Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews

Review: If I Came Back from Hell by Bernie Donnelly

If I Came Back from Hell by Bernie Donnelly

The books of Bernie Donnelly are always thoughtful, and often include spiritual elements that leave readers with hard questions at the end of the story. In If I Came Back from Hell, the author takes another leap forward into the realm of philosophical narrative with a powerful tale that will give you shivers. Looking back on your life is something we often associated with the moments before death, when it flashes by in a mere second, but this story leans to the opposite extreme, making for an unforgettable novel.

Frank McGovern has not lived a traditionally “good” life, being […]

2020-05-28T10:12:04+02:00June 22nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Murphy’s Luck 2: Revenge of the Jinx by Benjamin Laskin

Murphy's Luck 2 by Benjamin LaskinMurphy’s Luck 2: Revenge of the Jinx follows a story as wacky as the characters – Murphy Drummer, an infinitely unlucky man, finds himself again in a sticky situation: the middle of a bank robbery. There, his bad luck seems to be contagious, and his efforts foil the robbery and garner the attention of the FBI. The story is fast-paced and consistently funny, throwing the reader into the hurricane that is the life of Murphy Drummer.

Laskin writes with a light and humorous touch, portraying the absurd in such a clear and matter of fact way that you can’t help […]

2021-11-29T05:56:31+02:00June 4th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Midsummer’s Bottom by Darren Dash

Midsummer’s Bottom by Darren DashIn a glade near Limerick, Ireland, a troupe of actors gather for their 20th anniversary production of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” unaware of a plot by real Feyland fairies to sabotage the performance and end the production for good. Del and Finn, planted among the actors, work to turn the cast against each other with the help of magic dust.

Jealousy, lust and ambition add to the chaos as the Midsummer Players spend two weeks rehearsing and lurch toward a fateful performance of the play. Midsummer’s Bottom by Darren Dash delights with Shakespearian couplets and a cacophony of human […]

2019-11-04T08:04:12+02:00May 16th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Karma’s Envoy by Kevan Houser

Karma's Envoy by Kevan HouserKarma’s Envoy by Kevan Houser is very clear in its mission to displace the reader along with Todd, the main character, in a narrative that is at once humorous and haunting.

The story begins with the rapid thoughts and memories of a man who has just committed something unspeakable, which triggers a memory of his mom and dad, and the family’s trips to Oregon. However, it turns out that none of it was true, as Todd asks, “Was it a scene from a movie, or something I made up?”

With this page-turning ending to the prologue, we are thrown with […]

2018-06-23T06:24:35+02:00May 14th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

What Your Therapist Is Really Thinking by Mirel Goldstein, MS, MA, LPC

What Your Therapist Really ThinkingThough the title may not suggest it, What Your Therapist Is Really Thinking is a work of fiction that aims to answer questions patients may have when entering into therapy.

Shira, a single mom, begins therapy with Dr. G. after the breakup of her marriage to an abuser. The doctor observes Shira’s different moods and aspects – sometimes open and affable, at other times silent, hostile, or frozen. Shira’s parents, with whom she lives, are overbearing, immediately seeing the negative “what-ifs” in every situation. Dr. G helps her see that she is accustomed to feeling guilty and inferior, and Shira […]

2018-04-17T11:49:04+02:00April 17th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

A Firm Tree Does Not Fear the Storm by Jennifer Morris

A Firm Tree Does Not Fear the Storm by Jennifer MorrisLife is a series of chapters in A Firm Tree Does Not Fear the Storm, a poignant and entertaining work of women’s fiction by debut author, Jennifer Morris.

On the heels of her beloved Grammy’s death, Beth feels as though her life has lost its purpose, with her daughters both away at college and her husband constantly traveling for work. However, thanks to the unexpected gift of her Grammy’s house and after going to Florida to see her childhood friend, Amber, the seed for a potential new chapter to her life quickly takes root…

Evocatively titled, A Firm Tree […]

2018-04-06T10:35:23+02:00April 5th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: The Gospel of Tommy Visconti (The Edge of the Known – Conclusion) by Seth Mullins

The Gospel of Tommy Visconti

The Gospel of Tommy Visconti by Seth Mullins is the sixth and final volume of The Edge of the Known series, which follows the rise of the band Edge of the Known and the mercurial bandleader Brandon Chane, as he muses about life and the creative process. Here the story is told by his creative partner Tommy Visconti, as we get a view of Brandon from a distance, and potentially a deeper look into the author of this fascinating series.

Tommy Visconti is the lumbering bass player in Edge of the Known – not quite the mastermind, but instrumental in […]

2018-03-23T12:41:18+02:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Buffalo ’99 by Chris Stucchio

Buffalo '99 by Chris Stucchio

In Buffalo ’99, Chris Stucchio has created a moody, hard-boiled world in which punk rock, cocaine, and sleeping around are a way of life.

Miles Sterling, the narrator, opens the story nonchalantly with his infidelity, setting the tone for the rest of the book. There is Vanessa, the caring and a little too attached girlfriend. And then Taylor, the rambunctious babe who flirts and knows how to use it.

The narrator has a way of speaking reminiscent of Philip Marlowe, but with more sex and less crime. The voice is powerfully visceral, constructing a narrator that you love to […]

2018-04-30T11:01:13+02:00March 19th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |
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