The Shout-Out
25 August 2026
Four indie books, each by an author featured for the first time. Every title links to its page here, and buying goes straight through the author's own retailer.
Bittersweet
by Sue Robertson Danells
Thriller/Mystery/CrimeA story of dark themes where toxic relationships, control, abuse and emotional trauma threaten to destroy the lives of three generations. Love and loss feature throughout. It takes hope to carry on. It takes resilience to survive. Set mainly on the Ards Peninsular in Northern Ireland, this is a novel with strong emotional arcs, and would appeal to book clubs, readers of women's fiction, historical fiction and Irish family sagas
See the book
Me for Myself
by Abhishek Aggarwal
Self-Help/Personal GrowthWhat do you do when nothing feels right anymore? When success feels empty, relationships become confusing, and the advice of others no longer seems to help, deeper questions begin to emerge: *Who am I? *What is the point of all this? *How do I live when life feels uncertain and full of contradictions? Me for Myself explores two central ideas. First: You are the solution to your own life, not anyone else.** Second: When nothing feels right, the search for answers becomes a journey inward. The first part of the book explores the struggles many of us quietly face: confusion, dissatisfaction, loneliness, fear, ethical dilemmas, and the search for self-understanding. It challenges the idea that fulfilment can be found through external validation and invites readers to look inward and understand themselves more deeply. The second part moves beyond everyday struggles into deeper philosophical and spiritual questions about identity, death, God, money, freedom, and the meaning of life. Rather than offering easy answers, motivational clichés, or a formula for happiness, Me for Myself invites you to question what you believe, confront what you avoid, and think for yourself. At the heart of the book is one provocative realization: “All humans are born gods, and all gods are born human.” This is not a book about finding temporary comfort. It is an invitation to look deeper — into life, into the world, and ultimately, into yourself.
See the book
Jaqine: High School is Complicated
by Jacquelyn Barnes
Literary FictionThe year was 1997 Jaqine was a senior in high school she loves hanging out with her friends Tasha and Candice, they are all preparing to leave high school. They will do a couple of senior activities, but like every final days of high school there seems to be drama within the four walls, aside from drama there is humor here and there, this book will take you back to the late 90s where there is also romance between two high school sweethearts.
See the book
She Rises
by Akanksha Dwivedi
Self-Help/Personal GrowthShe Rises is a powerful multi-generational story that follows three women-Elena, Clara, and Sophia-across time, choices, and transformation. From silent sacrifice to self-awareness and finally to independence, the novel explores how each generation carries the unfinished dreams of the one before. At its heart lies a simple yet profound symbol-a jar-representing hope, resilience, and the quiet acts of defiance that shape the future. This is not just a story about feminism, but about lived realities: love, compromise, identity, and becoming. Emotional, reflective, and deeply human, She Rises captures the journey of women who do not just survive the world they are given-but slowly, courageously, rise beyond it.
See the book
Get the next issue in your inbox
One email a week, four books, no noise. Unsubscribe in one click.