SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka
Shades of Thorne Creek by Alan Havorka is a fascinating social novel following the fate of a small town population in the mid-1970s trying to survive in the midst of industrial decline, for a searing and emotive portrait. Havorka brings to life the provincial frustration against a period backdrop, teasing out the delicate personal relationships that define people and the paths they take, with sometimes tragic consequences.
Our unnamed narrator arrives in Emery, South Dakota, a perfectly normal if somewhat barren Great Plains town that has clearly seen better days, organized around a local grain elevator. Having noticed with a […]
Tapping into the endless possibility of multiverse theory, author J.E. Tobal mixes up a gritty sci-fi masterpiece of lost love, desperation, and cross-dimensional adventure in his new novel, Artefactum.
The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art by Mallory M. and John A. O’Connor is a unique take on the memoir – a life told not just through words, but also through paintings, photos, and recipes, for an enchanting combination of media. The O’Connors share their original journey across the years and places of their lives, punctuated by artwork by themselves or their friends, and by recipes taken from a moment or incident at a specific point in their enduring story.
Two amateur sleuths unravel a viciously clever scheme to destabilize Australia and rob it blind in Cobra Pose by Susan Rogers and John Roosen, the second installment of their fast-paced Yoga Mat Mysteries series.
A character-driven drama that spotlights the beauty of banality, and the shushed secrets that form the foundation of life, Hold Circulation by Syntell Smith is the third installment of his compelling Call Numbers series.
Sagely addressing spiritual, societal, personal, and hopeful themes, Emma Mnaya-Buzy delivers a multifaceted and empowering work in her sophomore collection of poetry, As Day Alights.
Telling a strongly autobiographical story through a collection of short stories and other prose, Elephant Crusher by S.E. Bourne is a brilliant piece of diaristic writing. From Sophia’s childhood spent swimming in the polluted river by her house, to her travels as a middle-aged woman, the collection is a clear, honest, and original work of autofiction with a delightfully dark sense of humor.