Blog Archives
Caroline’s Purpose
Erica Zaborac’s Caroline’s Purpose is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about loss, faith, and rediscovery. It follows Caroline Davis, a once-promising athlete and equestrian whose dreams are shattered by injuries and tragedy. As she navigates college, broken relationships, and haunting memories, she struggles to find purpose in a life that feels hollow. Through new friendships, reluctant encounters with horses, and a reawakened faith, Caroline slowly learns that healing isn’t about returning to who she was, but about embracing who she’s becoming.
I knew this book would be emotional right from the start. Zaborac writes with such sincerity that it’s hard not to feel Caroline’s pain right alongside her. The story never rushes her healing, and I appreciated that. Caroline’s fear, anger, and guilt feel raw, and they hit close to home. The writing is clean and direct, never flashy, and that simplicity lets the emotions breathe. I loved the moments with Luna, the weanling filly, those scenes carried a quiet grace that said more about healing than any speech could. The faith elements were woven gently, never forced, and they gave the story warmth instead of weight.
The dialogue is straightforward, and I admired how Zaborac balanced heartbreak with hope. Connor’s steady kindness and his belief in purpose grounded the story when things got heavy. The pacing dipped in a few middle chapters, but the emotional payoff near the end made up for it. The book reminded me how fragile and strong people can be all at once. It left me thinking about how pain doesn’t always end neatly, and maybe that’s okay.
I’d recommend Caroline’s Purpose to anyone who’s ever had to start over. If you’ve loved something, lost it, and had to figure out who you are without it, this book will speak to you. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy stories about resilience, second chances, and quiet faith. Caroline’s Purpose feels like a blend of The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, but with a gentler heart and a stronger thread of faith running through its core.
Pages: 222 | ASIN : B08P57Z37B
Who Doesn’t Dream of Escape?
Sitnalta follows a young princess trapped in a kingdom ruled by cruelty and fear, who becomes restless, yearning for freedom, and escapes her captivity to embark on a journey of self-discovery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Originally, Sitnalta began as a short story written for a school project. So, for all budding writers out there: don’t throw away old stories, and inspiration can strike in the most unlikely of places.
In grade seven, my English teacher put up a tic-tac-toe board on the chalkboard and said to make a line. In the line I chose were the words “coin, princess, escape”. From there, the story I was supposed to write should have been two pages. I handed in twelve. This short story just wouldn’t leave me alone. When I got into university, I pulled it out and reread it. Aside from the fact that I found the writing and some of the characterization a little juvenile (I was thirteen!), I felt that there was something there. I worked at it and eventually had a novel, and plans for five more.
Sitnalta was born at a time when most young people can feel trapped. I myself had issues with a bully at school, I didn’t know where I belonged. My friends and I were all figuring out who we were, who we wanted to be, and the character of Sitnalta was very much an extrapolation of that. Who doesn’t dream of escape?
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
I am very much all over the story. The character of Aud is in many ways inspired by my grandmother who lived with me while I was growing up. Everyone used to say that she was a second mother to me. Aud’s nature, and her relationship with Sitnalta is very her. Sitnalta herself is an amalgamation of my childhood best friend, and characters from books I loved as a child. I used to say that she is my friend Marilyn superimposed on Anne Shirley. Sitnalta’s relationship with Najort, their time together, and how they speak with one another is something that came from every person’s desire to be seen, to be loved for who they are, and the need to be heard.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted to convey the importance of choice. Sitnalta feels that she has hers taken from her continuously. She looks at the world from a place heavy with loss, however, when her back is to the wall, she finds that there is always a choice to be made. It may not always be the best one possible, but it always exists. Everyone has the ability to take their lives into their own hands and run with it. I found that to be an important theme, how even the smallest person can make a choice and better their world.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Sitnalta and the direction of the second book?
Well, I don’t want to give too much away, but that pesky coin still exists, and we see so much more of the world Sitnalta lives in, even beyond the shores of Colonodona. The next book is called The Kingdom Thief, and you can read into that title whatever you want to. It’s an adventure book, and may or may not have some hints at a burgeoning romance.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Website
But Sitnalta has other ideas. Before her father can come for her, she sneaks out of her bedroom window, scales the castle walls, and enters the magical forest that surrounds her kingdom. There she meets Najort, a kind-hearted troll, who was tasked by a wizard decades earlier to protect a valuable secret—with his life, if necessary.
