Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Jitters by Chris Harmon

Sampling from the truly strange world of Chris Harmon’s imagination, Jitters is an aptly named spook-fest of tales from a promising young writer.

A scary series of gritty snapshots and long-form stories, this is a collection that feels like it could be read around a campfire. From zombies in the basement and ravenous tigers to dangerously depressed wizards and cannibalistic substitute teachers, these fast-moving stories take childhood fears and blow them into extraordinary and entertaining proportions.

The frustrations, irritations, stressors, and paranoid delusions of teenagers are on proud display, along with a dastardly catalog of axe murderers, aliens, terrifying ice […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-03-17T16:17:04+02:00February 2nd, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror|

Review: Energy Wars by Lionel Lazarus

Intergalactic power struggles and a universe driven by the hunt for precious fuel, Lionel Lazarus dazzles readers with Energy Wars, the second and third parts of his Energy Exchange series.

Immensely powerful and ageless, but still able to be surprised, The Eight is returning to his home galaxy onboard the Hela, but finds that an unthinkable coup has occurred. His beloved companion, the supreme leader of the Overlords, is gone, and now The Sixth threatens the historic peace the Overlords had worked to achieve.

Having learned from past battles, The Eight knows to rely on brains, rather than brawn, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-01-23T17:51:04+02:00January 19th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Lionel Lazarus, Science Fiction|

Review: Secrets of the Tree House by Leinad Platz

Secrets of the Tree House by Leinad Platz is an absorbing thriller where a small Wisconsin community is brought to face deep and disturbing truths. An entertaining, fast-paced mystery with dark undertones and streaks of spirituality, the novel is both chilling and emotionally gripping.

The story walks the line between adult fiction and YA, masterfully weaving Dustin’s teen perspective with the hard facts of crime investigation, but also with the presence of older characters who help Dustin find his way through a series of traumatic events. In this sense, the book is also a coming-of-age novel, subtly describing the shift […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-03-17T10:50:31+02:00January 17th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller|

Review: The Delivery Man by Sebastien Taveau

Bolstered by the experience of decades working in the heart of Silicon Valley, The Delivery Man: The Art of Turning Ideas into Products in Silicon Valley by Sebastien Taveau is an accessible and revelatory glimpse into top-shelf innovation and personal achievement.

Most people can rattle off half a dozen major tech CEOs, but the critical product designers and dreamers behind those success stories are normally hidden from view. As the delivery man – the person trusted to deliver “dreams come true” – Taveau goes deep into the tangled weeds of product development. Though this memoir and manual is inspired and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-01-24T14:14:02+02:00January 16th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business, Memoir, Sebastien Taveau|

Review: A Plan to Save the Planet by Glenn Weinreb

A scathing rebuke of incrementalism in the face of an undeniable climate crisis, A Plan to Save the Planet: How to resolve climate change at the lowest cost and in a way that is politically feasible by Glenn Weinreb is a well-penned thesis that makes a concerted attempt to redirect the future.

Weinreb made millions of dollars as a product designer for laboratory and factory technology, and had a revelation about his potentially destructive place in the world, giving the book an implicit level of authority from the start. Following his personal background is a comprehensive assessment of our present […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-01-13T13:10:10+02:00January 13th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Environment, Science|

Review: Love Stories Are… by Katharine M. Sweet

Deeply realistic and crushingly tender, Love Stories Are… by Katharine M. Sweet is the next chapter in the story of the Goodroe clan after Love Is…. This time it is Mat’s brother Vinnie and his editor Anna’s turn to be at the center of a romantic drama, reflecting on the complex reality of marriage, family, and love.

Although Anna and Vinnie’s story is central to the book, the title captures the multiplicity of relationships that makes Love Stories Are… not only a remarkable novel, but also a captivating showcase of the human capacity to love in spite of pain, […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-03-03T09:29:17+02:00January 12th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Katharine M. Sweet, Romance|

Review: Entanglement – Quantum and Otherwise by John K. Danenbarger

An awe-inspiring novel, Entanglement – Quantum and Otherwise by John K. Danenbarger is a story of crime, death, love, and the contradictory nature of human relationships. Tied together by what could seem almost like destiny, Geena, Beth, Kevin, Davis, Joe, and Martin are entangled in a deeply moving novel where there is neither total damnation nor the hope for full redemption.

Professor Martin Case, Joe’s lover of many years, is working on an important theory in the field of quantum physics. He believes his work, craftily hidden to protect his discovery, will change the world, merging the lines between science […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-03-01T16:03:23+02:00January 10th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Literary Fiction, Visionary Fiction|

Review: The Message by Bill Harvey

A sci-fi thriller replete with psychic energy and covert intel action, The Message by Bill Harvey is a creative chapter of an expansive near-future world.

Instilled with the quiet knowledge that he was always destined for a greater purpose than an anonymous military life, Martin Williams is the perfect reluctant hero protagonist. His uncanny hunches, guided by “the advisor in his mind,” have made him a renowned military man, but hint that his instincts may be heightened by dormant psychic abilities. The world is changing, and the rules of war continue to shift, as do the weapons.

Williams is unexpectedly […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-02-28T14:15:49+02:00January 3rd, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Bill Harvey, Science Fiction, Visionary Fiction|