Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: One Short Year by Diane Dunning

In an oft riffed on passage, Blaise Pascal—probably himself riffing on Pliny the Younger— wrote, “I made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.” Diane Dunning, the author of the novella The River Secrets, took the time to write a small collection of very short fiction (the selection “The Sun Always Wins” is only 128 words). This is much harder than it looks, and Dunning has pulled it off with style. In the introduction she explains that these stories are popular posts from her blog, selections she describes as “entertaining reading for […]

Avery Hurt2014-05-05T21:45:35+02:00August 8th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Short Stories Book Reviews|

Review: Red Hot Internet Publicity by Penny C. Sansevieri

Are you a struggling self-published author, “non-techie newbie” or just a marketing specialist looking for the latest tips and tricks in the ever-changing world of Internet marketing? Red Hot Internet Publicity: The Insider’s Guide to Marketing Online by Penny C. Sansevieri is the book written with you in mind.

A self-published author herself, Sansevieri offers the latest know-how from her own experiences, written especially to ease you into the intimidating waters of the medium. If jargon like “Web 2.0”, “media drivers”, “blogging” and “social networking” has you saying “I’m totally lost”, this book will give you both the basics and […]

James Grimsby2020-02-21T03:54:32+02:00August 7th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Book Marketing Advice and Tips|

Review: Infinite Book 3: My Truest Fiction By D. C. L.

‘Infinite Book 3: My Truest Fiction’ is a memoir of author David Christopher Lawrence, a sufferer of paranoid schizophrenia, and his life surrounding his experiences with it, episodically. The book is part of the ‘Infinite Book’ series and is implied to have a later follow-up that details more aspects of the author’s experiences and recovery, completing his memoirs.

The author views his ‘illness’ as a part of him that cannot, and should not be silenced (“cured is the wrong word, integrated is the right one”), instead embracing the “truths” that are revealed to him by his voices and inner revelations, […]

James Grimsby2014-05-05T21:47:30+02:00August 5th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: A Change in Management by RJ Johnson

RJ Johnson’s Change in Management: A Jim Meade Martian PI Novel, is an interesting mix of science fiction and detective story. Jim Meade, a Runabout, doesn’t have much going for him. He has no money and is trying to make ends meet by competing in Zero-G fights. These contests, which often result in death, entertain the colonists on Mars. Meade doesn’t concern himself too much with the political situation in the world. In 2097 there are two main powers: The Consortium and Coalition. All Meade cares about is winning his next big fight.

When that fight goes awry, Meade finds […]

T B Markinson2019-01-24T19:46:04+02:00August 1st, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Breakfast with the Dirt Cult by Samuel Finlay

Breakfast with the Dirt Cult is a vivid and raw look into a young man’s term serving in the U.S. Army. It takes place over the span of his arrival into the army and his time spent serving in the war in Afghanistan. Reading from a non-military perspective, having never served before, I was very eager to dive into this book and see from what perspective of the war it would be written. The story is Samuel Finlay’s writing debut and it follows the life of Tom Walton, an American around the age of 20 who recently graduated from college. […]

Cate Baum2014-05-05T21:48:53+02:00July 31st, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: The Grand Turk File by John Waite

The opening of The Grand Turk File, a leisurely description of the Turk and Caicos islands, the setting of the primary action of this novel, lets you know right away that you are in the hands of a competent and confident writer. It does not, however, suggest that you might need to fasten your seat belt for the wild ride to come, but that might be a good idea. Grand Turk is most definitely a thriller. However, exacting characterization, careful pacing, and good writing make this book much richer than the average thriller.

Lieutenant Liechester Jones, known to all […]

Avery Hurt2014-05-05T21:53:28+02:00July 30th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: S3 – Science, Statistics and Skepticism by Fourat Janabi

Fourat Janabi’s passionate and entertaining look at the 3 pressing S’s of this universe: Science, Statistics and Skepticism, is, as the subtitle to this work testifies, an art of differentiation.

In this age of memes and virals on Facebook – which always seem to me to be the blind leading the blind – telling us how bad GMO crops, vaccines and theories of evolution are, Janabi once again pulls up a chair and takes a really hard look at something most people “liking” memes on Facebook don’t do – facts from qualified and independent scientists on the subjects that lately […]

Cate Baum2014-05-05T21:53:42+02:00July 24th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Book Reviews|

Review: The Pocket Guide To Health IT: An Integrated View by Melanie A. Meyer

If you’ve recently had to avail yourself of medical services, you may have noticed that the health care industry seems to be lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to information technology. Your local medical center may have the latest and greatest diagnostic machines and those fancy thermometers that clip on your ear, but it is likely that when it comes to processing requests for lab work, getting prescription orders to your pharmacy, or even accessing your medical records, the technology is muddled at best, and often seriously behind the times. Rest assured, however, that things are […]