ArcaMax

Someone has staged them with nails, blood and a cold sense of purpose. The police see a grotesque crime scene. A defense attorney sees a case that will swallow his career. A social worker sees a summons that feels older than the city itself.

Daniel Grace’s debut novel, "In the Wake of Golgotha," starts with that shock and then keeps its foot ...Read more

In his book "Hard Feelings: Finding the Wisdom in Our Darkest Emotions," Daniel Smith’s contemplative reflection is both rewarding and cathartic, as he explores the emotions he has contended with over his lifetime and the scholarly research that has examined similar feelings. Each chapter is full of rewarding insight into feelings such as ...Read more

'MICHAEL'

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material, language, and smoking.

What it’s about: A biopic about the King of Pop set during the early (noncontroversial) days of his career, from 1966 to 1988.

The kid attractor factor: Most likely the music.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Learn to go your own way and write your own songs.

Violence: Some...Read more

My desk drawer is a mess. It’s always a mess. Even after I tidy it up, it reverts to a mess as soon as I close the drawer.

I think it’s because I do things quickly. I move fast and mess things up fast. But even if I slowed down, it would still be a mess, just a mess on slow bake.

My desk is considered communal property in that it sits in ...Read more

Q. My girlfriend and I are moving in together, and while cleaning out her garage, I found a box of photos of her with other guys — except most of the guys are cut out, so it’s basically her with a random torso on a boat, her with a random torso skiing... Do I say something? What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Ah, the archaeological dig of a ...Read more

Some romances race toward the first kiss. "Only the Small Bones" by C.P. Harris takes the longer road — the one lined with rules that exist for a reason. Do not touch. Do not push. Do not demand words that will not come. Harris opens her tale with urgency, then settles into something more intimate: the hours after crisis, the strange quiet ...Read more

There is a particular silence that follows a fertility appointment. It sits in the car between two people who don’t know what to say. It hums in the background of baby showers and holiday dinners. It lingers in the two-week wait, in the clinic portal notification, in the careful recalculating of hope.

"When Waiting Becomes Life: Encouraging ...Read more

'NORMAL'

Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

What it’s about: An interim sheriff discovers a small Minnesota town's violent secret.

The kid attractor factor: This is an action comedy — not for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Never use loaded weapons as decor.

Violence: Extreme bloody violence throughout, shooting, ...Read more

I love a clean car — no trash on the floor, no empty plastic water bottles rolling around, no fossilized fries smashed into floor mats. A clean car makes me happy.

Sometimes, if the car is clean on the inside and the outside, I’m so happy I throw it in park at red lights and car dance like crazy.

Not really. But I’m car dancing on the ...Read more

Q. I just got married to a man with three children. Their mother died two years ago, and we have bonded quite well. Problem is the kids' grandmother -- the children's mother's mother -- seems very jealous and undermines things that I do. She will make appointments for outings directly with the kids that I know nothing about. Or she will show up ...Read more

In his newest novel, Grant Ginder gives the perfect read for 20-somethings, 30-somethings and beyond, and proves to us that friendships may come and go, but the memories never will.

"So Old, So Young" follows a group of six friends over 20 years, as the real world intervenes, adulthood beckons and they struggle to maintain their relationships ...Read more

"Look Twice: Your Guide to Staying Safe in an Unsafe World, Volume I" lands in a steady, practical place. Tim Beard writes like someone who has spent years thinking about risk and then came home to translate that mindset for ordinary life. The result feels less like a lecture and more like a field manual you can carry into Monday morning.

This ...Read more