Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Braving the World by Pam Saylor

Braving the World by Pam Saylor

A dynamic couple decide to make retirement a gateway to shared overseas adventures in Braving the World: Adventures in Travel and Retirement by Pam Saylor.

This engaging memoir covers all the highs and lows of an ambitious stay abroad. Pam and her husband Dave each had areas of expertise and both were highly detail-oriented, which would be crucial to the year-long escape they envisioned, the “bel sogno,” the beautiful dream: a year in Italy, half in Rome, half in Venice. Before they could leave they had to rent out their home, find a year-long dog sitter, sell their cars, store […]

SPR2021-05-25T04:14:55+02:00March 31st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Travel Book Reviews|

Review: The Dragon’s Zenith by Jason F. Boggs

The Dragon's Zenith by Jason F. Boggs

Strap in for a nonstop cosmic ride in The Dragon’s Zenith, the final book in the Dragon Trilogy by author Jason F. Boggs. Wrapping up a galaxy’s worth of loose ends in style, this novel delivers an ultimate showdown loyal readers may not be expecting, as well as unexpected new allies, strange alien worlds, and that engaging blend of fantasy and sci-fi that this series has done so well from the start.

With the world-building basics and character exposition out of the way, this third and final novel dives right into the action, as well as the personal entanglements. Alene […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-05-04T03:37:42+02:00March 30th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Reality by DC Wince

Reality by DC Wince

Near-future fiction at its finest, Reality by DC Wince is a thrilling and unpredictable leap into fight or flight mode. In bits and pieces, readers are submerged in a strange carnival of limitless power, the desperate search for truth, and the raw potential of humanity’s survival instinct.

Charlie, Dale, Blaze, and Ernst make for an odd quartet of protagonists, particularly because they spend a decent amount of this novel hunting one another in a winner-take-all death race in the desert. However, the backstory passages of their lives, and the strange events leading up to their Lord of the Flies face-off […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-03-30T07:03:42+02:00March 30th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Pushing Bobby’s Cadillac by Allan Dare Pearce

Pushing Bobby's Cadillac by Allan Dare Pearce

Rich in historical detail and thick with visceral emotion, Pushing Bobby’s Cadillac by Allan Dare Pearce is a bold and tangled novel about racial injustice, finding one’s purpose, and the lengths that power will go to remain unchallenged.

Aiken Day is far from perfect, haunted by his own violent past, but the death of Paris, his civil rights activist wife, sends him careening into the dangerous world of political subterfuge, racial violence, and country-spanning conspiracy. Bouncing smoothly between Detroit, Florida, New Hampshire, Ontario, and other oft-overlooked pockets of the continent, this one-day-per-chapter novel sets itself a tall task with a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-05-03T04:58:38+02:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Lost Souls: A Fictional Journey through 50 Years of Pink Floyd by Edwin Ammerlaan

Lost Souls: A Fictional Journey through 50 Years of Pink Floyd by Edwin Ammerlaan

Author and music journalist Edwin Ammerlaan brings readers on the tour of a lifetime with Lost Souls: A Fictional Journey Through 50 Years of Pink Floyd. This magical slice of history collides a fictional protagonist with real-life rock stars and celebrities, painting a visceral and addictive picture of life in Pink Floyd’s inner circle.

Matt is the central figure and narrator of the story, a fictional proxy for the author himself, who has spent decades covering the perpetually evolving music industry, including writing a number of pieces on Pink Floyd. Matt lives the dream of many, slowly integrating himself […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-04-22T03:51:44+02:00March 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Mr. Smitty Notes: Genesis 1-11 by Mr. Smitty

Mr. Smitty Notes: Genesis 1-11 by Mr. Smitty

An older mentor writes to a boy named Sammy to explain why and how our views of morality and spirituality have changed since the founding of America, basing his case on the biblical creation story, in Mr. Smitty Notes: Genesis 1-11.

The author introduces this lively viewpoint by explaining to the reader that Mr. Smitty, the “author” of the narrative, would be someone with whom Sammy has “an important relationship,” expressing his concern for the boy’s future by acquainting him with elements of the past with which Sammy may not be entirely familiar. He reminds the reader that the […]

SPR2021-04-21T08:34:58+02:00March 12th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Religious Book Reviews|

Review: The Second Arrow by Sahli A. Cavallaro

With a pervading air of mystery and curiosity, poet Sahli A. Cavallaro probes the puzzles of life, love, connection and meaning in The Second Arrow: A Book of Illustrated Poetry, an exploratory and experimental collection.

With poems that range from the whimsical and musing to the heavy and emotionally vulnerable, this gathering of work is linguistically unique, and buttressed by detailed illustrations that break up the experience for readers. One could argue that this is a dark collection, but it is more varied than that, with plenty of existential weight mixed with splashes of playfulness and intrigue.

In “Comfort […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-03-11T06:01:30+02:00March 10th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Beowulf: A Verse Translation from the Anglo-Saxon by Andrew B. F. Carnabuci

Beowulf: A Verse Translation from the Anglo-Saxon by Andrew B. F. Carnabuci

More than 1,000 years after the epic poem of Beowulf was first penned, Andrew B. F. Carnabuci continues a long tradition of demystification and offers up his own take with Beowulf: A Verse Translation from the Anglo-Saxon.

What remains unchanged in this accessible and unbiased translation is the story itself: the tragic and triumphant life of Beowulf, a great Scandinavian warrior whose bravery and leadership has become the stuff of legend. Beginning with his youthful battles in Denmark against the infamous monster Grendel, and Grendel’s even more malevolent mother, it doesn’t take long for the Beowulf to demonstrate his […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-04-08T11:27:24+02:00March 8th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|