The king of dystopian YA books is back with ‘Piper at the Gates of Dusk.’ Photo: Barnes & Noble
Return to the Noise: Patrick Ness Reinvents the Chaos Walking Universe
Patrick Ness is making a thrilling return to the world of Chaos Walking with his highly anticipated new YA novel, Piper at the Gates of Dusk.(Candlewick Press, 2026)
As the first installment in the extraordinary New World trilogy, this is a timely work of science fiction that dissects the interplay of fear, power, and propaganda. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the original series or a newcomer to Ness’s visceral storytelling, this book is set to be a definitive literary event of the year.
Mark Your Calendars: The release date is Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and it is available for pre-order now.
Book Overview: A New Generation, A New Threat
It has been twenty years since the monstrous war that nearly tore New World apart. For Todd and Viola’s sons, Ben and Max, life on the family farm has been defined by peace and the typical dreams of school and adventure, until the nightmares began.
A sudden sickness is sweeping through the youth of New World. It infects them with Noise, manifesting as their darkest, most self-destructive thoughts. As the planet’s uneasy truce begins to crumble, the mystery deepens:
The Spackle: Suspicion falls on the indigenous people of New World.
The Sky: A mysterious object looms overhead, watching the planet.
The Disappearances: One by one, the children of New World are vanishing.
Caught in a race for answers, Ben (armed with his mother’s logic) and Max (carrying his father’s courage) embark on separate quests. Their journeys will force them to question everything—their parents, their brotherhood, and their very right to exist on this planet.
About the Author: Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness is a titan of dystopian fiction. His original Chaos Walking trilogy has sold over three million copies worldwide, cementing his reputation for high-stakes, emotional storytelling.
Ness is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller A Monster Calls (inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd), which won both the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals and was adapted into a major motion picture. His diverse body of work includes:
More Than This
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Burn
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
With two Carnegie Medals, an Olivier Award, and a Costa Children’s Book Award to his name, Ness continues to push the boundaries of YA literature from his homes in Los Angeles and London.
Mezquite Spread. Photo: Robert J. Lerma, used with permission.
Valentine’s Day Dining Guide: Romantic & Relaxed Restaurant Offerings
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Pullman Market’s offerings range from high-end, special-occasion dining experiences at Isidore and Nicosi to relaxed, approachable options at Fife & Farro and the Mezcaleria—ensuring there’s something for every kind of celebration. (Pullman Market, 2026)
Mezquite’s Sonoran-Inspired Valentine’s Dinner for Two
Mezquite’s Valentine’s Day menu draws from the rich flavors and traditions of Sonoran cuisine. Crafted for two, the dinner invites couples to savor each course and enjoy a relaxed, intimate evening together. Thoughtful dishes and warm hospitality set the tone for a cozy, memorable night.
For those looking to keep things casual, the Mezcaleria offers a laid-back way to celebrate. Open from 11 a.m. to midnight, the bar will be serving cocktails, food, and good energy all day long—perfect for a spontaneous date, a Galentine’s toast, or a nightcap to end the evening.
Walk-ins only
Nicosi’s Specialty Valentine’s Day Experience
At Nicosi, Valentine’s Day is centered around connection and indulgence. The Michelin Star dessert tasting menu concept will offer a one-night-only, multi-course experience exclusive to the holiday, encouraging guests to savor each moment together.
Price: $200 per guest
Includes: Choice of non-alcoholic pairing or wine & cocktail pairing
Isidore welcomes guests for a Michelin Star Valentine’s celebration with an elegant eight-course tasting menu. An optional wine pairing is also available, thoughtfully selected to complement each course and elevate the evening.
Fife & Farro at Pullman Market offers a more laid-back way to celebrate, featuring wood-fired sourdough pizzas and handmade pastas made with heritage grains.
Reservations: Available via OpenTable for Valentine’s Day only (Note: Reservations are not typically offered at Fife & Farro)
Same-day diners: Encouraged to join the waitlist
Walk-ins: Always welcome
Valentine’s Day Dining Around San Antonio & New Braunfels
San Antonio and New Braunfels’ premier restaurants—including Clementine, Maverick Texas Brasserie, Muck & Fuss, and more—are offering curated menus and intimate ambiance designed to create a truly memorable Valentine’s Day.
