No Turning Back by Bryan Anderson

Bryan Anderson is Iraq War Veteran and a triple-amputee (he lost his legs and an arm from a roadside explosion), but this book isn’t about the war or what he lost, this book is about what he did after that. After his accident, Anderson says he had basically two choices: "move on, or roll over and die." This book is about how he moved on. He has many life philosophies such as don’t be afraid to fall, do your best, and dream big. This book is bound to challenge readers to make positive life changes.
  

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Nineteen year-old Hannah is a dancer with Manhattan Ballet Company. She has dedicated her entire life to ballet and she's never even been on a date. Suddenly she meets Jacob and she wants more than just ballet - she wants a life. One of her instructor frequently says, "Your job is not to have a life. Your job is to dance." But is she willing to give up ballet, everything she has worked for her entire life?   

Truitt's Fix by Rex Evans Wood

Dan Truitt and his friend Tim are in a sailing race on Lake Superior when stormy waters capsize the boat. They are in a “fix” because they are drowning. The two friends regain consciousness to find that they have been taken to another time and a frigid earth. Events over the next few weeks involve them in danger and intrigue between the Naian, Icer and Fahrian societies. The author describes evolved cultures and technology with great imagination and detail in a fast-paced adventure you won’t want to put down. Rex Evans Wood (Skip) is a radio producer from Moorhead, MN. This is his debut novel. 

Warm Bodies by Isacc Marion

This is not your typical boy meets girl love story . . . There are two things that seem rather contradictory in nature: love and zombies. One implies that there is life and the later implies that there is death. Isaac Marion creates a unique voice with his hero, R, who does not know his name, when he died, how old he is, or even what kind of a person he was. He is a blank slate living in the present with philosophical thoughts on what it means to live. In his post-apocalyptic zombie world, R is not your average zombie, especially after a hunting raid where he eats the brain of Perry, who is not your average teenager. Perry's memories help R feel things again. They influence R to take action and keep Julie safe, which has lasting consequences for both. Each learns from the other what it really means to be human and to love even when all seems lost. This is unique zombie / love story that will surely change the way you watch your next zombie flick! 
  

In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda

“In the Sea There are Crocodiles” is based on the amazing journey of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young boy who left Afghanistan for Pakistan with his mother. While in Pakistan, Enaiatollah saw his school headmaster killed by the Taliban; Enaiatollah’s school was shutdown, then his mother left him and returned to Afghanistan (where Enaiatollah’s siblings still lived). At the age of 10, Enaiatollah had to find work and a place to live. Over the next five years, Enaiatollah traveled to Pakistan to Iran to Turkey to Greece before finally settling in Italy (where he was granted asylum). Enaiatollah story is a captivating read, told through the eyes of Enaiatollah as well as conversations between Enaiatollah and the author. While this book is called a “novel” it is based on the life and memories of a real refuge – Destined to be compared with the creative non-fiction works of Jack Kerouac. Highly recommended!  
 

A Discovery of Witches: A Novel by Deborah E. Harkness

This entertaining book has something for everyone . . . history, alchemy, intrigue, witches, and vampires. Author Deborah Harkness uses her background as a professor of history at the University of Southern California and writer of an award-winning wine blog to place well-rounded characters in vivid setting. You will find yourself waiting impatiently for volume two of this trilogy!

Pomme de Terre - A Novel of the Minnesota Uprising by Candace Simar

Pomme de Terre, is the story of a newly married young couple from Burr Oak, Iowa, who set out to homestead in Hutchinson, and then Pomme De Terre, Minnesota. During 1862, however, soldiers were sent to fight in the Civil War, leaving the Minnesota frontier largely unequipped to protect settlers from the Great Sioux Uprising. Government agents refused to distribute food stores promised by the treaty agreements. Unable to hunt the lands now “owned” by the settlers, the Sioux were starving and desperate. The story follows Gust and Serena as they use their limited resources to cope with the challenges of marriage, illness, farming, fear, and loss. Candace Simar has done extensive research to support the context of the novel, and she is unusual in that she has also represented the experience and viewpoint of the Sioux Indians. Simar is an author from Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. This is her second historical novel.