Poet Caroline Hardaker's eerie debut novel, Composite Creatures, follows a newly engaged couple who sign their lives away to an exclusive corporation for a chance at an artificially extended existence. In a noxious near future polluted with chemicals, where natural life is undergoing a slow, painful death, Norah and Art employ the services of Easton Grove, a private healthcare company that caters to the wealthy, prolonging, protecting and controlling its clients' lives. As part of the program, the couple are given an ovum organi, a living creature of indeterminate origin and deliberately vague appearance, that lives in their loft, adopting their habits and growing into something almost-human. Norah's attachment to this creature, which she nicknames Nut, becomes problematic, as she questions the program's morality, her relationship and her ability to save herself at the expense of another.

Hardaker (Little Quakes Every Day) uses sparse, precise language to craft a chilling atmosphere. Part atmospheric horror story, part science fiction, Composite Creatures is perfectly tense. As the plot crystalizes, and Nut's horrifying role begins to take shape, the brilliantly planned twists unspool; Hardaker's creative vision shines. Many of this world's secrets are left unclear: Hardaker declines to spell out what forces are shaping her world, how long the underprivileged have left, exactly how Nut is formed. And it is this refusal to explain that makes the novel so spellbinding--the room Hardaker leaves for the reader's imagination to take over. The story's slow, enigmatic unfolding is well worth the wait. --Simone Woronoff, freelance writer and reviewer

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne (The Hating Game) is a pleasantly quirky rom-com featuring wonderfully realistic characters opening up to each other.

Twenty-five-year-old Ruthie Midona hasn't kissed anyone since prom. She manages the Providence Retirement Villa, lives onsite and rarely leaves, but is considering dating. The office temp, Melanie Sasaki, acting "electrician" to Ruthie's love life, warns her against Teddy Prescott, the new owner's son.

Not easy when the tattooed, sexy-haired motorbiker now lives next door to Ruthie and confides in her through their shared wall. And Teddy's bad guy persona? It's a veneer. Ruthie can tell from how he humors the Parlonis--two kooky old ladies in the villa who employ him for tasks such as plating Big Macs like a five-star meal or burying a white T-shirt twice, then handwashing it.

But Teddy couldn't want Ruthie, the list writer with a label maker and a Golden Girls aesthetic. Plus, she chose safety here at Providence. She can't risk heartache: "Teddy Shields Up."

Second First Impressions is a buoyant story about second chances. While Teddy tries to prove he's not going to break her heart, Ruthie, a "champion at guarding [her] feelings," illustrates the difficulty in believing that strangers don't see the turnoffs a person sees in themself. Meanwhile, the hijinks-loving Parlonis embody the sentiment of living every day like it's the last. Rich with Thorne's crackling prose, Second First Impressions is an inspiring rom-com full of weak-at-the-knees moments, personal redemptions and the joyous satisfaction of even give and take in a relationship. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer

In Sarah Hogle's slow-burn romance Twice Shy, Maybell Parish is prone to flights of whimsy, living in the cute diner in her head instead of living in reality. It's undoubtedly nicer in her imagination--in real life, she's in a dead-end job with a "best friend" who catfished her with the man of her dreams. When her great-aunt Violet passes away, it's just another blow on top of her bad life, but it comes with a silver lining. Violet's beautiful home and property in the Smokies, the one place Maybell felt safe as a child, are now hers. Maybell quits her job, ghosts her "friend," and moves her life to Falling Stars.

Unfortunately, Falling Stars isn't the dream Maybell remembers. Not only is the house in disrepair, her great-aunt neglected to mention in her will that she'd share the inheritance with the groundskeeper, Wesley Koehler--who is also the person her ex-friend used pictures of in order to catfish Maybell. Wesley is gruff, quiet and determined to convert Violet's home into an animal sanctuary. Both are grieving for Violet in different ways--Maybell at the lost opportunity to reconnect with the person who cared for her the most and Wesley at losing a friend who understood him. Though their relationship starts cold, things quickly warm as Wesley opens up, and Maybell disconnects the pictures that her friend catfished her with from the charming man in front of her. Hogle (You Deserve Each Other) writes a touching romance that explores Maybell's past and Wesley's social anxiety with care, coupling tough topics with a fluffy love story. --Amy Dittmeier, librarian

Go ahead--flip straight to the creative, colorful, tempting recipe section of Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking. Then, glass in hand, return to Elva Ramirez's fascinating, detailed history of drinking in the U.S., and the growing movement to consider the health and social effects of alcohol consumption.

