New Releases

SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books

Perpetual Gloom by Shelah A. Johnson

Perpetual Gloom by Shelah A. Johnson The start of an epic saga of one American family, Perpetual Gloom by Shelah A. Johnson is a vivid portrait of Depression-era history, and the launch pad for The Boloney Trail trilogy.

Detailing the struggles of the Hornbeck family as they navigate treacherous years of poverty and desperation, JC and Martha are the family’s resilient backbone, while Monroe and Wyatt are the wily young ones learning the meaning of survival. From Arkansas, Louisiana, and Denver to Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, the interwoven stories of these characters are snapshots of wandering lifestyles and the sheer willpower to keep going. Peppered […]

2022-08-04T02:38:32+02:00August 4th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Beating Insomnia by Stephen Altschuler, M.Ed.

Beating Insomnia by Stephen Altschuler Stephen Altschuler, M.Ed. tackles the frustrating topic of insomnia and sleep struggles with his exhaustively researched and compelling new book, Beating Insomnia: A No-Nonsense Way to Natural Sleep.

Part memoir and part sleep guide, Altschuler welcomes readers into the sleepless recesses of his own experience with insomnia as a result of cancer, while also providing a wealth of resources and mental frameworks to address and overcome common sleep issues, whatever the cause. Despite the unique aspect of a memoir, Altschuler’s approaches to addressing his own insomnia could be applied to anyone’s experience, and many elements of the book are […]

2022-08-02T08:04:44+02:00August 2nd, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Bravely and Faithfully by Edward M. Hochsmann

Bravely and Faithfully by Edward HochsmannA third high-seas thriller from the creative mind of Edward M. Hochsmann, Bravely and Faithfully adds stormy new flavor to his Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series.

The fearless crew is tackling another covert mission near the Bahamas, in the aftermath of a violent storm, fresh off another heroic rescue. This time around, there is a new CO at the helm, and Captain Reardon’s introduction is a character shift that shakes up the bonds between crew members to keep the interpersonal dynamic fresh. Whether they are protecting the integrity of NASA rocket launches, intercepting high-payload drug drops, or acting as getaway […]

Mirror of Reality: Geb War Chronicles by Alexander Schmid

Mirror of Reality: Geb War Chronicles by Alexander SchmidThe wildly magical imagination of fantasy author Alexander Scmid brings to life a hero’s journey of sword and sorcery in Mirror of Reality, a classic epic battle of wills, legends, and leaders with plenty of mythical beasts and lands to be explored in the Empire of Geb. Re-imagining many aspects of existing legends into a war of magnitudes, this novel’s impressive world-building and lore will be savored by fans of Arthurian fantasy.

Schmid’s writing style takes on the intricate, belabored pace beloved of many epic fantasy fans, similar to The Buried Giant or almost any Donaldson tome, with the […]

2022-07-25T03:57:02+02:00July 22nd, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang

Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang A sprawling but delicate story of personal evolution, Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang expertly navigates the fine line between heartbreaking and inspiring.

Unpacking an abusive childhood as he strives for acceptance and perfection, Hanwei’s long journey away from innocence is remarkable in its stark detail. Juxtaposing the aspirational Chinese mindset of his youth with the free-thinking exploration of ideas in the west, this story is woven together on multiple levels, with themes of sexuality, cultural pressure, academia, and personal exodus, for a poignant meditation on freedom.

Examining whether we can ever truly be free of our past, Huang […]

2022-07-22T03:15:15+02:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

A Full Quiver by D.A. Callahan

A Full Quiver by D.A. Callahan A childless couple ends up taking in four youngsters in D.A. Callahan’s A Full Quiver, an affecting, poignant story about how parenting doesn’t have to be perfect.

Steve and Jennifer Mei Griffin run a security firm for the rich and famous in Washington, DC. They become guardians to their goddaughter after her parents’ untimely death, and through a strange series of circumstances, they end up housing three more kids over the next few months. Over the course of the story, the Griffins form a close-knit, unconventional family unit and must band together to fend off dangerous threats from the […]

2022-07-11T06:19:30+02:00July 8th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Millie! The Last Chapters by Louis David Lavalle & Roseanne Lavalle

Millie! The Last Chapters by Louis David Lavalle Audiences will be inspired to hold their precious pets tight while reading Millie! The Last Chapters, the adorable true story of a cherished, special pooch by Louis David Lavalle and Roseanne Lavalle.

Louis and his wife Roseanne don’t call Millie a dog: they view her as a person and a special member of the family. Roseanne first spots the spunky Yorkshire Terrier in the window of a NYC pet store on a rainy Spring evening, the runt of a litter bred in St. Louis. With her big ears, left eye freckle, and resplendent gold and blue-gray coat, Millie soon […]

2022-07-07T02:54:49+02:00July 7th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik

Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik

A crime thriller that feels ripped from the crises of today’s headlines, Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik is a fast-moving and gritty peek into the streets.

The drug market in Boston is filling up with fentanyl, and bodies are beginning to drop on college campuses, bringing in Detective Del Vecchio to sniff out the murderous link in the chain. Lamont is a misguided young kid grief-stricken over his drug-sharing role in his own stepsister’s death. Tom is just an Uber driver who wants to make some extra cash dropping off deliveries for a slick French criminal named Francois Laax. Their […]

2022-07-22T01:43:02+02:00July 5th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |
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