John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Review: Leadership Wisdom by Bob Vanourek

★★★★★

Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose, and Curious Verse by Bob Vanourek is an enlightening collection of sage and timely advice.

Books about leadership and self-improvement seem to be a dime a dozen, which makes it difficult to know who to heed and where the best advice actually comes from. Sidestepping that common failing, Bob Vanourek’s new book, Leadership Wisdom, instead relies on great minds and wise figures from human history to support his unique perspective.

While it can be easy to dismiss the occasionally condescending lessons from modern leaders and success stories, it is far harder to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T09:29:58+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Leadership Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: New Age Lamians (The Lamian Trilogy Book 1) by Didi Oviatt

★★★★ New Age Lamians by Didi Oviatt

New Age Lamians (The Lamian Trilogy Book 1) by Didi Oviatt is a unique and addictive YA adventure.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a new angle on the post-apocalyptic genre, as the recent popularity of this topic has led to hundreds of new books trying to capture the horrors of a dystopian future. The YA genre has been less inundated with these types of stories, however, and Didi Oviatt’s new novel, New Age Lamians, stands out as a truly creative and engaging story. The premise of the novel is bleak – a planet that has been […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T11:09:47+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Martyr’s Blade (The Chronicles of the Martyr Book 1) by Joel Manners

★★★★★

Magic, mayhem and memorable characters abound in The Martyr’s Blade (The Chronicles of the Martyr Book 1) by Joel Manners.

The sword and sorcery genre has had a major resurgence in recent years, thanks to a particular hit HBO show and a fresh generation of eager readers, but Joel Manners is clearly not a novice to the realms of fantasy. For a debut novel, The Martyr’s Blade welcomes readers into an incredibly dense and meticulously crafted world that becomes more enrapturing with every chapter.

At the outset, Manners works hard to establish reader rapport with a range of intense […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-12T09:14:58+02:00July 12th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay

When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay is a twisted mystery of hometown and heartbreak.

Reeling from missing out on the job of a lifetime, Iris Lee takes an unexpected step in her career – going back home. With a father who can’t remember her birthday and a mother struggling to remember her own name, Iris had been well on her way to leaving the past behind her, but she is unexpectedly pulled back into the swirling, nostalgic mess of Mt. Pleasant, Virginia. With the sharp mind of a corporate shark and the tireless drive of a street-wise sleuth, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-01T07:47:25+02:00July 1st, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin

★★★★½ A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin

A Tale of Witchwood Park by S.W. Develin is a heartfelt, humorous and insightful adventure.

Important life lessons come in many forms, and the boundless creativity of A Tale of Witchwood Park follows in that tradition – a memorable, amusing and profound piece of fantasy fiction for young readers. Based in the proud history of the magical genre, an unlikely band of heroes are assembled for a harrowing adventure to save the world from evil forces.

These young adventurers, however, have all the qualities of normal children, so they must not only overcome the False Queen and her minions, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-08-01T04:36:46+02:00June 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Wyrd, TX by David Shawn

★★★★½

Wyrd, TX by David Shawn is a terrifying, stylish thriller.

Balancing humor, wit and terror is an ability that few authors ever master, but David Shawn releases a macabre tour de force in Wyrd, TX, a city that time seems to have forgotten, but demons have not. Shawn marvelously sets the tone for readers within the first few chapters – a supernatural first scene to cleanse the palette for fantasy, followed by patient, thorough introductions of the major characters populating this bizarre world.

Chief Butler is the perfect antihero for this type of setting; a good man with […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T05:46:01+02:00June 17th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Paranormal Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: American Zeroes by John DiFelice

★★★★½

American Zeroes by John DiFelice is a darkly comic bit of brilliance.

Novels that defy classification make for an entertaining read, and that is precisely what John DiFelice delivers in American Zeroes. Behind the rambling and sometimes confusing storyline is an intelligent and witty author who knows which subtle buttons to push for laughs, tears and thoughtful musing, forcing readers to see the world through his twisted lens.

At times, the book reads like the rambling manifesto of a conspiracy theorist, or a legitimately deluded patriot, which isn’t actually far off the mark. Jeremiah Stumpf is a modern-day […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-26T05:25:35+02:00June 13th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Satire Book Reviews|

Review: Sunspots by Gary Martin

★★★★ Sunspots by Gary Martin

Many sci-fi authors focus on unique plot details and extensive exposition to stand out, doing all they can to create a memorable world for their readers. Books like Sunspots, however, show the other side of the sci-fi genre: the banality of space travel when it’s “just a job.” John is a believable character because readers can immediately relate to him; he is a blue-collar worker on a space scow hauling garbage away from Earth. It’s hardly glamorous work, and the entire novel would have seemed disingenuous if the author, Gary Martin, had tried to paint a different picture.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-07-22T10:00:29+02:00June 13th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|