Clementine, the Castle Hills neighborhood gem is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a chef-driven prix-fixe dinner designed for lingering conversations and shared moments. Offered February 14 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the menu reflects James Beard Award finalist John Russ’s Southern roots and global sensibility, balancing bold comfort with refined elegance.
The downtown New Braunfels restaurant is celebrating Valentine’s Day for everyone, offering two prix-fixe menus welcoming couples, solo diners, and families alike—honoring romance, self-love, and quality time.
For a nightcap or post-dinner outing, guests can step next door to Sidecar, known for its vintage speakeasy vibe and live music. For the holiday, Sidecar will feature a curated menu of shareable bites and cocktails, including:
Southtown’s contemporary Mexican restaurant is spreading the love with the return of its popular Galentine-ARITA cocktail, available February 13–15. Made with El Tequileno, this pink, sparkling margarita is a festive favorite.
Rosario’s and El Tequileno are also hosting a Valentine’s Day giveaway for a free dinner for two, running through February 11, with details and the winner announced on Instagram.
Tip: Calling ahead or joining the waitlist is highly recommended for Valentine’s Day dining
Inheritance stars Rachel Noll James and West Brown. Photo: IMDb
Inheritance (2024) The past never dies
Following its successful release in the US and Canada, Inheritance is now available on major digital platforms in the UK.
Genre: Family Drama Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.
Director: Emily Moss Wilson Writers: Rachel Noll James, Austin Highsmith Garces Starring: Austin Highsmith Garces, Rachel Noll James, Wes Brown
Available to stream on: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Tubi, and other platforms.
Synopsis
When two estranged sisters reunite to bury their father, unresolved trauma and long-suppressed secrets come roaring back. Inheritance is a tense, emotional drama that explores grief, family legacy, and the haunting realization that some things are passed down whether we want them or not. (One Tree Entertainment, 2026)
Overview
The story opens with a family backyard barbecue that turns tragic when the patriarch collapses while playing the guitar. A widower, his two daughters—Lucy and Paige—are the center of his life, despite years of estrangement. Paige has been absent for a long time, struggling with financial instability and alcoholism.
When she finally returns, Paige is focused solely on her share of the inheritance. Their father leaves Lucy the house, while Paige is entitled to most of the money and additional property. As executor of the will, Lucy is authorized to release the money in increments on the condition that Paige enters rehab.
This arrangement infuriates Paige, who attempts to circumvent her father’s wishes. Old grievances surface as the sisters clash, forced to confront not only their father’s death but lingering guilt surrounding their mother’s passing.
Review
Inheritance (2024) is a quiet, cutting drama that understands how grief rarely arrives alone. When Lucy and Paige reunite, the film resists melodrama, opting instead for something more unsettling: the slow resurfacing of wounds never allowed to heal.
The director and cast handle the material with restraint, allowing silences and small gestures to carry emotional weight. The sisters’ relationship feels lived-in, shaped by years of resentment, avoidance, and unspoken blame. Trauma is not framed as a single event, but as damage that echoes across time.
The film’s central theme, that legacy is emotional as much as material, lands with quiet force. Like many childhood homes, the house bears witness to every trauma and whispered secret the sisters tried to outrun.
Though the pacing occasionally buckles under its melancholy, the final act delivers a lasting punch. For fans of character-driven family dramas, Inheritance is worth considering.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
*Thank you to One Tree Entertainment for the screener link for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
Pearl’s first ever Cowboy Heritage Festival is taking place this Saturday. Photo: Pearl, used with permission.
February Happenings at Pearl
From Rodeo Festivities to Valentine’s Weekend Fun
Pearl is kicking off February in true Texas style—with boots, bands, murals, and plenty of reasons to linger all month long. From the inaugural Cowboy Heritage Festival to Valentine’s Day celebrations, here’s everything happening at Pearl this February. (Pearl, 2026)
🤠 Cowboy Heritage Festival
Saturday, February 7 | 3–7 p.m.
