Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Fracktured by Lance Simmens

Fracktured by Lance Simmens is a political novel following the lives of three people: a politician and his wife, and a madam, all trying to navigate a world in which the political system is broken, affecting all our lives. Primarily, the book centers around the fossil fuel industry, and society’s addiction to oil. Far from touting “Drill, Baby, Drill” this is an anti-fracking novel to the core, exposing how toxic fracking has become: both in what it does to communities, and how toxic the political discourse has become.

There’s a danger in a policy wonk writing a work of fiction […]

Henry Baum2024-07-30T15:36:59+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Political Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Coinman by Pawan Mishra

★★★★ Coinman by Pawan Mishra

Coinman: An Untold Conspiracy by Pawan Mishra is a quirky, heartfelt novel about finding your identity – and keeping it.

The search for personal fulfillment is a lifelong journey for most, and along the way, it is necessary to establish the identity you want, the work you cherish, the people you respect, and the love you deserve. In Pawan Mishra’s oddly charming novel, readers are welcomed into the strangely neurotic, passionate, and unfulfilled existence of Coinman, a simple office worker with a jangling passion for coins.

The title of the book suggests this slightly odd premise, but the majority […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-15T02:29:44+02:00March 31st, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Everyone Versus Everyone by Arthur Jay

★★★★ Everyone Versus Everyone by Arthur Jay

Welcome to the world of courtroom drama with a difference – Arthur Jay takes on the state of modern life in his satirical novella Everyone Versus Everyone. In this thought-provoking and humorous tale, Jay ponders the question: if everyone was on trial for making a mess of the world, what would happen? If everyone took on everyone in court, how could things possibly be resolved – and would the trial make a difference? Diverse members of the public are plucked from their everyday pursuits to appear on the witness stand for the prosecution or sit on the jury, and […]

Helen Chenaf2019-01-22T15:36:48+02:00February 27th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Satire Book Reviews|

Review: What Casts the Shadow? by Seth Mullins

★★★★½ Seth Mullins

What Casts the Shadow? (The Edge of the Known Book 1) by Seth Mullins is an introspective novel about Brandon Crane, a metal musician with a lot of hope for the future, but facing demons and darkness he must overcome. His band “Edge of the Known” are forging ahead, but Brandon’s negative thoughts, spurred on by an abusive father, threatens to make everything come crashing down, as the violent part of him is threatening to overtake his life. When Brandon meets a wise mentor, Saul, he might finally be able to put his life together.

What makes What Casts […]

Henry Baum2019-01-22T15:28:22+02:00February 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Men's Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Squirrel Days by Dustin Costa ★★★★

Squirrel Days Squirrel Days by Dustin Costa is the hard-to-classify but always-entertaining satire about the so-called US drug war. Renegade disc jockey insults the wrong people on the radio and flees to the marijuana capital of Northern California with his one-legged girlfriend, Juanita. There they find refuge with a wide variety of eccentric characters, each more insane than the last: wizards, an alien, a mad scientist, among others. Harnessing a powerful quantum weapon, this group of misfits thinks they have what it takes to defeat a bloodthirsty drug cartel.

The novel is madcap at times, hardboiled at others, and then absurdist sci-fi […]

SPR2019-01-22T15:39:01+02:00January 11th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Humor, Satire Book Reviews|

Hope by Taryn Feldmann

Hope by Taryn Feldmann is a novel about abuse and recovery. Emily and Sarah have had a horrible upbringing due to their abusive father. Emily moves to New York with dreams of being an actor, while Sarah succumbs to drug addiction. When Emily learns of the healing power of a horse named Hope, she brings her sister to Wyoming to help put her on the right course. However, Emily falls ill to Leukemia and finds she needs the healing power of Hope as much as her sister. An emotional novel about overcoming pain and a troubled past.

While the novel […]

Lysa Grant2016-01-05T06:15:28+02:00January 5th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Busker’s Holiday by Adam Gussow ★★★★★

Busker’s Holiday by Adam Gussow is a fictionalized account of busking in the streets of Europe over one summer. Filled with a great passion for the Blues, and lyrical evocations of European life, it reads like a Beat Generation novel for a new generation. If you have a love of music, a love of travel, and a love of eccentricity, Busker’s Holiday is an exhilarating read.

Given that Gussow is an acclaimed harmonica player himself, with a popular how-to YouTube channel and a non-fiction book about busking in Harlem, there is little doubt that this book is a veiled memoir, […]

Henry Baum2019-01-22T15:39:31+02:00December 29th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Second Chances by Lincoln Cole

Second Chances by Lincoln Cole Second Chances by Lincoln Cole is a novel about big issues: racial discrimination and injustice, alcoholism, spousal abuse, and struggling to survive when society is stacked against you. The novel begins with Lakeisha who is facing virulent racism at an elementary school. When Lakeisha goes missing, her daughter, Nichole, must start caring for her younger siblings and picking up the pieces of a shattered life. She works with Richard, an attorney who got into the job with good intentions but has steered away from helping the common good, and he’s facing a crisis of his own. Nichole’s problems force both […]