A brew shortage in colonial Jamestown led to "intemperate drinking" of contaminated water, so breweries were hastily built and enthusiastically patronized. Eventually, profligate alcohol consumption see-sawed with abstinence efforts, leading to Prohibition in 1920, then its 1933 repeal. Food journalist Ramirez traces the history of "no proof" beverages, from a 1931 "Temperance Cocktail" to the "mocktail" parties of the 1970s and '80s.

These 90 recipes are booze-free, but the "mocktail" label is out. " 'Mock' is defined as a mimicry or lesser version of what it replicates," Ramirez notes. "An alcohol-free bar may once have seemed like a punchline, but it's now one of the most talked-about developments in hospitality." She cites the "swelling ranks of mindful moderates" who participate in Dry January and Sober October. The no-proof movement is compared to gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan menu options: "The goal is a balance of choice."

Zero Proof's recipes--most with mouth-watering, full-page color photos--definitely offer choices. Forty contributors from around the globe are represented in five sections: "fruity and floral" to "vegetal and savory." Directions include where to find esoteric ingredients (herbal teas, specialty sodas) or how to make them (nettle cordial, ginger syrup). These creatively presented, lush drinks may be alcohol-free, but they're bursting with flavor. --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.

NPR listeners know the "driveway moment": when the story's too good to leave the car. As NPR celebrates its 50th anniversary, journalist Lisa Napoli's group biography focuses on the women whose voices gave it life. Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie is a delightful book brimming with driveway moments.

Susan Stamberg, Nina Totenberg and Linda Wertheimer came to NPR shortly after its 1970 incorporation, and Cokie Roberts joined in 1978. Napoli opens with Cokie's death in 2019, writing that as a beloved "media superstar," she was "one part proper, one part ferocious, equal parts sage." The other "founding mothers," as Susan named them, shared Cokie's commitment, bucking tradition and battling flagrant chauvinism to speak for overlooked Americans. All were born between 1938 and 1944, though their roots varied. Cokie, daughter of renowned Louisiana Rep. Hale Boggs, roamed the halls of Congress as a child. Susan Stamberg, named co-host of All Things Considered in 1972, had, as a Barnard graduate, typed her way to the D.C. "educational" start-up WAMU-FM. Nina Totenberg grew up in New York City dreaming of a journalism career. From a grocer's family in New Mexico, Linda Wertheimer attended Wellesley College, where, they discovered years later, she and Cokie sang in the same a cappella choir.

Napoli balances her thoroughly annotated history of NPR with tales of the colorful careers of its most famous voices. Anecdotes are replete with iconic names, including Helen Thomas, Walter Cronkite and House Speaker Tip O'Neill (whose high praise was "I give youse girls from NPR everything."). Her meticulous research supports her premise: the founding mothers "changed journalism, the public's perception of women, and women's perception of themselves." --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.

In Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend, renowned Holocaust historian and documentarian Joshua M. Greene (Witness; Justice at Dachau) shares the story of one man's incredible life and enduring faith.

Born in a West Prussian village, Siegbert "Siggi" Wilzig lost 59 members of his family in the Holocaust. As a teenager, he survived nearly two harrowing years in Auschwitz-Birkenau, enduring two death marches before being liberated from Mauthausen in 1945. He spent the next two years hunting Nazi criminals--including Hans Goebbels, younger brother of Joseph Goebbels. The United States Army rewarded Wilzig's efforts by funding his passage to the U.S. in 1947, where he settled in New York at age 21. He arrived ready to work, and work he did: manual labor, toiling in a sweatshop, working as a traveling salesman, managing and owning businesses and, eventually, Wall Street-trading his way to building oil and banking empires worth billions.

In Greene's thorough, detailed treatment, Wilzig's improbable survival and success constantly amaze, even as Greene (and Wilzig's family) acknowledges Wilzig's whole self, rough edges included. Greene accessed troves of interviews and recorded materials, including footage of Wilzig shot by Steven Spielberg's crew. But especially candid and moving are quotes from Wilzig's children.

Wilzig remained steadfastly devoted to combatting Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism until his death in 2003. He once said, "Young people can learn accounting or law, but first they should get a real education. They should learn from the past." Wilzig's story will continue to teach them. --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer

While dozens of books on Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) already exist, Edward White (The Tastemaker) sidesteps familiarity with an inventive and clever new way to present his biography and critical assessment of the filmmaker. Rather than tell Hitchcock's life in chronological order, White has written 12 lengthy chapters, each presenting a different aspect of his subject. "Only when all twelve are seen together will the full picture be complete," he writes.