Pearl debuts its first-ever Cowboy Heritage Festival, celebrating vaquero culture with live music, roaming performers, art, and rodeo-inspired fun throughout the property.
Festival Highlights
Chuck wagon photo opportunities
Live music across multiple stages
Free boot shining
Trick roper and cowboy & cowgirl stilt walkers
Live mural painting by San Antonio muralist Claudio Aguillon, titled The Vaquero (Cellars Pavilion)
📍 Event Locations & Schedules
1100 Springs Plaza
Rodeo Roundup Edition of the Pearl Farmers Market
Craft workshop with Sharriah Martinez (3–6 p.m.)
Make cowboy boot magnets (while supplies last)
Live music:
Gelina & The Diamondbacks (3–4:15 p.m.)
Jacob Kyle Band (4:45–7 p.m.)
Stable Hall
Free boot shining
Live music by Brandon Michael Band (3–4:45 p.m.)
Parkito(between Local Coffee and Bakery Lorraine)
Favorite Son Band (3–4:30 p.m.)
Jake Castillo Trio (5–7 p.m.)
South Karnes Street
Trick roper and stilt walkers roaming (3–5 p.m.)
Meet & Greet with Miss Rodeo Texas Princess (3–4:30 p.m.)
Live music by Drew Brown Band (5–7 p.m.)
Pearl Park
Chuck wagon photo op
The Vaquero mural installation
Line dancing (3–5 p.m.)
Brandon Michael Band returns (5:30–7 p.m.)
La Gloria
San Antonio Charro Association appearance (2–5 p.m.)
Whether you’re two-stepping under the stars, shopping for the perfect rodeo look, or celebrating Valentine’s Day with live music and great food, Pearl is the place to be this February. With events happening nearly every day of the month, there’s always a reason to stop by, stay awhile, and experience the energy that makes Pearl a favorite gathering spot in San Antonio.
In Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose, Jennifer Wallace delivers a profound and timely wake-up call. She argues that today’s mental health crisis isn’t simply the result of digital burnout or political strife, but a symptom of something deeper: what she calls an “erosion of mattering.”
Drawing on psychology, sociology, and real-world stories, Wallace makes a compelling case that mattering—knowing we are valued and that our contributions have meaning—is not a luxury. It is a basic human need, as essential as food or water. When that need goes unmet, the consequences ripple outward, fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social fragmentation.
What’s Inside the Book
Wallace explores mattering through a series of thoughtful, accessible chapters, including:
Connect to Your Impact
The Good Kind of Weight
Mattering Too Much
Everyone Needs (to Be) a Cornerman
Tuning In
When the Rug Gets Pulled: Coping with Life’s Transitions
How We Spend Our Days: Mattering at Work
Be an Architect: Mattering Spaces
Key Highlights
Chapter 2: The Good Kind of Weight
This chapter focuses on using our strengths to meet the needs around us. Wallace emphasizes the importance of asking, rather than assuming, what others need. As she writes, “To add value, find a need in the world and apply your strengths.” Sometimes, mattering starts with the simple but courageous question: “What can I do to help?”
Chapter 3: Mattering Too Much
While feeling needed is essential, Wallace warns against imbalance. When we prioritize others at the expense of ourselves, the weight of responsibility can become crushing. “By treating yourself as a priority,” she notes, “you also create space for the relationships in your life to become more authentic.”
The Mattering Core
The focus is Wallace’s “mattering core,” a framework built on four essential pillars:
Recognition: Seeing and acknowledging your own impact
Reliance: Being needed by others—in healthy balance
Prioritization: Feeling like a priority to those who matter most
Investment: Being truly known and supported
Through stories of grieving individuals, exhausted caregivers, and everyday people quietly struggling, Wallace shows how the absence of mattering can dismantle one’s sense of self.
Final Thoughts
Warm, humane, and deeply practical, Mattering doesn’t just diagnose a societal ill, it offers a roadmap forward. Wallace shows how small, intentional acts of recognition and care can rebuild connection in families, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Clear-eyed yet hopeful, Mattering challenges readers to rethink success, connection, and what it truly means to live well, together. It’s a must-read for anyone feeling lost in the shuffle of modern life.
