fi books follow characters who find themselves facing circumstances far bigger than their original plans. Their different journeys explore what happens when ordinary people are pushed into extraordinary situations. Discover these picks when you enjoy watching unexpected heroes emerge.


Biographies & Memoirs About Life-Changing Moments

One moment can alter the direction of an entire life. These Biographies & Memoirs explore pivotal experiences, difficult decisions, unexpected events, and discoveries that leave a lasting impact. Each story approaches a defining moment from a different perspective. Add these picks to your TBR when you enjoy true stories built around turning points.


Young Adult Books Where Secrets Change Everything

One secret can completely alter how a character sees their friends, family, or themselves. These Young Adult books build their stories around revelations, hidden truths, and information that characters would rather keep buried. Each uses secrets to create a different kind of emotional or narrative tension. Discover these picks when you enjoy Young Adult stories with something waiting beneath the surface.


6 Business Books for Ambitious Professionals

Ambition can mean building a company, leading a team, developing expertise, or creating new opportunities. These Business books explore different aspects of professional growth and the decisions that come with pursuing bigger goals. Their subjects range from leadership and strategy to personal effectiveness. Add these titles to your TBR when you’re ready to think bigger about your career.


Interview with Dr. Lisa F. Crites, Author of Beautifully Unbroken

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I ultimately wrote the book for one reason, and that was the same reason I invented my patented product, The SHOWER SHIRT™ and that was to help and support those who are going through what I already have. As I say in the book, if this memoir can help even one person, it will be worth writing. If it helps one cancer patient feel less alone. One breast cancer survivor who is exhausted and discouraged. One inventor, doubting that a painful idea could become meaningful. One woman who has lost her mother. One person seeking entrepreneurship. One Christian struggling with doubt. One person, more spiritual than religious, but seeking something deeper. If it reaches even one heart, every vulnerable page was worth writing.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

Rachel Platten - Fight Song (Official Video) Bing Videos

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Always memoirs and autobiographies.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?
‘Let Them’ by Mel Robbins.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
My favorite memory to write was Chapter 11, titled “Penile Implants Necessary, Breast Cancer Debated?” 

It covers my trip to Washington, DC, to fight for Medicare reimbursement coverage for The SHOWER SHIRT™—my patented product to help breast cancer patients shower protectively after mastectomy surgery. Before presenting, I found out penile implants were reimbursed for men, though Medicare had denied reimbursing this water-resistant protective garment (to help decrease water-borne illnesses) in women after breast amputation. The decision was absurd!! So, in retrospect, it was important to not only point out the chauvinistic and disparaging decisions made in Washington that support men, but not women during that presentation, but also write about that experience in Chapter 11.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (Lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Nothing quirky – but I love listening to Christian radio stations for inspiration while writing.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
“Life Can Change in The Blink of An Eye”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
My hope is that this book brings encouragement to breast cancer patients who are searching for hope and demonstrates to anyone who needs reassurance that faith and inspiration come from above — you simply must ask.  Prepare as if tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life – for the opportunity to live with courage, authenticity, resilience, gratitude, and originality -CARGO.


Dr. Lisa F. Crites is the author of the new book Beautifully Unbroken

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Beautifully Unbroken

Interview with R.J. Patterson, Author of Rip Tide

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I’m always thinking about stories that show the little guy against the Goliaths—and stories with plenty of gray. I can’t talk too much about that without giving away one of the biggest secrets of the novel, but once you read it, you’ll understand.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

J.D. Blunt (main protagonist) – “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Chuck Jackson – “A Pirate Looks at 40” by Jimmy Buffett
Rebecca Hart – “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love police procedurals with quirky characters (Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series is one of my faves right now), and woodsy adventures in the West (C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett series and Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter series). And those are all a bit different from what I write now.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
Dracula by Bram Stoker
King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard
Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz
Sapphire Island by Creston Mapes

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I always love writing the climactic scene because I think it’s the one I’ve mulled over the most and thought through every single detail. And the climactic scene in Rip Tide was no different.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I like to write in a lot of different places, but one of my quirks might be writing on a stand-up desk with a treadmill, especially in chase scenes. I find that I start walking very quickly.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

My philosophy would be: live a grace-filled life because you never know what someone else is going through.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I don't know if there's one specific thing, but I do hope that readers see the noble virtues I instill in characters and the struggle that they sometimes face in sticking with that. It's not easy to always do the right thing, but it's always worth it in the end.


R.J. Patterson is the author of the new book Rip Tide (A J.D. Blunt Tropical Thriller Book 3)

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Rip Tide (A J.D. Blunt Tropical Thriller Book 3)

Interview with Andreas von der Heydt, Author of HUMA

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

An executive I’d coached for some months asked me at the end of a session what his job was still good for in a world driven by AI and smart machines. He wasn’t the only one asking. Others had the same worry. Analyzing, generating insights- all of it was becoming work a machine does faster. I gave him an answer. The book is that answer in all its dimensions.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read both fiction and non-fiction, depending on my mood and what’s going on around me. In fiction, I like crime, historical novels, and books that are witty and smart. The author doesn’t matter to me as long as the story pulls me in and the writing keeps me there. In non-fiction, I go for good modern leadership books, personal development, and biographies of people who did something unusual and moved the world forward.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Regine Change, Unreasonable Hospitality, Theo of Golden, and An Enemy in the Village

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The Tesla story at the start of the Psychological Safety chapter. The company was months behind on building its first mass-market car, the assembly lines kept breaking down, and the founder had moved onto the factory floor to fix it himself. The mood turned to fear. One of his senior people pulled him aside and reminded him of an old saying: no one comes up with a good idea when being chased by a tiger. Nobody had to ask who the tiger was. That one sentence says what the rest of the chapter needs pages to build. Every engineer in the building could have solved the problems on those lines. Fear had simply moved their minds somewhere else.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

When the writing isn’t going well, and I’m fighting to get the quality up, I drink a lot of coffee. When I’m in the flow, I can’t stop drinking tea. Why? No idea.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Anything is possible. But YOU have to do it.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

We can't stop what's already happening and what’s still to come. Neither as leaders nor as individuals. But what we can and should do is to keep learning and try to understand what's happening, influence the future as well as we can, and ensure that we keep humans in the driver's seat.


Andreas von der Heydt is the author of the new book HUMA: Human Leadership + Machine Enhanced

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