But King Supmylo has vowed that nothing will stop him from returning his daughter to Colonodona, and forcing her to go through with the royal wedding. With the help of friends from both kingdoms, Sitnalta and Najort flee ahead of the rabid king. For if they are captured, Supmylo will become so invincible, no one could stand against him
Not Just Another Brick in the Wall
When I started reading Not Just Another Brick in the Wall!, I expected a typical high school drama. You know the type: sports, crushes, maybe a few fights in the hallway. But this book surprised me. It’s more layered than that. It’s about a group of teens trying to hold on to friendship while life starts showing its teeth. Cali Snipe, the main character, is just beginning ninth grade, nervous and curious and trying to stay grounded while the world around her keeps changing. There’s romance, a bit of danger, even a thread of mystery that creeps in when you least expect it. The story shifts between lighthearted teen moments and dark undercurrents that make you stop and think.
What really stood out to me was how the book captures the in-between. Those moments when you’re not quite a kid anymore but not yet an adult. The writing feels like memory. It’s full of chatter, inside jokes, awkward pauses, and those tiny details that make teenage life feel real. I could see my own high school self in the mix, nervous before the first day, wondering who to sit with at lunch, pretending not to care when I cared too much. The book nails that feeling. Sometimes it wanders, sometimes it circles back, but that’s exactly how being young feels.
I also liked that the story isn’t afraid to show adults in gray shades. The teachers and parents aren’t just background noise. Some are kind, some are creepy, and some are both. That part hit me harder than I thought it would. It reminded me that growing up means realizing not everyone who’s supposed to protect you always does. I won’t spoil the darker turns, but the tension builds quietly and sticks with you after the last page. It’s the kind of discomfort that makes you think about how fragile trust can be.
In some ways, Not Just Another Brick in the Wall! reminds me of the emotional honesty in Judy Blume’s coming-of-age novels and the raw realism of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. It has that same heartbeat of youth and rebellion, but with a modern voice that feels closer to Laurie Halse Anderson or Sarah Dessen, writers who don’t flinch from showing how messy growing up really is. Like those authors, author Richard Read doesn’t just tell a story about teenagers; he lets them stumble, speak, and learn in their own rhythm. The book fits comfortably beside classics about adolescence and identity, yet it still stands apart with its mix of small-town grit and genuine warmth.
Pages: 236 | ASIN : B0DNXYKZKX
From the Back of a Donkey, Journey of a Lifetime – Second Edition
Nancy Elaine Hartman Minor’s From the Back of a Donkey: Journey of a Lifetime reimagines one of the most familiar stories in the Christian tradition, the birth of Jesus, through the eyes of Mary. The book blends biblical retelling, creative storytelling, and devotional reflection into a narrative that feels both ancient and deeply personal. Each chapter combines Mary’s imagined thoughts and prayers with scriptural passages and reflection questions for the reader, making it part story, part meditation, and part journal. The style is warm, vivid, and grounded in faith, giving life to moments that the Gospel of Luke only hints at.
Reading this book, I found myself unexpectedly moved. Minor doesn’t just recount events; she breathes humanity into them. Her Mary isn’t distant or saintly in the untouchable sense; she’s tender, curious, even a little scared, and wholly devoted to God. The writing feels like sitting down with someone who loves to tell stories by firelight, earnest and filled with wonder. There’s something beautiful in the author’s refusal to make Mary flawless. Instead, she lets her faith shimmer through her doubts and daily tasks, through her conversations with Joseph and her cousin Elizabeth. I loved that. It made the sacred story feel reachable, even intimate.
Stylistically, the book reads with a kind of musical rhythm, almost like a prayer. At times, I caught myself pausing just to let a sentence sink in. The writing is rich with sensory detail like the smell of baked bread, the roughness of wood, the brightness of stars, and yet it never drifts into heavy language. The author’s tone feels humble and heartfelt. Occasionally, the abundance of biblical references slows the pace, but it never feels forced; rather, it roots the story in the faith that inspires it. I could tell this book was written not only with literary care but also with devotion.
