Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Trump You by Art Cohen with Dan Good

Trump You by Art Cohen

Capturing the deceitful nature and history of greed that has long defined America’s 45th president, Trump You: Promises, Lies, and Corruption: My Battle with Donald Trump’s Fake University by Art Cohen is a scathing personal memoir of one man’s titanic struggle against a capitalist giant.

Not only functioning as a fascinating, and at times painful-to-believe legal thriller, this book is also a detailed unraveling of the Trump University fraud – a clumsy yet lucrative scheme to cheat thousands of people with empty promises. The name “Trump” alone has become synonymous with a great many things in recent years, but this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-18T06:16:19+02:00October 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Politics Book Reviews|

Review: The Roar of Ordinary by J.C. Foster

The Roar of Ordinary by J. C. Foster

A sibling’s love embraces those he has lost, most especially the brother with whom he grew up and shared ambitions, dreams, and a remarkably mature philosophy in The Roar of Ordinary: Brothers, Sisters, War, and Fate, an emotive memoir by J.C. Foster.

The saga of Foster’s family could begin when his father Chuck, in mid-adolescence, rebelled against his overbearing father and struck out on his own as America was struggling under the deprivations of the Great Depression. That independent spirit undoubtedly influenced both Foster and his younger brother Steve. Two tragic deaths left Chuck alone with an invalid daughter […]

SPR2021-12-01T08:06:22+02:00October 12th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: What’s Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips

What's Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips

A whimsical, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud collection of poetry and drawings, What’s Wrong With a Pet Dinosaur? by Tony Philips is a carefree but carefully crafted bundle of fun. Bouncing between surreal slices of fiction and narrative poems about more relatable experiences, the poet takes readers through a wild maze of imagination and the wonders of growing up.

The titular poem is a short and silly one, encapsulating the wry, tongue-in-cheek humor that many of these quippy poems lean into. “What Comes After Z” is longer, and written with more humor, along with some sage wisdom from the mouth of babes. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-24T11:02:15+02:00October 11th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews, Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Of Starlight and Plague by Beth Hersant

Of Starlight and Plague by Beth Hersant

A catastrophic spiral of human folly and unflinching perseverance, Of Starlight and Plague by Beth Hersant is a stunning cautionary tale, and an engrossing dystopian thriller. Whether you’re a lover of zombie fiction or a sucker for stories about genetic engineering, this novel is a slow-burning but riveting ride.

After an impossible-to-predict tragedy robs him of his daughter, shortly after losing his wife, Dr. Aaron Pickman turns a corner in his life. Fueled by grief, he dedicates his life to finding a cure for rabies, the rare culprit in his daughter’s case, while also possibly revolutionizing drug-delivery techniques to the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-07T03:42:57+02:00October 6th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews, Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Unleashing My Superpowers by Dr. Patience Mpofu

Unleashing My Superpowers by Dr. Patience Mpofu

Award-winning mining executive Dr. Patience Mpofu has gleaned recollections from her life experience and offers them with advice, instruction, and encouragement for ambitious women, especially those involved in, or considering, careers in the varying aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), in Unleashing My Superpowers: How to Navigate and Succeed in a Male-Dominated Mining Work Environment.

The author believes she was given the name Patience when her parents, rather dismayed at having a third girl and no sons yet, needed to develop this quality themselves. In their African culture – her father was of the Lemba tribe – […]

SPR2021-10-05T06:36:39+02:00October 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business Book Reviews|

Review: Heavenly by Thomas Duffy

Heavenly by Thomas Duffy

A tale of faith, redemption, and resurrection, Heavenly by Thomas Duffy is an inspiring parable of our time, one of desire, connection, and sacrifice.

After the “Big Guy” gives him a do-over, John comes back to the land of the living in a new form, Peter, who moves through this second life, navigating many of the common pitfalls of childhood and adulthood. However, when his second chance becomes entangled with the people from his previous life, the existential questions become all the more complex and intriguing.

Tapping into storytelling tropes of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol,” this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-18T07:55:30+02:00October 4th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Voice of a Mummy by Kay Oliver

Voice of a Mummy by Kay A. Oliver

A millennia-spanning mystery with all the thrills of a classic treasure hunt, Voice of a Mummy by Kay Oliver is the jaw-dropping compendium of novellas in the Dr. Kaili Worthy Series.

On a historic mummy hunt for the legendary Cleopatra, Dr. Kaili Worthy has no idea that she’s stepping into the path of a mysterious curse that stretches back nearly 4,000 years. Though the remains they find end up being from Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene, the doctor is soon back to her sleuthing ways when she discovers that she can converse with the trapped spirit of Cleopatra Selene – and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-18T10:43:05+02:00September 28th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Opium and the Red Rose by Michael Rogers

Opium and the Red Rose by Michael Rogers

Revisiting the war-torn land that scarred his youth, a filmmaker cooperates in international espionage and finds love and atonement, in Opium and the Red Rose, a wide-ranging thriller by Michael Rogers.

It’s 1982. Danny Summers is working with a film crew recreating scenes of combat, when his life suddenly changes in the face of two unrelated incidents: an accidental death during the filming, and a stranger inviting him to meet with a senator on a matter of extreme confidentiality.

The accident takes Danny back to his Vietnam years when he served the military as a member of a cinematic […]

SPR2021-11-11T04:25:38+02:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|