John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Remembering by Charles Paul Collins

The Remembering by Charles Paul Collins

A richly imagined family legacy set against the backdrop of a perpetually changing world, The Remembering: Of Leather and Stone by Charles Paul Collins blends fact and fiction into a compelling American saga.

Remarkable in scope, emotion, and timeliness, this fact-based novel depicts the shifting tides of American society as it moved through the horrors of the Civil War, the violent battles for labor rights across the country, disruptive technological revolutions, and the growing pains of a nation still wrestling with its racial and cultural identities, all through the lens of the author’s own family. Told through fabricated journal entries […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-02-14T15:09:59+02:00December 2nd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko

Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko An outpouring of well-penned admiration for the enigmatic architecture, music, philosophy, and denizens of Japan’s capital, Tokyo Tempos by Michael Pronko is an artful love letter to an inimitable city. His obvious reverence for Japan is clear, and he writes with a blend of humility and pride that only comes from deeply loving your chosen home.

Largely composed of articles and essays the author published while working as a writer and teacher in Tokyo, this collection of vignettes and brief stories is driven by the author’s perpetual curiosity and hunger for new experiences. Pronko, an American who has lived in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-12-02T14:32:37+02:00December 2nd, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Travel Book Reviews|

Review: A Mage’s Path by I.L. Cruz

A Mage's Path by I.L. Cruz

The dramatic final installment of The Enchanted Isles series, A Mage’s Path by I.L. Cruz concludes this sweeping saga of magical revelation and selfless heroism.

Having left Canto behind, along with a heartbroken friend and the love of her life, Inez seeks out the mysterious Avo in the realm of Faery for guidance on remedying the many magical crises surrounding her. Inez’s mother remains trapped in a powerful cowrie shell and her increasingly accessible magic still feels too out of control to wield against the very real enemies that threaten her, let alone aid her quest to return magic to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-02-03T19:54:51+02:00December 1st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley

Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley

An irreverent and boundary-pushing collection of short stories, Divine in Essence by Yarrow Paisley is a burst of radical creativity with a heavy dose of darkness.

Playing artfully on the edge of perverse and profound, these tales descend into the casually macabre and disturbingly real, teetering between horror fiction and supernatural sci-fi. Each page brims with unearthly tales: a fever-afflicted daughter recounting visions from Hell to her mother, the soul of a young boy imprisoned in the dead eye of his father’s vexatious lover, the existential musings of a comedian’s corpse as it takes one more spin through the world, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-01-31T15:21:46+02:00November 25th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Short Stories Book Reviews|

One Woman’s Guide to Life by Estelle Taylor

A holistic collection of advice on cultivating a nourishing existence, One Woman’s Guide to Life: How to Live a Kinder, Easier and More Authentic Life by Estelle Taylor is a detailed, entertaining, and authoritative dive into self-improvement. From efficient home storage techniques and proven remedies for relaxation to astute counsel on communication, relationship check-ins, and workplace hacks, Taylor seems to touch on every conceivable subject in this comprehensive guide, which covers issues not usually found in other works of self-help. Kindness, patience, forgiveness, and harmony are central tenets in these concise anecdotes, all of which are delivered in Taylor’s conversational […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-22T14:02:11+02:00November 22nd, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Delaware from Freeways to E-ways by Dave Tabler

Delaware from Freeways to E-ways by Dave Tabler

A wide-ranging and captivating review of the twentieth century in America’s first state, Delaware from Freeways to E-ways: First State, Solid-State by Dave Tabler is an accessible and entertaining piece of coffee table history, and the informative third book in the Delaware History Overview series. For a citizen of Delaware or any lover of US history, this book neatly sews Delaware’s contributions into the broader fabric of the American story.

Divided into four distinct sections – early century ambitions, the varied impacts of wartime, Delaware’s response to broader societal changes, and pioneering steps towards a digital future – this format […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-19T11:55:10+02:00November 19th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: History Book Reviews|

The Cleopatra Aspect Series Box Set by AJ Channing

The Cleopatra Aspect Series by AJ Channing A steamy trilogy of love triangles and dangerous ambitions, The Cleopatra Aspect Series Box Set by AJ Channing is a thrilling collection for fans of bad-boy romance.

Freshly graduated Tia Sanchez embarks on a luxurious vacation to Dubai with her friend Julia, but their experiences abroad couldn’t be more different, as they both learn about the hidden desires of powerful men. In the second installment, Tia strikes a beneficial bargain with a tall, dark, and wealthy hunk on the Amalfi Coast, but their sham marriage soon begins to feel like a prison, especially after she falls for her charming and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-18T17:47:37+02:00November 18th, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|

The Viking, the Ditch, and the Bathrobe by Alan Frost

A history-packed plunge into the wild realm of raiders, longships, and heroic courage, The Viking, the Ditch, and the Bathrobe by Alan Frost is a riveting new adventure novel for young readers. In this third book of the Shawn from the Shed series, Johnny, Ella, and their quirky neighbor travel back in time more than a thousand years to Denmark in the Middle Ages, searching once again for a special person who just might change the course of history. Educational, original, poetic, and entertaining for parents and children alike, this middle grade series skillfully weaves historical fact into a page-turning […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-19T11:12:07+02:00November 18th, 2024|Categories: Editorial Reviews|