“We live in a time marked by division across politics, race, gender, and class. But gaps don’t close through argument. They narrow from feeling heard or being seen.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
*Thank you to Angela Baggetta Communications for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
Amon Amarth. Photo: Tomas Gidén, used with permission.
Amon Amarth & Dethklok Announce The Amonklok Conquest North American Tour
Swedish metal titans Amon Amarth is joining forces with Dethklok for The Amonklok Conquest, an extensive co-headlining tour crossing North America in Spring 2026. With special guests Castle Rat, the tour promises a night of pure theater and over-the-top heavy metal entertainment. (another side, 2026)
This historic run marks the first time the two titan-sized bands have co-billed together, making it one of the biggest raids of the year.
A Clash of Metal Giants
Amon Amarth has long honored the adventurous ethos of their Viking forebears by taking their music anywhere and everywhere, earning a reputation as one of metal’s most vital and imperious live acts. Hot off a busy year conquering the high seas, supporting Slayer in the U.K. and storming the U.S. with Pantera, the band returns with an all-new theatrical stage production and an extended set for these upcoming dates.
Amon Amarth declares:
“Three bands. One night. The strong will scream. The weak will fall. Limbs will be lost. We will crush skulls beneath our boots and tear the halls down stone by stone. This is not a concert. It is a reckoning. If you survive… perhaps the gods have other plans for you.”
Dethklok: 20 Years of Metalocalypse
In 2026, Dethklok celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking two decades since Metalocalypse premiered on Adult Swim. One of the most essential musical multimedia acts ever, Dethklok is both an animated phenomenon and a live metal juggernaut—combining intense musicianship with breakneck cinematic theatricality.
Joining them each night as special guests is the fantastical heavy metal band Castle Rat.
The Rat Queen proclaims:
“On the heels of the Vernal Equinox, our adjacent universes shall align as we bring .•.The Realm.•. of Castle Rat into battle alongside venerable vikings, Amon Amarth, and Metalocalypse metal-masters, Dethklok! Join us, as we seek to expand and defend .•.The Realm.•. from our arch nemesis: Death, Herself — The Rat Reaperess!”
Tour Information & Tickets
The newly announced North American dates are produced by Live Nation. Tickets and full details are available online. For additional updates and information, visit the official tour site.
New Music & What’s Next for Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth recently celebrated a bountiful year with the release of their new single “We Rule The Waves,” along with its accompanying video. Their first new song in years, it signals what’s to come—a brand-new album arriving in late 2026.
Carved from salt and steel, echoing across oceans and sonically barbaric, modern metal doesn’t get more epic, or more essential, than this.
About Amon Amarth
From pole to pole and sea to sea, Amon Amarth are the undisputed kings of Viking heavy metal. Formed in Tumba, Sweden, in 1992, the band has forged an extraordinary legacy over three decades of thunderous, anthemic metal steeped in Viking history, folklore, and culture.
From their underground smash debut Once Sent From The Golden Hall (1998) onward, Amon Amarth have remained an unstoppable creative force. Albums like Twilight Of The Thunder God (2008) and the conceptual triumph Jomsviking (2016) cemented their reputation for ageless anthems and explosive theatrical live shows, making them standard-bearers for heavy metal as a communal, life-affirming experience.
About Dethklok & Metalocalypse
Dethklok is an extreme metal band and the most successful entertainment act on the planet, along with being the seventh-largest economy in the animated world of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse. Live, they are a multimedia powerhouse, blending animation, comedy, and sheer brutality while recreating beloved albums and visuals on stage.
Band members include musician and show co-creator Brendon Small and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan, among others.
Tenfold Rooftop at Kimpton Santo San Antonio – Riverwalk. Photo: Kimpton Santo, used with permission.
Super Bowl Sunday Specials: Where to Eat, Drink & Watch the Big Game in San Antonio
Super Bowl Sunday is almost here, and locally owned restaurants and bars across San Antonio and New Braunfels are bringing the heat with food deals, drink specials, and high-energy watch parties. From rooftop margaritas to wing specials and projector-screen viewing, here’s where to celebrate the Big Game on Sunday, February 8.
🍹 Rosario’s ComidaMex & Bar (Southtown)
All Day Sunday | February 8
Football fans can enjoy half-off appetizers all day long at Rosario’s, available exclusively at the main bar and rooftop bar. The restaurant is also debuting The Benito Bowl, a blue frozen margarita inspired by this year’s halftime performer, Bad Bunny. (Rosario’s, 2026)
Both bars feature massive flat-screen TVs for optimal game viewing. The 25+ rooftop bar will also host its weekly Cozy Up Sundays, featuring $8 signature cocktails and bites.
📍 Walk-ins welcome | No reservations required
🦀 Smashin Crab (All Locations)
All Day Sunday | February 8
Smashin Crab is closing out football season strong with $1 wings all day, available for dine-in or takeout at all three locations, perfect for hosting your own watch party at home. (Smashin Crab, 2026)
Each restaurant is decked out with wall-to-wall TVs, and guests can also enjoy 2-for-1 Hurricanes, available through February 17.
🍻 Finnegan’s Sports & Spirits
All Day Sunday Happy Hour
Finnegan’s is keeping it simple and fun with all-day happy hour and beer bucket specials, including:
$4 Margaritas
$5 Bloody Marys
$15 Domestic Beer Buckets
A laid-back spot to sip, snack, and settle in for the game. (Finnegan’s, 2026)
Catch the game on TVs throughout the restaurant or on the projector screen in the Biergarten, while sipping from a lineup of 38 draft beers featuring top local and national breweries. (Muck & Fuss, 2026)
📍 555 S Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205 🚗 Valet parking available for $10
Kick off Super Bowl Sunday at Corinne’s bar with game-day drink specials, including Bloody Marys, mimosas, beer specials, and an All Day Happy Hour Menu.
Snack on crowd favorites like buffalo cauliflower, regular wings, or a Trio Dip (guacamole, queso, salsa) while watching the game on two big screens. (Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, 2026)
Sunday, February 8 | Game at 5:30 PM | Trivia: 2–4 PM
📍 555 S Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205 🚗 Valet parking available for $10
Anaqua Garden Bar is hosting a full-scale Super Bowl watch party with multiple projector screens with sound, theater-style seating, and plenty of food and drink.
The party starts early with trivia from 2–4 PM, featuring questions on Bad Bunny and 2026 Super Bowl commercials.
📍 Interior Courtyard, 431 S Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Dean’s is extending happy hour drink specials all day in its comfortable interior courtyard. Watch the game on two TVs with sound while enjoying upscale-casual vibes, great drinks, and shareable bites. (Kimpton Santo San Antonio, 2026)
Paris Baguette is serving up football-themed sweets, including the King Creme Football Donut and Triple Chocolate Football Cream Cake. Donuts are available daily, while cakes are offered for weekend orders (preorders encouraged). (The Gunter Hotel, 2026)
Chef Levi Goode’s newest concept is the ultimate riverside spot for Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy ice-cold drinks, hearty favorites like Cantina Queso, the Hill Country Deluxe Smashburger, and Otto’s Last Shot, all while watching the game on multiple indoor and outdoor TVs. (Otto’s Ice House, 2026)
Whether you’re craving wings, rooftop cocktails, or a full watch-party vibe, San Antonio’s local spots are bringing their A-game this Super Bowl Sunday. 🏈
‘What Every CEO Must Know’ is the new book by Bill Miller. Photo: Barnes & Noble
📘 Book Spotlight
What Every CEO Must Know: 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power
By Bill Miller
What’s the #1 Reason CEOs Fail?
Blind spots they never saw coming.
Most CEOs don’t fail because they lack intelligence, ambition, or drive. They fail because they miss the warning signs. Blind spots quietly erode trust, derail critical decisions, and ultimately sink companies. (Barnes & Noble, 2026)
In What Every CEO Must Know: 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power, Bill Miller reveals proven leadership strategies drawn from over 20 real-world founder and first-time CEO stories. The book offers practical guidance every CEO needs to lead with confidence, clarity, and resilience, especially when the stakes are high.
