Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball by Kevin Christofora ★★★★

Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball, a Hometown All Stars book, is a charming book for ages 3-7 about a baseball-obsessed boy’s first day at baseball practice. Leading up to the big day, Nick learns the basic about baseball, and sees baseballs wherever he goes. At practice he gets a jersey, picks a number, and learns some basic calisthenics. In this way Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball is a very thorough look at practicing a sport. It’s an important lesson in fitness as well as a book about baseball.

The illustrations are warm and spirited, and highly optimistic, […]

Henry Baum2017-03-24T10:52:14+02:00April 21st, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: Atoms and Other Small Pieces by L. N. Nino ★★★★★

Atoms and Other Small Pieces is a short collection of fiction by author L. N. Nino, with the general theme of small details and the transition into horrible, deeply humanistic developments.

The first story, eponymous “Atoms,” compares and contrasts typical storytelling with the emotional existence of a non-sentient protagonist – a chemical compound – with the circumstances of a human tragedy; the second, “Debris,” centers on the story of a loveless mother-child relationship; the third, “Pennies,” ascribes itself an extended letter from a self-described philosopher of modern masculine virtue and creative genius who has fallen into difficult and unfair circumstances; […]

James Grimsby2017-03-24T10:53:02+02:00April 20th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Short Stories Book Reviews|

Review: The Charismatics by Ashley R. Carlson ★★★★★

The Charismatics (Book 1), by Ashley R. Carlson, is a pleasant surprise that will transform readers into instant fans.

Duchess Ambrose Killaher was only seventeen when she was exiled to Shinery, a city of snow and darkness. Ambrose’s arranged marriage turns out to be a disaster and she soon learns her husband despises her. The only person she can trust is her invisible friend named Roan.

Shinery is holding its yearly celebration to celebrate Legalia’s rule, while the poor starve in the streets below. Ambrose can’t keep turning a blind eye to all around her and when she accidentally witnesses […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:53:43+02:00April 20th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews, Steampunk Book Reviews|

Review: On Becoming Extraordinary by Pieter Klaas Jagersma ★★★★

On Becoming Extraordinary On Becoming Extraordinary: Star Professional Service Firms is a business book by Pieter Klaas Jagersma. When I first glanced at the title of this book, I thought I was about to read a book that would tell me how to stop procrastinating, maintain a healthy weight, keep my office well-organized and my house clean—that last one would be extraordinary indeed. I was delighted to discover that this book is nothing of the kind.

As I would have seen (thought not been much enlightened) if I had read the subtitle, On Becoming Extraordinary is about Professional Service Firms (PSFs), particularly how […]

Avery Hurt2017-03-24T10:54:23+02:00April 16th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Business Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Activate Leadership by Jon Mertz ★★★★

Activate Leadership: Aspen Truths To Inspire Millennial Leaders by Jon Mertz sets out the confident and unusual philosophy that, due to the digital landscape, young leaders in business, known here as “Millennials” are connected like aspens on a ski slope, forever rooted together and never alone due to the Internet.

The book is more of an almost spiritual philosophy based on a demographic that the author is looking at from afar, comparing them in turn to the way an aspen tree grows and connects, and the take-homes from that. So while this is a look at an idea that occurred […]

Cate Baum2017-03-24T10:54:50+02:00April 15th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business Book Reviews|

Review: Exit by Julian Boote ★★★★★

Exit, by Julian Boote, is a terrifying read that will keep you up well after your bedtime. And you might want to leave the lights on.

A group of thieves receive a frightening message during a midnight heist: The wage of sin is death. During the robbery, a swarm of hooded individuals trap them inside an abandoned Cold War nuclear bunker. The compound is vast and cutoff from the outside world. As the thieves begin to realize they are trapped they learn another scary fact. The people in hoods are vigilantes that will stop at nothing to get their […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:55:16+02:00April 13th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews|

Review: The Dissector by L. L. Spriggs ★★★★

The Dissector, by L. L. Spriggs, is medical school mystery that will make most readers think twice the next time they see their doctor.

Dr. Sarah Whitley is ecstatic when she’s hired as an Assistant Professor of Anatomy in a prestigious medical school in New Orleans. Soon she learns that not everything is as it seems. When Sarah was a student she admired her professors. Now that she witnesses what happens behind the scenes, she starts questioning the motives, qualifications, and morals of those she teaches with. When Sarah is asked to help out in the morgue she learns […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:56:02+02:00April 13th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Ancient by R Kane ★★★★

Ancient by R Kane Ancient is no less than a telling of the classic story of Nosferatu – specifically Nosferatu, the once Alexander the Great – and his relationship with a young girl as he battles the Grand Lich Akhenaton and his werewolf warriors. A monster with a heart of gold, Alexander sets out into a new world after a century of supernatural rest, and with a little help from his friends – mortal and other – he might just find a way to get a life in this crazy world, as well as a solution to his old dues.