The chapters (or "lives") begins with "The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up," which examines Hitchcock's childhood phobias that seemingly lasted his entire life. "The Murderer" posits "Hitchcock had a lifelong fascination with cruelty and violence that fueled his creativity." "The Auteur" shows how Hitchcock's persona changed after decades of being regarded as merely a Hollywood hit-maker until French critics declared him an "artiste" in the mid-1960s. One of the more fascinating chapters is "The Womanizer," which looks at Hitchcock's wildly conflicted treatment of women on and off screen. Hitchcock was, White writes, "caught between feelings of admiration and resentment, identification and estrangement, an instinct to worship and a desire to control." Other fascinating chapters include "The Voyeur," "The Entertainer," "The Dandy" and "The Fat Man," which poignantly examines his lifelong relationship with food ("the source of joy and companionship, disgust and shame"). The final chapter begins in 1979 with Hitchcock in failing health and closing down his office at Universal studios. "Life away from work proved an oxymoron," writes White.

White's clever, authoritative and opinionated critical biography of Hitchcock is a treat for film buffs. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant

In Did I Say That Out Loud?, Kristin van Ogtrop (Just Let Me Lie Down) shares frank, often laugh-out-loud--and at times, surprisingly poignant--essays about her life and the encroachment of middle age. She draws from her own experiences and shares stories from others who have affected her life along the way. "Some of what you learn between the ages of twenty-nine and fifty-six is wonderful and some of it makes the world feel scrambled and cruel," she writes, weaving in sections about her upbringing, early jobs, her marriage, raising three boys and wayward dogs, and how she landed a career in the magazine publishing industry.

Van Ogtrop climbed the corporate ladder at magazines for 25 years. Joy and fulfillment prevailed in her career, while chauvinistic anti-feminist episodes also brought occasional challenges. When the Internet became the go-to for reading preferences, van Ogtrop was forced to cut budgets and jobs--and rethink her goals. At an annual pelvic exam, van Ogtrop mused to her gynecologist: "I think I'm either going through peri-menopause, suffering from depression, or need to find a new job." The doctor looked at van Ogtrop "over the tent" of her legs and replied, "Or maybe it's all three."  

The doldrums of middle age may be a time when women lack energy, inspiration, fervor and intention. But reading about van Ogtrop's experiences is never dull. The playful honesty of van Ogtrop's inimitable mindfulness will offer readers a fresh sense of perspective as they laugh at the absurdities of life and getting older right along with her. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

This YA historical thriller about a real French serial killer who dabbled in the occult bleeds with luscious language and commentary about the patriarchy's stifling power.

In 17th-century Paris, 19-year-old Catherine Monvoisin leaves behind a childhood of servitude and poverty only to marry a man who "spends his jeweler's income like water." Catherine would rather die than be poor again, so she uses her special "sight" to earn a living as a fortune-teller. Soon, she becomes the official sorceress of the Marquise de Montespan, a noblewoman who seeks the affections of King Louis XIV. Catherine enjoys profiting off the nobles at court, peddling them potions that inflict or lift "curses" she invents. It's all innocent trickery, until she pairs up with a magician who has a troubled past and a penchant for revenge. Catherine finds herself on a dangerous path of deception, destruction and murder.

In Poison Priestess, the second book in the Lady Slayers series, Lana Popovic (Blood Countess) recalls the real-life story of a murderess while exploring the society that created her. Without justifying Catherine's crimes, she ably uses examples of oppression--like Catherine marrying one man to release her from being indentured to another--to help readers sympathize. Popovic augments Catherine's story with queer romance and evocative language--"a shifting sea of snakes... seethe around me.... As if I am some dark pupil, floating in the center of a colossal iris"--resulting in a vivid and lurid novel. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader

Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer has taken his 2012 book for adults, Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, and reconfigured it for young readers. For this comprehensive edition, Treuer uses the opportunity to update information and expand topics, "with a lot more information on social activism and current events."

"I do not claim to represent 'the Native view'... My responses reflect the views of one Native person, and they have to be read with this understanding," Treuer begins. It is his intent to create in this book a safe space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth alike to find answers, reach understanding and combat racism. The first section discusses terminology: "What general terms are most appropriate for talking about North America's first people?" Treuer offers an engaging discussion of the different terms used in the United States. "The problem," he says, is that in the United States, unlike in Canada, "there is no established inclusive process" and so "terminology is not settled." Treuer, who uses "Indian," "Native," "Indigenous" and "Native American" throughout, makes a recommendation: "As much as possible... use the terms each tribe uses for self-reference."

Treuer brings this level of detail and absorbing discussion to every question asked in the book, whether it be about terminology or racist stereotypes. The breadth of topics covered is astounding; perhaps even more impressive that the book, which could easily be workmanlike, is a diverting read. Caregivers, teachers and librarians would be well-served to have Treuer's work within reach. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness