Reader Spotlight, Part 2: Books Written by ERB Readers!

Over the years, we’ve developed a wonderful and loyal readership here at The Englewood Review of Books! As you might imagine, many of those readers are also writers. As a token of gratitude for the support and engagement of our audience, we decided to share the first-ever ERB Reader Spotlight! Part 1 featured titles about theology, mission, ecclesiology, and biblical studies. Today, we’re excited to share Part 2! Today, we have some general non-fiction, memoir, poetry, fiction, and even a short story collection. These books were all written by members of the ERB audience and published January-August 2026. While our team has not yet read all these titles, we think there are many here that will be of interest! Enjoy! 

Did you miss Part One earlier this month?
Check it out here!

Englewood Review of Books
Reader Spotlight:

 

General Nonfiction:

 

Wired for Wonder: Dispatches on Technology, Culture, God, and Self by Aaron Cline Hanbury

Published 19 May 2026 [ Buy Now ]

This is not a how-to book, but rather a thoughtful exploration of how to live with and relate to technology.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who feel overwhelmed by the pace of new technological adoption in the world around us.”

 

Surely Some Revelation Is at Hand: Poetry, Magic, Imagination by Michael Martin

Published 20 May 2026 [ Buy Now ]

This book is a thoughtful and creative exploration of how to engage with the mystical, spiritual, and imaginative in our often fragmented daily realities.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who like the intersection of literature, philosophy, and theology.”
 
 

As We Age: A Conversation by Marilyn McEntyre (co-authored with Anne Hawkins)

Published 1 June 2026 [ Buy Now ]

McEntyre’s work is well-loved here at the ERB. This is a wide-ranging collection of letters between two excellent writers whose reflections will surely be appreciated by many.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who are old enough to want to reflect on aging or endearing as a call into a new season.”

 

The Screen and the Mirror: What Movies Show Us About Ourselves, the World, and God by Gina Dalfonzo

Published 13 Mar. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

The angle Dalfonzo has taken here is that viewing movies solely through an inspirational model diminishes what they can offer us, and she encourages the reader to consider what we might learn from the faults and shortcomings of the characters.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who love watching and thinking about and digging deeper into movies.”

 

Pass-Through Place: Essays on home, hope, and following the horizon by Jenna Brack

Published 7 Apr. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

Brack is from Kansas, and the place creates a vivid backdrop for her exploration of longing and loss. As you likely know, we at the ERB appreciate a story rooted firmly in its geography.

“This book is a great choice for readers who appreciate thoughtful, gently-woven memoir with a strong attention to place.”

 

Shame-Free Sex Talks: Guiding Kids to Live Out Their Faith, Love Their Bodies, and Understand the Goodness of Sex by Dr. Kelly Edmiston

Published 7 Jul. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

David Gushee called this “the book about sexuality that Christian parents need.” Edmiston is a pastor and social worker who approaches this topic with wisdom, grit, and a little bit of sass.

“This book is a great choice for readers who want to raise their kids to love their bodies, live out their faith, and understand the goodness of sex.”

 

Reader Spotlight
Poetry and Fiction:

 

Chora: Poems by Brian Volck

Published 5 Jun. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

This is Volck’s second poetry collection. He employs coles observation and lots of sensory details to attend to wonder, compassion, and mystery.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who are looking for poems of witness and wonder.”

 

Long Song with Dying Fish: Poems by Marci Rae Johnson

Published 23 Jun. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

Johnson’s collection finds inspiration across time and context, drawing on both ancient wisdom and contemporary life to explore what it takes to maintain connection and closeness with those we love and long to be close to.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who long for connection: with other humans, with God, and with themselves.”

 

The Night Office by Doug Worgul

Published 16 Jun. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

This is the second book in a duology worth your time! Worgul will be a guest on an upcoming episode of The Englewood Review of Books Podcast, so stay tuned!

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who would enjoy a redemption tale about love and loss, hope and despair, God and whiskey, barbecue and the blues.”

 

Here It Snows in June & Other Stories by Eric Cyr

Published 23 Jun. 2026 [ Buy Now ]

What a delight to have a short story collection on this list! This book is another rooted in place: this time, the “elusive atmosphere of the contemporary Midwest,” as one reviewer described it.

From the author: “This book is a great choice for readers who are looking for contemporary stories in the tradition of Flannery O’Connor and Tobias Wolff, that find outbursts of grace and meaning in singular moments of ordinary lives.”

 

That does it for our first-ever Reader Spotlight! We hope you’ve found a few new titles to check out. Catch up on Part 1 here. And thank you, as always, for being an engaged member of the ERB audience!