New Releases

SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books

Come Flutter Your Wings by Audrey Thompson

Come Flutter Your Wings by Audrey ThompsonCome Flutter Your Wings by Audrey Thompson is a passionate declaration of faith in the form of devotional poems, scripture, and stories from her life, in which she’s gone down a dark road and come out the other side with intense optimism and hope. It’s brimming with earnestness and sincerity, and should be a comfort for other religious devotees who have had to triumph over adversity.

Thompson’s faith is on profound display throughout the book, but sometimes we are not given a clear indication of just how she persevered in her life. Of course, this is part of the book’s […]

2016-03-05T09:22:38+02:00March 5th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Overcoming the Lie of “Race” by John L. Hodge

Overcoming the Lie of “Race” by John L. HodgeOvercoming the Lie of “Race”: A Personal, Philosophical and Political Perspective, by John L. Hodge, is a treatise from every angle on the supposition that race doesn’t exist. It’s a thorough, well-researched look into this oft-times controversial topic, injected with Hodge’s evocative personal tales in his own life being defined by race, as well as his family. Because of Hodge’s sincerity and passion for the subject, the book is well-argued and persuasive.

Hodge’s book is a good introduction for those who may not be familiar with all the angles of this debate. The fact that some people have darker […]

2016-03-04T09:52:14+02:00March 4th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Liberty and Means by Kristin Dow

Liberty and Means by Kristin DowLiberty and Means by Kristin Dow is about Shannon, who’s being stalked, or so she thinks, and finds instead that she’s come into a financial windfall from a sweepstakes company. Once her monetary needs are met, will this free her up to fully discover herself, or shine a brighter light on her problems? The answer is a little of both. And how will other people react to her good fortune? The novel is a thoughtful and engaging character study with the pace of a thriller, including a number of surprising plot twists along the way.

Dow’s Shannon doesn’t fall into […]

2016-02-26T10:41:50+02:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

The Perihelion by D.M. Wozniak

Perihelion by D.M. Wozniak The Perihelion by D.M. Wozniak is literary, character-driven science fiction at its best. Set in 2069, The Perihelion comprises a world where there are hybrid humans with 1% animal or insect DNA, called 99ers. The novel follows the lives of six different characters in an approaching apocalypse, the Perihelion: “The point in the path of a celestial body that is nearest to the sun,” in which the world is melting down both physically and mentally.  This is an epic, uniquely inventive novel about big ideas that should hopefully get a lot of attention.

An apocalyptic scenario sounds like well-trodden terrain, […]

2019-01-14T09:13:55+02:00February 24th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Jurisdiction Terminated by Jack Gold & Marc Debbaudt

Jurisdiction Terminated by Jack GoldJurisdiction Terminated by Jack Gold & Marc Debbaudtis a legal thriller front the point of view of a foul-mouthed judge in the juvenile court system. When the judge investigates the death of a Los Angeles County official, it brings him face to face with a North Korean drug cartel who are plotting to bring drugs into the juvenile detention system, which uncovers corruption high up in the justice system. A thought-provoking read that provides a glimpse into two arenas not often portrayed in fiction: the inner mind of a judge and the juvenile court system.

The most interesting facet of […]

2016-02-23T09:45:51+02:00February 23rd, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Nothando’s Journey by Jill Apperson Manly, Illustrations by Alyssa Casey

Nothando's Journey by Jill Apperson ManlyNothando’s Journey is an exquisite children’s book about Nothando, who lives in Swaziland in Southern Africa. Nothando is getting ready for the Reed Festival, a right of passage of dancing and celebration in front of the King and Queen, and she’s worried about the performance and new responsibility. As she travels through the hills with her brother, she learns contentment and courage from all the wild animals, which prepares her to perform in the festival. Nothando’s Journey is a culturally-rich and artistically-mesmerizing story that kids will most certainly want to return to again and again.

While Nothando’s story is an […]

2016-02-19T07:55:34+02:00February 19th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Barcelona: A Photographic Tour by Alexandru Ciobanu

Barcelona: A Photographic Tour“Barcelona is the city of colors.” So begins Alexandru Ciobanu’s photographic travel guide, which certainly lives up to that first declaration. In vibrant color photography, Ciabanu covers the gamut in the city of Barcelona, from major attractions to hidden corners. Additionally, it’s a well-detailed travel guide, outlining the history behind each one of his pictures, in prose that’s both concise and informative.

Sometimes color photography can lose the timeless romance and detail of black and white photography, but such is not the case with Ciobanu’s photographs.  Ciobanu makes great use of vivid HD photography, which brings out texture and color. […]

2022-09-13T12:43:37+02:00February 5th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Teachings on Being by Codrin Stefan Tapu

Teachings on Being by Codrin Stefan TapuTeachings on Being: The Holy Book of Religious Leaders, Followers, and Non-Believers by Codrin Stefan Tapu is a collection of aphorisms about what Tapu calls “The New Faith.”

The New Faith accepts all faiths under one umbrella as a sort of syncretism, while promoting union between different religions and heritages. As an outcropping of this ethos, Teachings on Being collects together a number of different chapters, each a few paragraphs long about how humans can be united and live together peacefully.

Though there are profound ideas woven into the book, it follows in the footsteps of Jodorowsky or Chopra in […]

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