Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Faete (The Blood Moon Series Book 1) by Aimée Oswald Sellars

★★★★

Renny McGuire is the last in a long line of proud seanachies – storytellers of the “old country.” She carries the tales her grandfather once told – stolen from the hall closet when he would wax on at the dinner table late at night – and she continues the tradition with her late night readings at her mother’s Celtic bookstore, Seanachie.

A less-told tale of her heritage comes from a place far more mysterious than the Emerald Isle, as the McGuires have a dark family secret – a secret uncovered by one teenage descendant with just a little too […]

Review: Sophie by Edward “Skip” Biron

A dog can become almost human, according to author Edward “Skip” Biron, presenting a darling Bichon Frise as an excellent example in his non-fiction book, Sophie.

Being a rare breed, Sophie was rather expensive, but the woman destined to become her owner and best friend – Polly Pelletier – was very lonely, having recently moved from Maine to Washington state after a bad marriage. Working from home and rarely going out, she used a website for picking the best breed of dog for one’s personality, purposely describing herself as nearly impossible to get along with. “The answer came […]

Barbara Scott2019-02-11T09:22:53+02:00March 12th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Pets Book Reviews|

Review: Ascending Voice by Simi Fromen

Ascending Voice by Simi Fromen is a moving collection of poetry about putting yourself together after a broken relationship. Told in three sections -“Mud,” “Murky Waters,” and “Lotus” – the collection follows Fromen’s path from pain to renewal. It’s a deeply honest collection about healing that should help readers heal as well, especially those recovering from a divorce or other bad relationship.

Fromen writes from a decidedly New Age, yogic perspective. However, where New Age “think positive” writing can devolve into tropes and cliches, what makes Ascending Voice stand out is Fromen’s honesty. She is very clearly, by her own […]

Lysa Grant2019-02-11T09:12:37+02:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: The Diary of an Immortal (1945-1959) by David J. Castello

★★★★

In The Diary of an Immortal, author David J. Castello shows his skills as a wordsmith and creates an unforgettable narrative that looks at immortality from every possible side.

As a main character, readers can hardly ask for more from Steven Ronson, who begins as a hapless but heroic young man who stumbles upon something unimaginable – a formula that allows him to live forever. Readers are quickly taken away from the battlefields of WWII, but the fight is far from over. Ronson soon learns that chasing his every dream, without fear of failure or fatality, is not […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-24T19:47:01+02:00March 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Historical Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Gambit by Brad Carlson

★★★★★

International intrigue and political thrillers have always been a popular genre, but in these tumultuous times, the fodder for such writers seems to have increased immeasurably. In The Gambit, Brad Carlson tears the tension from the headlines, postulating a world where Iran becomes a nuclear nation, and in the face of American hesitance, Israel must make a dangerous decision to protect itself.

Every chapter is packed with the gravitas of the present world, making this novel both timely and prescient. For those trying to escape these difficult times, this book may not be the most appealing read, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-07-05T09:52:58+02:00March 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Terrorist Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: In Albuquerque, Abandoned by Tower Lowe

Keeping the adventures of a sleuthing duo fresh can be a challenge for any writer, but it seems as though Tower Lowe has figured out the secret to success. Within the pages of In Albuquerque, Abandoned, the seventh novel in her Cinnamon/Burro New Mexico Mysteries series, readers are not only sucked into the story of a mysterious fraternal murder, but also the strange depths of Cinnamon and Burro’s lives.

This uniquely named crime-solving team is not your average pair, and both have deeply rooted issues that define them as characters. From Burro’s schizophrenic visions to Cinnamon’s demons of abandonment, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:10:05+02:00March 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: The Stuff of Life by Asif Zaidi

Former Chairman of the Management Board of Citibank Kazakhstan, Pakistani author Asif Zaidi presents essays on a myriad of eclectic subjects in The Stuff of Life. Not hesitant to weigh in on such topics as philosophy, religion, social issues, anthropology, and even evolution, Zaidi is after finding the very meaning of life in this intriguing and wide-ranging collection of essays.

Zaidi spends a lot of time on the subject of religion, and how it defines or derails us. His focus may not always be popular, but it is certainly interesting. The expectation of the coming of a Messiah anticipated […]

Barbara Scott2019-02-11T09:26:10+02:00March 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Essay Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: Programming the Brain by Chandana Watagodakumbura, PhD

Educational neuroscience is a relatively new field, and one that is expertly explored in Programming the Brain: Pedagogical Practices and Study Skills for Enhanced Learning and Metacognition. A PhD engineer and academic who teaches computer science at Australia’s Central Queensland University, Dr. Chandana Watagodakumbar’s premise, intelligently and comprehensively set forth, is that just as computers are programmed to “learn” in a specific way, the principles of neuroscience can offer a useful modality for teaching humans.

Programming the Brain comprises an introduction to neuroscience and its implications for how we access knowledge; an examination of learning related concepts widely employed […]