Lead Story

Lead stories from SPR’s ever-growing independent book portal

Review: Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise

Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise

A visceral and unflinching memoir, Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise is an outpouring of raw honesty that holds nothing back.

Reflecting on the decade-long turning point in her life from self-loathing to security, love, and self-confidence, this impactful memoir examines the pain and struggle through which so many people quietly suffer. From the lowest lows to the highest highs as a mother, wife, child, friend, and professional, this is truly a journey of overcoming the mountain of stressors and insecurities that make up our lives, which ultimately don’t need to define us.

Louise reveals herself completely, letting […]

2024-10-30T14:34:30+02:00October 30th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Developing Authentic Leaders by Jennifer Jensen

Developing Authentic Leaders by Jennifer Jensen

Providing support for aspiring leaders to be both open-minded and effective, Developing Authentic Leaders: A Practical Guide for All Leaders by Jennifer Jensen is an engaging and effective work of leadership self-help. Written in clear prose and a professional tone, this book is an easy-to-navigate guide, which is both practical and forward-thinking.

Early on, the book makes clear that the journey to becoming an authentic leader is paved with intimate reflection, self-awareness, and genuine personal change. Addressing the challenges that one can encounter at work, she offers communication strategies, tips on how to improve one’s own flexibility, and ways of […]

2024-10-24T17:22:28+02:00October 24th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Keepers of the Light by Trevor A. Dutcher

The Keepers of the Light by Trevor Dutcher

A coming-of-age adventure shining a light on the goodness and grace that makes the world go round, The Keepers of the Light by Trevor A. Dutcher is a riveting new YA read, and an entertaining first book in the Logan LeVec series.

Logan LeVec is navigating all the perils of sixth-grade life, from persistent bullies and paralyzing crushes on his neighbor to clumsy lunchroom disasters and embarrassing oral reports, but his seemingly normal life is about to change in ways he never expected. Though Logan’s parents would never believe or approve, the wild stories that his grandfather has been telling […]

Review: Toys in Babylon by Patrick Finegan

Toys in Babylon by Patrick Finegan

Whip-smart satire and a cutting-edge premise make Toys in Babylon: A Language App Parody and Whodunit by Patrick Finegan a tongue-in-cheek romp for savvy language lovers everywhere.

The animated avatars of a popular language-learning app begin to panic when their mascot, Coki Bear, turns up missing, leaving the town of Cokville leaderless. Between filming reality television and responding to the prompts and stories that fuel their online world, these colorful characters hunt for their missing friend, but they’re not the only ones who’ve noticed her absence.

The programmers at the Cok Dilli company are stupefied when their irritatingly attentive brand-name […]

2024-10-14T08:40:45+02:00October 12th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Fate of Our Union by Hildebrand Hermannson

The Fate of Our Union by Hildebrand Hermannson

The balance of harmony in the world is under threat, and a mythological age of unexpected heroes has arrived in The Fate of Our Union by Hildebrand Hermannson.

In this entrancing historical fantasy, the shadow of Rome’s boot is creeping across Europe, but the Germanic tribes and their mystical secrets have kept the invaders at bay. However, in a higher realm, gods play dice with existence, and the future of these diverse Sons of Men rests on the backs of a few unlikely companions.

Sunu the Saxon has recently proven himself and been renamed Red Stallion, Slayer of the Almighty […]

2024-10-11T11:03:22+02:00October 2nd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson

Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson

A classic rebound romance with unexpected depth, The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson is a contemporary mashup of cultural drama, noble deeds, and visceral desire.

Freshly liberated from a life doing what was expected, and free of her absent husband, Astrid launches herself into a fiery midlife obsession with Ty Machesney – an Italian stallion with an unbelievable backstory that ticks all her boxes. She tries to play it cool and casual, but when a charming, hotel-owning, sidearm-slinging hunk of a widower blows into her life at precisely the right time, it’s hard to refuse the hands of fate. […]

2024-09-11T17:03:36+02:00September 11th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies by Karl Wegener

Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies by Karl Wegener

Spiraling ever deeper into the historical tension, strategic alliances, and brinksmanship of Cold War politics, Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies by Karl Wegener is a classic spy-vs-spy thrill.

A child of the Warsaw insurgency against the Nazis, Ada Bialik is a fearless and determined sleeper agent with a vengeful mission to complete, and she hopes her new position as a teacher in occupied Poland will be the last step in a painfully long journey. However, the sentiments of Ada’s new neighbors are mixed, to say the least, regarding the Soviet rule and communist policies now “stabilizing” their lives. Remnants […]

2024-08-30T16:45:31+02:00August 30th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Velvet Hammer by Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. and Amy Mitchell

The Velvet Hammer by Judge Belvin Perry Jr.

Bridging the traditional boundaries of personal and professional life, Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. offers an eye-opening peek into the American justice system with The Velvet Hammer, a powerful memoir laced with revelatory insight about some of the most memorable, challenging, and heinous cases of his career, including the Casey Anthony case, which brought him intense scrutiny and notoriety.

Born in 1949 and coming of age in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Perry developed a deep understanding of systemic fractures in America, but also recognized the life-changing leaps toward racial equality that were gained during his generation. […]

2024-08-19T12:59:45+02:00August 19th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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