Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: No. 7: The Date by Nandita Banerjee

No. 7 The Date by Nandita Banerjee

Author Nandita Banerjee delivers yet another tangled knot of family drama with No. 7: The Date, the second installment of this eerie and thoughtfully crafted series.

Still reeling from her newly upended life, and the consequences of her husband’s sinister cabal activities, Priya must muddle through the aftermath of ghostly encounters, controlling relatives, natural disasters, unwanted advances, and even her son’s marriage proceedings in an endless quest to find peace. Armed with quiet perseverance, she must hold her family together on opposite sides of the world, all while juggling a dangerous and growing list of secrets – about her husband, […]

Review: The Story of You by Gerald Schaefer

The Story of You by Gerald Schaefer

In The Story of You, a brightly illustrated book for thoughtful children, author Gerald Schaefer finds straightforward yet colorful ways to help overcome many of life’s negative moments.

Schaefer opens his story with a welcome to our world of flowers, hummingbirds, and other natural phenomena, which help to build the notion of the connectedness of all life. He states that trees and flowers, for example, “appreciate” being looked at; our gaze perks them up in various ways, and makes us feel good, too. Inside each of us is another self, an “invisible you,” Schaefer reveals; though it can’t be […]

SPR2021-12-07T03:49:22+02:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: Calm for Surgery by Dr. Chris Bonney MD FANZCA

Calm for Surgery by Dr. Chris Bonney

With experience-based information and a lively sense of humor and humanity, Dr. Chris Bonney, doctor of anesthesiology, advises readers on how to have the greatest success, fewest pains and fears, when anticipating and undergoing surgery, in Calm for Surgery: SuperTips for a Smooth Recovery.

Dr. Bonney explains that there are a number of major issues with which a prospective surgery patient might be grappling: general anxiety, fear of needles, worries about pain, and nervousness about being in a hospital setting without a sense of personal control. To some extent these anxieties are justified by the myriad possibilities, such as […]

SPR2021-12-22T07:33:56+02:00November 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Health Book Reviews|

Review: Pink Gallery to Mar Suite by Chris Leite

Pink Gallery to Mar Suite by Chris Leite

Author Christopher Leite drops readers into the mind of a ruthless android in Pink Gallery to Mar Suite, a grim and bloody novel of revenge, lust, and the existential angst of an AI assassin.

In this gritty slice of the future, ICQA-1037 is just a hard-working robot killer trying to get laid after four long years, but his standards are high, his patience is thin, and his temper seems perpetually ready to boil over and explode. Being one of the most advanced forms of technology on the planet doesn’t make up for his loneliness, or confusion at the petty […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-12-21T07:24:52+02:00November 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Verónica: A Musketeer’s Story by Jody Studdard

A rip-roaring adventure about the life and times of the first female Musketeer, Jody Studdard’s middle-grade novel Verónica: A Musketeer’s Story is sure to enchant and inspire readers of all ages.

Eighteen-year-old Verónica Espinosa hails from a family of top-notch male matador champions, so she has a lot to prove as a young woman in the ring. After a poor showing during a bullfight, she flees her home in shame and disgrace, fearing that she has dishonored her relatives. She wanders from place to place, meeting nasty banditos, exploring ancient pyramids, conversing with fortune tellers and spirits, and trying her […]

Michelle Hogmire2021-12-14T03:41:21+02:00November 2nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Called by Marlena Fiol and Ed O’Connor

Called by Marlena Fiol and Ed O'Connor

Immersing readers in a vibrant slice of the past, Called by Marlena Fiol and Ed O’Connor is an original account of unsung heroism and unwavering faith in the face of impossible odds.

The story begins in the 1940s, as World War II raged and Hitler’s shadow seemed to stretch across the world, even to Paraguay, and right into the lives of Dr. John and Clara Schmidt. While his whirlwind invitation to Paraguay and sudden proposal may have been the tumultuous start of their journey into revolutionary medical practices, the stakes remained just as high in the many decades that followed […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-12-10T08:26:17+02:00October 29th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, History Book Reviews|

Review: Of Prophets and Pinioned Angels by Kyle Fox

Of Prophets and Pinioned Angels by Kyle Fox

Plunging once more into the bleak, battle-scarred existence of Jacobus, the dauntless fallen knight of Korigane, Of Prophets and Pinioned Angels by Kyle Fox is the masterful second book in his Tales of Exile series.

After shearing his way through endless horrors in the first book of the series, this doomed warrior is now tasked by an angel to liberate even more souls from the creeping darkness and brimstone that befell his home. The angel Ezrea tells him of other kingdoms, where other battles must be fought, and more blood must still be spilled, in this dark, mystical, and visceral […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-12-06T04:26:47+02:00October 25th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Valley Fliers by David Boito

Valley Fliers by David Boito

Mystery and amateur sleuthing take to the unconquered skies in Valley Fliers by David Boito, a new standout YA thriller with a spiraling, well-crafted plot. Mysteries abound in this acrobatic novel, replete with drone-toting hitmen and a conspiracy too rich not to be investigated by some would-be sleuths.

With dreams of attending a prestigious aeronautical school, Jay is on the cusp of adulthood, but his head has always been in the clouds, as he navigates model airplanes with expert precision. Turning a hobby into a career means a lot of practice at the local miniature airfield, where there are some […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-12-02T06:07:39+02:00October 22nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|