Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Weekly Economist by Ray Keating

Author and economist Ray Keating doles out a lifetime’s worth of insight in The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, the latest non-fiction work from this prolific author.

Encouraging readers to think more like economists, regardless of experience or expertise in the field, Keating has created an accessible and comprehensive guide to concepts that regularly baffle the average person. He argues that before one can criticize or successfully navigate the world of economics, one must thoroughly understand it, and this book can certainly help that happen.

From intellectual property rights and labor unions […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-27T04:07:59+02:00May 9th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Finance, Ray Keating|

Review: The Uncanny Redemption of Philip E. Loeser by Robert T. Krantz

Honestly told and deep in its wisdom, The Uncanny Redemption of Philip E. Loeser by Robert T. Krantz is a clever slice of character-driven drama.

Phil Loeser has been bouncing from one fight to another since childhood, and while he self-identifies as a good guy who never starts a fight, he certainly knows how to finish them. When his temper and fists get him into deeper trouble than usual, unexpected sources of hope appear before him – genuine chances to turn things around, if he can only manage to keep his head on straight.

First, there is the angelic face […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-27T03:27:54+02:00May 6th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction|

Review: Heretic (The Helios Rising Trilogy Book 1) by Chris Mayne

A dark magical adventure into the far-flung future of humanity, Heretic by Chris Mayne is a bold, creative mixture of dark fantasy and dystopian fiction.

An explosive disaster rocks the city of New Tartarus, leaving countless dead in its wake, except for one man found in the center of the blast crater with glowing runes on his body. At first glance, Arlex is nothing but a young sapien underminer, a low-level laborer, but he is also a vortex of magical phenomena, displaying more raw potential than even the most powerful priests and magick-users of the Order.

Viktor, an acolyte healer […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-04T08:58:04+02:00May 4th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: The Happiness Journal by Viet Hung

An invitation to a more elevated form of living, The Happiness Journal by Viet Hung Nguyen is a thoughtful, comprehensive, and encouraging collection for those seeking change.

Composed of more than a decade of blog posts, and curated with an intuitive flow of ideas, this collection is full of uplifting and inspiring prose. As the author states in the foreword, the purpose of this book, and the entirety of their work, is “to inspire everyone to have a positive, well-rounded, peaceful, meaningful, fulfilled, energetic, and intense life.” The subsequent essays explore the tools and pathways to achieve such a life, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-03-11T18:31:05+02:00May 3rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Self-Help|

Review: REACH by Nate Thurgood

Author Nate Thurgood spells out his recently developed strategy for leveling up your life and achieving more with your talents in his new book REACH: Maximize Your Potential and Live Your Best Life. With a conversational tone, a healthy dose of humility, and a contemporary philosophy that considers our latest global challenges, this book confidently asserts itself as a relevant guide for today’s strange times.

The five focal areas at the core of this philosophy are “intentionally generic,” with goal-setting as the major foundation for change. Establishing a balance between one’s wellness, personal relationships, professional career, spiritual health, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-26T02:41:07+02:00May 3rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help|

Review: Easy Promises by Abby Reilly

A twisting police procedural that pits two detectives against a group of smooth-talking Philadelphia lawyers, Abby Reilly’s Easy Promises is also a feisty interfamily drama that calls into question the nickname “City of Brotherly Love.”

When criminal defense attorney Sean Murphy is found tied up with his throat slit on his yacht the Lucky Lady, it’s not difficult to find a suspect: frankly, it’s harder to rule anyone out. Enter seasoned detective Joe Watson and his younger counterpart Patricia Malone – the Philly cops tasked with narrowing down a long list of potential perpetrators, including the many less-than-savory clients that […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-05-25T03:49:51+02:00April 22nd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Legal Thriller, Thriller|

Review: The Yellow Sign by James Hodge

A psychological spiral into desperation, belonging, and the painful road to healing, The Yellow Sign by James Hodge is a tense thriller that builds slow, but hits hard.

An FBI agent still recovering from the trauma of her last mission, Erica Blaine is the fiercely flawed heart of this drama. Despite the haunted past clawing at her heels, she is once again sent into unknown waters to gather intel on a spiritual school, The Yellow College, with growing numbers and some hallmark signs of manipulative behavior. As she slips into the strange patterns of the “school,” with their call-and-response worship, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-05-17T05:57:37+02:00April 21st, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller|

Review: Tell Me More by David W. Kolakowski

Taking the terror out of public speaking through logic, preparation, and practice, Tell Me More: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting & Delivering Inspiring Presentations Fearlessly by David W. Kolakowski is a refreshing, real-world primer for anyone who gets nervous before getting behind a mic. In a book about perfecting and delivering top-tier presentations, the author cannot fail to meaningfully engage readers from the first page, or few readers would make it to the second chapter, but that is far from the case here.

The author is humble, yet meticulously knowledgeable, both in the physical act of delivering a great speech, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-21T05:21:35+02:00April 20th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business, Self-Help|