SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Soldier of Fortune (Book 1 of the Fortune Chronicles) by Kathleen McClure
Fishing In Valhalla by Rodney Lynch
The novel is a fun and quick read that will have you smiling frequently, […]
When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay
When Are You Leaving by Melissa Powell Gay is a twisted mystery of hometown and heartbreak.
Reeling from missing out on the job of a lifetime, Iris Lee takes an unexpected step in her career – going back home. With a father who can’t remember her birthday and a mother struggling to remember her own name, Iris had been well on her way to leaving the past behind her, but she is unexpectedly pulled back into the swirling, nostalgic mess of Mt. Pleasant, Virginia. With the sharp mind of a corporate shark and the tireless drive of a street-wise sleuth, […]
Items May Have Shifted by NJS Kaye
In Items May Have Shifted: How to Travel With Your Baby or Toddler, journalist NJS Kaye presents a “guerrilla guide” to traveling with young children based on copious experience and scholarly research.
Having taken her twin boys on 21 flights before their first birthday, Kaye provides the ins and outs of getting through security, boarding a plan quickly and efficiently, and changing a baby in an airplane restroom. She also covers tips for long car or bus trips, train travel, and even cruise ships. Each chapter ends with a short summary of “Souvenirs” with parental proverbs ranging from the […]
Doggy Drama by Andra Gillum, Illustrated by Andy Case
In first-person narration, Riley recalls happy times as the focal point for all of his “parents’” attention, followed by the chaotic aftermath of family additions: first one child, then another, then a new puppy. While each addition is disruptive, Riley learns to take it all in stride and celebrate the positive. The babies drop scraps of food from their high chairs and the new puppy is a great […]
Time Management by S.W. Clemens
When protagonist Jeffrey Porter’s father Randall suddenly goes missing, he moves his wife and children back to the family ranch in Santa Cruz to investigate. While searching the cellar, Porter uncovers a portal to the past where he meets the Kimbralls, the family who lived on the ranch in 1870. Porter and the Kimbrall patriarch Augustus embark on a mission to find Randall but the unpredictability of time travel and the portal itself make this a perilous pursuit. When they hear rumors that Randall is involved in labor disputes that have angered local farmers, they realize his life is in […]
Firinne by Elli Swift
It’s a new beginning for Mia O’Halloran, and in a sense a homecoming. After a long twenty years enduring the worst that London has to offer and a life of drugs and selling her virtues to make ends meet, a heady mix of nostalgia and fear is a cold shower for Mia as she returns to face up to her past, all in order to make a better future for herself. After all, home may be where the heart is, but it is also where some of her worst memories lay in wait, and the abusers that had made her […]
Cooperative Wisdom by Donald Scherer, PhD and Carolyn Jabs
Cooperative Wisdom: Bringing People Together When Things Fall Apart, written by acclaimed philosopher Dr. Donald Scherer and award-winning journalist Carolyn Jabs, introduces a novel approach to ethics that consistently dissolves conflict, restores goodwill, builds common purpose, and helps people thrive. Written as a spirited exchange between the two authors, Jabs brings up tough and pointed questions a smart reader would raise while Scherer lays out the human virtues that promote sustainability in natural and social environments. Their collaboration distills a lifetime of research and analysis […]