Leadership Insights from Decades of Experience
Award-winning author and trusted CEO advisor Bill Miller draws on more than 30 years of experience helping leaders navigate their toughest challenges. His approach is practical, direct, and rooted in real executive decision-making, not theory.
What You’ll Learn
This book shows CEOs how to:
Spot and eliminate blind spots before they sabotage credibility and trust
Make faster, sharper decisions, even with incomplete data
Lead with clarity, not cleverness, so teams can execute flawlessly
Turn mistakes into momentum using proven recovery strategies
Practical Tools You Can Use Immediately
Each chapter includes actionable frameworks, playbooks, and checklists, including:
The CEO Decision Grid
The 90-Day Growth Engine Challenge
The 8-Step Hiring Framework
These tools help leaders cut through uncertainty and move forward with confidence.
Who This Book Is For
Perfect for:
Startup founders
First-time CEOs
Seasoned executives seeking clarity and operational excellence
If you want to lead with confidence, decisiveness, and impact, this book belongs on your desk.
👉 Get your copy of What Every CEO Must Know today and start leading with confidence, clarity, and power.
About the Author
Bill Miller is an executive advisor, consultant, speaker, and award-winning author who helps first-time CEOs, founders, and struggling leaders lead with confidence, clarity, resilience, and power.
A former vice president and general manager, Bill has led Marketing, Product Management, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Development, and Operations over a 35-year career. His experience spans early-stage startups to multi-billion-dollar multinational companies, giving him rare perspective on what truly drives successful leadership.
In What’s True About You, licensed therapist and New York Times bestselling author Katherine Woodward Thomas reveals a revolutionary way to leave a painful past behind and grow into the abundant and fulfilling future you desire. (FSB Associates, 2026)
Through a radically effective, life-altering seven-step process, Thomas helps readers identify and release the false beliefs formed through past pain. These beliefs often operate beneath the surface, shaping how we see ourselves, our relationships, and what we believe is possible. By dismantling them, we are empowered to live and love as our true selves—the version we’ve always sensed we could, and should, be.
Rather than allowing the past to define or limit us, Thomas offers a refreshingly inspiring protocol for changing who we are today, opening the door to a brighter and more expansive future.
What’s Inside
The Seven Steps:
Claim a Positive, Possible Future
Name Your Source Fracture Story
Wake Up to the True You
See Yourself as Source
Identify New Ways of Relating
Embrace a Growth Mindset
Make New Choices, Take New Actions
Part Two: The True You Breakthrough Blueprint This section includes 22 core belief breakdowns designed to help readers pinpoint their specific fracture story, along with clear steps to finally break free from it.
Highlights
True You Premises
Premise #4: You Are the Source of Your Own Experience Thomas emphasizes that while past experiences may not be our fault, we are fully responsible for the choices we make in the present. True healing begins when we stop blaming others and take ownership of our inner world:
“The breakthrough happens when you become willing to take 100 percent responsibility for yourself as the source of your experience.”
Step 6: Embrace a Growth Mindset
This step focuses on developing skills that support emotional and relational growth, such as communicating needs, expressing feelings honestly, and setting healthy boundaries.
Review
Katherine Woodward Thomas offers a compassionate yet practical roadmap for anyone ready to stop letting their past define their future. Her seven-step process helps readers identify and release deeply ingrained beliefs shaped by trauma, disappointment, and emotional pain.
The book balances emotional depth with actionable guidance. Thomas doesn’t rush readers toward positivity or manifestation without first inviting them to do the necessary inner healing. Through reflective exercises, real-life examples, and gentle but direct language, she shows how awareness can become a powerful gateway to transformation.
One of its greatest strengths is its emphasis on identity. Instead of focusing solely on changing circumstances, Thomas encourages readers to change who they are being in the present moment. As false narratives fall away, a more authentic and expansive self emerges, capable of deeper love, clarity, and fulfillment.
