John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Review: Don’t Go, Ramanya by Rush Leaming

★★★★½ Don't Go, Ramanya by Rush Leaming

Transporting readers to another world, a different time, or a new way of looking at things is the great task of an author, and in Don’t Go, Ramanya, author Rush Leaming does a marvelous job of doing all three. Packed with vivid descriptions and unique, unforgettable characters, this novel grabs readers within the first few pages.

The story centers on three men, Father Bob, Michael Shaw and Ramanya, an ex-rebel soldier from Burma, as they serendipitously join forces and attempt to smuggle Ramanya back into his home country. This simple premise goes far deeper, as Ramanya is also […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T04:43:17+02:00February 3rd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Devil in the Dark by Chris Lindberg

★★★★★ Devil in the Dark by Chris Lindberg

If you’re looking for a relentless, action-packed thriller, Devil in the Dark by Chris Lindberg is the hit you’ve been seeking. This follow-up to the 2011 thriller Code of Darkness brings back the walking natural disaster named Rage, a priceless military asset with more fury and superhuman abilities than any one man should possess.

His new task, now that he has been successfully contained (and medically subdued) by the powers that be, is to end the reign of a vicious Mexican drug lord, Javier Oropeza. After a devastating attack on a key border crossing between the United States and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:37:32+02:00January 31st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Book of Moon by George Crowder

★★★★★ The Book of Moon by George Crowder

Cynical adults may often point to the angst of younger generations and claim that they are being overly dramatic, and that they haven’t experienced enough of life to truly know heartbreak or sorrow. However, in The Book of Moon, author George Crowder reminds readers that pain is relative, and the fact that our capacity for sadness grows as we age does not make it any less potent when we are young.

Moon Landing seems like a normal kid growing up in California, but his musings on misfortune parallels to Job, the biblical whipping boy, suggest that he sees […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:37:23+02:00January 31st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Professor Flintwick’s Dream Machine by Dominic R. Daniels

★★★★ Professor Flintwick's Dream Machine

In Professor Flintwick’s Dream Machine, author Dominic R. Daniels delivers an unforgettable young adult fantasy with the depth of a novel intended for adults. Blending the whimsical impossibility of “Spirited Away” with the pared down, yet surreal style of Murakami, this short book is an adventurous ride that will be difficult to put down.

Yoshi Flintwick, an eccentric inventor and loving grandfather, once built weapons for the government, but is now much more interested in his dream machine – an invention that constructs rather than destroys. When Professor Flintwick has a horrible vision of creatures under the cruel […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:37:14+02:00January 27th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: From Grief to Awakening by Steven Joseph

From Grief to Awakening by Steven Joseph

In From Grief to Awakening, author Steven Joseph explains the complex, personal and spiritual struggles he underwent as he tried to make sense of his ultimate loss – the suicide of his son – but there is far more to the story than that, offering a challenging and enlightening perspective on loss.

Prefaced with his admitted suspicion (years ago) of anyone claiming to have an understanding of life after death, the author begins by expounding his own reticence to accept that there is a way to find peace after tragedy. He recounts his doubts of religion, and the empty […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:51:58+02:00January 25th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: The Oarsman by Zubin Mathai

★★★★★

Many authors attempt to bridge the gap between metaphysical, philosophical and narrative elements, but few succeed as effectively as Zubin Mathai in The Oarsman. This is a novel that stands out of time and space, and brings readers on a surreal journey back up the long river of the Man’s years, a nameless protagonist seeking meaning and validation as he nears the end of his life.

At the behest of the god-like Judge and with the help of the mysterious, titular Oarsman, the Man sails back upstream, through the many different lives he has led, including those abandoned […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:38:24+02:00January 19th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Molding My Destiny by Patrice M. Foster

Molding My Destiny by Patrice Foster The most powerful stories are those torn from personal experience, and in Molding My Destiny by Patrice M. Foster, readers are presented with a heartbreaking account of an impossible childhood. Parental support and love seem nonexistent, and selfishness is the crucible in which the author is formed. From the mean streets of Jamaica, witnessing the immorality and cruelty of her father, to the feeling of abandonment on American shores, this book is a painful saga of experience that would be too great for many people to overcome.

Beyond the initial trauma, however, Foster shares the symptoms and side effects of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-02-27T06:15:38+02:00January 18th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: The You in You by Wilbert Hunt

Human beings have long been fascinated by the idea of something beyond this world; whether you want to call it the afterlife, a higher consciousness or even another dimension, it perennially intrigues the imagination. In The You in You, author Wilbert Hunt explains his own relationship to this other realm, accessed through out-of-body experiences.

Hunt methodically takes readers through the story of his life, making claims and suggesting possibilities that are absolutely incredible, according to the most basic definition of that word. For example, within the first ten pages, readers are posed a series of questions: “What would […]