From the Back of a Donkey draws the reader into reflection, not just about Mary’s journey, but about their own. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to experience the Christmas story in a fresh, contemplative way. It’s perfect for believers who enjoy devotional reading, book clubs that center on faith, or anyone who wants to feel a deeper connection to the humanity behind the divine story.
Pages: 99 | ASIN : B0CP8WMQS4
The Tilted Palace: Weeds of Misfortune
The Tilted Palace: Weeds of Misfortune is a haunting and human story about broken souls trying to stitch themselves back together. It opens with Jimmy Ray Crandall, a retired Green Beret haunted by Vietnam and marooned in the quiet of small-town Massachusetts. His loneliness seeps through every line until a wounded stray dog, and later a disheveled pastor named Trinity Hathaway, stumble into his life. What follows is a gritty, sometimes funny, often painful dance between despair and redemption. Through late-night bourbon, raw honesty, and shared pain, two strangers become mirrors of each other’s brokenness. It’s not a simple war story or a tale of faith. It’s about survival when everything that gave life meaning has already burned to ash.
The writing pulls no punches. It’s blunt, messy, and real. The author writes like someone who’s seen too much and refuses to pretty it up. The dialogue, sharp and layered, swings between biting sarcasm and quiet revelation. There’s a strange rhythm to it, like life itself, uneven but true. Some scenes hit me hard, especially when the pastor and the soldier lay their wounds bare. Both want to die, yet somehow keep each other alive. The dog, Jezz, might be the most human of them all. She’s the glue, the silent witness to two lost people trying not to drown.
This is an emotional book. It made me angry at how war chews up men like Jimmy Ray and spits them out forgotten. It made me ache for people like Trinity, trying to preach hope while secretly running on fumes. There’s no sermon here, just raw humanity. The story doesn’t tie things up neatly, which I liked. Life rarely does. The prose has its rough edges, sure, but they fit the characters. They live in those jagged lines. At times, the story drifts into monologues that feel like confessionals, and that works because I feel like the whole book is one long confession.
I’d recommend The Invisibles to readers who crave something honest and bruised. I think it’s for those who understand that redemption doesn’t always look holy and that healing can start with a bottle, a stranger, or a dog scratching at the door. For me, this book wasn’t just a story; it was an experience.
Pages: 253 | ASIN : B0FF4B3CF5
Wake the Lake
Wake the Lake follows fifteen-year-old Hudson Holloway, a driven wakeboarder chasing perfection on the glassy waters of Lake Watanabe while navigating the ripples of family struggle, fear, and self-doubt. Her father, Jim, a blue-collar worker with his own demons, supports her dream despite financial strain, while her mother, Evie, once a wakeboarding champion herself, watches from a wheelchair after a tragic accident. The story swells toward Hudson’s journey to the Junior Nationals, where ambition, anxiety, and family wounds collide in a powerful coming-of-age ride.
This book grabbed me from the first page. The opening scene, Hudson soaring across the lake, the water alive beneath her, felt cinematic. Kevler’s writing is sharp but tender, full of motion and heart. He nails the rhythm of sport and the quiet spaces in between, those moments when confidence fades and doubt creeps in. Hudson’s inner world is drawn with such authenticity that I found myself rooting for her even when she stumbled. The tension between her parents hit me hard, too. Jim’s flaws felt painfully real, and Evie’s strength broke through every page. There’s a rawness to their love that made me ache a little.
What really worked for me, though, was how the book balanced adrenaline and vulnerability. One chapter has you holding your breath through a stunt; the next leaves you still with heartbreak or hope. The prose flows like water, fast when it needs to be, gentle when it should. Sure, a few lines dip into melodrama, but I didn’t mind. The emotions felt earned. I could feel the sun, the spray, the exhaustion, and that electric need to prove something to yourself when no one’s watching.
Wake the Lake is a story for anyone who’s ever chased a dream while fighting the weight of life pulling them down. It’s especially for young readers who crave stories about resilience, family, and finding peace with imperfection. I’d recommend it to teens, athletes, and parents alike, or anyone who knows what it means to fall, get back up, and keep riding.
Pages: 253 | ASIN : B0FF4B3CF5
Literary Titan Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Childhood’s Hour: The Lost Desert
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
LITERARY TITAN 