Ultimately, What’s True About You is both a healing guide and a hopeful invitation to reclaim your authentic self and consciously create a future rooted in truth, possibility, and self-compassion. It is highly recommended for fans of motivational and personal growth books, as well as anyone seeking meaningful inner transformation.
“Yet recognizing the impact that past trauma has had on us is just one leg of the journey. It’s not the destination itself. The destination we’re aspiring to is the ability to create our lives outside of the story we made up about ourselves in response to whatever happened to us.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
About the Author
Katherine Woodward Thomas, M.A., MFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, New York Times bestselling author, and a pioneer in transformational psychology. For over two decades, she has developed groundbreaking methods that help people move beyond healing the past and into consciously creating the future they desire.
Her books, Calling in “The One” and Conscious Uncoupling, have sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and sparked cultural conversations around love, relationships, and conscious endings. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Today Show, reaching millions across the globe.
*Thank you to FSB Associates for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
Crime 101 is one of the short stories in Don Winslow’s Broken. Photo: Barnes & Noble
Broken by Don Winslow: From Gritty Crime Fiction to the Big Screen
“No matter how you come into this world, you come out broken…”
Don Winslow’s Broken is a blistering collection of crime stories that showcases why he’s long been considered one of the most powerful voices in contemporary crime fiction. Now, one of its standout stories—“Crime 101”—has made the leap from the page to a major motion picture, bringing Winslow’s razor-sharp storytelling to an even wider audience.
About the Book: Broken
Hailed by Stephen King as “one of America’s greatest storytellers,” #1 international bestselling author Don Winslow returns in Brokenwith six intense short novels. Some feature familiar characters, others introduce new ones, but all are connected by Winslow’s signature themes: crime, vengeance, guilt, and redemption.
With his trademark blend of insight, humanity, dark humor, and propulsive action, Winslow delivers stories that feel both immediate and timeless. These are tales of people living by codes, moral, criminal, or personal, and the devastating consequences when those codes are tested or broken.
Spotlight on “Crime 101”
At the heart of Broken is “Crime 101,” a tightly wound crime story that reads like a perfect noir film waiting to happen.
A series of high-level jewel heists along California’s Pacific Coast Highway has baffled law enforcement for years. The crimes are initially attributed to Colombian cartels, but Detective Lou Lubesnick suspects something else entirely: a lone thief operating under a strict personal philosophy known as Crime 101.
The jewel thief has followed his rules flawlessly, until now. As he plans one final, legendary score, Lou decides to do the unthinkable: break every rule of Crime 101 to stop him.
It’s a story about obsession, intuition, and the thin line between hunter and hunted, and it’s no surprise Hollywood came calling.
About the Movie: Crime 101
The film adaptation of Crime 101 brings Winslow’s story to life with an all-star cast and sleek, tension-filled direction.
Plot Overview
A jewel thief named Mike Davis has executed a series of daring heists along the 101 freeway, leaving police completely stumped. When he sets his sights on the ultimate score, his plans intersect with those of insurance broker Sharon Colvin. Meanwhile, Detective Lou Lubesnick believes he’s finally cracked the thief’s pattern and is determined to bring him down before the next job.
Film Details
Written and Directed by: Bart Layton
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, and Halle Berry
Crime 101 premiered on January 28, 2026, in London and is scheduled for U.S. release on February 13, 2026.
About the Author: Don Winslow
Don Winslow is the author of twenty-six acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including eight New York Times bestsellers such as Savages, The Cartel, The Force, The Border, and his epic City trilogy (City on Fire, City of Dreams, City in Ruins).
A former investigator, anti-terrorism trainer, and trial consultant, Winslow brings lived experience to his fiction, lending it an authenticity that sets his work apart. He has also written award-winning short stories for Audible, narrated by four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris. Winslow currently lives in California and Rhode Island.
Final Thoughts
With Broken, Don Winslow once again proves his mastery of crime fiction, and Crime 101’s transition from short novel to feature film feels both natural and inevitable. Whether you encounter this story first on the page or on the screen, one thing is certain: Winslow’s world is gripping, morally complex, and impossible to forget.
SA Examiner 