Books make the best gifts and Publerati has several excellent new novels this season we hope you will consider. Not only will you help support our authors and our mission to publish novelists who may be overlooked without us, you also will support literacy through our annual donation program to Worldreader. Let me tell you a bit about these three shown below.

Mother Tongue by Joyce Kornblatt tells the story of an abducted infant who only learns about her abduction as an adult after the woman who raised her as her own dies and leaves a letter revealing the truth. Nella, the stolen infant, is a writer who then rebuilds her true story using her imagination as a source of healing and discovery. The novel is told through her voice, but also the voice of her sister who waited at home for her never to arrive; the man she married, who was also a stolen child in Australia; and her birth mother, now old and suffering from dementia. Info Here.

“Joyce Kornblatt’s voice is lyrical and powerful, and this lovely novel is about being lost and being found, in the deepest, most primal sense. A beautiful, beautiful book.”

— Roxana Robinson, author of Dawson’s Fall, Cost, Sparta, and more

The Black Cell by Wendy Shaia is a work of speculative fiction about Black power in the face of a white supremacist president about to be elected in 2024. The author, a professor of social justice, brings to life her wide cast of characters who strive to overcome racism by coming together with their own educational, housing, and support efforts. A page-turner filled with action and insight, this novel is a must read for everyone who cares deeply about racial injustice. Info Here.

“Wendy Shaia does a beautiful job of weaving more distant history with current history into a dystopian (though, not too distant) future, which both feels omniscient and hopeful.”  

— Xyanthe Neider, Ph.D.; Anti-racism educator & professional development facilitator

Compass by Murray Lee is set at the Arctic floe edge and features an egotistical journalist who gets in over his head (literally) and wrecks havoc upon the indigenous community in the process. Written with great style and humor, this darkly comic novel will appeal to all those who enjoy stories of great (and not-so-great) adventurers exploring distant lands. Info Here.

— “As survival stories go, Lee’s leans less into the awe-inspiring and more into the absurd, a fitting approach considering that one of his aims is to puncture the myth of the stoic and heroically conquering white male adventurer.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune

OTHER GIFT IDEAS:

Young Again by Don Trowden and Valerie McKee is a fun novel about an aging musician who is made young again through an answered prayer for just one week of romance and musicmaking. Info Here.

“Peppered with musical references, the authors take us on a joyous tour through jazz and blues history, introducing new musicians to explore and addressing occasional cultural and political issues. This multicultural tale would be enjoyed by many, especially those caring for an elderly loved one or who find themselves nearing Mabel’s age.” 

— FYI50+ Magazine

Thanksgiving by Ellen Cooney is a remarkable novel set in the same house over 350 years of generations of the Morley family celebrating Thanksgiving, each generation powered by strong women living through the harsh conditions of their time, from Colonial to the modern day. Info Here.

Triangulations by Lorine Kritzer Pergament is a lovely novel about a young woman who comes across old photos and diaries of her female ancestors who survived the Triangle Waistcoat Factory fire and the Holocaust, and through her readings gains newfound strength to move on in her own life. Info Here.

See the full lineup here and thank you very much for giving the gift of reading this holiday season.

Best wishes,

Caleb Mason, Publisher